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The English surname Hanks is of patronymic origin, being one of those
names derived from the personal name of the father of the original bearer.
During the Middle-Ages when it became necessary to have surnames as a better
means of identification, nothing would be more natural than for children in the
community to be known by their father's name. In this instance, the
is derived from the Old Norse Personal name Anki of unknown
derivation, and the Flemish
personal name Hank. Thus the surname Hanks signifies "son of Anki, or son of Hank."
The Flemish personal name Hank is a pet-form of John, ultimately from the Hebrew Johanan,
meaning "Jehovah has favored". Variants of the surname Hanks, include Anke, Hankes, and Hancks.
Earliest references to the surname are of the Norse derivation. For
example, one named Anke de Ankinson is recorded in the "Pipe Rolls" of Lincolnshire in 1194.
Roger Hanks of Norfolk who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273. Of the Flemish derivation,
one Elizabeth Hanckes was baptised at St. James Church in Clerkenwell, London, in 1565.
Listd in the "Rolls of the Burgesses at the Guilds Merrchant of the Borough of Preston" in
Lancashire and Cheshire was Ralph Hancks in 1642. In colonial America, one
William Hankes was indentured four years as servant to the Richard Taylor
Plantation of Virginia in 1672. The following are the arms for Hankes.
BLAZON OF ARMS: Bendy of six azure and or, a chief ermine.
The bends are diagonal divisions of the shield signifying Defence and Protection.
Azure (white) signifies Purity and Sincerity.
Or (gold) signifies Generosity and Elevation of Mind.
Ermine (fur) symbolizes Dignity.
CREST: A fleur-de-lis or.
Translation: The fleur-de-lis is attributed to royality and represents Faith, Wisdom and Valor.
Reaney, Percy Hide. A DICTIONARY OF BRITISH SURNAMES, London, Routlege and Kegan Paul, 1958, p. 153.
Hanke, Hanks: Anke Hy 2 DC (L);
Hanke 12th ib.;
Anke de Ankinton' 1194 P (L);
Hank' carpentarius 1280 Oseney (O);
Roger Hanks 1275 RH (Nf);
Ralph Hancks 1642 PrGR.
Hank is usually regarded as a Flemish pet-form of John.
The early examples above are undoubtedly of Scandinavian
orgin, from ON Anke, a diminutive of some name in Arn- . . ..
Reaney, Percy Hide Reaney, Litt.D., Ph.D., F.S.A.
The Origin of ENGLISH SURNAMES. New York, Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1967.
SURNAMES FROM NATIVE PERSONAL-NAMES.
Anki, a dimunutive of Arn-, found also as Hanke and surviving as
Hanke and Hanks . . . (p. 120).
Bynames The scandinavians, unlike the Anglo-Saxons and the continental Germans
had a habit of using the same personal-name in different
generations and branches of the same family. It was a common practive,
too, for a man to name his son after some notable chief or a particular friend. 'The departure of the Scandinavian peoples from
common Germanic custom is at . . .. (p. 121).
SURNAMES FROM SCANDINAVIAN PERSONAL-NAMES
In A Dictionary of British Surnames (pp. xxxv-xxvi) is given a list of
some 148 different Scandinavian personal-names which still survive
in a variety of forms as modern surnames. Unfortunately a few names
were omitted and others have since been identified. To this list should
ON Anki (Hanks), IDa, OSw Anund (Annand), . . ..
Bardsley, Charles Wareing, M.A. A DICTIONARY of ENGLISH AND WELSH SURNAMES with special American Instances. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1967.
Hanks. --Bapt. 'the son of John'; v. Hankin and Hanson. (t) A corruption of Hankins;
cf. Perks from Perkins, Dawks from Dawkins, Hawks from Hanksins, &c.
(2) Hanka or Hanke was an early Low Country pet-name for John (v. Yonge's Glossary).
Introduced into England the patronymic would be Hanks. In either case the origin is practically the same.
We find it early on the south-east coast, where we should naturally expect it to appear.
Roger Hanke, co Norf., 1273. A.
1564. Bapt--Eliz. Hanckes, borne in the feildes: St. Jas. Clerkenwell, i. 2.
1585. -- William, s. Richard Hanckes: ibid. p. 17.
1789. Married -- William Hanks and Lucy Edwards: St. Geo. Han. Sq. ii. 18. London, 7; Oxford, 4; New York, 5.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, M.B. (EDIN). HOMES OF FAMILY NAMES IN GREAT BRITAIN. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1968.
PECULIAR NAMES (confined mostly to this county).
Gazard. . . Goulding. . .
Hanks. . . Pegler. . . Ricketts. . . Stinchcombe. . .etc. (p. 195).
......HANKS was the name of a family possessing an estate in the parish of Church Down in the reign of Elizabeth (R.)......(p.199). | <urn:uuid:8d799c4f-4ab9-4769-a339-9354bc69278c> | {
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Student Biology Investigations Streamed Live from Station
Several young researchers were incredibly excited when the latest Japanese cargo ship
arrived at the International Space Station
, in late July. Along with the usual food, clothing, and science investigations, the spacecraft delivered the two global YouTube Space Lab winning entries
Dorothy Chen and Sara Ma
(from Troy, Mich.) and Amr Mohamed
(from Alexandria, Egypt) won this opportunity to do research in the orbiting laboratory's microgravity environment -- while attending high school.
These young scientists are working on some interesting hypotheses involving jumping spiders' adaptation abilities, and how microgravity might affect the anti-fungal properties of Bacillus subtilis
(also known as B. subtilis
), which are naturally occurring bacteria.
Astronaut Sunita Williams
, NASA flight engineer, is conducting the investigations aboard the station. The student experiments are scheduled to stream live via video from the space station on the YouTube Space Lab website
Sept. 13, at 9:30 a.m. CDT.
Mohamed's Salticus scenicus
, or zebra spider, research looks at whether jumping spiders, like the zebra and red-backed species, can adapt their hunting abilities to microgravity. Jumping spiders do not build webs for catching their food. These particular spiders hunt using their excellent vision to track and stalk prey, jumping and striking with a lethal bite -- similar to cats hunting mice.
"I have always been fascinated by science because with a handful of equations, I can explain the world around me," said Mohamed in his Meet the Winner
YouTube video. "The idea of sending an experiment to space is the most exciting thing that I have ever heard in my life."
Chen and Ma were inspired by previous Salmonella
studies done aboard station, proving this type of bacteria grown in microgravity becomes more virulent. They are testing this theory on B. subtilis
, to see if these bacteria will have increased anti-fungal properties when compared to the same bacteria produced on Earth. Their testing procedures involve introducing various nutrients and compounds, in particular phosphates and nitrates, separately to see if these additives affect growth and anti-fungal potency. If their hypothesis is correct, results may lead to stronger probiotics (as B. subtilis
is highly stable in harsh environmental conditions), and increased knowledge concerning how bacteria cause disease.
In their Meet the Winners
YouTube video, Ma said, “When we first started brainstorming, we definitely wanted to do something to impact the human race. It’s so cool how with science, everything relates to each other. Physics is used in chemistry, and chemistry is used in biology, and so on; everything is interrelated and it’s just really neat to find those relations.” Chen added, “The idea that something you made, something that’s your experiment, being sent up into space and actually becoming a reality is pretty incredible.”
Using the excitement of space and the thrill of having an experiment publicly conducted on the space station, exposes hundreds of thousands -- if not millions -- of students worldwide to the concept of research in microgravity, using the unique scientific platform of the space station.
The U.S. segment of the space station was designated as a national laboratory
in 2005. NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said, "As a national laboratory, our goal is to open up the space station to new paths for the exploration, discovery and economic development of space. Educating and inspiring the next generation of space explorers and scientists are among the most important things NASA can do, and these students are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. A contest like this taps into the passion of so many people who get involved, from the just over 2,000 students who submitted proposals to everyone who voted for them, and we want to encourage that passion and engagement."
The world-wide contest for students 14 to 18 years old called for students to submit entries via a two-minute YouTube video in the areas of physics or biology. There were over 2,000 entries received from more than 80 countries around the world.
“Competitions like YouTube Space Lab will inspire millions of people to explore and be curious about the world,” said Mohamed.
NASA's Johnson Space Center | <urn:uuid:34ba289f-08f5-4369-b452-d46d31274fc8> | {
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Head trauma from a crushing brain injury is typically the most damaging and life-threatening variety of traumatic brain injury. These injuries demand immediate medical treatment, and even with that treatment, functioning may be permanently impaired. It's possible to survive, and even thrive, in the face of a crushing brain injury, but the prognosis is heavily dependent upon the severity of the initial injury.
Fortunately, crushing brain injuries are the least common variety of head trauma. But because of their uncommon nature, research into best treatment practices is far less advanced than for other forms of head injuries. Additionally, crushing brain injury survivors may struggle to access skilled medical care, and may need to transfer to specialized trauma and rehabilitative facilities.
Head trauma from a crushing brain injury, as the name implies, occurs when the brain and skull are crushed—usually between two hard objects. The more forceful the crushing is, the more severe damage will be, but damage also depends on factors such as the location of the injury and overall brain health. For example, people who have vascular issues may suffer blood clots or strokes after a crushing brain injury.
A crushing brain injury causes damage to the brain, blood vessels, and skull, each of which can be life-threatening:
Any injury that causes the head to be lodged between two heavy objects can produce a crushing brain injury. Some of the most common causes include:
Head trauma from a crushing brain injury is hard to miss, since it usually involves extensive damage, may be bloody, and may even cause the head to become trapped between two objects. Any evidence that the brain has been crushed warrants immediate medical attention, even if the victim seems fine. Prompt medical intervention is the single most important determinant of long-term survival, and early treatment can significantly reduce long-term symptoms.
Some immediate effects of crushing brain injuries include:
Even with the best treatment, a crushing brain injury can prove fatal, particularly if the blow to the head is forceful enough. In the immediate aftermath of the injury, doctors will focus on stopping any bleeding, removing pressure and swelling on the brain, and addressing any secondary effects of the injury, such as blood clots or stroke. Some crushing brain injury survivors require artificial respiratory assistance to continue breathing on their own. Depending upon the location and severity of the injury, they may also need the assistance of catheters, heart rate monitors, pacemakers, and a wide array of other devices.
Ultimately, the prognosis depends on overall health, the severity of the initial injury, and quality of treatment. This is why it's so important to seek treatment at a facility that has experience with crushing brain injuries. Your doctor is the best person to ask about your prognosis, but some common effects of crushing brain injuries include:
There are no guarantees when it comes to treating a crushing brain injury, but rigid adherence to the treatment plan suggested by your doctor offers you the best chance at a speedy and full recovery. A healthy lifestyle can also work wonders, so don't shy away from asking your doctor about the role of good nutrition, regular exercise, stress management, and other health choices. Long-term treatment options may include: | <urn:uuid:0407a7c6-0136-47e7-8029-53049f5a165d> | {
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Mice Study Points to Role for Coconut Fat in Diabetes Prevention
September 21/Daily Mail/London -- A diet rich in coconut oil could ward off type 2 diabetes.
The oil, used in foods such as margarine, helps prevent insulin resistance. This is where muscle and fat cells stop reacting to insulin, the hormone that helps to mop up excess sugar in the blood.
Australian scientists used mice to compare the effects of coconut oil-rich foods with a lard-based diet, consumed by many in the developed world. The results showed coconut-fed mice were much less likely to develop resistance to insulin. Previously, coconut oil has had a mixed reception because it is high in saturated fat, which is linked to high cholesterol. However, coconut fat is now known to be made up of so-called medium-chain fatty acids, regarded as healthier than the long-chain fatty acids found in animal products such as butter or lard.
From the September 28, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition | <urn:uuid:52db00a9-3570-42d1-8906-e1c10ba62302> | {
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The historiography of the American Civil War, particularly the numerous events that led to its outbreak and its opening scenes have been described in myriad ways over the past 150 years. A common description used time and again compared those events to a coming storm upon the land. “The storm was upon the horizon,” or “a great storm was coming,” appropriately, but in historical hindsight, relayed the unfolding narrative of 1860 and 1861 respectively.
This was not the last time that the events of war were compared to mother nature’s fury. Many young men, both North and South, compared the heat of battle as walking into a storm, bracing each step against the ground, bent in stoop, and pushing forward. The lead in the air during the battle vividly recalled as a pelting or driving rain.
On this August day in 2016, the storm was already here. It was not the first time that a storm had visited the fields and ridges south of this Pennsylvania town. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania had seen a growing storm on their horizon since mid-June 1863 as the lead elements of the Confederate army reached nearby Chambersburg. Within a week, Gettysburg residents had their first experience with the Army of Northern Virginia as a division of the Second Corps passed through, placing a requisition on the town.
The real storms of war, however, did not break on the Gettysburg landscape until July 1, 1863. The fighting west and north of town pushed elements of the Federal army through the town itself and to a new position south of Gettysburg. It was here, during most of the day, that a new, pending storm brewed. As Confederate and Federal forces worked to shake out those battle lines and develop their plans for July 2, the storm grew but did not yet break. Finally, nearing 4:00 pm, on July 2, 1863, it erupted with cannons as the sound of thunder, cracks of lightning musket flashes. The Confederate infantry went forward and the deadly hail of bullets ripped through the landscape yet again.
This picture was taken from the famed Peach Orchard, looking north. The Confederate attack would continue as units arrayed south to north moved across the horizon from left to right, eventually reaching Cemetery Ridge and the Union line on the right of the image.
On this day, the storm did little damage to the landscape except to bring much needed water to the ground. For those that lived the events of July 2, 1863, the storm that was the battle of Gettysburg was far from over and more fighting waged the following day. | <urn:uuid:7757f5d8-a56e-4903-9643-78b666ce8333> | {
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Posted 3 years ago
My recent two prints from an estate auction. CHEAP! YAY!
This one is on old board or something - like a cardboard print?
I love this picture.
The Delphic Oracle exerted considerable influence throughout Hellenic culture. Distinctively, this female was essentially the highest authority both civilly and religiously in male-dominated ancient Greece. She responded to the questions of citizens, foreigners, kings, and philosophers on issues of political impact, war, duty, crime, laws—even personal issues.
In ancient Greece, the Delphic Oracle was the shrine founded by Apollo himself, and was the most highly revered Oracle of its time.
The chosen priestess, depicted here in the 1899 painting by J. W. Godward, was known as the Pythia, so named after the enormous snake which had once guarded the shrine.
The Pythia entered into trance-like states and spoke their prophecies in a 'language' similar to the unintelligible words uttered by those who speak in tongues. Priests were responsible for recording and interpreting the oracles.
John William Godward was a protégé of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema in the style of the Victorian Frederick Leighton.
Godward's work was severely judged by art critics toward the end of his life as Picasso and the new wave of Modernism swept aside the ideals of 19th centurt art. | <urn:uuid:a88d7464-f809-4664-9bf0-a31c37c70d54> | {
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The Barbary Lion, Atlas lion or Nubian lion (Panthera leo) is a subspecies of lion that has become extinct in the wild. There are around 40 in captivity in Europe, with fewer than a hundred in zoos around the world. The last known Barbary lion in the wild was shot in the Atlas Mountains in 1922.
The Barbary lion was believed to be extinct in captivity as well. However, possible Barbary lion individuals or descendants have been located in zoos and circus populations within the last three decades. The Barbary lion is often considered to be the heaviest of the lion subspecies; the calculated weight for the males is 440-600 lb and females 260-400 lb. Some experts, however, have expressed the belief that such weights are greatly exaggerated, and that the Barbary lion was similar in size to the lions in East Africa.
Aurora came from a private owner in Poetry TX along with 19 other cats. The first time we saw her she had no water and her enclosure appeared not to have been cleaned in months. Aurora lived alone but next to two of her older sisters. We learned that at one time she had lived with her brother, Aramis until the pair bred. When Aurora developed a tubal pregnancy she almost lost her life with a horrible infection. Aurora was then spayed and taken away from her brother. We are not sure how often Aurora and the others were fed, but we are sure that when they were fed, the meat was thrown to them still within the plastic bags. In order for us to be able to house all of the siblings we would have to integrate Aurora with her two older sisters. We built a passage way that would allow the three to be together and from the very first try they have behaved agreeably to each other.
Because they were so many cats in urgent need at the same time it was impossible for us to bring all of them back to In-Sync. On June 29 we began our mission to care for the cats in Poetry until we could find suitable homes for all of them. First we had to figure out how we could get fresh water to them. Second we had to find a way to clean up to 10 inches of feces from the tiny enclosures.
We are so blessed at being able to save Aurora, and reunite her with her litter mate Aramis. We are looking forward to many songs of happiness between them and their two older sisters. We also plan to introduce all of them to each other so they may live the rest of their lives together as a pride!
For more images of Aurora click here! | <urn:uuid:7ab58090-6b97-4c69-a75e-f8f5d3588c51> | {
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As the Dow rises and falls, topping new highs and bottoming out in new lows, investments around the world are feeling the pinch of an economy based on speculation and consumer spending. The current economic crisis is the result of a wide range of different causes, though they are all interrelated. Consumer spending is the basis of the entire economy; without it, manufacturing slows to a snail's pace, stock prices plummet and the world economy takes a tumble.
Retail sales across almost every industry are at the lowest point in more than three years. Why is this? Simply put, consumers either lack the money to buy new goods, or are stockpiling the little bit of cash that they have. Most consumers simply do not have the money to splurge on new purchases, though. This is the result of job cuts, increasing fuel prices, the real estate crunch and many other causes.
However, for consumers in need, a cash advance can provide the funding needed until the next payday. This can be a valuable tool, both for the consumer and for the economy. By providing needed funding, these advances can prop up a floundering economy, boosting retail sales. However, it is not a "cure all."
Other moves are being made to stabilize the economies of word nations. Unlimited short-term loans have been extended to the credit sector, in order to keep credit flowing to consumers, bailout floundering credit companies and even prop up worldwide and US banks. In fact, the US government may soon own a very large chunk of the banking industry in the nation. For most consumers, these moves mean little, if it does not accompany a reduction in the general cost of living, though.
Not all news is so bleak, though the worldwide economy may appear to be plummeting. Oil prices have recently been cut, allowing consumers to save some much-needed cash at the pump. Is this enough to slow the economic decline? While it is unlikely that simply cutting fuel prices will stimulate the US and world economies, it can help consumers attain a certain peace of mind about their expenses. When coupled with innovative payday advances, this may be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. | <urn:uuid:8f4c7038-1969-43df-ac45-8d4aff760a38> | {
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How NOT to get fooled by the results of aerial image resolution testing of lenses
The resolution of a lens can be tested in a number of different ways. One way some people have chosen is to measure the resolution in the aerial image formed by the lens. To do this a resolution chart is used as the target and the image formed in the film plane is examined by a microscope. This does away with the need for film, but the results of aerial image resolution testing may be highly misleading if you don't realize all the factors involved.
There is a formula for diffraction limited (perfect) lenses which tells you that the maximum resolution of a lens is given by (x/f-stop), where x is somewhere in the 1600-1800 range (depending on exactly what assumptions are made regarding the wavelength of light, what exactly constitutes "resolved" etc.). If a lens tests out to show the maximum theoretical resolution at any given aperture (let's say it shows 400 lp/mm at f4) then some people have concluded the lens must be close to diffraction limited. After all, if a lens resolves line patterns at the theoretical diffraction limite, then it must be diffraction limited, right? WRONG!. Nothing of the sort is true. A lens can be severely aberrated and still resolve line patterns close to the diffraction limit in the aerial image. This is not intuitive, but nevertheless it's true.
The figure below shows the MTF of an f2.8 lens with various amounts of wavefront error. MTF is a measure of the contrast of a lens at any particular spatial frequency (lp/mm reading). It is related to resolution, since resolution is defined as the spatial frequency at which MTF drops below some given value. It's not the same as overall "image contrast", which is basically related to the MTF at low spatial frequencies (say 1-10 lp/mm). Spatial frequency should, strictly speaking, be given in cycles/mm for a sine wave pattern, but for practical purposes it's OK to approximate it with lp/mm and a square wave pattern (i.e. a bar pattern such as is found on most resolution test charts). Wavefront error is simply a convenient way of defining the amount of aberation present - a measure of how close to "diffraction limited" or "perfect" the performance of the lens is. A perfect lens has 0 wavefront error. A wavefront error of 0.25 wavelengths is good. It's about the error of a pretty decent astronomical telescope. A really good telescope may have only 0.1 wavelenghts of wavefront error. At 0.5 wavelenghts of wavefront error image degradation becomes quite noticable. At 0.75 and 1 wavelength of wavefront error, image degradation is very noticable. Studies of a number of 50mm lenses have shown that wide open, fast lenses can easily have 1 wavelength of wavefront error.
Now look closely at the figure, especially at the region at which the MTF falls close to zero. Where the MTF drops below some very small value is the point at which the resolution of the lens is reached. How close to zero the MTF must drop depends on a number of things such as the brightness of the image and the nature of the target pattern, but 1% (0.01) isn't an unreasonable value for a bright image and a high contrast bar pattern. As you can see, even with very large aberrations (large wavefront errors), the MTF at frequencies close to the resolution limit hardly changes! Large wavefront errors don't greatly affect the "ultimate" resolution of the lens, though they make it FAR from "diffraction limited". An expansion of the high frequency region of the plot is shown below.
As you stop down, wavefront error tends to decrease, though as you can see from the "x/f-stop" formula, diffraction limited resolution also decreases. What this means is that up to some point, stopping down will improve lens performance. Past that point, diffraction (x/f-stop) will start to decrease image quality (lower resolution). The plot below shows the results for an f2.8 lens with 0.6 wavelengths of wavefront error (perhaps a typical fast 50mm lens) and an f5.6 lens with no wavefront error. As you can see, although the ultimate resolution of the lens has dropped (in fact by a factor of 2), the performance of the lens in the region which matters (film can only record data in the region from 0-150 lp/mm) has greatly improved.
The final conclusion I would like you to come away with is as follows:
You cannot make any judgements about the imaging ability of a lens (how close to "diffraction limited" it is) by measuring the maximum resolution in the aerial image
Measuring the resolution in the aerial image may be interesting, and indeed, if you know what you are looking for you can make some judgements about some aspects of the quality of the lens. However you can't measure imaging quality or the level of aberration in a lens from the MTF cutoff frequency (the "resolution").
© Copyright Bob Atkins All Rights Reserved | <urn:uuid:3c5daa9f-2d89-4246-bc5b-75151ff122b2> | {
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Posted on 15 Feb 2015 00:24
If you Google the term "fresh frozen" you'll get more than a few references to one of Gordon Ramsey's meltdowns on Kitchen Nightmares, where he throws a fit because a cook tells him "we keep it frozen fresh." There is no such thing as fresh food that is frozen. Food is either frozen, or it is fresh. However, there are many frozen foods items that are referred to on the labels as fresh frozen. What could this possibly mean? Are they trying to say it is frozen and still fresh?
Ramsey would complain, no doubt, about foods labelled as fresh frozen. If they are frozen, they are not fresh! Well, that is true. But the term fresh frozen on a food label does not mean that the food is both fresh and frozen. It means that the food was frozen as quickly as possible while still fresh. An example would be the many types of fish that are immediately frozen right on the boat where they are caught. This also includes shrimp.
Regulations allow a few different ways of describing this, however. First, it would help to understand how the word fresh on food labels is regulated.
Fresh Frozen or Frozen Fresh
The terms fresh frozen or frozen fresh can both be used to mean that the food was quickly frozen while it was still fresh. It seems that the term fresh frozen is more often used, and this is probably because it is most open to a wrong interpretation. That is, consumers are more likely to think that it implies freshness, instead of how quickly it was brought to the freezer. "Frozen fresh," on the other hand, will probably be interpreted as frozen while fresh. They both mean the same thing. The term freshly frozen can also be used.
Keep in mind that a fresh food can be blanched before freezing and still be called fresh frozen. This is because the blanching of some foods before freezing is not only common but required for certain foods, as a quick scald before freezing helps preserve nutrients.
Quickly frozen does not mean the same thing as fresh frozen or frozen fresh. This term, instead of describing how fresh the food was when it was frozen, describes the freezing method itself, and how fast it is. Particularly, it refers to freezing methods like blast-freezing, which uses sub-zero (in terms of Fahrenheit) temperatures and super-chilled air "blasted" at the food. The quicker a food is frozen, in many cases, the better, in terms of quality and deterioration, so quickly frozen is usually a plus.
This article contains one or more Amazon affiliate links. See full disclosure. | <urn:uuid:4f3f4c5c-bb04-44b9-975d-ab43fbc594ed> | {
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"geräuschkulisse" (background sound)
Paradoxically, Bärbel Praun's "background sound" deals with abandoned buildings. The helplessness that seizes the spectator observing these internal rooms is explained by the absence of reference points that would normally be distributed within the rooms, filling them with a purpose, life and sounds and thus attributing a specific function to each room.
In visual arts, a white wall is considered not an empty space, but a surface of projection, to capture reflections, ideas, memories... Starting from this principle, the conclusion is drawn that these empty rooms can be nothing but a neutral base for the sounds that reverberate against their walls like memories of the past or sounds that cannot be perceived otherwise, because they are drowned out by the usual background of daily life. All of a sudden, the squeaking of the dry old boards can be made out; the light breath of the wind escaping through the leaky cracks of the windows is suddenly clearly noticeable and the rough framework creaks like a song that sings of better days.
English translation by Claire Weyland | <urn:uuid:c4b8b3b6-8fea-4273-84c1-a5c0f370d70c> | {
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We've carefully transliterated the name Penny into Mandarin Chinese and Japanese Katakana. Click a button below to see many custom calligraphy artwork options for Penny.
This speaks to the cunning character of a sly rabbit. Such a rabbit will not have just one hole but rather a few entrances and exits from his liar.
About 2,250 years ago a very rich man told his assistant to go and buy something wonderful that he did not yet posses. He was a man that already had everything, so the assistant went to a local village that owed a great deal of money to the rich man. The assistant told the village elders that all debts were forgiven. All the villagers rejoiced and praised the rich man's name. The assistant returned to the rich man and told him he had purchased "benevolence" for him. The rich man was mildly amused but perhaps a bit confused by the action.
Some time later, the rich man fell from the favor of the Emperor, and was wiped out without a penny to his name. One day he was walking aimlessly and stumbled into the village in which the debts had been forgiven. The villagers recognized the man and welcomed him with open arms, clothed, fed, and gave him a place to live.
Without trying, the man had become like the sly and cunning rabbit. When his exit was blocked, he had another hole to emerge from - and was reborn. This story and idiom comes from a book titled "The Amendment" - it's unclear whether this man actually existed or not. But the book did propel this idiom into common use in China.
Still today this idiom about the rabbit is used in China when suggesting "backup plans" alternate methods, and anyone with a good escape plan.
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
|Title||Characters||Romaji(Romanized Japanese)||Various forms of Romanized Chinese|
|Penny||佩妮||pèi nī / pei4 ni1 / pei ni / peini||p`ei ni / peini / pei ni|
|Penny||ペニー||penii / peni|
|A sly rabbit has three openings to its den||狡兔三窟||jiǎo tù sān kū|
jiao3 tu4 san1 ku1
jiao tu san ku
|chiao t`u san k`u
chiao tu san ku
|In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line.|
In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese.
All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.
Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.
There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form of art alive.
Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat. | <urn:uuid:183742ce-0dd1-4e30-b97d-82d020da9836> | {
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Monday, September 1, 2014
Northern Convergence: The Mystery Photo Explained
Thanks for all of your conjectures about yesterday's mystery photo! The Earth is such a fascinating place, and there are so many different kinds of strange patterns that have different origins. Let's review some of the guesses (and they were very good, by the way):
a. Sinkholes and karst topography
b. Bison wallows
c. Ground squirrel or prairie dog workings
d. Periglacial patterned ground
e. Dried marshes, evaporative processes
Take a look at the depressions from ground level. The rocks are gravel and sand, so karst is not likely (sinkholes most often result from the collapse of caverns in areas underlain by limestone). Something like a buffalo wallow makes some sense, but these are very concentrated, and the region is not really good buffalo habitat (too much mountain slope and not enough prairie). Rodents like prairie dogs or gophers tend to produce mounds (so called 'mima mounds') rather than hollows. The location of the site on a high river terrace tends to rule out the idea of swamps or evaporative processes.
Of the natural processes that could make this phenomena, periglacial processes make the most sense. Freezing and thawing of soils often result in rings and polygons that might resemble what we saw in the picture. The region underwent glaciation in the Pleistocene epoch and continues to have extremely cold temperatures in winter. It makes some sense, but then why are the pits filled with so many artifacts?
So yes, these pits are made by humans. We were paying a visit to the lands of the Xwisten people, a First Nations group whose traditional lands were along the Fraser and Bridge Rivers near Lillooet, British Columbia. This river terrace surface contains the remains of dozens of pithouses.
The former village along the Bridge River is the site of ongoing archaeological excavations by researchers and students of the University of Montana as well as local members of the Xwisten tribe.
We were being led on a tour of the archaeological site by several members of the Xwisten Bridge River Band who had been involved in some of the excavations. The setting was dramatic, with high mountain peaks on all sides.
As is the case with most archaeological digs these days, only a small portion of the site is being studied in detail. There is an expectation that future technology will be able to better analyze the site, so much of the village remains undisturbed for the time being. Only one of the pithouses was exposed when we visited.
The village site was abandoned over a century ago, although many Xwisten live in a modern village just a few hundred yards away. Evidence from the site investigations show nearly continuous occupation of the site beginning about 1,800 years ago. Many of the sites were used over and over, with some of the pits containing 12 levels of occupation.
A few years ago the Xwisten decided to build a pithouse on the site using the knowledge of their elders. One of our guides noted that what took their ancestors several weeks to construct took them more like three years even though they had modern tools. Entry was usually through a square hole in the room, although some may have had side entrances. The ladders, as you can see below were notched logs. With well insulated ceilings the pithouse seemed like it would be roomy and warm in winter conditions.
The Xwisten subsisted in part on salmon, and part of the demonstration was the preparation of salmon for eating and preservation. Our tour concluded with a salmon dinner. The sun was getting low, and we had another two hours of highway ahead of us. We drove into the night arriving at our hotel in Kamloops sometime after ten o'clock. It was a long, but fascinating day. We had left the Coastal Belt and were now making our way through the Intermontane Belt. We'll pick up the story in the next post!
To AF, the commenter in the last post who lives in Lillooet, let me know if I got anything wrong! Our visit was very quick, and I'm just a geologist, not an anthropologist! | <urn:uuid:fec2ddb0-778f-4409-9272-698255a6e113> | {
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"Sisters, brothers, we must overthrow the bear." The opossum at the center of the gathering clambered onto a great rock. She raised her snout and her front paws.
"He takes one or two of us in most years." She leaned forward for emphasis. "That's as our mothers and grandmothers told us. But this spring, he didn't stop. This autumn, he's eaten more of us than we can count. He's killed our neighbors, friends, and strangers. How many of you have seen their pups grow to maturity?"
She turned to her left flank. Her snout swept to indicate the members of the crowd that she could see. Although she was near-sighted, she understood there were opossums in the crowd behind the range of her vision. She could smell them. She lifted her voice.
"Any?" she cried. The others knew that she had lost her litter to the bear. An account of it had made the rounds, as had many sorts of similar news this year.
The possums lived as nomads. They hiked well-established trails within their territories. They built temporary dens and leaf nests for shelter. Sometimes they used one another's dens and traded stories but that was as close as they came to being social. As a rule, they did not gather together in groups of more than four or five adults. There weren't enough snakes, slugs, and berries to eat for that. Only their dire situation with the bear had forced them into a community response. They risked going hungry every time they gathered to talk.
"We must act now, to flee or fight," she said.
"Flee," murmured a nearby female. "He digs open our dens and slays everyone inside them. He finds us in the trees. Even at night, he attacks. Lying like the dead appears to be no defense."
The opossums close to the center rose up on their hind legs to see the two speakers better. All of their kind bore fur that mixed brown, white, grey, and black hair. The female on the ground seemed to be gray and white. The one atop of the rock bore an unusual amount of brown streaks. The white around her snout and her black ears, however, seemed more dramatic.
"Individually, we are tough," the leader countered. "We all catch and eat lizards."
"I withstood a cougar," said one male, possibly just bragging.
"I fought off a fox," said another. The other males leaned closer. That seemed believable.
"Individually, we are smart," she said. She seemed to understand that the other opossums prided themselves on this. Even the female who had wanted to flee dipped her head in agreement.
"I don't just play dead," she spoke up to her cousin on the rock. "I can smell dead, too."
"Yes, but I find eggs wherever they're hidden," said another.
"I follow the squirrels and dig up their food," announced the male who had beaten back a fox. The other opossums in the circle turned to look at him. Many seemed to take note of his trick. They opened their mouths and panted in anticipation of cracked nuts. Surely, there would be a few more opossums following squirrels next fall.
"We are smaller than the bear," announced the leader. "But we are tougher."
"Right," the female below her tilted her body as she thought. "We stay awake all winter. We brave the snows while the bear hides."
"We could attack the bear while it sleeps!" a male shouted.
"Yes! Sisters and brothers, that is the way." Their leader twitched and danced on her perch. "We know the cave. The hibernation season is beginning. This is the time. Tonight at dusk, we must gather and attack."
That evening, a horde of opossums crept across a meadow to the mouth of the bear's cave. From above, an owl stared down in disbelief. The backs of the animals were visible as they parted the grass. How had they gathered into an army? They seemed to be a well organized one, too. The leader, in the middle of the pack, deployed her heaviest males to the front and to either side. The opossums, incredibly, seemed to be aware that they were advancing on the lair of their greatest predator.
Below, their leader reminded the males in front of her to claw at the bear's eyes. If they could reach them while the bear was asleep, they had a chance. Failing that, they had to drive their enemy crazy with bites and force it to flee their mountain. Let it sort out its territory problems with other bears. If even that proved impossible, their only hope was to infect the bear. The leader herself had gnawed on a decaying bird corpse in the hope of poisoning herself and the killer of her children. She felt prepared to die.
"Tell the others to block the mouth of the cave," she said to the female in front of her. The opossums communicated as they always did, relaying messages from one individual to the next. "Give the monster no escape."
The message passed down the battle lines.
At the mouth of the cave, the lead males could see the bear. The leader herself could hear it. She could smell the creature's mighty breath right down to the bits of rotten flesh in its teeth. She knew that it was time for the bear to hibernate but she feared that it had not yet settled. The opossums would not gather like this again. This was her only chance.
The males grew nervous. They hesitated to cross from the grass to the rocky shelf of the cave.
The bear huffed. He turned over in his sleep so that he faced the army of opossums. Their battle reflexes took over. For a moment, every member of the army thought of himself or herself first.
Then the bear awoke. His eyeslits parted. He gazed out from the cave. What he saw in the meadow beyond was a battlefield of opossums. That had all turned over in the grass. They appeared dead, flat on their backs, legs curled at their sides or in the air.
The odd lay of the clumps of grass in the distance hinted to the bear that there were even more opossums that he couldn't see.
He lumbered toward them. He snuffled the closest body. How could this animal, he wondered, and how could all of them in a herd come to be poisoned or diseased? Why would they collapse together? He had lived alongside these animals for many years. He thought he knew their tricks. They didn't form groups. It took him a long time to understand what might have happened.
"You are not a pack," the bear snorted. He nudged the closest one. It wobbled as if its limbs were locked by rigor mortis. "You are all individuals, really. You don't work together. This tactic can't apply to a whole team."
The leader among the opossums twitched her nose. With a tremendous effort, she threw off her instincts. Her force of will, powered by rage, overcame her fainting response. With a kick of her legs, she turned over. She faced her opponent.
"Today we are an army," she said.
"Oh brave possum," he replied. "Even if you trained yourself so that your body would not betray you, even if you trained all of your cousins, you would need more than this. I have met packs of wolves. I have followed the buffalo. I know that, in a team, not everyone gets to keep the honey they find. No one gets their own territory. Hardly anyone gets to spend their lives nibbling berries or singing to the trees. Most must do the work that the group needs done. So you can train mighty warriors. But until you learn to sacrifice for one another, you can't have an army." | <urn:uuid:52388287-ef06-4b79-bf7f-dec9b91c4ae6> | {
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Linking to CDC.gov
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- Page maintained by: Office of the Associate Director for Communication, Digital Media Branch, Division of Public Affairs | <urn:uuid:67a13668-6fad-4f52-9495-b449876ed789> | {
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If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth,
man would only have four years left to live.
– Maurice Maeterlinck
– Maurice Maeterlinck
HELLENIC JUICE INDUSTRY C. DEDES, ASPIS S.A., in collaboration with producer groups, cooperatives, scientific bodies, beekeepers and agricultural consultants, implements the program titled “BEe project 2018”.
The program concerns the investigation, description and implementation of actions aimed at protecting, preserving and enhancing the health of bees in the Imathia region.
The cooperation program “ΒEe project 2018” started in October 2018, following the initiative of ASPIS S.A., in the framework of the implementation of the Corporate Social Responsibility program of the company and in particular the Sustainable Development and Supply of Raw Materials.
ASPIS S.A., recognizing the need to take initiatives that aim at protecting the natural resources, biodiversity and the wider environment in which it operates, has undertaken a series of targeted actions that also contribute to the sustainable development and prosperity of the company and all interested parties.
In particular, in the context of encouraging our suppliers’ farmers to implement practices that aim at sustainable agricultural management and at the same time highlighting the need for the protection of important and vulnerable species such as bee and their ecosystems, the BEe project has been developed.
The main objective of the program is to highlight the positive impacts of the implementation of Good Cultivation Practices both on life and well-being of farmers, but also on the biodiversity and ecosystems around the farms.
The most important “job” for the bees is pollination and helps to transport pollen from the anthers of a flower to the stigma of the same or another flower of the same spiecies plant. Pollination is responsible for 76% of European food production and the bee is considered essential for global food security. Effective pollination increases both the quantity number of agricultural products and their quality.
One of the most serious threats to the bee is the decrease of biodiversity that affects both bees living in beekeepers and wild bees that need undisturbed biotopes to build their nests.
ASPIS S.A., understanding the devastating role of the bee for the planet and humanity, has taken the initiative to develop strategic partnerships with both research institutes and primary sector productive organizations to implement actions that combat the mortality and protect the health of such an important crop pollinator. | <urn:uuid:51f67ac7-5196-440e-bbb0-b66403b29078> | {
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Foodstuffs that attack tooth enamel and reduce dental strength
Prevent tooth decay by minimizing the damage from „forbidden fruit“
For the reasons why the intake of the below-mentioned foodstuffs should be minimized or avoided to maintain tooth enamel strength and help prevent cavities see for instance the background information given in Dr. Herbert Shelton on the true causes of tooth decay and related pages.
These are some of the foodstuffs and dietary practices which raise a small or large red flag for teeth.
Refined and processed food such as
- white flour
- cooked starches
Refined sugar (sucrose or table sugar) and similar sugars considered dangerous for teeth (such as glucose, fructose, lactose) are highly fermentable mono- or disaccharides which cariogenic mouth bacteria can quickly metabolize and turn into acids.
Sugar of course is hidden in numerous unexpected foodstuffs such as baked beans, salad dressings, deli meats, cream substitutes, bottled juices, ketchup etc. (foods with less than 1% sugar content however, are considered non-cariogenic).
Sugar frequently hides under "foreign" hard-to-identify names (for a long list of sugar "pseudonyms", see Cariogenic Sugar & Its Many Guises: How to recognize hidden sugars).
It also matters when the sugary food is eaten. This was determined over a number of years in unethical human experiments performed on patients of Vipeholm Mental Hospital in Lund, Sweden (1940s to 1950s). These non-voluntary human guinea pigs were given four meals a day containing a total of 350g of carbohydrates (of which 90g were sugar), but no snacks. Later, a control group additionally received sticky sugary snacks to eat between meals over the course of the day.
The results were clear: only those who snacked on sweets in-between meals developed significant new tooth decay (in contrast to the very slow progression observed on the no-snacks diet), proving that carbohydrates ingested as part of the main meal do not cause cavities (at least not in any significant manner).
Interestingly, a study done at New York University arrived at the conclusion that chocolate is better for teeth than products made of cooked starch (such as potatoes). The researchers determined how long carbohydrates would stay in the mouth after ingestion and how much acid was produced from them.
They found that cooked starches were broken down into glucose over a longer period of time than for instance sweets. In other words, the subsequent fermentation into lactic acid by oral bacteria will go on longer as well. This means that foods containing cooked starches are thought to stimulate acid production in the mouth more vigorously than very sugary foods and are thus a greater threat in terms of tooth decay.
Considering however that people in developing countries found to have no or little tooth decay (until sugar is introduced to them) traditionally eat many starchy (but "whole") foods, it might appear that sugar is the major culprit after all - unless it is the fact that Western "industrialised" diets generally lack the proper mineral spectrum due to industrial farming methods while those who live on less impoverished (richer and properly balanced) soils might be better protected thanks to the rich mineral and trace element content of their food.
Last but far from least: Drs. Steinman & Leonora found in decades-long research that meals high in sugar (> 60%) lead to a reversal in dentinal fluid transport - a natural way that teeth defend themselves against outside attack, and that this effect of sugar transpires via systemic pathways (i.e. even sugar injected directly into the bloodstream will have this effect).
This may also partially explain why the above-mentioned group receiving sugary snacks developed significant new tooth decay - sugary snacks typically have a very high concentration of sugar leading to "instant" reversal in dentinal fluid flow which renders the teeth defenseless against attack.
(Incidentally, Drs. Steinman & Leonora also determined the highly significant fact that sugar and similarly "cariogenic" foods do not produce more bacterial acids in the mouth than healthy food.)
- vinegar and pickled foods
- sour fruits (oranges and other citrus fruit)
- unripe fruit
- fruit juices
Interestingly and perhaps surprisingly, even table wines are acidic (generally speaking, they have a pH between 3.3 and 3.7), while the pH of table vinegar varies between 2.4 and 3.4.
Concentrated natural sugars such as
- dried fruit
- syrups made from fruit, grains etc.
The reason why the intake of refined and processed foodstuffs such as sugar and white flour as well as acidic foods such as vinegar and sour fruits should be minimized or avoided to maintain tooth enamel strength, in a nutshell lies in the following:
In addition to the above-mentioned important factor related to dentinal fluid transport or the tooth's ability for self-defense, three factors, one structural, one nutritional, one bacterial, seem to form the basis of tooth decay: structural weakness of teeth (due to insufficient mineralization = lack of minerals), lack of nutritional factors required for tooth health, and attack by acids leaching out calcium.
Acids stem from acidic foodstuffs but particularly are a byproduct of bacterial decomposition of food rests incl. highly concentrated natural sugars (as found in dried fruit etc.).
Hence the overriding importance of cleaning and flushing out any and all food rests, and more particularly the prevention of plaque deposits (where germs colonize) (compare Dental Care and Oral Hygiene).
Important note: while it is true that "normal" sugar is a highly cariogenic (tooth-decay-causing) substance, it is equally true (and highly surprising and welcome) that there is (at least) one naturally occurring sugar that frequently has the opposite (anti-cariogenic/cariostatic) effect. See Xylitol, the dental miracle sugar. Also see Tooth-friendly non-toxic sugar replacements (there are a number of them).
Foods lacking a full complement and balanced spectrum of minerals and trace elements
For background, see On the importance of minerals and trace elements.
Foods containing phytic acid
Extremely hard as well as icy foods
Depending on the breaking strength of your teeth, you may wish to be careful with hard items such as certain kernels and ice.
Raw food = healthy?
Interestingly, according to Frédéric Patenaude (an article by him on this site is Assimilable calcium from greens), a scientific study conducted in Germany on the health of raw-foodists showed that this section of the population develops more cavities and dental erosion than "normal" people, an observation confirmed by raw-food leaders/authors who noted that the dental health status of those adhering to a raw food diet is indeed deplorable.
The reasons are not to do with raw food being damaging per se but with unwise food choices of raw foodists who tend to overindulge in dried fruits, acid fruit, dehydrated food etc. while "underindulging" for instance in calcium-rich greens.
In my personal experience, teeth weakening (i.e. structural damage) can also be induced by eating for instance mostly whole-grain noodles for a while, or radical prolonged fasting (such as 14 days) without adequate amounts of water. (On the other hand, properly conducted, fasting can induce dental and gum improvements and heal cavities and toothache.)
So it would seem advisable to aim for a varied diet and (digestive capacity permitting) to go heavy on raw organic foods and seaweed (see "Generally important" further down).
Suggestions how to minimize the damage from ingestion of the above food items
Apart from strict avoidance which demands a lot of discipline and may not be invariably wise (for instance apple cider vinegar apparently shows astounding health benefits when regularly consumed), here are several immediate ways to contain any damage to enamel:
- Rinse your mouth well after eating acidic or sticky food.
- Add xylitol to acidic fruit and drinks.
- Drink acidic drinks through a straw.
- When ingesting apple cider vinegar and water (and possibly honey) as a health drink, add baking soda to neutralize the acid (raise its pH to tooth-friendly levels).
- Rinse with an alkalinizing baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) solution afterwards.
- Rinse your mouth with (alkalinizing) (sea) salt.
- "Rinse" your mouth with xylitol after (and before) meals or use pure xylitol chewing gums (more expensive).
- Thoroughly chew a stick of celery, a carrot, some green leaves etc. after "sinning". This helps to clean the teeth. It is also an excellent practice to adopt for one's last meal of the day in case it contained any tooth-unfriendly items.
- Eat and thoroughly chew something salty after a meal (if you eat dairy, cheese apparently is one of the most tooth-friendly items to eat).
- Brush teeth after meals but not immediately after ingestion of acidulous items (otherwise you are likely to scrape off precious minerals such as calcium from your somewhat softened enamel).
- Chew on Mastic gum (resin), an outstanding natural chewing gum alternative and saliva stimulator, jaw exerciser, gum helper, breath freshener, bacterial plaque fighter and tooth whitener which additionally provides unique medical benefits.
- Get yourself some "chewing sticks" (see Natural toothbrush alternatives) and chew on them after meals.
- Rinse your mouth with (herb-based) disinfectants or with special mouthwashes containing enamel-repairing hydroxyapatite.
- Use an oral irrigator (waterpic etc.) or simply thoroughly slosh water in your mouth.
- Chew some chlorella (or spirulina) after "sinning".
More tips for avoiding damage to your teeth such as by checking for "coated" teeth in the day at General recommendations and advice re oral cleansing.
Follow a varied tooth-friendly, mineral-rich diet to the extent possible and go heavy on raw organic foods and seaweed while making sure your food agrees with you. To allow better/proper absorption, chew well, only eat when hungry and in a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere.
You also may wish to do internal cleanses such as liver, gallbladder and colon cleanses and if you feel drawn to it, work on your body's energy system to keep your juices "flowing" (I recommend EFT, Donna Eden's Energy Medicine books, and spiritual-energetic approaches such as Falun Gong and others).
Try to "compensate" any damage done to your teeth by regularly ingesting "superfoods"/natural supplements rich in trace elements and/or tooth-friendly alkalinising minerals. And make sure of course your vitamin D (plus concomitant vitamin K2 and A) levels are "up".
1 A discussion of more possible reasons speaking against indulging a sweet tooth using conventional sugar eg at Sugar’s Health Effects, Risks & Problems: Is Sugar Sweet Poison?, Sugar and Cancer and Sugar—A Silent Killer: An Extensive Discussion of the Sugars.
4 Compare Dr. Nara on Nutrition, immune system, tooth decay and gum problems, Emotions and tooth decay and Meditation for stress reduction benefits teeth and gums by triggering tooth-friendly salivary changes.
5 See Dental Care & Oral Hygiene.
6 For inexpensive sources compare for instance Mineral- and trace-element-rich foods. Also see Products for remineralizing teeth and enamel, reducing cavities and sensitivity.
8 For more details, compare for instance Tooth demineralisation - remineralisation, Dental glossary: toothache, dental and gingival pain and Dr. Herbert Shelton on the true causes of tooth decay.
9 Also compare Phytic acid in seeds, nuts, beans and grains and food mineral availability to see why whole-grain noodles can induce tooth weakening.
10 See Chlorella growth factor.
11 For details see Dentinal fluid transport - revolutionary theory of natural caries resistance and cariogenesis: research by Drs. Steinman & Leonora posits the precedence of host resistance over bacteria as primary cause of tooth decay. | <urn:uuid:e2b86acc-b58a-4c3a-ab2b-84004d74f5af> | {
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This playground is named to honor American aeronautical pioneers Orville (1871-1948) and Wilbur Wright (1867-1912). Susan and Milton Wright, a United Brethen Bishop, raised the Wright brothers in Dayton, Ohio. As students, the brothers displayed a passion for mathematics, engineering, and mechanical devices. After graduating high school the siblings incorporated the Wright Cycle Company in 1892. The company designed, built, and sold bicycles. The experience gained in bicycle design would advance the brothers’ quest to build a flying machine.
Directions to Wright Brothers Playground
Know Before You Go
Wright Brothers Playground
The park is closed due to construction. This playground is being reconstructed to provide a better recreational facility for the community, including the students of P.S. 28, the Wright Brothers School. The new playground will meet current safety standards and provide a richer play environment for a variety of ages. It will include elements related to the history of air travel in honor of the aeronautical pioneers, Orville and Wilbur Wright. Drainage, settlement and water supply problems will be corrected. The upper seating area along the path will include new benches, game tables, plantings and pavement, and the comfort station will be renovated to meet ADA and other code requirements.
Anticipated Completion: Winter 2014
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Research and analysis
Information on land quality in scotland: sources of information, including background contaminants
A study to review existing knowledge on background levels of contaminants in Scottish soils.
Ref: ISBN 1857051254, LIT 1522 PDF, 823KB, 94 pages
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This report presents an overview of information on land quality in Scotland, carried out for the Environment Agency who are required, together with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, under the Environment Act (1995), to form an opinion on the state of pollution of the environment. The main objective of the study was to review existing knowledge on background levels of contaminants in Scottish soils (Environment Agency R&D reports P291, P292 & P294 review levels of contaminants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively). This involved prior consideration of concepts and definitions regarding background levels. The various factors that control the variability in background levels at a range of scales from site-specific studies to national surveys were reviewed. The research was undertaken by extensive literature review and through consultation with Agency staff and external organisations, in order to identify a wide range of land quality information, including soil survey data, environmental monitoring data, research studies, and land use information. Particular emphasis was placed on identifying data sets representative of land quality at regional to national scales, rather than collating site-specific and local scale information. | <urn:uuid:975d22a7-74a4-49d5-80d1-9ba61c770d27> | {
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The bridge was completed in 1981, designed by C. Veerling and named after King Willem III of the Netherlands. It replaced an older bridge which had been opened in 1879 but was severely outdated by the time the decision was made to build a new one. Because of the intensity of the traffic using the old bridge, it was decided to build the new one 150 metres upstream to avoid upsetting the daily flow of traffic across the river. After the completion of the new bridge the old one was demolished.
The Willemsbrug is a cable-stayed bridge with a total span of about 318 meters. It is painted in a red color which puts it in sharp contrast with the light blue painted Erasmus Bridge. | <urn:uuid:8b22f9ce-ada0-4d3b-b349-caf7cb7f6bcb> | {
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Nelly Tsekova is a student of Public Policy at the University of Sofia, Bulgaria. She is member of JEF-Bulgaria and has done internships at the World Bank and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria. Her interests include any EU-related topic especially foreign policy and education.
On 27 April 2007, Estonia experienced a general computer invasion paralyzing the country’s public services in the context of latent tensions with the Kremlin. Estonian leaders immediately attributed the attacks to Russian authorities, which, in turn, denied causing these computer disturbances. However, the army of the former Soviet Union seems to have used the tool: already in 2008, the Russians’ ground invasion of Georgia was preceded by a very important cyber attack. On 14 June 2007, NATO defense ministers met in Brussels, issuing a statement on immediate common action. This action allowed to end attacks against Estonia in the autumn of 2007.
This attack resulted, in a number of military organizations worldwide, in a reconsideration of the importance of network security to modern military doctrine. And if Europe has taken little consideration of the importance of cyber weapons, we know that China currently employs whole battalions of professionals who seek loopholes in computer systems all over the planet. Tensions are high among the great powers experiencing cyber attacks daily, without knowing where the hackers in question, come from. However, can we speak of a global cyberwar?
Cyber warfare differs from conventional conflicts in the sense that it does not (at least directly) affect the life of human beings. This unconventional tactic is less expensive than real war but for the moment it does not offer the possibility to totally “overpower” an enemy. A cyber attack may be a prelude to a military operation in so far as it can deeply disrupt intelligence and communication services of enemy forces, and even enter the service enemy to know in advance his views. But today the advancement of technology does not establish a “Maginot Line” of cyber defense and constant work is needed to protect our cyber services networks. Protection of our networks and attack on those of the enemy requires a daily work and constant upgrading of digital equipment used, which leads to a significant cost.
Yet, every euro spent for protecting device information systems is profitable, because the majority of intrusions into computer systems on the planet have as their goal industrial espionage. Thus from the company AREVA was stolen critical data related to trade secret in a criminal penetration of its computer network in recent years.
The French government announced in July 2009 the creation of ANSSI (National Agency for the Security of Information Systems) to safeguard the strategic interests of the nation protecting its networks. In 2012, ANSSI included 250 people with a budget of 75 million euros, while its British (GCHQ) and German (BSI) counterparts have between 500 and 700 members and that Mr Cameron has pledged 750 million euros for 4 years to the Government Communication Headquarter to fight effectively against new threats to the United Kingdom in the field of cybernetics.
When you know how Mr Cameron was reluctant to sign the check for the EU budget, we immediately understand that the money allocated to UK ‘s cyber defense is far from being spent in vain!
The European Union shows wide disparity in the field of cyber defense: very equipped countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Estonia and France alongside other states lagging behind, such as the Netherlands. The establishment of a common strategy would be desirable in order to ensure that states have to support the protection of vital interests of their neighbors or industrial groups such as EADS joint without getting counterparties.
Prompt action could be taken to protect our networks:
Prohibit by legislative means the very heart of Chinese network present in Europe (Huawei) that greatly facilitate industrial espionage our Chinese friends.
Start the production of our own cyber defense tools (routers and software) to ensure the independence of the old continent in this area and why not create jobs in the process.
In an area where the economies of scale induced by the gathering of our cyber defense services would be major, yet it is NATO that’s going to build, at the heart of the European Union, in Estonia, its future cyber defense center. The old continent is, as always, averse to the idea of developing a defense tool that is independent of its big American brother.
Thus Estonians would form the team of specialists in cyber terrorism, cyber espionage and cyber defense for NATO in Tallinn while European experts will continue to work in isolation in their national offices. | <urn:uuid:b6baae6a-4550-48ad-8818-c8f93e480e75> | {
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COLUMBUS , Ohio – Ohio State University researchers have justcompleted the first comprehensive study of human hair on the nanometerlevel.
Special equipment enabled Bharat Bhushan and hiscolleagues to get an unprecedented close-up look at a rogue's galleryof bad hair days – from chemically overprocessed locks to curls kinkedup by humidity.
They used the techniques they developed to test a new high-tech hair conditioner.
Ultimately,the same techniques could be used to improve lipstick, nail polish andother beauty products, said Bhushan , Ohio Eminent Scholar and theHoward D. Winbigler Professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State .
Hisspecialty is nanotribology – the measurement of very small things, suchas the friction between moving parts in microelectronics.
Atfirst, hair seemed like an unlikely study subject, he said. Then he wasinvited to give a lecture to scientists at Procter & Gamble Co.
“Itturns out that, for hair, friction is a major issue,” he said. Everydayactivities like washing, drying, combing and brushing all cause hairsto rub against objects and against each other, he explained. Over time,the friction causes wear and tear – two processes that he and hiscolleagues are very familiar with, though they're normally studying thewear between tiny motors and gears.
“We realized that beauty care was an emerging area for us and we should dive in,” Bhushan said.
Heconsulted for the company until P&G became an industrial partner inhis laboratory, supplying him with samples of healthy and damaged hair.The Ohio State engineers examined hairs under an atomic forcemicroscope (AFM), a tool that let them scratch the surface of hairs andprobe inside the hair shaft with a very tiny needle. They publishedtheir results in the journal Ultramicroscopy, in a paper now availableon the Web.
Among their findings: hair conditioners typically do not evenly cover the entire hair shaft.
P&Grecently developed a new formula with additives to make the conditionercoat the hair evenly. In tests, Bhushan found that the new conditionerdid coat hair more evenly.
Meanwhile, they examined healthy anddamaged hairs under an electron microscope and an AFM, and simulatedeveryday wear and tear by rubbing hairs together and againstpolyurethane film to simulate skin.
“We didn't know what we werelooking for,” Bhushan said. “People know a lot about hair, but nobodyhas used an AFM to really study the structure of hair. So we alreadyknew some things, but otherwise we didn't know what to expect.”
Underthe electron microscope, individual hairs looked like tree trunks,wrapped in layers of cuticle that resembled bark. In healthy hair, thecuticle edges lay flat against the hair shaft, but as hair gets damagedfrom chemical treatments or wear and tear, the cuticle edges begin topeel away from the shaft. That much was already known.
Theresearchers simulated what happens when damaged hair is exposed tohumidity; the hairs plump up, and the cuticles stick out even further,leading to frizz. More frizz meant more friction – a fact confirmed bythe AFM as researchers dragged a tiny needle across the surface.
Conditionertends to stick to the cuticle edges, and can make the hair sticky onthe nanometer scale. The researchers determined that by poking the hairshaft with the needle, and measuring the force required to pull it away.
Theyalso probed inside hairs to measure the hardness of different layers ofthe shaft. Hair has a very complex structure, Bhushan said, and thesefirst ultra-precise measurements of interior structure could one daylead to new products that treat hair from the inside.
In the future, he thinks his AFM techniques could be used to develop wear-resistant nail polishes and lipsticks.
Bhushanconducted this work with graduate student Carmen LaTorre andpostdoctoral researchers Nianhuan Chen and Guohua Wei, all of OhioState .
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What: Intro to Parallel Programming is a free online course created by NVIDIA and Udacity. In this class you will learn the fundamentals of parallel computing using the CUDA parallel computing platform and programming model.
Who: This class is for developers, scientists, engineers, researchers and students who want to learn about GPU programming, algorithms, and optimization techniques.
Why: Learn new skills, enhance your career opportunities, and have fun.
How: Click on the Enroll Today button to get started!
Senior Director at NVIDIA Research
Read more about David:
homepage, twitter: @davedotluebke
Instructional Design Advisor
Assistant Professor at University of Colorado Denver
Adjunct Proefessor at University of Colorado Boulder
- Lesson 1 - GPU Programming Model
- Lesson 2 - GPU Hardware and Parallel Communication
- Lesson 3 - Fundamental Parallel Algorithms
- Lesson 4 - Using Sort and Scan
- Lesson 5 - Optimizing GPU Programs
- Lesson 6 - Parallel Computing Patterns
- Lesson 7 - The Future of GPU Computing
What level is this course?
This is an advanced course.
What are the pre-requisites?
Working knowledge of the C programming language, data structures and common algorithms.
How long will it take to complete the course?
Estimated time to complete course: 7 units x avg. of 3 hours each = Approx. 21 hours.
Do I need a CUDA-enabled computer?
No. You'll be able to program and run your assignments on high-end GPUs, via the Udacity system.
When does the course begin?
This class is self-paced. You can begin whenever you like.
How long will the course be available?
This class will always be available.
How much does this cost?
It’s completely free! If you’re feeling generous, we would love to have you contribute your thoughts, questions, and answers to the course discussion forum.
What are the rules on collaboration?
Collaboration is a great way to learn. The key is to use collaboration as a way to enhance learning, not as a way of sharing answers without understanding them.
- Trump Card: Why a Pro Poker Player Bet on CUDA
- Udacity Partners with Industry Leaders to Offer Free High Technology Education Online
Tell Your Friends | <urn:uuid:dfab6d8b-62d7-4336-a188-55dc5abc8edd> | {
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We’ve all heard that getting enough vitamins is important. Foods often label themselves “high in Vitamin (blank).” But what are vitamins, really? How do they impact your health? Where do you get vitamins?
These are important health facts that everyone should know. Different types of vitamins work differently in the body and come from different places.
Here are the most important things you should know about your body and vitamins.
==> Vitamin A
Vitamin A is found in carrots, spinach and fruits. It’s one of the most common types of vitamins around.
Vitamin A is used to help improve your eyes, especially your ability to see in the dark. It also helps promote better skin, skin moisture and healthy skin aging.
==> Vitamin B
Vitamin B helps the body with several different things. Most importantly, it helps the body with digestion and metabolism. It helps the body process foods and turn them into usable components, such as proteins and ATP.
If you don’t get enough Vitamin B, your body will have a hard time creating the building blocks it needs to build muscles, neurotransmitters, hair, etc.
==> Vitamin C
Vitamin C is most commonly found in orange juice and other kinds of citrus. It’s used primarily to help grow bones, tissues and teeth.
Perhaps the most prescient illustration of a lack of Vitamin C is scurvy. When someone is lacking Vitamin C, they’ll experience bleeding in the mouth, weak gums, bleeding noses and weakened ability to ward off infections.
==> Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps your body regulate and produce calcium. Calcium is used to produce bones and cartilage in your body. Having enough Vitamin D and calcium is crucial for preventing bone diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis.
There are three main ways you can get Vitamin D: Through your foods, through supplementation and through sunlight. Doctors recommend getting at least 20 minutes a day of sunlight on the skin to help ensure you get enough Vitamin D.
==> Vitamin E
Vitamin E is the anti-cancer vitamin. If you’re low on Vitamin E, your chances of getting cancer increase. Vitamin E also plays an important role in blood circulation. They help regulate the construction of new red blood cells.
If you’re low on Vitamin E, your blood may start to thin, resulting in weaker muscles and even muscle degeneration over time. Skin may start to dry as well.
The best place to get Vitamin E is through nuts, such as peanuts, hazelnuts and almonds.
==> Vitamin K
Finally, we have Vitamin K. Vitamin K is important for all kinds of internal body functioning. It helps with detoxification, especially in the kidneys. It helps your bones create bone marrow.
It also helps prevent excessive bleeding, both internally and externally.
Most people have plenty of Vitamin K. If you need more Vitamin K however, it can be found in vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, spinach and cabbage.
Now that you know your vitamins, the next step is to identify which one(s) are weak in your diet and to deliberately get more of them. If you can’t identify weaknesses in your diet, try to just plan for a balanced diet that includes all the necessary vitamins. | <urn:uuid:09f57481-2413-4329-a55b-35d961371e42> | {
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A hydrocele is a collection of fluid around the testicle that causes swelling in the scrotum. Hydroceles are common in newborns; they develop when the fluid in the sac surrounding each testicle does not get absorbed before birth. Hydroceles in newborns often disappear on their own during the first year of life. They are rare in adults, but when they occur, they are usually caused by injury, infection, or swelling in the scrotum, testicle, or epididymis, which is a coiled tube behind each testicle.
Hydroceles are typically painless, and surgical repair or removal, called hydrocelectomy, is only necessary if they continue to grow. In a hydrocelectomy, the surgeon makes an incision in or near the scrotum and uses suction to drain the fluid. The sac that contained the fluid may be cut and removed as well, or it may be stitched onto the back of the testis and epididymis, before the incision is closed.
This procedure may be done at an outpatient facility, so a hospital stay is usually not required. Normal activities can be resumed a few days following surgery, but exercise and other strenuous activities should be avoided for about two to four weeks. | <urn:uuid:93eca436-35f8-4b2d-a4ab-b433f4f2fb95> | {
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Computer Program Detail Page
Sliding Down an Incline Plane Model
written by Francisco Esquembre
This interactive simulation shows a stone block lying at rest on an inclined plane. Initially, the component of gravity along the plane surface is exceeded by the force of static friction. The slope of the ramp can be increased or decreased, allowing students to see the exact point when the component of gravity equals the force of static friction. If the ramp is raised any further, the block will slide down. The coefficient of static friction is set at 0.2. As the slope is increased or decreased, students will see changing numerical values for the gravitational component, the force of static friction, and the force of kinetic friction.
See Annotations (below) for two editor-recommended interactive tutorials that take students step-by-step through exercises designed to help them form a conceptual basis for solving problems related to objects moving on an inclined plane.
This item was created with Easy Java Simulations (EJS), a modeling tool that allows users without formal programming experience to generate computer models and simulations. To run the simulation, simply click the Java Archive file below. To modify or customize the model, See Related Materials for detailed instructions on installing and running the EJS Modeling and Authoring Tool.
Please note that this resource requires at least version 1.5 of Java (JRE).
AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)
4. The Physical Setting
4G. Forces of Nature
11. Common Themes
AAAS Benchmark Alignments (1993 Version)
4. THE PHYSICAL SETTING
E. Energy Transformations
Illinois PER Interactive Examples: Wooden Block (Editor: Caroline Hall)
The Physics Front editors recommend this interactive tutorial to help students form a conceptual basis to understand the forces acting on a block sliding down an inclined plane. A Socratic-dialog "help" sequence takes students through each step of the problem, from concept-building to a strategic analysis that includes free-body diagrams. It concludes with a quantitative section to help students independently set up equations to solve the problem.
The Physics Classroom: Inclined Planes (Editor: Caroline Hall)
This editor-recommended tutorial offers extensive content support in how to determine the net force acting on an object on an inclined plane. Abundant use of free-body diagrams will help students visualize situations in which friction is zero and where frictional force must be considered. Seven practice problems offer the opportunity to self-test understanding.
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Sliding Down an Incline Plane Model:
Is Based On Easy Java Simulations Modeling and Authoring Tool
The Easy Java Simulations Modeling and Authoring Tool is needed to explore the computational model used in the Sliding Down an Incline Plane Model.relation by Wolfgang Christian
Covers the Same Topic As http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/vectors/U3l3e.cfm
This interactive tutorial from The Physics Classroom collection offers extensive content support on how to determine the net force acting on an object on an inclined plane. It includes problems in which friction is present. Abundant use of free-body diagrams helps with visualization.relation by Caroline Hall
Same topic as Sliding Down an Inclined Plane Model
A simpler version of the Inclined Plane model -- frictional force is removed.relation by Caroline Hall
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The function LMFsolve.m serves for finding optimal solution of an overdetermined system of nonlinear equations in the least-squares sense. The standard Levenberg- Marquardt algorithm was modified by Fletcher and coded in FORTRAN many years ago. LMFsolve is its essentially shortened version implemented in MATLAB and complemented by setting iteration parameters as options. This part of the code has been strongly influenced by Duane Hanselman's function mmfsolve.m. Next to it, a finite difference approximation of Jacobian matrix is appended to it as a nested subfunction as well as a function for dispaying of intermediate results.
Calling of the function is rather simple:
[x,ssq,cnt] = LMFsolve(Equations,X0); % or
[x,ssq,cnt] = LMFsolve(Equations,X0,'Name',Value,...); % or
[x,ssq,cnt] = LMFsolve(Equations,X0,Options) % .
In all cases, the applied variables have the following meaning:
* Equations is a function name (string) or a handle defining a set of equations,
* X0 is vector of initial estimates of solutions,
* x is the least-squares solution,
* ssq is sum of squares of equation residuals,
* cnt is a number of iterations
In the first case of call, default values of options are used. The second form of call defines selected options as a set of Name/Value pairs. The last alternative simplifies the statement by introducing earlier defined structure Options of Name\Value pairs.
Field names of the structure options are:
'Display' for control of iteration results,
'MaxIter' for setting maximum number of iterations,
'ScaleD' for defining diagonal matrix of scales,
'FunTol' for tolerance of final function values,
'XTol' for tolerance of final solution increments.
The general Rosenbrock's function has the form
f(x) = 100(x(2)-x(1)^2)^2 + (1-x(1))^2
Optimum solution gives f(x)=0 for x(1)=x(2)=1. Function f(x) can be expressed in the form
f(x) = f1(x)^2 + f2(x)^2, where f1(x) = 10(x(2)-x(1)^2) and f2(x) = 1-x(1).
Values of the functions f1(x) and f2(x) can be used as residuals.
LMFsolve finds the solution of this problem in 19 iterations. The more complicated problem sounds:
Find the least squares solution of the Rosenbrock valey inside a circle of the unit diameter centered at the origin. It is necessary to build third function, which is zero inside the circle and increasing outside it. This property has, say, the next penalty function:
f3(x) = sqrt(x(1)^2 + x(2)^2) - r, where r is a radius of the circle.
Its implementation using anonymous functions has the form
R = @(x) sqrt(x'*x)-.5; % A distance from the radius r=0.5
ros= @(x) [10*(x(2)-x(1)^2); 1-x(1); (R(x)>0)*R(x)*1000];
Solution: x = [0.4556; 0.2059], |x| = 0.5000
sum of squares: ssq = 0.2966,
number of iterations: cnt = 51.
* Users with old MATLAB versions, which have no anonymous functions implemented, have to call LMFsolve with named function for residuals.
For above example it is
where the function rosen.m is for the given problem of the form
function r = rosen(x)
% Rosenbrock's valey with a constraint R = sqrt(x(2)^2+x(1)^2)-.5;
r = [10*(x(2)-x(1)^2) % first part
1-x(1) % second part
(R>0)*R*1000 % penalty
* The new version of the function LMFsolve is without erroneous part of analytical form of Jacobian matrix.
* The internal function printit.m has been replaced by the function of the same name taken from the more advanced function LMFnlsq (FEX Id 17534) because of much better form of output.
* An error causing an inclination of the previous version to instability has been removed. this step improved stability essentially, however, the a number of iterations increased, if the old version converged at all. However, much better behaviour has the full version of the Fletcher's algorithm, which is implemented in the function LMFnlsq (Id 17534).
* The old (unstable) version of the function is also inclided under the name LMFsolveOLD for those users who liked it.
Fletcher, R., (1971): A Modified Marquardt Subroutine for Nonlinear Least Squares. Rpt. AERE-R 6799, Harwell | <urn:uuid:0befb790-edd7-49c6-a1b6-795c88f208be> | {
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zygote, fertilized egg cell that results from the union of a female gamete (egg, or ovum) with a male gamete (sperm). In the embryonic development of humans and other animals, the zygote stage is brief and is followed by cleavage, when the single cell becomes subdivided into smaller cells.
The zygote represents the first stage in the development of a genetically unique organism. The zygote is endowed with genes from two parents, and thus it is diploid (carrying two sets of chromosomes). The joining of haploid gametes to produce a diploid zygote is a common feature in the sexual reproduction of all organisms except bacteria.
The zygote contains all the essential factors for development, but they exist solely as an encoded set of instructions localized in the genes of chromosomes. In fact, the genes of the new zygote are not activated to produce proteins until several cell divisions into cleavage. During cleavage the relatively enormous zygote directly subdivides into many smaller cells of conventional size through the process of mitosis (ordinary cell proliferation by division). These smaller cells, called blastomeres, are suitable as early building units for the future organism. | <urn:uuid:d86fb4c6-a595-47b6-86e7-968bcc4d1abb> | {
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What can we do together in the fight against childhood obesity? Let’s start by involving kids and their parents in a hands-on environment that actually focuses on preparing healthy foods. The goal of the Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen initiative, which is supported by The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. and its member Leagues, is to promote child health and wellness by empowering children and youth to make healthy lifestyle choices, therefore preventing obesity and its associated health risks.
The Peoria PlayHouse children’s museum is built on a solid partnership between the Junior League of Peoria, the Peoria Zoological Society, and the Peoria Park District. It is part of the larger plan to revitalize the campus at Glen Oak Park (spurred by the expansion of the Peoria Zoo and Botanical Garden) and will be located at the newly designed entrance to the zoo in the Glen Oak Pavilion.
The power of play is at the foundation of a child’s ability to learn and grow. Research proves that kids who get opportunities for experimental play have better social skills, improved literacy, reduced stress and increased success in life. That’s why the Junior League of Peoria and Peoria Zoological Society have joined forces to build the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum and expand Peoria Zoo—creating a daylong destination for learning through play that equips local kids with the tools to succeed. | <urn:uuid:5d439259-403e-4a35-b5a9-188bb6ec45fb> | {
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Concussion is one of the most commonly reported injuries amongst children and youth involved in sport participation. Following a concussion, youth can experience a range of short and long term neurobehavioral symptoms (somatic, cognitive and emotional/behavioral) that can have a significant impact on one’s participation in daily activities and pursuits of interest (e.g., school, sports, work, family/social life, etc.). Despite this, there remains a paucity in clinically driven research aimed specifically at exploring concussion within the youth sport population, and more specifically, multi-modal approaches to measuring recovery. This article provides an overview of a novel and multi-modal approach to measuring recovery amongst youth athletes following concussion. The presented approach involves the use of both pre-injury/baseline testing and post-injury/follow-up testing to assess performance across a wide variety of domains (post-concussion symptoms, cognition, balance, strength, agility/motor skills and resting state heart rate variability). The goal of this research is to gain a more objective and accurate understanding of recovery following concussion in youth athletes (ages 10-18 years). Findings from this research can help to inform the development and use of improved approaches to concussion management and rehabilitation specific to the youth sport community.
19 Related JoVE Articles!
The Goeckerman Regimen for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis
Institutions: University of Southern California, University of California, San Francisco , University of California Irvine School of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 2-3% of the population. The Goeckerman regimen consists of exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) light and application of crude coal tar (CCT). Goeckerman therapy is extremely effective and relatively safe for the treatment of psoriasis and for improving a patient's quality of life. In the following article, we present our protocol for the Goeckerman therapy that is utilized specifically at the University of California, San Francisco. This protocol details the preparation of supplies, administration of phototherapy and application of topical tar. This protocol also describes how to assess the patient daily, monitor for adverse effects (including pruritus and burning), and adjust the treatment based on the patient's response. Though it is one of the oldest therapies available for psoriasis, there is an absence of any published videos demonstrating the process in detail. The video is beneficial for healthcare providers who want to administer the therapy, for trainees who want to learn more about the process, and for prospective patients who want to undergo treatment for their cutaneous disease.
Medicine, Issue 77, Infection, Biomedical Engineering, Anatomy, Physiology, Immunology, Dermatology, Skin, Dermis, Epidermis, Skin Diseases, Skin Diseases, Eczematous, Goeckerman, Crude Coal Tar, phototherapy, psoriasis, Eczema, Goeckerman regimen, clinical techniques
Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills
Institutions: NeuroCog Trials, Inc., Duke-NUS Graduate Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, Fox Evaluation and Consulting, PLLC, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Cognitive impairments affect the majority of patients with schizophrenia and these impairments predict poor long term psychosocial outcomes. Treatment studies aimed at cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia not only require demonstration of improvements on cognitive tests, but also evidence that any cognitive changes lead to clinically meaningful improvements. Measures of “functional capacity” index the extent to which individuals have the potential to perform skills required for real world functioning. Current data do not support the recommendation of any single instrument for measurement of functional capacity. The Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT) is a novel, interactive gaming based measure of functional capacity that uses a realistic simulated environment to recreate routine activities of daily living. Studies are currently underway to evaluate and establish the VRFCAT’s sensitivity, reliability, validity, and practicality. This new measure of functional capacity is practical, relevant, easy to use, and has several features that improve validity and sensitivity of measurement of function in clinical trials of patients with CNS disorders.
Behavior, Issue 86, Virtual Reality, Cognitive Assessment, Functional Capacity, Computer Based Assessment, Schizophrenia, Neuropsychology, Aging, Dementia
A Standardized Obstacle Course for Assessment of Visual Function in Ultra Low Vision and Artificial Vision
Institutions: University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh.
We describe an indoor, portable, standardized course that can be used to evaluate obstacle avoidance in persons who have ultralow vision. Six sighted controls and 36 completely blind but otherwise healthy adult male (n=29) and female (n=13) subjects (age range 19-85 years), were enrolled in one of three studies involving testing of the BrainPort sensory substitution device. Subjects were asked to navigate the course prior to, and after, BrainPort training. They completed a total of 837 course runs in two different locations. Means and standard deviations were calculated across control types, courses, lights, and visits. We used a linear mixed effects model to compare different categories in the PPWS (percent preferred walking speed) and error percent data to show that the course iterations were properly designed. The course is relatively inexpensive, simple to administer, and has been shown to be a feasible way to test mobility function. Data analysis demonstrates that for the outcome of percent error as well as for percentage preferred walking speed, that each of the three courses is different, and that within each level, each of the three iterations are equal. This allows for randomization of the courses during administration.
preferred walking speed (PWS)
course speed (CS)
percentage preferred walking speed (PPWS)
Medicine, Issue 84, Obstacle course, navigation assessment, BrainPort, wayfinding, low vision
An Affordable HIV-1 Drug Resistance Monitoring Method for Resource Limited Settings
Institutions: University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, Jembi Health Systems, University of Amsterdam, Stanford Medical School.
HIV-1 drug resistance has the potential to seriously compromise the effectiveness and impact of antiretroviral therapy (ART). As ART programs in sub-Saharan Africa continue to expand, individuals on ART should be closely monitored for the emergence of drug resistance. Surveillance of transmitted drug resistance to track transmission of viral strains already resistant to ART is also critical. Unfortunately, drug resistance testing is still not readily accessible in resource limited settings, because genotyping is expensive and requires sophisticated laboratory and data management infrastructure. An open access genotypic drug resistance monitoring method to manage individuals and assess transmitted drug resistance is described. The method uses free open source software for the interpretation of drug resistance patterns and the generation of individual patient reports. The genotyping protocol has an amplification rate of greater than 95% for plasma samples with a viral load >1,000 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml. The sensitivity decreases significantly for viral loads <1,000 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml. The method described here was validated against a method of HIV-1 drug resistance testing approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Viroseq genotyping method. Limitations of the method described here include the fact that it is not automated and that it also failed to amplify the circulating recombinant form CRF02_AG from a validation panel of samples, although it amplified subtypes A and B from the same panel.
Medicine, Issue 85, Biomedical Technology, HIV-1, HIV Infections, Viremia, Nucleic Acids, genetics, antiretroviral therapy, drug resistance, genotyping, affordable
Assessment of Morphine-induced Hyperalgesia and Analgesic Tolerance in Mice Using Thermal and Mechanical Nociceptive Modalities
Institutions: Université de Strasbourg.
Opioid-induced hyperalgesia and tolerance severely impact the clinical efficacy of opiates as pain relievers in animals and humans. The molecular mechanisms underlying both phenomena are not well understood and their elucidation should benefit from the study of animal models and from the design of appropriate experimental protocols.
We describe here a methodological approach for inducing, recording and quantifying morphine-induced hyperalgesia as well as for evidencing analgesic tolerance, using the tail-immersion and tail pressure tests in wild-type mice. As shown in the video, the protocol is divided into five sequential steps. Handling and habituation phases allow a safe determination of the basal nociceptive response of the animals. Chronic morphine administration induces significant hyperalgesia as shown by an increase in both thermal and mechanical sensitivity, whereas the comparison of analgesia time-courses after acute or repeated morphine treatment clearly indicates the development of tolerance manifested by a decline in analgesic response amplitude. This protocol may be similarly adapted to genetically modified mice in order to evaluate the role of individual genes in the modulation of nociception and morphine analgesia. It also provides a model system to investigate the effectiveness of potential therapeutic agents to improve opiate analgesic efficacy.
Neuroscience, Issue 89, mice, nociception, tail immersion test, tail pressure test, morphine, analgesia, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, tolerance
The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test (MSPT): An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool
Institutions: Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Precise measurement of neurological and neuropsychological impairment and disability in multiple sclerosis is challenging. We report a new test, the Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test (MSPT), which represents a new approach to quantifying MS related disability. The MSPT takes advantage of advances in computer technology, information technology, biomechanics, and clinical measurement science. The resulting MSPT represents a computer-based platform for precise, valid measurement of MS severity. Based on, but extending the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC), the MSPT provides precise, quantitative data on walking speed, balance, manual dexterity, visual function, and cognitive processing speed. The MSPT was tested by 51 MS patients and 49 healthy controls (HC). MSPT scores were highly reproducible, correlated strongly with technician-administered test scores, discriminated MS from HC and severe from mild MS, and correlated with patient reported outcomes. Measures of reliability, sensitivity, and clinical meaning for MSPT scores were favorable compared with technician-based testing. The MSPT is a potentially transformative approach for collecting MS disability outcome data for patient care and research. Because the testing is computer-based, test performance can be analyzed in traditional or novel ways and data can be directly entered into research or clinical databases. The MSPT could be widely disseminated to clinicians in practice settings who are not connected to clinical trial performance sites or who are practicing in rural settings, drastically improving access to clinical trials for clinicians and patients. The MSPT could be adapted to out of clinic settings, like the patient’s home, thereby providing more meaningful real world data. The MSPT represents a new paradigm for neuroperformance testing. This method could have the same transformative effect on clinical care and research in MS as standardized computer-adapted testing has had in the education field, with clear potential to accelerate progress in clinical care and research.
Medicine, Issue 88, Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite, computer-based testing, 25-foot walk test, 9-hole peg test, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Low Contrast Visual Acuity, Clinical Outcome Measure
Analysis of Tubular Membrane Networks in Cardiac Myocytes from Atria and Ventricles
Institutions: Heart Research Center Goettingen, University Medical Center Goettingen, German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) partner site Goettingen, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
In cardiac myocytes a complex network of membrane tubules - the transverse-axial tubule system (TATS) - controls deep intracellular signaling functions. While the outer surface membrane and associated TATS membrane components appear to be continuous, there are substantial differences in lipid and protein content. In ventricular myocytes (VMs), certain TATS components are highly abundant contributing to rectilinear tubule networks and regular branching 3D architectures. It is thought that peripheral TATS components propagate action potentials from the cell surface to thousands of remote intracellular sarcoendoplasmic reticulum (SER) membrane contact domains, thereby activating intracellular Ca2+
release units (CRUs). In contrast to VMs, the organization and functional role of TATS membranes in atrial myocytes (AMs) is significantly different and much less understood. Taken together, quantitative structural characterization of TATS membrane networks in healthy and diseased myocytes is an essential prerequisite towards better understanding of functional plasticity and pathophysiological reorganization. Here, we present a strategic combination of protocols for direct quantitative analysis of TATS membrane networks in living VMs and AMs. For this, we accompany primary cell isolations of mouse VMs and/or AMs with critical quality control steps and direct membrane staining protocols for fluorescence imaging of TATS membranes. Using an optimized workflow for confocal or superresolution TATS image processing, binarized and skeletonized data are generated for quantitative analysis of the TATS network and its components. Unlike previously published indirect regional aggregate image analysis strategies, our protocols enable direct characterization of specific components and derive complex physiological properties of TATS membrane networks in living myocytes with high throughput and open access software tools. In summary, the combined protocol strategy can be readily applied for quantitative TATS network studies during physiological myocyte adaptation or disease changes, comparison of different cardiac or skeletal muscle cell types, phenotyping of transgenic models, and pharmacological or therapeutic interventions.
Bioengineering, Issue 92, cardiac myocyte, atria, ventricle, heart, primary cell isolation, fluorescence microscopy, membrane tubule, transverse-axial tubule system, image analysis, image processing, T-tubule, collagenase
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Institutions: Schulthess Clinic.
Spatial and temporal characteristics of human walking are frequently evaluated to identify possible gait impairments, mainly in orthopedic and neurological patients1-4
, but also in healthy older adults5,6
. The quantitative gait analysis described in this protocol is performed with a recently-introduced photoelectric system (see Materials table) which has the potential to be used in the clinic because it is portable, easy to set up (no subject preparation is required before a test), and does not require maintenance and sensor calibration. The photoelectric system consists of series of high-density floor-based photoelectric cells with light-emitting and light-receiving diodes that are placed parallel to each other to create a corridor, and are oriented perpendicular to the line of progression7
. The system simply detects interruptions in light signal, for instance due to the presence of feet within the recording area. Temporal gait parameters and 1D spatial coordinates of consecutive steps are subsequently calculated to provide common gait parameters such as step length, single limb support and walking velocity8
, whose validity against a criterion instrument has recently been demonstrated7,9
. The measurement procedures are very straightforward; a single patient can be tested in less than 5 min and a comprehensive report can be generated in less than 1 min.
Medicine, Issue 93, gait analysis, walking, floor-based photocells, spatiotemporal, elderly, orthopedic patients, neurological patients
Dynamic Visual Tests to Identify and Quantify Visual Damage and Repair Following Demyelination in Optic Neuritis Patients
Institutions: Hadassah Hebrew-University Medical Center.
In order to follow optic neuritis patients and evaluate the effectiveness of their treatment, a handy, accurate and quantifiable tool is required to assess changes in myelination at the central nervous system (CNS). However, standard measurements, including routine visual tests and MRI scans, are not sensitive enough for this purpose. We present two visual tests addressing dynamic monocular and binocular functions which may closely associate with the extent of myelination along visual pathways. These include Object From Motion (OFM) extraction and Time-constrained stereo protocols. In the OFM test, an array of dots compose an object, by moving the dots within the image rightward while moving the dots outside the image leftward or vice versa. The dot pattern generates a camouflaged object that cannot be detected when the dots are stationary or moving as a whole. Importantly, object recognition is critically dependent on motion perception. In the Time-constrained Stereo protocol, spatially disparate images are presented for a limited length of time, challenging binocular 3-dimensional integration in time. Both tests are appropriate for clinical usage and provide a simple, yet powerful, way to identify and quantify processes of demyelination and remyelination along visual pathways. These protocols may be efficient to diagnose and follow optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis patients.
In the diagnostic process, these protocols may reveal visual deficits that cannot be identified via current standard visual measurements. Moreover, these protocols sensitively identify the basis of the currently unexplained continued visual complaints of patients following recovery of visual acuity. In the longitudinal follow up course, the protocols can be used as a sensitive marker of demyelinating and remyelinating processes along time. These protocols may therefore be used to evaluate the efficacy of current and evolving therapeutic strategies, targeting myelination of the CNS.
Medicine, Issue 86, Optic neuritis, visual impairment, dynamic visual functions, motion perception, stereopsis, demyelination, remyelination
Computerized Dynamic Posturography for Postural Control Assessment in Patients with Intermittent Claudication
Institutions: University of Sydney, University of Hull, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals, Addenbrookes Hospital.
Computerized dynamic posturography with the EquiTest is an objective technique for measuring postural strategies under challenging static and dynamic conditions. As part of a diagnostic assessment, the early detection of postural deficits is important so that appropriate and targeted interventions can be prescribed. The Sensory Organization Test (SOT) on the EquiTest determines an individual's use of the sensory systems (somatosensory, visual, and vestibular) that are responsible for postural control. Somatosensory and visual input are altered by the calibrated sway-referenced support surface and visual surround, which move in the anterior-posterior direction in response to the individual's postural sway. This creates a conflicting sensory experience. The Motor Control Test (MCT) challenges postural control by creating unexpected postural disturbances in the form of backwards and forwards translations. The translations are graded in magnitude and the time to recover from the perturbation is computed.
Intermittent claudication, the most common symptom of peripheral arterial disease, is characterized by a cramping pain in the lower limbs and caused by muscle ischemia secondary to reduced blood flow to working muscles during physical exertion. Claudicants often display poor balance, making them susceptible to falls and activity avoidance. The Ankle Brachial Pressure Index (ABPI) is a noninvasive method for indicating the presence of peripheral arterial disease and intermittent claudication, a common symptom in the lower extremities. ABPI is measured as the highest systolic pressure from either the dorsalis pedis or posterior tibial artery divided by the highest brachial artery systolic pressure from either arm. This paper will focus on the use of computerized dynamic posturography in the assessment of balance in claudicants.
Medicine, Issue 82, Posture, Computerized dynamic posturography, Ankle brachial pressure index, Peripheral arterial disease, Intermittent claudication, Balance, Posture, EquiTest, Sensory Organization Test, Motor Control Test
Measuring Frailty in HIV-infected Individuals. Identification of Frail Patients is the First Step to Amelioration and Reversal of Frailty
Institutions: University of Arizona, University of Arizona.
A simple, validated protocol consisting of a battery of tests is available to identify elderly patients with frailty syndrome. This syndrome of decreased reserve and resistance to stressors increases in incidence with increasing age. In the elderly, frailty may pursue a step-wise loss of function from non-frail to pre-frail to frail. We studied frailty in HIV-infected patients and found that ~20% are frail using the Fried phenotype using stringent criteria developed for the elderly1,2
. In HIV infection the syndrome occurs at a younger age.
HIV patients were checked for 1) unintentional weight loss; 2) slowness as determined by walking speed; 3) weakness as measured by a grip dynamometer; 4) exhaustion by responses to a depression scale; and 5) low physical activity was determined by assessing kilocalories expended in a week's time. Pre-frailty was present with any two of five criteria and frailty was present if any three of the five criteria were abnormal.
The tests take approximately 10-15 min to complete and they can be performed by medical assistants during routine clinic visits. Test results are scored by referring to standard tables. Understanding which of the five components contribute to frailty in an individual patient can allow the clinician to address relevant underlying problems, many of which are not evident in routine HIV clinic visits.
Medicine, Issue 77, Infection, Virology, Infectious Diseases, Anatomy, Physiology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Retroviridae Infections, Body Weight Changes, Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures, Physical Examination, Muscle Strength, Behavior, Virus Diseases, Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena, HIV, HIV-1, AIDS, Frailty, Depression, Weight Loss, Weakness, Slowness, Exhaustion, Aging, clinical techniques
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Institutions: University of Ulm.
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques provide information on the microstructural processes of the cerebral white matter (WM) in vivo
. The present applications are designed to investigate differences of WM involvement patterns in different brain diseases, especially neurodegenerative disorders, by use of different DTI analyses in comparison with matched controls.
DTI data analysis is performed in a variate fashion, i.e.
voxelwise comparison of regional diffusion direction-based metrics such as fractional anisotropy (FA), together with fiber tracking (FT) accompanied by tractwise fractional anisotropy statistics (TFAS) at the group level in order to identify differences in FA along WM structures, aiming at the definition of regional patterns of WM alterations at the group level. Transformation into a stereotaxic standard space is a prerequisite for group studies and requires thorough data processing to preserve directional inter-dependencies. The present applications show optimized technical approaches for this preservation of quantitative and directional information during spatial normalization in data analyses at the group level. On this basis, FT techniques can be applied to group averaged data in order to quantify metrics information as defined by FT. Additionally, application of DTI methods, i.e.
differences in FA-maps after stereotaxic alignment, in a longitudinal analysis at an individual subject basis reveal information about the progression of neurological disorders. Further quality improvement of DTI based results can be obtained during preprocessing by application of a controlled elimination of gradient directions with high noise levels.
In summary, DTI is used to define a distinct WM pathoanatomy of different brain diseases by the combination of whole brain-based and tract-based DTI analysis.
Medicine, Issue 77, Neuroscience, Neurobiology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Anatomy, Physiology, Neurodegenerative Diseases, nuclear magnetic resonance, NMR, MR, MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, fiber tracking, group level comparison, neurodegenerative diseases, brain, imaging, clinical techniques
Tilt Testing with Combined Lower Body Negative Pressure: a "Gold Standard" for Measuring Orthostatic Tolerance
Institutions: Simon Fraser University .
Orthostatic tolerance (OT) refers to the ability to maintain cardiovascular stability when upright, against the hydrostatic effects of gravity, and hence to maintain cerebral perfusion and prevent syncope (fainting). Various techniques are available to assess OT and the effects of gravitational stress upon the circulation, typically by reproducing a presyncopal event (near-fainting episode) in a controlled laboratory environment. The time and/or degree of stress required to provoke this response provides the measure of OT. Any technique used to determine OT should: enable distinction between patients with orthostatic intolerance (of various causes) and asymptomatic control subjects; be highly reproducible, enabling evaluation of therapeutic interventions; avoid invasive procedures, which are known to impair OT1
In the late 1980s head-upright tilt testing was first utilized for diagnosing syncope2
. Since then it has been used to assess OT in patients with syncope of unknown cause, as well as in healthy subjects to study postural cardiovascular reflexes2-6
. Tilting protocols comprise three categories: passive tilt; passive tilt accompanied by pharmacological provocation; and passive tilt with combined lower body negative pressure (LBNP). However, the effects of tilt testing (and other orthostatic stress testing modalities) are often poorly reproducible, with low sensitivity and specificity to diagnose orthostatic intolerance7
Typically, a passive tilt includes 20-60 min of orthostatic stress continued until the onset of presyncope in patients2-6
. However, the main drawback of this procedure is its inability to invoke presyncope in all individuals undergoing the test, and corresponding low sensitivity8,9
. Thus, different methods were explored to increase the orthostatic stress and improve sensitivity.
Pharmacological provocation has been used to increase the orthostatic challenge, for example using isoprenaline4,7,10,11
or sublingual nitrate12,13
. However, the main drawback of these approaches are increases in sensitivity at the cost of unacceptable decreases in specificity10,14
, with a high positive response rate immediately after administration15
. Furthermore, invasive procedures associated with some pharmacological provocations greatly increase the false positive rate1
Another approach is to combine passive tilt testing with LBNP, providing a stronger orthostatic stress without invasive procedures or drug side-effects, using the technique pioneered by Professor Roger Hainsworth in the 1990s16-18
. This approach provokes presyncope in almost all subjects (allowing for symptom recognition in patients with syncope), while discriminating between patients with syncope and healthy controls, with a specificity of 92%, sensitivity of 85%, and repeatability of 1.1±0.6 min16,17
. This allows not only diagnosis and pathophysiological assessment19-22
, but also the evaluation of treatments for orthostatic intolerance due to its high repeatability23-30
. For these reasons, we argue this should be the "gold standard" for orthostatic stress testing, and accordingly this will be the method described in this paper.
Medicine, Issue 73, Anatomy, Physiology, Biomedical Engineering, Neurobiology, Kinesiology, Cardiology, tilt test, lower body negative pressure, orthostatic stress, syncope, orthostatic tolerance, fainting, gravitational stress, head upright, stroke, clinical techniques
Bronchial Thermoplasty: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Severe Asthma
Institutions: Virginia Hospital Center, Virginia Hospital Center.
Bronchial thermoplasty is a non-drug procedure for severe persistent asthma that delivers thermal energy to the airway wall in a precisely controlled manner to reduce excessive airway smooth muscle. Reducing airway smooth muscle decreases the ability of the airways to constrict, thereby reducing the frequency of asthma attacks. Bronchial thermoplasty is delivered by the Alair System and is performed in three outpatient procedure visits, each scheduled approximately three weeks apart. The first procedure treats the airways of the right lower lobe, the second treats the airways of the left lower lobe and the third and final procedure treats the airways in both upper lobes. After all three procedures are performed the bronchial thermoplasty treatment is complete.
Bronchial thermoplasty is performed during bronchoscopy with the patient under moderate sedation. All accessible airways distal to the mainstem bronchi between 3 and 10 mm in diameter, with the exception of the right middle lobe, are treated under bronchoscopic visualization. Contiguous and non-overlapping activations of the device are used, moving from distal to proximal along the length of the airway, and systematically from airway to airway as described previously. Although conceptually straightforward, the actual execution of bronchial thermoplasty is quite intricate and procedural duration for the treatment of a single lobe is often substantially longer than encountered during routine bronchoscopy. As such, bronchial thermoplasty should be considered a complex interventional bronchoscopy and is intended for the experienced bronchoscopist. Optimal patient management is critical in any such complex and longer duration bronchoscopic procedure. This article discusses the importance of careful patient selection, patient preparation, patient management, procedure duration, postoperative care and follow-up to ensure that bronchial thermoplasty is performed safely.
Bronchial thermoplasty is expected to complement asthma maintenance medications by providing long-lasting asthma control and improving asthma-related quality of life of patients with severe asthma. In addition, bronchial thermoplasty has been demonstrated to reduce severe exacerbations (asthma attacks) emergency rooms visits for respiratory symptoms, and time lost from work, school and other daily activities due to asthma.
Medicine, Issue 45, bronchial thermoplasty, severe asthma, airway smooth muscle, bronchoscopy, radiofrequency energy, patient management, moderate sedation
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Institutions: Case Western Reserve University.
Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty was initially approved for use in rotator cuff arthropathy and well as chronic pseudoparalysis without arthritis in patients who were not appropriate for tendon transfer reconstructions. Traditional surgical options for these patients were limited and functional results were sub-optimal and at times catastrophic. The use of reverse shoulder arthroplasty has been found to effectively restore these patients function and relieve symptoms associated with their disease. The procedure can be done through two approaches, the deltopectoral or the superolateral. Complication rates associated with the use of the prosthesis have ranged from 8-60% with more recent reports trending lower as experienced is gained. Salvage options for a failed reverse shoulder prosthesis are limited and often have significant associated disability. Indications for the use of this prosthesis continue to be evaluated including its use for revision arthroplasty, proximal humeral fracture and tumor. Careful patient selection is essential because of the significant risks associated with the procedure.
Medicine, Issue 53, Reverse, Total, Shoulder, Arthroplasty, Rotator Cuff, Arthropathy, Arthritis, Glenoid, Humerus, Fracture
Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Institutions: Wyoming Medical Center.
Diabetes mellitus is a major independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality in the hospitalized patient, and elevated blood glucose concentrations, even in non-diabetic patients, predicts poor outcomes.1-4
The 2008 consensus statement by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) states that "hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients, irrespective of its cause, is unequivocally associated with adverse outcomes."5
It is important to recognize that hyperglycemia occurs in patients with known or undiagnosed diabetes as well as during acute illness in those with previously normal glucose tolerance.
The Normoglycemia in Intensive Care Evaluation-Survival Using Glucose Algorithm Regulation (NICE-SUGAR) study involved over six thousand adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients who were randomized to intensive glucose control or conventional glucose control.6
Surprisingly, this trial found that intensive glucose control increased the risk of mortality by 14% (odds ratio, 1.14; p=0.02). In addition, there was an increased prevalence of severe hypoglycemia in the intensive control group compared with the conventional control group (6.8% vs. 0.5%, respectively; p<0.001). From this pivotal trial and two others,7,8
Wyoming Medical Center (WMC) realized the importance of controlling hyperglycemia in the hospitalized patient while avoiding the negative impact of resultant hypoglycemia.
Despite multiple revisions of an IV insulin paper protocol, analysis of data from usage of the paper protocol at WMC shows that in terms of achieving normoglycemia while minimizing hypoglycemia, results were suboptimal. Therefore, through a systematical implementation plan, monitoring of patient blood glucose levels was switched from using a paper IV insulin protocol to a computerized glucose management system. By comparing blood glucose levels using the paper protocol to that of the computerized system, it was determined, that overall, the computerized glucose management system resulted in more rapid and tighter glucose control than the traditional paper protocol. Specifically, a substantial increase in the time spent within the target blood glucose concentration range, as well as a decrease in the prevalence of severe hypoglycemia (BG < 40 mg/dL), clinical hypoglycemia (BG < 70 mg/dL), and hyperglycemia (BG > 180 mg/dL), was witnessed in the first five months after implementation of the computerized glucose management system. The computerized system achieved target concentrations in greater than 75% of all readings while minimizing the risk of hypoglycemia. The prevalence of hypoglycemia (BG < 70 mg/dL) with the use of the computer glucose management system was well under 1%.
Medicine, Issue 64, Physiology, Computerized glucose management, Endotool, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, diabetes, IV insulin, paper protocol, glucose control
Single Port Donor Nephrectomy
Institutions: Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University.
In 2007, Rane presented the first single port nephrectomy for a small non-functioning kidney at the World Congress of Endourology. Since that time, the use of single port surgery for nephrectomy has expanded to include donor nephrectomy. Over the next two years the technique was adopted for many others types of nephrectomies to include donor nephrectomy. We present our technique for single port donor nephrectomy using the Gelpoint device. We have successfully performed this surgery in over 100 patients and add this experience to our experience of over 1000 laparoscopic nephrectomies. With the proper equipment and technique, single port donor nephrectomy can be performed safely and effectively in the majority of live donors. We have found that our operative times and most importantly our transplant outcomes have not changed significantly with the adoption of the single port donor nephrectomy. We believe that single port donor nephrectomy represents a step forward in the care of living donors.
Medicine, Issue 49, Single Port, Laparoscopic, Donor Nephrectomy, Transplant
Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Institutions: Brandeis University, Brandeis University.
The Institute of Medicine has targeted patient-centeredness as an important area of quality improvement. A major dimension of patient-centeredness is respect for patient's values, preferences, and expressed needs. Yet specific approaches to gaining this understanding and translating it to quality care in the clinical setting are lacking. From a patient perspective quality is not a simple concept but is best understood in terms of five dimensions: technical outcomes; decision-making efficiency; amenities and convenience; information and emotional support; and overall patient satisfaction. Failure to consider quality from this five-pronged perspective results in a focus on medical outcomes, without considering the processes central to quality from the patient's perspective and vital to achieving good outcomes. In this paper, we argue for applying the concept of fair process in clinical settings. Fair process involves using a collaborative approach to exploring diagnostic issues and treatments with patients, explaining the rationale for decisions, setting expectations about roles and responsibilities, and implementing a core plan and ongoing evaluation. Fair process opens the door to bringing patient expertise into the clinical setting and the work of developing health care goals and strategies. This paper provides a step by step illustration of an innovative visual approach, called photovoice or photo-elicitation, to achieve fair process in clinical work with acquired brain injury survivors and others living with chronic health conditions. Applying this visual tool and methodology in the clinical setting will enhance patient-provider communication; engage patients as partners in identifying challenges, strengths, goals, and strategies; and support evaluation of progress over time. Asking patients to bring visuals of their lives into the clinical interaction can help to illuminate gaps in clinical knowledge, forge better therapeutic relationships with patients living with chronic conditions such as brain injury, and identify patient-centered goals and possibilities for healing. The process illustrated here can be used by clinicians, (primary care physicians, rehabilitation therapists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, psychologists, and others) working with people living with chronic conditions such as acquired brain injury, mental illness, physical disabilities, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, or post-traumatic stress, and by leaders of support groups for the types of patients described above and their family members or caregivers.
Medicine, Issue 48, person-centered care, participatory visual methods, photovoice, photo-elicitation, narrative medicine, acquired brain injury, disability, rehabilitation, palliative care
The use of Biofeedback in Clinical Virtual Reality: The INTREPID Project
Institutions: Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a constant and unspecific anxiety that interferes with daily-life activities. Its high prevalence in general population and the severe limitations it causes, point out the necessity to find new efficient strategies to treat it. Together with the cognitive-behavioral treatments, relaxation represents a useful approach for the treatment of GAD, but it has the limitation that it is hard to be learned. The INTREPID project is aimed to implement a new instrument to treat anxiety-related disorders and to test its clinical efficacy in reducing anxiety-related symptoms. The innovation of this approach is the combination of virtual reality and biofeedback, so that the first one is directly modified by the output of the second one. In this way, the patient is made aware of his or her reactions through the modification of some features of the VR environment in real time. Using mental exercises the patient learns to control these physiological parameters and using the feedback provided by the virtual environment is able to gauge his or her success. The supplemental use of portable devices, such as PDA or smart-phones, allows the patient to perform at home, individually and autonomously, the same exercises experienced in therapist's office. The goal is to anchor the learned protocol in a real life context, so enhancing the patients' ability to deal with their symptoms. The expected result is a better and faster learning of relaxation techniques, and thus an increased effectiveness of the treatment if compared with traditional clinical protocols.
Neuroscience, Issue 33, virtual reality, biofeedback, generalized anxiety disorder, Intrepid, cybertherapy, cyberpsychology | <urn:uuid:840a6a43-24a4-4ad3-a1a9-7fd27b86d536> | {
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The leading British expert on Indian archaeology, whose interests embraced much of the culture and history of South Asia, has died.
Raymond Allchin was born in Harrow on 9 July 1923 and educated at Westminster School. Intending to become an architect, he trained at the Regent Street Polytechnic School from 1940 to 1943, until war service as a signaller took him to India and Pakistan.
"That exposure totally changed him," said his former student Richard Blurton, curator for South and South-East Asia at the British Museum. "He was one of a generation of scholars energised by serving in the Indian Army during the war who had achieved teaching positions by the 1960s."
On his return to England, Dr Allchin switched track and went to the School of Oriental and African Studies. He gained a first in Hindi with Sanskrit in 1951, produced a PhD on early cultures in Hyderabad in 1954 and then became a lecturer in Indian archaeology.
He moved to the University of Cambridge in 1959 as a lecturer in Indian studies and was later appointed reader and then emeritus reader.
Although his initial linguistic interests bore fruit in translations of Hindi devotional poetry by Tulsi Das (1532-1623), Dr Allchin's central achievements were in archaeology. For more than three decades, he - often with his wife Bridget - carried out major explorations and excavations in India and Pakistan.
He acted as a conservation consultant for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in Nepal and Cambodia and also produced the first general overview of The Archaeology of Afghanistan, co-edited with Norman Hammond in 1978.
Even more seminal was the book Dr Allchin and his wife wrote on The Birth of Indian Civilisation (1968), and then revised as The Rise of Civilisation in India and Pakistan (1982). Mr Blurton said that these syntheses of information about early humans from Palaeolithic times up to the era of city states became the "fundamental textbooks" in the West.
"Each edition was a major event, knitting together new information into a detailed structure," he added. Equally fundamental was the Source-book of Indian Archaeology, edited with Dilip Chakrabarti in three volumes over a period of 25 years.
In 1978, Dr Allchin and his wife joined other leading scholars to create the Cambridge-based Ancient India & Iran Trust. With its own endowment, building, library and photographic archive, it continues to play a major role in securing the future of a field where he did so much of the pioneering work.
Dr Allchin died on 4 June 2010 and is survived by his wife, their daughter and their son. | <urn:uuid:8944d84a-a609-4073-b09d-f3b65c52b555> | {
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Dear Future President,
I’m writing to you concerning the issue of women’s inequality in the U.S. Did you know that women earn 79 cents to every dollar a man earns? Even as a kid I believed that men and women should have the same rights. But seeing this statistic makes me really angry. Men and women that do the same job don’t get the same pay. There are so many female historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Alice Paul, Anne Frank, Rosa Parks, Michelle Obama, and Malala Yousafzai, to name a few, that empower women and girls all over the world. I believe that gender shouldn’t be the basis of how we judge a person; their actions should be.
According to the Huffington Post article “For U.S. Women, Inequality Takes Many Forms,” Ariel Smilowitz explains that: “14.5 percent of women ages 18 and older had family incomes that placed them below the federal poverty line, compared to 11 percent of men.” This means that women are more likely to become poor. That to me is horrifying. Also “by the time a college-educated women turns 59 she will have lost almost $800,000 throughout her life due to gender wage gaps.” A women could've used that money for health insurance, their child’s college funds, a new car, a new house, etc. Now those women will have to work even more to get what they need, instead of getting what they deserve. According to an International Labour Organization article “Gender Inequality and Women in the U.S. Workforce,” “Women surpass men on education attainment among those employed aged 25 and over: 37.1 percent of women hold at least a bachelor’s degree compared to 34.9 percent for men.” This shows that even though women have higher level education than men, women still earn less money.
For years people have been living and believed that women should stay in the home. For example in the 1950s TV shows the mothers were expected to cook dinner for their families, do laundry, wash the dishes, etc. They didn’t really have a choice of what they wanted to do. It just wasn't fair.This issue affects the U.S. today because this expects young girls and women to abide to society’s stereotypes. This is bad because it can lower a girl’s self-esteem and it prevents women for pursuing jobs or hobbies that they don’t usually do. They can let the stereotypes define them instead of them defining themselves.
These issues are important to me because I’ve been a feminist my whole life. Women have done such great things for our country, both in the home and at work, and I feel that people really don’t acknowledge that in our society. In some cultures women are considered “better” than men because they do the cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children. But in our society this stuff isn't considered “actual work”. What people do shouldn't be labeled as "actual" work. Everyone's work should be important to them and their family. I really believe that there is no “better” gender or "better" job . Everybody should be equal and everyone should be entitled to be happy about who they are and not want to change themselves to appeal to others. Whether it’s your gender, age, religion, or race, you shouldn’t be judged because of genetics or culture.
People shouldn’t be blamed for being themselves. It’s supposed to be that everyone accepts everyone for who they are. I know it's not like that now, but I hope my influence and others' will change that for the future generations.
I really appreciate you reading this and listening to my opinion. I know that women's equality has definitely gotten better over the years but it’s still not at its full potential. I really would appreciate if you would talk to your fellow politicians to make men and women’s wages the same. Hopefully over the years everything that men and women do will have equal appreciation.
A loyal American citizen,
"Gender Inequality and Women in the U.S. Labor Force." International Labour Organization. International Labour Organization, n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2016 <http://www.ilo.org/washington/areas/gender-equality-in-the-workplace/WCMS_159496/lang--en/index.htm>.
Smilowitz, Ariel. "For U.S. Women, Inequality Takes Many Forms." Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 3 Nov. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ariel-smilowitz/for-us-women-inequality-takes-many-forms_b_7064348.html>. | <urn:uuid:378e7cdf-43d4-4869-ab65-f019da55889d> | {
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Curbing Mosquito Population Cuts Risk of West Nile Virus
PITTSBURGH – Starting on Monday, June 10, the Allegheny County Health Department will treat storm water catch basins in selected areas of Pittsburgh with pesticides to combat the breeding of mosquitoes that can carry the West Nile virus.
Any catch basin that holds water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes during the heat of summer. Treatment with pesticides can keep mosquito larvae from emerging into full-fledged adults capable of spreading disease to humans.
The pesticides, which are non-toxic to people, pets and aquatic life, inhibit mosquito breeding and are deposited manually in catch basins. Treated basins are marked with a bright green paint.
Health Department staff will treat about 10,000 catch basins in certain areas of Pittsburgh, including eastern and western wards as well as wards on the North Side and South Side, which have a history in previous years of West Nile activity.
The treatments will continue daily until all the catch basins are treated and take place weekdays from 4 to 9 p.m., but may be postponed when heavy rains are forecast.
Health officials say residents can also help reduce the mosquito population by eliminating and treating breeding sites on their own private property. Inexpensive but effective pesticides similar to what the Health Department uses are available at hardware stores and home improvement centers.
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Model Of Electronic Commerce On Dell Corporation Marketing Essay
Chapter 1.0: INTRODUCTION
Information and communication technologies (ICT) specifically internet is the basic tools for economic development. It is interesting to know that networks have always been at the centre of successful economy. Electronic commerce is specific use of those networks for the purpose of business. Electronic commerce is about moving the physical activities such as supply, production, distribution, to the networked electronic environment.
1.1: Definition of E-Commerce
E-Commerce is conduct of business and financial transactions by electronic means. It is a way of sharing, maintaining, and conducting, business relations through telecommunication networks. E-commerce encompasses many diverse business activities both in business-to-business markets and in business-to-customer markets. BLAIR (1999) argued that there is no doubt electronic commerce is going to have prolonged effects on business sector, Government consumers and on the way people live and work. Ecommerce presents enormous challenges to the twenty first century. Those countries that whole-heartedly embrace e-commerce will get great benefit from it.
1.2: Importance of E-Commerce
There is no question that e-commerce will represent portion of the global economy over next five year. To achieve its maximum growth businesses are required to establish a market leadership that can be obtained by implementing an effective system of electronic commerce not just with the other businesses but also with the customers. The extensive growth of the internet, beyond its initial base in the military and academic communities, has been unprecedented. Kosiur (1998) states that over the past few years, the number of computers attached to the internet has been doubled annually It is now established argument that the use of internet is increasing throughout the world.
Figure 1.1: Diagram showing internet users in the world growth 1995-2010
1.3: Emerging internet technology
Internet is a vital system, which has established successful e-commerce and global trade. Internet has now become essential and gone into reality, which was seen visionary in early 1970’s and1980’s. It is the use of internet, which has proven whole world as a global village as it was stated by Marshall McLuhan in 1962.
US President Bill Clinton also highlighted this technology and made a statement as;“ when I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called world wide web....now even my cat has its own page” (Bill Clinton,1996).
It is the internet that provided such a powerful platform, which changed the way; we do our business and communicate with each other. It is now clear that those companies who want to be at the leading edge of the world competition cannot ignore the importance of electronic commerce any more. It has been realised that e-commerce is reshaping every single bit of the global business sector, that is way the use of electronic commerce is gradually increasing throughout the world. If we talk about European countries, the usage of internet business activities has gone up in last decade considerably. Companies are using their resources to develop a good mechanism of e-business within a company, which will help organisations to run all major business activities over the internet.
1.4: Interaction between internet and E-Commerce
Electronic commerce, which is known as e-commerce, is relatively a new emerging area of interest both for the business management. There has been written a lot of books and articles about this hot topic of electronic commerce. Ecommerce is being seen as a fastest method of trading worldwide. Importance of electronic commerce can be seen in many different contexts e.g., it could improve the overall performance of an organisation by establishing and implementing strong relationship with their suppliers, (B2B) and customers (B2C) through the use electronic communication.
Figure 1.2: Bar chart showing US retail E-Commerce sale 2008-2014
Business to business (B2B) model includes all application and business activities that are intended to enable or improve the relationship between the companies. The main application and activities contains exchange of products, services, information, in between the business by electronic mean. Business run on business-to-business model can get many benefits from it. It reduces the cost increases sales and availability of the products, and is more time efficient. On the other side Business-to-customer (B2C) model is one of the easy and convenient way of selling to the customer on internet. It provides the competitive advantage to the vendors and gives better knowledge of customer needs, increase customer loyalty, decreases sale costs,
E-Commerce is growing day by day throughout the world especially in United States. The situation is even more promising in Great Britain, and France, where the revenue from E-Commerce is expected to be increased by 27% and 24% respectively. In Spain, the second quarter of 2009 represented the highest growth in B2C Ecommerce 16% over the past 12 months.
Figure 1.3: Bar chart showing Business-to-Customer E-Commerce sales in Europe
1.5: Social aspects of E-Commerce
Ecommerce is not just useful for the business world but it also bring enormous changes to social aspects of people by increasing communication between businesses and peoples via internet, high living standard, availability of public services, etc.
1.6:Merits of E-Commerce
The Merits of Electronic Commerce can be concluded as follows;
E-Commerce has proved its important where time is an essence.
It is more cost effective as compared to the other traditional commerce methods.
Its appearance in the global markets as a pioneer opened a lot of different horizons for both the customers and the businesses as well.
It increases the availability of business information throughout the world.
It increases the relationship between business and its customers.
Being an essential business plan for a company in order to survive and stay competitive in global business markets.
CHAPTER 2.0: METHODOLOGY
Main purpose of the research is to analyse and evaluate the importance of Business-to-Customer model of electronic commerce (B2C) on Dell incorporation. In order to fulfil the purpose of the research these merits has been analysed as follows:
Benefit of the electronic commerce
Features of B2C model
Implementation of B2C model of electronic commerce.
Implementation of B2C model of electronic commerce and comparison of Dell performance year to year.
Customer attitude toward e-shopping
Both primary as well as secondary source of information have been used to elaborate the information related to the topic.
2.2: Consumer behaviour
A fully structured questionnaire has been used as the primary source of information. It provides the basic information, which has been used to find out today,’s customer trend towards e-shopping. It has been used to analyse and evaluate the glorious future of Business to Business model of electronic commerce. It helped to find out how the consumer behaviour is changing time to time by understanding issues. These can be summarised as follows;
The psychology of how customer think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives (e.g., brands, products, )
How the customer is influenced by the changing environment.
Customer behaviour while shopping online.
How the customer motivation and decision is influenced by these newly developed marketing strategies.
In order to find out the impact of Business-to-Customer model of Electronic Commerce on Dell incorporation the information has been gathered using different secondary source of information (e.g., journal, strategic policies of Dell incorporation, Dell company online sale comparison review, Dell incorporation financial statement information, newspaper articles, etc.).
2.3 Ratio analysis technique
In order to analyse the financial information of Dell incorporation ratio analysis has been used. It has been used as one of the most popular technique for financial analysts.
Ratio analysis is one of the most important methods of financial analysis, which convert the quantities into ratios to get the meaningful comparison. It compares the ratios of one company with another company in same industry, or present ratios can be compared with the past periods in the same company.
Ratio analysis technique has been calculated by subtracting first year net sale and net income from its second year. Ratios are then compared with each other to find the trend. Net sale and net income quantities were gathered from Dell annual financial reports. Ratio analysis technique is applied on these data to find out the relevant ratio. It is then compared with the ratios of other consecutive years of the same company to find out the trend.
It is based on the historical information provided in Dell incorporation financial statements.
It does not provide information about any future action done by the Dell management. The ratios can be distorted if Dell management change its accounting policies.
Creative accounting or window dressing can easily manipulate ratio analysis.
2.4 Business Analysis
2.4.1 SWOT Analysis
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) is a business analysis tool that has been used to analyse the strategic position and environment of Dell Corporation.
Fig 2.1: showing SWOT framework diagram
Strengths are those qualities, which enable Dell Company to fulfil its targets. These qualities develop basis on which continued success can be established or sustained. After analysis of company management policies, it has been concluded that Dell incorporation has enough qualities in the form of resources and capabilities in order to continue its success.
These qualities can prevent the Dell to fulfil its mission. Weaknesses can deteriorate the Dell continued success or growth.
Opportunities will come from the environment in which the Dell Company is operating. These arise when company can take benefit of conditions in its environment to plan and execute those strategies that enable it to become more profitable.
Threats arise when conditions in external environment make it harder for the company to sustain its growth. Threats are uncontrollable and when they occur the stability and survival of the company can be at stake.
2.4.6 Limitation of SWOT analysis
2.4.7 External limitations
There are certain limitations, which are not in the control of Dell incorporation these include;
Implementation of new Government law and legislations.
Control over raw material
Price increase of raw material
Change in economic environment
2.4.8 Internal limitations
Dell incorporation can face the following internal limitations. Which are stated below;
Lake of skilled people.
Poor relationship with other companies in same industry.
Poor internal control.
CHAPTER 3.0: ANALYSIS
3.1: Emergence of new business strategies
There are two main strategies, which have emerged, so-called cost-efficiency-strategy and customer-centric-concept. Cost efficient strategy achieves its competitive advantage by cost leadership, specialisation, and applying appropriate supply chain processes. On the other hand, customer centric approach is about the efficient chain processes with diversification and seeks to build a relationship with the customers not just emphasising on price but also value for money.
ONLINE TRANSACTION SERVER
Acquaring Merchant bank
Issuing consumer bank
Fig 3.1: Flow chart showing the process of electronic commerce.
Electronic business supports both strategies it is cost effective by providing new distribution channels and services. On the business-to-customer side, online shopping and customer relationship management has been argued as promising sources of future revenue. This is the case, which seems to be more prominent in Dell incorporation.B2B & B2C.
3.2: Dell background
Dell incorporation is a multinational company that was founded by Michael Dell in 1984 with the capital of $ 1000. It sells computer and other computer related products and provides services to its customers. It is one of the largest technological incorporation in the business world. Michael Dell started his business as personal computers limited with the aim that by selling personal computer systems directly to the customer.
Dell Incorporation pioneered the concepts of selling personal computers directly to the customers. In 1988, the company change its name from “PCs Limited” to “Dell Computer Corporation”. In 1989, company set up its first on site programme. In 1989, company tried to sell its products indirectly through warehouses but it was not successful, and company refocused on its most successful model of electronic commerce business- to-customer sales model. Then finally, in 1996, Dell Incorporation began selling its computers via web site.
Therefore, the process of taking order over the internet was much more similar to the other one, which they called as “Dell on the phone”. Through this method customer were allowed to make the personal systems of their own choice by using the configuration option. Dell Incorporation business-to-customer model of electronic commerce also allowed the customer not just check the status of their orders online but also offered them after sale services as well. This online sales model (B2C) of electronic commerce brought certain advantages in Dell Incorporation which are listed below,
3.3: Advantages of online sale
It automated the purchasing process
Dell Company found itself able to tackle with great volume of sale without increasing key staff.
Sales of the company gone up without significant increase in cost
Cost saving were also made as the company bill start shrinking.
.improved after sale services
Increased customer satisfaction by providing specification options.
Company gained the competitive advantage by the proper implication of information communication technology.
3.4: RATIO ANALYSIS OF PREVIOUS YEARS
In other words Dell Incorporation golden period started when company began trading over the internet in 1996. Then after in 1997,one third of its orders were received over the internet and the company sale were reached up to $7.8 billion, and growth in sale was about 47% as compared to the last year(1996), and 123% increase as compared to the 1995.
Financial year ended (in millions)
Table 3.1: Net sale and net income from financial year ended 1995 to financial year ended 1997
Fig 3.2: Bar chart showing net income from 1995 to 1997
The strategy of online sale not just affected the sale revenue of the company but also brought even more good results in company’s net income by reducing its cost to sale and hence increased the net profitability of the Dell incorporation in 1996 and 1997 respectively with the percentage, which was even better, then the percentage increase in net income.
So that from very first day the Business-to-customer model of electronic proved to the company that it is not just about to increase company sale but it also cost effective.
Fig 3.3: Bar chart showing the net income from 1995 to 1997
Increase percentage of net sale = ($5296- $3475)/ $3475 * 100
In (1996) = 52% (rounded)
Increase percentage of net income = ($272-$149) / $149 * 100
In (1996) = 83% (rounded)
Increase percentage of net sale = ($7759-$5296) / $5296 * 100
In (1997) = 47% (rounded)
Increase percentage of net income = ($518-$272) / $272 * 100
In (1997) = 90% (rounded)
Year 1997 compared with 1995
Increase percentage of net sale = ($7759-$3475) / $3475 * 100
In (1997) compared with = 123% (rounded)
Increase percentage of net income= ($518-$149) / 149 * 100
In (1997) compared with (1995) = 248% (rounded)
According to the Dell spokesperson Bob Kaufman, about half of the company revenue comes from the site. After implementing the Business–to-customer model of electronic commerce net income of the company were increased by 83% in 1996 and 90% in 1997 respectively. And it is what they said in their annual financial report 1997,that our net income grow faster then sales as we continued improve costs and to capture economics of scale. However, it is the internet how served the company more then just a powerful medium and brought more results then it was expected. Dell incorporation in its annual financial report 1997 said, the year was extraordinary in any measure.
Same trend could be seen from 1997 to 2001 where company continued growing in all of its respects. Net revenue was raised from $7.8 billion in 1997 to $31.9 billion in 2001 and the company net income was raised from $ 518 million in 1997 to $ 2310 in 2001.
Financial year ended (in million)
Source: Dell annual reports from 1997 to 2001.
Table 3.2: Net sale and net income from financial ended 1997 to financial ended 2001.
Fig 3.4: bar chart showing net sale from 1997 to 2001
From 1997 to 2001 percent, increase in sale was 47% in 1997, 59% in 1998, 48% in 1999, 38% in 2000, and 26% in 2001.
Therefore, the company ended up 20th century with extraordinary results and strengthened its reputation about its product and services. It was their statement in annual financial report 1999, that “ our use of internet to make it easier for the customers and suppliers to do business with Dell, and to help reduce costs of us all, remains among the most advanced in any country”(Dell annual financial report, 1999).
Fig 3.5: Bar chart showing the net income from 1997 to 2001
The promise made by the Dell incorporation to its shareholders, customer, supplier, and to the other stakeholders was fulfilled when Dell announced the increase in its net income with percentage of 82% in 1998, 55% in 1999, 27% in 2000, and 24% in 2001.
Increase in net sale = ($12327- $7759) / $7759 * 100
Increase in net income = ( $944 - $518) / $944 * 100
Increase in net sale = ($ 18243 - $ 12327) / $ 12327 * 100
Increase in net income = ($1460 - $944) / $944 * 100
Increase in net sale = ($ 25265 - $ 18243) / $18243 * 100
Increase in net income = ( $ 1860 - $ 1460) / $1460 * 100
Increase in net sale = ($ 31888- $ 25265) / $25265 * 100
Increase in net income = ($2310 - $1860) / $1860 × 100
The strategy of online sale not just increased the revenue of Dell incorporation but also reduced the extra costs of employment and other expenses. It enabled the Dell to grow faster in its entire segment and made it more profitable compared to the other computer system providers and Dell incorporation ended up last five years of 1990s in a charismatic fashion.
Financial year ended (in millions)
Table 3.3: Net sale and net income from financial ended 2002 to financial ended 2005.
Table 3.4: Net sale and net income from financial ended 2006 to financial ended 2009.
Fig 3.6: chart showing the net sale from 2002 to 2009.
3.5: Dell in 21st century
Beginning of 21st century was also in charismatic way and Dell Company hold 1st position as a computer systems company in the United States and 2nd position worldwide. In all company annual financial reports, Dell appreciated its model of direct sale to the customer, which brought significant changes to the business nature and structure. Soon they realised that use of internet in Dell corporation was one of the critical susses factor in continued growth and success of Dell.
The year of 2002 was not same like the all previous years and for the first time in Dell company history sale declined by 2%. Although the difference was a little and compared with 1990s was still good but the company took this matter really seriously and promised to its shareholders, customer, and suppliers that though the reduction in sale was because of the US political issues which happened in September 11, 2002, but still company will improve its performance in coming period.
Fig 3.7: Bar chart showing the net income from 2002 to 2009.
Moreover, they just proved it later on when from 2003 to onward company net sale again started increasing year to year. Dell raised its sale by 14% in 2003, 17% in 2004, 19% in 2005, 14% in 2006, 3% in 2007, and 6% in 2008, -0.02% in 2009, and company net income also increased along with its sale with an appropriate percentage
Percentage decrease in net sale = ($31168-$31888) / $31888 × 100
Percentage decrease in net = ($1246 -$2310) / $ 2310 × 100
Income = -46%
Percentage increase in net sale = ($35404- $31168)/ $ 31168 × 100
Percentage increase in net = ($2122- $1246) / $ 1246 ×100
Income = 70 %
Percentage increase in net sale = ($41444- $35404) / $35404 × 100
Percentage increase in net = ($ 2645- $ 2122) / $ 2122 × 100
Income = 25%
Percentage increase in net sale = ($49205- $41444) / $41444 × 100
Percentage increase in net Income= ($3043-$ 2645) / $ 2645 × 100
Percentage increase in net sale = ($55908-$49205) / $49205 × 100
Percentage increase in net = ($3602-$3043) / $ 3043 × 100
Income = 18%
Percentage increase in net sale = ($57420-$55908) / $55908 × 100
Percentage decrease in net = ($2583- $3602) / $ 3602 × 100
Income =- 28%
Percentage increase in net sale = ($61113-$57420) / $57420 × 100
Percentage increase in net = ($2947-$2543) / $ 2543 × 100
Income = 16%
Percentage decrease in net sale = ($61101-$61113) / $61113 × 100
Percentage increase in net = ($2478-$2947) / $ 2947 × 100
Income = -16%
Dell computers net sale in last 15 years shows a steady and gradual increase which is a good sign of company overall performance and shows us the better strategies from the management.
Fig 3.8: graph showing the increase in net sale from 1995 to 2009
Company sale increased with the significant percentage from 1995 until 2008 and then after there was a slight difference from 2009 because company performed its activities under the period of recession.
Dell incorporation net incomes increased gradually from 1995 to 2001 but there was a decline in 2001 and then after company reform its activities and again started increasing its net income from 2001 to 2006.
Fig 3.9: graph showing the increase in net income from 1995 to 2009.
The period of 2007 was the period near to recession and from 2008 to 2009 was actually under recession where many large companies were going under the cessation or administration in such horrible circumstances still company maintained its performance.
3.6 SWOT analysis of Dell incorporation (Year 1996)
Dell model of direct sale to its customer
Extensive range of product and services
Best after sale services
Value for money
Reliability on products
Computer maker not computer manufacturer
Huge range of products can cause embracement.
Weak business relationships with many retailers.
Dealing with great amount of supplies can create destruction
They do not have unique technology, which they can offer to the market.
Personal computers are becoming necessity now a day.
People becoming more familiar with computer systems.
Expand into Government and education markets.
Diversification of strategy.
Low cost and low priced system
Addition of skilled worker.
Dell is operating its business in a volatile market.
Price difference in getting smaller
Exposed to fluctuation in world markets.
Increasingly brand names in the competition.
Technological advancement is double edge it is a threat as
Dell incorporation is one of the best personal computer makers in the world. its brand is also famous and well reputed in the world markets. Its model of direct sale to the customer provide two main advantage to its customers,
It reduces the sale cost and marketing costs by eliminating the mark up of distributors
It reduces the cost by keeping low level of inventories.
Their organisational structures enable it to achieve diversified targets. Dell allows
The integration of other components in its operating process.
On the other hand, most of the Dell strategies depend upon the other manufacturing components. Continuous updates are required to keep up with the Dell pace of development.
Internet also provide to Dell great opportunity where the customers place their order or can get the basic information. Now a days customer are demanding more laptops compared with the desktop which provide the company another opportunity in this segment.
Dell established web corporate model enable the company to have a global access to the customers and markets. By adopting the diversification strategy Dell is introducing many new products and services to its customers.
On the other side, there are many threats to the company as well. It is operating in highly volatile industry. Computer hard ware computer software
In addition, accessories are changing rapidly. It is highly important for the company to produce the products, which are high in quality and low in price.
Dell direct sale model attracts the customers because it is more cost effective. Since the other companies are able to sell computers at low price, it could effect on Dell company future growth. Growth rate in computer industry is reducing. Dell incorporation has most of the shares of computer markets. If the demand slow down it could leave adverse effect on the company. Technological advancement is two-edge sword if it is an opportunity but the same time a threat as well.
Anyway, Dell commitment to customer value, to being direct, to operating responsibly, will differentiate it from the other companies
3.7: Effects of online sale on profitability, liquidity, and investment ratios
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 249) / ($ 652 + $ 113) × 100
Current ration = ($ 1470) / ($751)
Earning per share = ($ 140) / ($39)
= $ 3.5
Gross profit margin = ($ 738) / ($ 3475) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 377) / ($ 973 + $ 113) × 100
Current ration = ($ 1957) / ($939)
Earning per share = ($ 260) / ($93)
= $ 2.7
Gross profit margin = ($ 1067) / ($ 5296) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 714) / ($ 806 + $ 18) × 100
Current ration = ($ 2549) / ($1658)
Earning per share = ($ 518) / ($173)
= $ 3
Gross profit margin = ($ 1666) / ($ 7759) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 1316) / ($ 1293 + $ 17) × 100
Current ration = ($ 3455) / ($2697)
Gross profit margin = ($ 2722) / ($ 12327) × 100
Fig 3.10: Bar chart showing the percentage increase / decrease in gross profit margin and return on capital employed from 1995 to 1998.
Fig3.11: Bar chart showing percentage increase or decrease in current ratio from 1995 to 1998.
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 2046) / ($ 2321 + $ 512) × 100
Current ration = ($ 5807) / ($3695)
Gross profit margin = ($ 4106) / ($ 18243) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 2457) / ($ 5308 + $ 508) × 100
Current ration = ($ 7681) / ($5192)
Gross profit margin = ($ 5218) / ($ 25265) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 2769) / ($ 5622 + $ 509) × 100
Current ration = ($ 9491) / ($6543)
Gross profit margin = ($ 6443) / ($ 31888) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 2271) / ($ 4694 + $ 520) × 100
Current ration = ($ 7877) / ($7519)
Gross profit margin = ($ 5507) / ($ 31168) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 2844) / ($ 4873 + $ 506) × 100
Current ration = ($ 8924) / ($8933)
Gross profit margin = ($ 6349) / ($35404) × 100
Fig 3.12: Bar chart showing percentage increase/ (decrease) in gross profit margin and return on capital employed from 1999 to 2003.
Fig 3.13: Bar chart showing increase or decrease percentage of current assets from 1999 to 2003.
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 3544) / ($ 6280 + $ 505) × 100
Current ration = ($ 10633) / ($10896)
Gross profit margin = ($ 7552) / ($41444) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 4254) / ($ 6485+ $ 505) × 100
Current ration = ($ 16897) / ($14136)
Gross profit margin = ($ 9015) / ($49205) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 4789) / ($ 4129+ $ 504) × 100
Current ration = ($ 17706) / ($15927)
Gross profit margin = ($ 10288) / ($55908) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 4789) / ($ 4439+ $ 569) × 100
Current ration = ($ 19939) / ($17791)
Gross profit margin = ($ 9516) / ($57420) × 100
Return on capital employed (ROCE) = ($ 3440) / ($ 3735+ $ 362) × 100
Current ration = ($ 19880) / ($18526)
Gross profit margin = ($ 11671) / ($61133) × 100
Fig 3.14: Bar chart showing percentage increase/ (decrease) in gross profit margin and return on capital employed from 2004 to 2008.
Fi3.15: Bar chart showing percentage increase or decrease in current ratio from 2004 to 2008
Fig 3.16: Line graph showing increase/ (decrease) percentage in return on capital employed from 1995 to 2008.
Fig 3.17: Line graph showing the increase or decrease percentage of gross profit margin from 1995 to 2008.
Fig 3.18: Line graph showing percentage increase or decrease of current ratio from 1995 to 2008.
CHAPTER 4.0: Conclusion
It is hard to ignore the promising and glorious future of electronic commerce in 21st century. In the near future, it will confirm itself as a major tool of sale. As we know that, the trend has changed and e-shopping is becoming more popular among customers. This trend of e-shopping will end up with more internet sale and great marketing evaluation.
Business-to-Business model of electronic commerce is in the interest of customers, suppliers, shareholders, management, and all other stakeholders of the company. It brings the following benefits;
It increases the sale of the company and end up with more profit to its shareholders
Customer needs are satisfied by providing customer specification options via internet.
Management become successful in obtaining its goal and targets, hence they are qualified for extra bonuses and increased salary.
Business- to – Customer model of electronic commerce is more cost effective which reduces the expenses and increases the net profit. Hence, it is resulted into better dividend to the shareholder and increased share price in stock exchange.
As analysed by considering Dell sale and income from1995-2009, it could be stated that very similar trend is happened in the case of Dell incorporation. Dell incorporation started with a little capital of just $ 1000 in 1984 and after spending capital during twenty-six years, the company earned its fortune in billion and trillion. The question is;
What exactly happened within the company, which brought such charismatic results in a short period?
The answer is very realistic and has been analysed here. Before the implementation of Business-to- Customer model of electronic commerce the company was doing its business in the traditional way. In 1995, company changed its strategy about the sale and implemented online sale. It was noticed that there was a significant difference in its net revenue and net profit. After the implementation of B2C model of electronic commerce, it brought all the benefits, which were promised by the electronic commerce. The introduction of E-commerce bust up the sale of the Dell incorporation from $ 3475 million in 1995 to $ 61101 million in 2009, which is about 18 times greater, then revenue generated in 1995.
Therefore, the implementation of B2C model of electronic commerce in Dell incorporation proved its benefit to its shareholders by increasing their dividend and share price in the market and on the other hand, the increase in sale proved the customer satisfaction about the system performance. Online sale model of Dell Company improved the customer services before and after sale. It provided customer specification option, where they could make own choice at comparably low prices. All this had increased not only customer trust and satisfaction but also earned customer loyalty with Dell incorporation.
This model of online sale increased the net revenue of the company and on the other hand, it reduced the costing year after year resulting in increase in net income. The net profit of the company had increased from $ 518 in 1995 to $ 2478 in 2008, which is five times as compared with 1995. It has been proved that the strategy of the company to sale direct to the customer because it was cost effective.
After the analysis of Dell incorporation, it can be concluded that effective implementations of electronic commerce brings enormous results to the company. It increases the sale of the company more swiftly, compared with other brick- and – mortar ones. Electronic commerce is more cost effective compared with other traditional methods of trading. It has customer’s friendly approach that brings customer satisfaction and put faith in the company products. The tendency will continue because people feel more comfortable while shopping online. On line sale has now established as significant improvement in the sale traditional style. The sale is on boom and it reflects the magnificent future of electronic commerce.
CHAPTER 5.0: Recommendations aND SUGGESTIONS
This research and analysis of the project is based upon the implementation of electronic commerce and its impact on business growth. No doubt, 21st century will be known for its information revolution accompanying electronic economy.
Firstly, it is hard for the businesses to survive in 21st century without electronic commerce. All businesses need to develop an electronic website to get in pace with this revolutionary facility. Business should accelerate their trading online with appropriate electronic commerce tools. Business organisations will use electronic tools to get proper benefit from it.
Secondly, being a customer and internet user, everyone should take the responsibility to keep electronic commerce safe and competitive so that electronic business can be more reliable in future.
Factors that need to be examined in the future include;
Firstly, the research and analysis project focuses only single organisation for the implementation of electronic commerce, it should be more idealistic that analysis could be extended up to two or more business set up in order to make a comparatively comprehensive analysis.
Secondly, this research analyse the impact of Business-to- customer model of electronic commerce on Dell incorporation, it could be suggested that other models of electronic commerce such as B2B, C2C, B2G, should also be used and compared .
Thirdly, this research analyse the business strategic position and its environment by using SWOT analysis, it is suggested that other analysis technique such as PESTLE, MOST, CATWOE, MoSCoW could also be applied to get a better approach.
Fourthly, the study may focus on the comparison between the online sales of the company compared with the sales through other means.
Fifthly, the research may be extended to analyse the impact of electronic commerce in different parts of the world.
Finally, the data gathered might be small, due to the limitation of resource; further studies could be done taking large number of data using other sources.
Agorad, 2009, E-Commerce in Europe by 2014. http://agoradusa.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/e-commerce-in-europe-by-2014/
Blair, T., 1999, [email protected] source: http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/innovation/1999/ecommerce/
Clinton Bill, 1996, Announcement of next Generation internet initiative. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton
Commerce Carts, 2008, How E-Commerce works. http://www.commercecarts.com/how_ecommerce_works.php
Dell Computer Corporation, 1995, Dell computers corporation annual report. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/1995_Annual.pdf
Dell Computer corporation, 1996, Dell’s 1996 annual report., http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/1996_Annual.pdf
Dell Computer Corporation, 1997, Dell’s 1997 annual report. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/97ar.pdf
Dell Computer Corporation, 1998, Dell’s 1998 annual report. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/nar.pdf
Dell Computer Corporation, 1999, Dell’s 1999 annual report. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/Dell_1999_Fiscal_in_Review.pdf
Dell Computer Corporation, 2000, Dell fiscal 2000 in review. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/Dell_annual00_complete.pdf
Dell Computer Corporation, 2001, Dell fiscal 2001 in review. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/2001_DELL_Annual.pdf
Dell Computer Corporation, 2002, Del fiscal 2002 in review. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/ARFY02.pdf
Dell Computer Corporation, 2003, Del fiscal 2003 in review. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/2003_dell_annual.pdf
Dell Computer Corporation, 2004, Dell fiscal 2004 in review. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/Dell2004AR.pdf
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Dell Computer Corporation, 2006, Dell fiscal 2006 in review. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/annual/2006_dell_annual.pdf
Dell Computer Corporation, 2007, Dell fiscal 2007 in review. http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/statemnt.aspx?symbol=dell
Dell Computer Corporation, 2008, Dell fiscal 2008 in review. http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/corp-comm/ir-FY08-in-Review.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=corp&redirect=1
Dell Computer Corporation, 2009, Dell fiscal 2009 in review. http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/corp-comm/ir-fy09-year-in-review.aspx
Frank John B., 2008, E-Commerce in Spain up – 71.4%. http://pindebit.blogspot.com/2008/10/e-commerce-in-spain-up-714.html
Internet World Stats, Internet Growth statistics. http://www.internetworldstats.com/emarketing.htm
Kaplan financial limited, 2009, financial reporting, Kaplan publishing, Berkshire
Kaplan financial limited, 2009, business analysis, Kaplan publishing, Berkshire.
Kosiur, D, 1997, Understanding Electronic Commerce, How online transactions can grow your business, Microsoft press, Washington.,
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Corbin, Kenneth, 2010, Twitter settles on a business model.
If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have the essay published on the UK Essays website then please click on the link below to request removal: | <urn:uuid:f1dfbe51-ca43-4ac7-8215-cf567abb5e16> | {
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Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico. It has 22 million inhabitants, of which 9 million live in the Distrito Federal or Federal District.
Mexico City was founded as Tenochtitlan by the Aztecs in 1325. After the Spanish conquest it was renamed and it became the capital of Mexico in 1821. The city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mexico City is known to be a very liberal city, and it is governed by the left wing PRD Party.
“Let the Stele of Light monument be an emblem of a new era for Mexico, an era in which the seed of a more secure, fair and prosperous nation flourishes,”
President Felipe Calderon.
- Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Mexican Painting
- Famous Mexican architects
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- José María Velasco
- Satellite View of Mexico City (Ciudad de México)
- List of museums In Spanish.
- History of Mexico City
- Mexico City Museum | <urn:uuid:cd9dd2f4-5e11-4500-ac8a-d97e66a1aa0c> | {
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Taken from the original at http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~beej/guide/net/ ... see end of writeup for Copyright statement.
listen()--Will somebody please call me?
Ok, time for a change of pace. What if you don't want to connect to a remote host. Say, just for kicks, that you want to wait for incoming connections and handle them in some way. The process is two step: first you listen(), then you accept() (see below.)
The listen call is fairly simple, but requires a bit of explanation:
int listen(int sockfd, int backlog);
sockfd is the usual socket file descriptor from the socket() system call. backlog is the number of connections allowed on the incoming queue. What does that mean? Well, incoming connections are going to wait in this queue until you accept() them (see below) and this is the limit on how many can queue up. Most systems silently limit this number to about 20; you can probably get away with setting it to 5 or 10.
Again, as per usual, listen() returns -1 and sets errno on error.
Well, as you can probably imagine, we need to call bind() before we call listen() or the kernel will have us listening on a random port. Bleah! So if you're going to be listening for incoming connections, the sequence of system calls you'll make is:
/* accept() goes here */
I'll just leave that in the place of sample code, since it's fairly self-explanatory. (The code in the accept() section, below, is more complete.) The really tricky part of this whole sha-bang is the call to accept().
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Copyright © 1995, 1996 by Brian "Beej" Hall. This guide may be reprinted in any medium provided that its content is not altered, it is presented in its entirety, and this copyright notice remains intact. Contact [email protected] for more information. | <urn:uuid:46cecc4c-63fc-4268-8f63-43ac732a6c49> | {
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Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.
In 1907, Dr. Montessori opened her first “children’s house” in a suburb of Rome. Her approach focused on a “prepared environment” in these ways: preparing the most natural and life supporting environment for the child, observing the child living freely in this environment, continually adapting the environment in order that the child may fulfill his greatest potential — physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It relies on a child-driven curriculum which allows children to move at their own pace, based on their interests. Montessori education is well-recognized both in the US and internationally, but because “Montessori” is not a trademarked term, there is tremendous variation in schools claiming to use Maria Montessori’s methods.
Check out this video on Montessori math materials to see how the “prepared environment” shapes the children’s experience. | <urn:uuid:afc61180-8c98-4625-a682-eeb4ba6a3aac> | {
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FLICKR, BRIAN GRATWICKEOrganic molecules called polyamines may help prevent memory loss in aging fruit flies, according to a study published earlier this week (September 1) in Nature Neuroscience. Researchers showed that supplementing elderly flies’ diets with a polyamine led to improved performance on a test measuring memory of scents.
To test the flies’ memories, the researchers attempted to teach them to associate electric shocks with a certain scent. When they fed the polyamine spermidine to young flies, their abilities to avoid the scent associated with shocks did not improve. However, feeding spermidine to older flies appeared to slow memory loss. Additionally, expressing a polyamine synthesis enzyme in fly brain cells necessary for scent memory appeared to protect aging flies from memory loss.
Polyamines have been shown to aid in autophagy, a process cells use to digest their own contents. When the researchers genetically disrupted flies’ autophagy machinery, supplementing their diets with spermidine no longer improved their memories, suggesting that polyamines aid in memory preservation through promoting autophagy.
Polyamine levels in humans’ basal ganglia decrease with age, indicating that polyamine deficits could help explain human memory loss. “There are reasons for optimism that this fly work will translate into human,” Ronald Davis, a researcher from The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida, who was not involved in the study, told Nature News.
The study’s authors told Nature News that they now plan to test the effects of polyamine supplementation in mice and in humans. | <urn:uuid:ba54a79d-9127-449e-9c6d-7ba39b74ca93> | {
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Venus Express spacecraft is complete
The assembly of ESA's Venus Express spacecraft, ready for Europe's first mission to the second planet in the Solar System, is complete.
Often referred to as ‘Earth’s twin’, Venus holds many mysteries that intrigue scientists. The main question is why a planet similar to Earth in size, mass and composition could have evolved so differently over the course of the last four thousand million years.
Venus Express will make the first multispectral global examination of the atmosphere of Venus. Completely different from the one around Earth, the Venusian atmosphere appears to be hot and dense. Venus Express will investigate the choking ‘greenhouse’ effect, the hurricane-force winds that encircle the planet, and its mysteriously weak magnetic field.
Completion of assembly of the Venus Express spacecraft, including integration and testing of the flight equipment and experiments, at Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy, is an important milestone.
Scheduled for launch on 26 October 2005, Venus Express is currently being made ready for shipment to Astrium, ESA’s prime contractor, in Toulouse, France, in mid-October this year. There, further tests to prove the spacecraft's flight readiness will take place. | <urn:uuid:39b13005-0c87-4f4d-b42b-3a59aa3fe3cf> | {
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“For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.” Isaiah 54:10
The mountains and hills were visible symbols of Israel’s security. Mountains were used to illustrate God’s promise of protection and deliverance for His people, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 125:2). But Israel often made the mistake of thinking that their security lay in the physical mountains and hills, so they were rebuked for such presumption, “Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, And from the multitude of mountains; Truly, in the Lord our God Is the salvation of Israel.” (Jeremiah 3:23). It was God who took care of His people and protected them.
We know that mountains and hills are some of the most secure places on earth. It will take a massive earthquake to remove a mountain. God says, even if mountains are removed, ‘My kindness will not be removed; My covenant of peace will not fail.’ What an incredible promise! The Psalmist also declared: “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. 4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.” (Psalm 46:1-5)
‘Present help’ in Hebrews literarily means ‘well-proven help.’ God has promised to remain our refuge and help even when mountains are removed. An elderly woman was to undergo surgery. As she laid in the theatre for the procedure, the doctor noticed that she was anxious and afraid and tried to reassure her. The woman explained to the doctor that she was afraid because it was her first time of having surgery. The doctor then said to her, “don’t worry ma’am, it’s also my first time!” But God is an experienced helper, He can be trusted and depended upon to help. God has a track record of helping mankind. He has been doing so since the Garden of Eden.
One of the most recurring words in the Old Testament is God’s kindness. It is from the Hebrew word CHESED. It has been translated by different versions as ‘lovingkindness,’ ‘steadfast love,’ ‘unfailing love,’ ‘faithful love,’ etc. It literally means “an act of kindness, love or mercy shown to someone.” The quality of the kindness shown is usually that reserved for close friends and family members; though the act of kindness can be shown to anyone. It therefore presupposes the existence of a relationship between the parties involved. This kindness is not temporary, it is eternal. “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31:3). The Bible often contrasts between God’s displeasure and His kindness: the former is always temporal while the later is eternal (Psalm 30:5; Isaiah 54:8). If you ever feel that God is angry with you or that He is displeased with you, know that it was only for a moment. As for his favour and kindness, it is for a lifetime.
WHEN MOUNTAINS MOVE
The Message rendering of Isaiah 54:10 reads: “For even if the mountains walk away and the hills fall to pieces, My love won’t walk away from you, my covenant commitment of peace won’t fall apart.” Mountains and Hills may represent whatever provides us security and confidence. It could be a parent, spouse, job, position, finances etc. It’s a fact of life that times change; things change; and people move. Many changes have happened in our nation in the past two years affecting people’s family, career, finances and relationships. For some of us, there were people in our lives who have been like ‘mountains,’ providing us with the security and support that we needed but today, they are no longer there. We are beginning to feel ‘naked’ and vulnerable. But no matter who left; no matter what departed; remember that God didn’t leave! Sometimes, we are so preoccupied with who left us that we forget who was sent to us!
There are times when we feel abandoned or fear we’ll be abandoned. A family adopted a baby but found that any time she was left alone in the room the baby would wail and cry. The mother had begun to feel frustrated with the situation. When the adoption agency was contacted, they informed the new family that the baby was picked up from a refuse bin where she had been abandoned by her birth mother. So, any time she was left alone, the fear of abandonment grips her. Unfortunately, this is how some Christians feel about God. They have experienced the sour taste of human abandonment that they now feel the same way about God, especially when things go wrong.
There was a time Israel felt the same way about God: “But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” (Isaiah 49:14-16). Whenever God wants to illustrate His passionate love and care for His people He uses the example of a nursing mother. God understands the bond that exists between a nursing mother and her baby. A nursing mother instinctively feels the need of her baby.
There was an earthquake that happened in an Asian country some years ago. A mother and her baby were rescued from the rubble several days after the incident. When the woman was resuscitated from dehydration she was asked how she managed to keep the baby alive through those days without food and water. She explained that when every source of water was exhausted and she feared her baby was going to die, she had to cut open her skin and feed the baby with her blood. That’s how sacrificial a nursing mother can be. Now, God says, even if such a mother forgets her child, He won’t forget us.
God is saying to you, ‘I will not forget you; I will not abandon you; I have your picture before me always.’ Even in the most difficult times of our lives, God leaves a trail of His Presence (Acts 14:17). There is a poem that illustrates God’s care in the rough seasons of life:
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND –
One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”
There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” (Romans 8:35-36 NLT). Again, we read “… for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!]” (Hebrews 13:5b AMP). Don’t be preoccupied with your losses. Get back into God’s promises and hold on to them (Matthew 28:20).
God is irrevocably committed to your peace (Isaiah 54:10). To the Jew, the word ‘Shalom’ is not just a greeting but a prayer for well being, prosperity, success etc. God’s commitment to take care of you will not change no matter what happens. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27).
MERCY TRUMPS MERIT
This Kindness is based upon God’s mercy not on our merit. David was a recipient of God’s kindness so he knew how to extend same to others. “Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.”” (2 Samuel 9:3). Note that it was ‘the kindness of God’ that David wanted to show to the offspring of Jonathan. Ziba was quick to point out why Mephibosheth was not qualified for such blessing: he is lame in his feet. Mephibosheth’s disability was to disqualify him but the kindness of God transcends our disqualifications.
For the rest of his life, Mephibosheth must have been thinking: “I don’t know how I got here but I know that God’s kindness brought me this far.” God’s mercy can rewrite the story of a person’s life. God said that the promise of Isaiah 54:10 is anchored on His mercy, not our merit. That should be cause to cheer!
GOD’S NOT DONE BLESSING YOU
Jacob was a man who had more than a fair share of troubles. One day his sons returned the clothes of his beloved son, Joseph to him, “And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.” (Genesis 37:33-35). Some years later, his sons would return with further bad report to their father. Jacob’s response was: “Jacob exclaimed, “You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!” (Genesis 42:36 NLT).
There are times we also feel like everything is going against us, when we don’t understand why certain things should be happening to us. Even at such times, God isn’t nervous because He knows what He would do; He knows how it will all end. That’s what happened in the case of Jacob. As he prepared to die, Joseph brought his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim for blessing. “Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.” (Genesis 48:11). What Jacob thought he had lost was not lost after all, instead God made him to receive double blessing for all his troubles.
It’s never over until God says so. God’s enduring kindness towards us will not shift no matter what happens. It is surer than the highest mountain and stronger than a nursing mother’s care for her baby. God is irrevocably committed to our peace. What He will do in our lives is not based on our merits but on His mercy. He is the God we can always rely upon. | <urn:uuid:99ac1201-e7b3-4e54-85a5-74288750a2d4> | {
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As it can be understood from the type of the essay, the main idea behind definition essay writing is to be able to properly explain a certain word or phrase. Even though it seems that this paper is supposed to be concise (and in most cases it actually is), there are a few ways to explain a word or a phrase. When using a historical definition, you will be able to explain the change of the meaning of the word throughout one or different time periods. There’s also a negative definition which presupposes that you will need to explain both what the term means, as well as what it doesn’t mean. A restrictive definition is the one in which you limit the explanation of the phrase by telling which angle you will be dwelling upon this issue. The next type is the objective definition and it means that you will most likely try to emphasize the term itself while the main idea of a subjective definition is to focus on the way you personally define the term and to try to persuade the readers to think in the same way. Obviously, the best way to decide on the exact type of definition which you are going to use is to take into account your audience and then to come up to a certain conclusion.
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Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It is characterized by impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, restrictive and repetitive behavior and impaired social interaction. The signs of autism are usually noticeable in the first two years of a child’s life.
Some of the indicators that might point to having autism include: no babbling or pointing by the age of 1; no single words by 16 months; no two-word phrases by the age of 2; poor eye contact, no response to name; loss of language; loss of social skills and no smiling as well as other social responsive signs.
The older the child gets, the harder it is to make friends. It is difficult for such child to initiate a conversation as well as generally to talk to other people.
Nowadays scientists cannot say exactly what causes autism. The general belief is that the key is in genetics as well as the environment. Researchers have been able to identify the number of genes that are associated with the development of this disorder. What is more, they have been able to find irregularities in some regions of the brain of those people who have ASD. Feel free to find out more about the issue in question at …bestessaycheap.com
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Use MathWorks tools to acquire, visualize, synchronize, and interpret data from multiple sources in real time.
"During the first test flight, we discovered a bug in one of our algorithms. We opened up MATLAB® and solved the problem while in flight. In 10 minutes our data acquisition and processing algorithms were working fine and we were able to carry on with the trial. It was very impressive. "Alberto Vale, Albatroz Engineering
To ensure reliable electric power distribution, utility companies must conduct periodic inspections to identify trees and other obstacles near power transmission lines and check for physical deterioration of the conductors or insulators. Examining the lines from the ground or from an aircraft, even trained experts can provide only subjective estimates of the distance between hazards and power lines. Multiple passes are often required to complete an inspection, making the process expensive and time-consuming.
Albatroz Engineering has developed the Power Line Maintenance Inspection system (PLMI), an automated, real-time system that integrates all inspections and provides exact distance measurements. Built using MathWorks™ tools, PLMI uses sophisticated data segmentation algorithms to analyze LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data and captures infrared, ultraviolet, and video camera images.
"MATLAB proved to be the ideal platform to develop, test, and analyze several different image acquisition and signal processing algorithms," notes Alberto Vale, chief research and development engineer at Albatroz Engineering. "With MATLAB, the time between idea and implementation is very short. As a result, we developed our first working prototype in less than six months, anticipating our time to market by three or four months."
Albatroz Engineering required an integrated development environment for data and image acquisition, visualization, signal processing, and data synchronization. "We needed to acquire data in real time from digital cameras and GPS receivers, as well as LIDAR sensors, amounting to a total bandwidth of approximately 500kB/s" explains Vale. "Our engineers needed to synchronize and visualize all this data, process it, and then present it clearly to our customers in the production system."
To attract potential customers, PLMI would need to deliver accurate, quantitative results in a single pass. "Our customer specifications require the system to detect at least 95% of the power line hazards identified by a trained expert while providing exact distances between the hazard and the lines," Vale explains.
Albatroz Engineering used MATLAB® and several companion toolboxes to develop, prototype, and implement production versions of PLMI.
To build the early prototypes, the Albatroz team used MATLAB to acquire LIDAR data via TCP/IP and GPS data via a serial link. They used Image Acquisition Toolbox™ to capture images from a standard Web camera with USB link. In the production system, this camera was replaced by higher resolution cameras with Firewire (IEEE-1394) link.
The team used MATLAB and Signal Processing Toolbox™ to process LIDAR signals. Using convolution functions from Signal Processing Toolbox, they developed data segmentation algorithms that interpret the cloud of points produced by LIDAR and identify power lines, trees, buildings, and other obstacles. When these algorithms identify a potential hazard, an alert is issued in the interactive interface showing geometry from LIDAR, image from video, and location from GPS.
A higher end system for airborne operation, featuring sustained data rates up to of 6MB/s, combines C++ real-time multithread acquisition, SQL engines, algorithms developed in MATLAB, then implemented in C++ and Web services. It includes a four-video, two-audio channel geo-referenced recorder from a Portuguese partner.
Albatroz Engineering used MATLAB Compiler™, Database Toolbox™, and MATLAB graphical user interface (GUI) building tools to create a stand-alone application for post-processing mission data. Using this application, Albatroz Engineering clients can conduct in-depth analysis of the data gathered on multiple missions and create comprehensive multimedia reports.
The PLMI system is currently in use in Portugal.
Development time cut by at least 50%. "With MATLAB, we had a prototype in test flights within four months and a working version within six months,"explains Vale. "Development would have taken two or three times longer using C or C++."
System accuracy near 100%. "For high-voltage lines (50kV and above), our measurement system outperforms visual inspection by seasoned technicians, has less than 5% of false alarms and very rarely misses an issue," says Vale. "In practice, it often identifies close to 100% of potential hazards."
Inspection costs reduced by 90%. "The system that we developed with MathWorks tools integrates data from multiple sources to optimize each helicopter flight and perform multiple inspections simultaneously," says Vale. "As a result, it costs ten times less to perform an inspection with PLMI than with a standard airborne LIDAR survey."
Join the Customer Reference Program | <urn:uuid:095a4b63-415c-439c-a9d0-d0f85b9f3048> | {
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Researchers have found that dogs use Earth’s magnetic fields to align their bowel and bladder movements - and they prefer to relieve themselves along a north-south axis. In fact, canines will actively avoid going to the bathroom in an east-west direction, the study found.
After monitoring 70 dogs from 37 different breeds over a two year period, scientists from the Czech University of Life Sciences in the Czech Republic and the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany found that dogs were more likely to poo along a north-south axis, determined by the Earth's geomagnetic field (magnetic north is slightly different to true north).
The findings, which were published in Frontiers in Zoology at the start of last year, were the result of watching a total of 5,582 urinations and 1,893 defecations (yep, just imagine how fun that would have been). The team then compared the positioning of the dogs during the acts to variations in the Earth’s magnetic field.
They found that in calm magnetic field conditions, the dogs consistently preferred to be aligned north-south when they pooed. But perhaps the most striking result was that, regardless of magnetic field conditions, dogs blatantly avoided relieving themselves along the east-west alignment.
The reason for this preference still isn’t clear. The authors wrote in the paper:
"It is still enigmatic why the dogs do align at all, whether they do it 'consciously' (i.e., whether the magnetic field is sensorial[ly] perceived) … or whether its reception is controlled on the vegetative level (they 'feel better/more comfortable or worse/less comfortable' in a certain direction).”
However, it’s further proof that many animals are able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field and adjust their behaviour accordingly. We humans also have a protein in our retina which may help some people detect the planet’s magnetic field, but for most of us the ability is out of reach.
But at least we now know why there’s so much pivoting involved every time our dog needs to go to the bathroom.
Find out more about how bird's use quantum mechanics to navigate along Earth's magnetic field in the UNSW Engineering video below. | <urn:uuid:4ce08786-37db-4a80-ab4d-46a4723aa13d> | {
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ROBERT BRODNAX GLENN
by Michael Hill
Research Branch, NC Office of Archives and History, 2007.
See also: Robert Brodnax Glenn, Dictionary of North Carolina Biography
While a champion of educational progress and railroad regulation, Governor Robert Brodnax Glenn (1854-1920) most effectively used the powers of his office to advance the cause of prohibition, approved by voters in 1908. The “Prohibition Governor” was born near Sauratown in Rockingham County on August 11, 1854, to tobacco farmer and attorney Chalmers Glenn and his wife, the former Annie Dodge. The elder Glenn, a captain in the Thirteenth North Carolina Regiment, was killed in fighting at South Mountain, Maryland, in 1862. In 1871 young Glenn enrolled at Davidson College from which he graduated in 1874. For one year he enrolled in a pre-law course at the University of Virginia, but in time followed his father’s lead with study in Richmond Pearson’s law school in neighboring Yadkin County. Glenn, admitted to the bar in 1877, practiced law initially in Rockingham County but soon moved to Stokes County. In 1878 Glenn married Nina Deaderick of Knoxville, Tennessee; they had two children.
From Stokes County Robert B. Glenn was elected to a single term in the state house in 1880. His political fortunes rose with his selection as a presidential elector for Grover Cleveland in 1884 and 1892. In 1885 Glenn moved his law practice to the larger town of Winston. From 1890 to 1893 he served in the Forsyth Rifles of the State Guard. From 1893 to 1897 Glenn was U.S. attorney for the western district of North Carolina, coinciding with Charles B. Aycock’s service in the eastern district. Like Aycock, Glenn, who served a single term in the state senate in 1899-1900, spoke widely on behalf of white supremacy and supported the successful efforts in the legislature to disfranchise black voters.
In 1904 Glenn, campaigning as an “anti-organization” candidate, won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination over Charles M. Stedman, Wilfred Turner, and Theodore Davidson. In the fall he defeated Republican C. J. Harris by a wide margin. As governor Glenn continued his predecessor’s emphasis on public education by endorsing a minimum school term and compulsory attendance. Unlike Aycock, Glenn opposed the use of taxes paid by whites to educate blacks. He sought increased funding for hospitals, public health, and care of the insane. Governor Glenn defended the state’s right to regulate railway passenger rates. He made the arrangements to repay the state’s Reconstruction bonds as ordered by the United States Supreme Court.
Glenn’s skills as an orator were tested by the campaign in 1908 to prohibit the sale or manufacture of liquor. During his legislative term Glenn had been among the leaders of the “drys.” As governor he ridiculed the argument by opponents that whiskey helped business and he worked to identify prohibition in the popular mind with education. In January 1908 the governor was the keynote speaker to the temperance convention in Raleigh. The legislature, at his urging, placed the issue before the voters and, on June 19, 1908, calling it the “proudest day of my life” and the “crowning act of my administration,” Glenn signed the proclamation making North Carolina a prohibition state as of January 1, 1909.
After his term in office Glenn returned to the practice of law in Winston-Salem, representing clients such as Western Union and Southern Railway. He was a popular public speaker for the Presbyterian Church and the Lyceum Bureau and carried the fight for prohibition to other states. In 1915 President Woodrow Wilson, whom Glenn had known at Davidson College, appointed him to the International Boundary Commission, charged with negotiating matters between the United States and Canada. On a trip to Winnipeg, Glenn died on May 16, 1920. He is buried in Salem Cemetery in Winston-Salem.
Chapman, Margaret Louise. 1956. The administration of governor Robert B. Glenn. Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1956.
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo. 1978. Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Vol. 3. Westport, Conn: Meckler Books.
WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)
"Robert Brodnax Glenn." Photograph no. 53.15.1553. From the Audio Visual and Iconographics Collection, Division of Archives and History Photograph Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, USA.
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Erectile dysfunction or ED (It used to be called impotence) is the inability to achieve or sustain an erection suitable for sexual intercourse. Problems with erections may stem from medications, chronic illnesses, poor blood flow to the penis, drinking too much alcohol, or being too tired. Erectile dysfunction can occur at any age, but it is more common in men older than 75.
Erectile dysfunction is defined as the persistent inability to achieve or maintain penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. The Massachusetts Male Aging Study surveyed 1,709 men aged 40–70 years between 1987 and 1989 and found there was a total prevalence of erectile dysfunction of 52 percent. It was estimated that, in 1995, over 152 million men worldwide experienced ED. For 2025, the prevalence of ED is predicted to be approximately 322 million worldwide.
Erectile dysfunction may be the result of arterial and non-arteritic causes. Hardening of the arteries that bring blood into the penis, atherosclerosis, is a common cause of erectile dysfunction, particularly in men with cardiovascular disease. However, problems with the nerves that supply the penis as well as the veins that drain blood out of the penis can also cause troubles with erection. Erectile dysfunction may also have a psychological cause.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is commonly called impotence. It’s a condition in which a man can’t achieve or maintain an erection during sexual performance. Symptoms may also include reduced sexual desire or libido. Your doctor is likely to diagnose you with ED if the condition lasts for more than a few weeks or months. ED affects as many as 30 million men in the United States.
The first step in treating the patient with ED is to take a thorough sexual, medical, and psychosocial history. Questionnaires are available to assist clinicians in obtaining important patient data. (See Presentation.) Successful treatment of sexual dysfunction has been demonstrated to improve sexual intimacy and satisfaction, improve sexual aspects of quality of life, improve overall quality of life, and relieve symptoms of depression. (See Treatment.)
"Sexual relations are not only an important part of people's wellbeing. From a clinical point of view, the inability of some men to perform sexually can also be linked to a range of other health problems, many of which can be debilitating or potentially fatal," says Professor Gary Wittert, Head of the Discipline of Medicine at the University of Adelaide and Director of the University's Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health.
Inflatable prostheses are complex mechanical devices that imitate the natural process of erection. Parts are inserted surgically into the penis and scrotum, and activated by squeezing. When erection is no longer desired, a valve on the pump is pressed, and the penis becomes flaccid. Self-contained single-unit prostheses are similar to the inflatable types, but more compact. The entire device is implanted into the penis. When erection is desired, the unit is activated by either squeezing or bending, depending on which of the two types of self-contained prostheses is used.
Much of the emphasis on erectile pathophysiology has been placed on penile smooth muscle function and cavernosal hemodynamics. The neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of erection can be characterized but its full extent is poorly understood. Neurologic disease does not always reproducibly affect erections in a uniform manner compared to other types of sexual dysfunction (SD). This offers many obstacles to understanding the role the nervous systems plays in SD and consequently obscures what treatment options readily optimize erections specific to the neurologic insult.
This category of treatments includes external vacuum therapies: devices that go around the penis and produce erections by increasing the flow of blood in, while constricting the flow out. Such devices imitate a natural erection, and do not interfere with orgasm. External vacuum therapy mechanisms are approximately 95 percent successful in causing and sustaining an erection. All are portable, and costs range between $200-$500, covered under most insurance plans and Medicare Part B.
The association of CVD and ED was noted in 1997 as one analysed the results of the MMAS. In this landmark study, 1709 men aged 40–70 years were enrolled between 1987 and 1989. A follow-up some 10 years later revealed a striking relationship between ED and CVD. In this study, it became clear that the risk factors for ED were very similar to those of CVD, such as diabetes mellitus, smoking and dyslipidaemia.18
The idea of using low-energy shock waves to treat erectile dysfunction comes from studies that show that these types of shocks help heart blood vessels regrow, a process called revascularization. Shock wave therapy may also work on the penis, and there have been some promising results, but it’s not currently an approved ED treatment. "It’s similar to the type of shock waves used to break up kidney stones, and it may cause revascularization,” says Bennett. “However, there are not yet any good controlled studies to recommend it to patients."
Look, ED can have many causes. Most of the time, it’s physiological. But there are also lots of psychological reasons why someone may experience ED. Treating ED isn’t all about medication. Dealing with some of these psychological issues can help you battle ED, too. I’m talking about depression, anxiety, loss of desire, sense of inadequacy, guilt, fatigue, anger, relationship dysfunction. Working through these types of psychological challenges can help you achieve the happy, healthy manhood you deserve.
Due to the risk of hypotension, caution should be used in patients using alpha blockers for prostate hyperplasia and patients using other antihypertensive medications and alpha blockers, which should not be co-administered with PDE5 inhibitors. In patients who take 50 mg of sildenafil or more and use alpha blockers, sildenafil dosing should be avoided for at least 4 hours after the dose of the alpha blocker. In patients who take 25 mg of sildenafil, use of any alpha blockers is considered safe.
Sexual stimulation causes the release of neurotransmitters from cavernosal nerve endings and relaxation factors from endothelial cells lining the sinusoids. NOS produces NO from L-arginine, and this, in turn, produces other muscle-relaxing chemicals, such as cGMP and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which work via calcium channel and protein kinase mechanisms (see the image below). This results in the relaxation of smooth muscle in the arteries and arterioles that supply the erectile tissue, producing a dramatic increase in penile blood flow.
In addition, when research has shown a nutrient such as zinc or niacin to improve sexual function, it's usually in people who are deficient in it. So, before you stock up on over-the-counter nutritional supplements for ED, speak with your doctor. He can test you for deficiencies and steer you toward the most effective and safest way to treat your erectile dysfunction.
Several treatments were promoted in the pre-PGE1, pre-prostaglandin era, including yohimbine, trazodone, testosterone, and various herbal remedies. None of these is currently recommended under the updated American Urological Association Guidelines for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction.15 Testosterone supplementation is only recommended for men with low testosterone levels.
Lifestyle choices that impair blood circulation can contribute to ED. Smoking, excessive drinking, and drug abuse may damage the blood vessels and reduce blood flow to the penis. Smoking makes men with atherosclerosis particularly vulnerable to ED. Being overweight and getting too little exercise also contribute to ED. Studies indicate that men who exercise regularly have a lower risk of ED. | <urn:uuid:ca574247-e83d-4603-9254-db4e4f057ba3> | {
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Gas Works, Deptford
This watercolour depicts one of the large gasworks that operated in or near London during the 19th century. These large complexes were built to satisfy London's increasing demand for gas, which was mostly used for street lighting.
Deptford became an important suburb of London in the 16th century, when it was one of England's main shipbuilding sites. The Royal Dockyard and The East India Company's yard were established here during the reign of Henry VIII.
Despite the town's reputation as a major industrial centre in the 18th and 19th centuries, the large majority of its resident families were poor. Most of the men were unskilled labourers doing seasonal work at the dockyards. Many unsavoury "fragrances" lurked in the air, as the locality was home to glue works, gasworks, tar distilleries, breweries and manufacturers of artificial manure! | <urn:uuid:46429865-4844-4168-be5f-d863c58cdb0a> | {
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Needle drop (audio)
A needle drop is a version of a music album that has been transferred from a vinyl record to digital audio or other formats. Needle drops are sometimes traded among music collectors, especially when the original vinyl recording has not been released officially on a subsequent consumer format. It is also referred to as a 'Vinyl Rip' or 'Record Rip'
Other reasons for trading needle drops include the lack of availability of certain recordings on digital media, the non-availability of less compressed versions in digital form, or the lack of availability of certain versions or mixes of that record, e.g. mono or stereo versions, or the loss of the master tape. The term is thought to have been coined in 1949 by Peter Goldmark during the first rush of transfers of lacquer and 78 RPM records to the then-new long playing 33 ⅓ RPM format. | <urn:uuid:fd4baf2c-cc74-4e1b-93ba-307fc53e1771> | {
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After students had recorded some notes on Picasso and Cubism in their sketchbook I had them draw a simple contour drawing of their running shoe on a sheet of newsprint, paying attention to detail and proportions. Despite how lovely their drawings turned out they were a little stunned when I told them to cut them up into large pieces and reassemble these pieces into a new cubist composition. This new composition was glued into their sketchbooks along side their Picasso/Cubism notes.
Students then glued a magazine head into their sketchbook and then collaged facial features from other magazine heads over top. Amusing to say the least.
I found this next exercise on line somewhere so thanks to whoever posted it. Without giving the students any idea where they are heading, read the following instructions out loud to them. 1. Draw an eye anywhere on your paper. 2. Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. 3. Draw a second different eye, several times larger than the first eye. 4. Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. 5. Draw a nose or snout. 6. Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. 7. Draw a leg or paw. 8. Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. Draw a tail. 9.Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. 10. Connect the elements together with straight and curved lines. In future, I would have them at this point practice some oil pastel techniques using these drawings - light pressure, hard pressure, scraffito, blending etc..
Exercise #4 - Last and final sketchbook exercise!
On newsprint students prepare 3 contour drawings of their partner - front, side and 3/4 pose. Like in the shoe exercise, they cut and arrange various pieces of these three drawings into a new cubist composition and glue their final image into their sketchbook. Some of them needed to outline the main lines before they started the next step which was to enlarge this drawing onto large coloured construction before colouring with oil pastels. | <urn:uuid:7ec7a6fd-c361-4f18-8d40-39b4144caaec> | {
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This Protected Area Layer contains land and marine areas, most of which are administered by the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai (DOC) and are protected by the Conservation, Reserves, National Parks, Marine Mammal and Marine Reserves Acts. All of the areas have been identified spatially. The attributes in this dataset are derived from the National Property and Land Information System (NaPALIS), which is a centralised database for all DOC and LINZ administered land.
The boundaries for most protected areas are derived from the Landonline Primary Parcel(s). In some cases, the boundaries may have been based on unsurveyed parcels defined to varying degrees of accuracy. As such please note that the boundaries are indicative only.
The dataset includes reserves but it is not a complete set. Privately owned reserves are excluded from the dataset as they are not crown land. Also, the dataset does not contain a complete list of reserves “vested” in Local Authorities or “controlled and managed” by other organisations. The dataset is continually being updated however as errors or omissions are discovered and new land transactions are completed.
The Department cannot guarantee the accuracy of the infromation but rather it represents best endeavours to maintain an accurate record of conservation land.
A table of Protected Area associations to Primary Parcels is published in the LDS here.
You may use this work for commercial purposes.
You must attribute the creator in your own works.
|Metadata||ISO 19115/19139, Dublin Core|
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|Attributes||napalis_id, name, start_date, type, legislation, section, reserve_purpose, recorded_area, overlays, ctrl_mg_vst|
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Stopwords (or stop words) are "words which are filtered out before or after processing of natural language data" (Wikipedia), because they are "very common" words and "generally uninteresting to search for" (XTF Definition).
An important concept in text mining, information retrieval and natural language processing, they are fundamentally relative: the decision that a given lexical element carries no information and should be filtered out as background noise depends on a specific corpus and a specific purpose.
If you are not a linguist with a special interest in words like Latin "cum" or Greek "kai", if you have a large collection of Greek or Latin texts and want to make searches in these collection more efficient, or if you have to prepare an index to such a collection (probably based on automatic concordances), it is useful to have a list of stopwords handy.
Of course, such "uninteresting" words will not be excluded from your search results (thanks to the so called "bigramming", cf. the XTF Definition). Also, you can have both, providing to users of your collections searches with filtered stopwords and without such filter (as it is done in Perseus under PhiloLogic).
Most of the time, researchers compile stoplists when they need them (and if they have the time), instead of possibly improving on what others already did. This is why stopword lists openly available for Greek or Latin can be useful.
Here are the stopwords currently used by the Perseus Digital Library (see `GreekAnalyzer.java` and `LatinAnalyzer.java` in the source):
- Greek: μή, ἑαυτοῦ, ἄν, ἀλλ', ἀλλά, ἄλλος, ἀπό, ἄρα, αὐτός, δ', δέ, δή, διά, δαί, δαίς, ἔτι, ἐγώ, ἐκ, ἐμός, ἐν, ἐπί, εἰ, εἰμί, εἴμι, εἰς, γάρ, γε, γα, ἡ, ἤ, καί, κατά, μέν, μετά, μή, ὁ, ὅδε, ὅς, ὅστις, ὅτι, οὕτως, οὗτος, οὔτε, οὖν, οὐδείς, οἱ, οὐ, οὐδέ, οὐκ, περί, πρός, σύ, σύν, τά, τε, τήν, τῆς, τῇ, τι, τί, τις, τίς, τό, τοί, τοιοῦτος, τόν, τούς, τοῦ, τῶν, τῷ, ὑμός, ὑπέρ, ὑπό, ὡς, ὦ, ὥστε, ἐάν, παρά, σός – original Beta Code: mh/, e(autou=, a)/n, a)ll', a)lla/, a)/llos, a)po/, a)/ra, au)to/s, d', de/, dh/, dia/, dai/, dai/s, e)/ti, e)gw/, e)k, e)mo/s, e)n, e)pi/, ei), ei)mi/, ei)/mi, ei)s, ga/r, ge, ga^, h(, h)/, kai/, kata/, me/n, meta/, mh/, o(, o(/de, o(/s, o(/stis, o(/ti, ou(/tws, ou(=tos, ou)/te, ou)=n, ou)dei/s, oi(, ou), ou)de/, ou)k, peri/, pro/s, su/, su/n, ta/, te, th/n, th=s, th=|, ti, ti/, tis, ti/s, to/, toi/, toiou=tos, to/n, tou/s, tou=, tw=n, tw=|, u(mo/s, u(pe/r, u(po/, w(s, w)=, w(/ste, e)a/n, para/, so/s
- Caveat: if you use this list, you'll want to add τοῖς and ταῖς, and possibly remove the very unfrequent δαίς and ὑμός (see other problems below).
- Latin: ab, ac, ad, adhic, aliqui, aliquis, an, ante, apud, at, atque, aut, autem, cum, cur, de, deinde, dum, ego, enim, ergo, es, est, et, etiam, etsi, ex, fio, haud, hic, iam, idem, igitur, ille, in, infra, inter, interim, ipse, is, ita, magis, modo, mox, nam, ne, nec, necque, neque, nisi, non, nos, o, ob, per, possum, post, pro, quae, quam, quare, qui, quia, quicumque, quidem, quilibet, quis, quisnam, quisquam, quisque, quisquis, quo, quoniam, sed, si, sic, sive, sub, sui, sum, super, suus, tam, tamen, trans, tu, tum, ubi, uel, uero
- Caveat: if you use this list, you'll want to correct "adhic" to "adhuc" (see other problems below).
The statistical criteria used in selecting the words are not explicit. These lists were designed for a search engine, which also normalises some features of the corpus and of the user input. Accordingly, they cannot simply be re-used. Depending on your purpose and tools, especially whether lemmatisation is available or not, you will have to take into account problems like the following:
- In Greek: alternative breathings and accents, dialectal forms, final and lunate sigma, forms of beta, emphatic iota, iota subscript or adscript, crasis, elisions, one-letter words, and numerals, as well the normalisation of Unicode precomposed forms.
- In Latin: u/v and i/j variants, abbreviations of common praenomina, one-letter words, and numerals.
To determine which stopwords you need, you should analyse your corpus with the tool or programming language of your choice.
One approach may be to run a Lucene index on your corpus with no stopwords first, then use Luke to get the top n terms for your corpus and filter that result depending on what kind of stopword behavior you want.
To learn more about the problems and possibilities, please refer to projects offering alternative lists or methods:
The tag LatinWordStopList on bibsonomy provides a working bibliography of bookmarks and publications on word frequency in Latin. | <urn:uuid:c5159e34-f80c-4166-87e2-f8aa2c02d15a> | {
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Brief SummaryRead full entry
Paul R. Laidly
Bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata), also called largetooth aspen, poplar, or popple, is medium-sized deciduous hardwood tree of north eastern North America. It is short lived but grow rapidly, especially the first 30 years, on sandy upland soils and flood plains. Easily reproduced from seed or sucker shoots, it quickly reforests disturbed site where it builds soil and protects seedlings of slower growing species. The soft, light-colored wood is us& mostly for paper pulp. Wildlife use the foliage, twigs and buds as food. | <urn:uuid:6d98251f-03ab-46c1-a95b-96a54a9d20c2> | {
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Scientists Find Mechanism that Triggers Immune Responses to DNA
News Dec 24, 2012
Free-floating pieces of DNA in a cell’s watery interior can mean bad things: invading viruses, bacteria, or parasites, ruptured cellular membranes, or disease.
Genetic material is meant to be contained in a cell’s nucleus or key organelles, and when it’s loose, it’s a sign for the immune system that something is wrong.
Now, Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have discovered the molecular pathway responsible for detecting loose bits of DNA outside a cell’s nucleus in the cytosol and setting off the resulting immune reaction.
The findings, published December 20, 2012, in two papers in the journal Science, could lead to treatments for autoimmune diseases such as lupus, in which ongoing immune reactions are often set off by loose pieces of DNA.
The cytosol of a cell is often passed over, its importance seemingly dwarfed by other parts of a cell. But in fact, says HHMI investigator Zhijian “James” Chen of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, every molecule in the cytosol is carefully controlled and invaders are not welcome.
“The cytosol has to be very clean,” says Chen. “If DNA gets in, that is actually very dangerous to cells.”
Doctors have known since the early 20th century (even before they knew DNA’s role of in carrying genetic information) that nucleic acids-DNA or RNA-could boost the activity of a person’s immune system.
And in recent years, Chen and other scientists have discovered some of the immune molecules key to this response. However, the known molecules are not responsible for detecting DNA, and Chen wanted to find out the molecules that are.
So his group, which includes lead authors of the Science papers Lijun Sun, a HHMI research specialist, and Jiaxi Wu, a graduate student at UT Southwestern, developed a biochemical assay to isolate the unknown molecules that sensed loose DNA. They isolated cytosol from cells that had been invaded by free bits of DNA and divided the liquid into different fractions.
Each fraction of the total mix was added individually into other, fresh cells to test whether an immune reaction was set off, which would suggest that portion of the original cytosol contained the DNA sensor.
Once they narrowed down the cytosolic fractions, Chen and his colleagues used mass spectrometry, a method of analyzing the chemical characteristics of a compound, as well as classical biochemistry to learn more about the molecules. They eventually narrowed their focus to two key players and worked out their roles.
One was a small molecule called cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP), which binds to and turns on one of the molecules already known to carry out the immune reaction against DNA, STING. cGAMP belongs to a class of compounds called cyclic di-nucleotides, which were known to function as signaling molecules in bacteria. Until now, however, they were not known to exist in multicellular organisms.
The other player was the enzyme that produces cGAMP, dubbed cGAMP synthase (cGAS). Chen’s team found that cGAS bound directly to DNA in the cytosol, and the binding turned on its activity as an enzyme to catalyze the cGAMP synthesis.
“The cGAS enzyme recognizes all double-stranded DNA without any apparent sequence specificity,” says Chen. “Which makes sense because an organism wants to recognize all sorts of DNA from different sources. As long as DNA gets into the wrong place, which is the cytosol, cGAS is there to detect it and sets off the immune reaction.”
The discovery by Chen’s group outlines the entire response of the cell from detecting free DNA in the cytosol to activating the STING-mediated immune response. But there are still details that need to be worked out.
“One of the things we need to do next is solve the structure of cGAS and try to understand how DNA binding activates the enzyme,” says Chen. And understanding the structure can help with his next goal: designing compounds that can block the enzyme.
In autoimmune diseases including lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome, the immune system is put into overdrive attacking a person’s own cells.
One factor that sets off this immune response is loose DNA in these cells, so it’s likely that cGAMP and cGAS play a role. By blocking a cell’s response to its own DNA, the constant immune response in affected individuals could be dampened.
“We hope we can go on to identify chemical inhibitors of this enzyme,” says Chen. “Such inhibitors could be developed into therapies for autoimmune diseases.”
Two Studies Provide Significant Hope in the Fight Against Antibiotic ResistanceNews
Two recent studies led by the University of Bristol provide significant new hope in the fight against antibiotic resistance.READ MORE
Personal Omics Data Informative for Precision Health and Preventive CareNews
Multi-omics profiling, the measurement and analysis of a person’s genome along with other biomolecular traits, is an important step toward personal health management that provides valuable, actionable information.READ MORE
Phenogenetic Map Created For Stem Cell Models Of Neurological DiseasesNews
Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have performed the first meta-analysis of all induced pluripotent stem cell models for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, and created an atlas of how cell characteristics are linked to their genotype.READ MORE | <urn:uuid:84ea2ac2-834f-49e5-b00b-a5ab6e156972> | {
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June 18, 2008
Pictured above is a stretch of thriving Spartina alterniflora or salt marsh cordgrass, off of Squantum, Massachusetts. Spartina alterniflora is an amazing organism capable of major coastal remodeling, given favorable conditions and adequate time. It’s a perennial grass that flourishes in intertidal mudflats and salt marshes, largely because it has no competitors in this incredibly harsh environment. It has evolved to tolerate cyclical partial and total salt-water immersion, exposure with evaporative hyper-salinity, harsh Sun in summer, and sea ice in winter. Among its important physical adaptations are tough stems that breakaway at the base when traumatized by ice and or storm waves. This protects the root system from mechanical disruption.
Biochemical adaptations allow its roots to tolerate the low-oxygen and high sulfide concentrations typical of coastal mudflats. Spartina alterniflora grows at the edge of a salt marsh. Its tough root system traps ocean sediment, fostering the development of a heavy peat-like material that's capable of supporting salt marsh organisms. In this way, over years, salt marsh expands seaward. As new-formed marshy areas dry up, other plant species, particularly Spartina alterniflora's high-marsh cousin, Spartina patens, colonizes the new land. In some locations, this seaward spread of salt marsh is undesirable, destroying oyster beds, clogging shipping channels, and out-competing native species. In such circumstances, chemical and mechanical eradication of Spartina alterniflora has proven quite difficult. | <urn:uuid:53a981cb-979e-475f-a23e-35f2c0130385> | {
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Measuring the Impact of Cognitive and Psychosocial Interventions in Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment
Memory interventions are training programs that provide a variety of cognitive and psychological strategies meant to improve memory. These interventions have been shown to yield significant benefits to normal aged persons and small-size studies have shown that they are suitable and beneficial for persons with mild cognitive impairment. The goal of this proposal is to assess with a well-controlled design the efficiency and specificity of cognitive training in persons with mild cognitive impairment.
The hypothesis is that cognitive training can improve the cognition of persons with mild cognitive impairment and that this improvement can be enduring.
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Other: Cognitive intervention
Other: Psychosocial intervention
|Study Design:||Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single Blind (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:||Measuring the Impact of Cognitive and Psychosocial Interventions in Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment|
- Change in memory measures [ Time Frame: one week before and after intervention, and three and six months later ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]Unrelated word list learning and Face-name memory tests
- generalization of therapeutic gains to everyday life [ Time Frame: one week before and after intervention, and three and six months later ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]Self-Evaluation Complaints Questionnaire, Activities of Daily Living- Prevention Instrument questionnaire, Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire tests and participants will be asked to press a button to record each occasion when they use a strategy in their daily lives.
- Change in psychological health measures [ Time Frame: one week before and after intervention, and 3 and 6 months later ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]geriatric anxiety inventory, griatric depression scale and general well-being schedule tests
|Study Start Date:||November 2011|
|Estimated Study Completion Date:||January 2016|
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:||December 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)|
Experimental: Cognitive intervention
Use of Memo protocol for 8 weeks
Other: Cognitive intervention
Different strategies will be included to improve episodic memory. Training on imagery will be provided prior to episodic training.Particular attention will be paid to memory self-efficacy and the negative perception that elderly individuals entertain about memory tasks. The issue of generalization is of major importance in cognitive therapy.
Experimental: Psychosocial intervention
Use of "Programme d'intervention psychosociale axé sur le bien-être psychologique" for 8 weeks
Other: Psychosocial intervention
Based on a cognitive-behavioural approach, the psychosocial intervention will aim at improving general psychological well-being or preventing psychological distress in persons with MCI.
No Intervention: no contact control group
Elderly persons with mild cognitive impairment experience a cognitive decline that is confirmed by a neuropsychological examination but do not meet the clinical criteria for dementia. However, longitudinal studies have shown that up to 75% of these persons develop dementia of the Alzheimer type after 5 years of follow-up. A significant proportion of these persons are thus in a prodromal phase of the disease. This phase is likely to represent a key moment in which to apply appropriate interventions. Indeed, these persons have the cognitive capabilities to benefit from such interventions. Cognitive training has been shown to be effective in improving the memory function of older persons without cognitive decline and increasing evidence indicates that persons with MCI might also benefit from such interventions. However, there is few researches have focused on the Mild Cognitive Impairment population in spite of the fact that they are at-risk of experiencing significant cognitive problems in the next few years while still having the potential to benefit from non-pharmacological interventions. In a number of pilot studies, the investigators compared cognitive and psychosocial intervention to a control intervention in persons with MCI. The participants' performance improved on proximal outcomes and on distal outcomes (activities of daily living). The purpose of this project is to study the efficacy of the cognitive intervention in a larger group of participants, compare it with a non-cognitive intervention, assess the long term maintenance of the improvement and measure the potential implication of cognitive and psychosocial factors.
Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment will first receive a comprehensive clinical assessment to determine whether they meet the research criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment. They will then be randomly allocated to one of three groups. One group will receive cognitive training, one group will receive psychosocial intervention and one group will receive no intervention. The two interventions will be offered on a one-session per week basis during an 8-week period. The cognitive intervention will include training of attention and episodic memory. This intervention is based on recently acquired knowledge regarding the nature of the deficits in mild cognitive impairment as well as factors that are known to optimize memory. The psychosocial intervention will focus on goal management. Booster sessions will be offered to the intervention groups after 3 and 6 months. Each intervention will act as social contact control group for the other intervention. The third group will receive no intervention and will be used as a no-contact control group.
All groups will undergo one pre-intervention assessment (1-2 week before beginning of intervention), one post-intervention assessment (1-2 week after end of intervention) and additional assessments one week after before the booster sessions and nine month following end of training. This last assessment will measure long-term retention of training and will assess the degree of change in the clinical profile of patients.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01448148
|Contact: Emilie Lepage, M.Sc.||514-340-3540 ext [email protected]|
|Contact: Samira Mellah, Ph.D.||514-340-3540 ext [email protected]|
|Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de geriatrie de Montreal||Recruiting|
|Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3W 1W5|
|Contact: Émilie Lepage, M.Sc. 514-340-3540 ext 4710 [email protected]|
|Principal Investigator: Sylvie Belleville, Ph.D.|
|Centre hospitalier Robert-Giffard||Recruiting|
|Quebec, Canada, G1J 2G3|
|Contact: Carol Hudon, Ph.D. 418-656-2131 ext 3745 [email protected]|
|Principal Investigator: Carol Hudon, Ph.D.|
|Principal Investigator:||Sylvie Belleville, Ph.D.||Centre de recherche Institut universitaire de geriatrie de Montreal|
|Study Director:||Carol Hudon, Ph.D.||Laval University, Psychology department| | <urn:uuid:930fabcf-6978-44c6-9824-146fd7fe0d8b> | {
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A new full body PET scanner is being developed that could revolutionize how scientists see the inner workings of the human body, possibly leading to the development of better and safer drugs to target diseases such as cancer, heart disease and brain disorders.
Unlike X-rays and MRI’s, which provide images of bones and organs, PET scans are used to diagnose and track diseases by illustrating how organs and tissues function. But current PET scanners image only parts of the body.
A research team from the University of California Davis has received a $15.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to build this first supersized PET scanner called “Explorer.”
“We’re a system of organs, and all of the organs interact with each other,” said radiology professor Ramsey Badawi. “And we’ve never really been able to interrogate that with imaging before, and now we are going to be able to look at that.”
"We are able to say something about what the cells in the body are doing, how actively they are metabolizing, or how quickly they are dividing," said Simon Cherry, a biomedical engineering professor. "Taking a cancer example, that could be tremendously powerful to see when you give a drug whether that shuts down the metabolism of the tumor.”
PET scans use a radioactive substance to locate tumors and evidence of other diseases. Explorer employs much less radiation then the current PET tests, and captures images more quickly.
“We can do scans in 30 seconds that currently take 20 minutes,” Cherry explained. “Or we can drop the radiation dose significantly, and do scans at a fraction of the radiation dose that we currently do them at.”
The researchers say the information from Explorer could lead to new targeted medicines, and minimize harmful side effects by tracking the movement of therapies through the body.
They hope to test the one-of-a-kind scanner in human trials in three years. | <urn:uuid:31b5ccda-3d3b-48be-a54e-234a4b6eb747> | {
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As I search through Facebook-esque articles and blogs for Ehrlich’s page, I sometimes stumble upon beautiful articles. Sometimes the article is about a woman who feeds the pest mice instead of killing them (only to anger her neighbors), and sometimes it is straight scientific data that blows my mind.
A few weeks ago I found an article on Mongabay.com that educated me, and the world, about a study done in the Panama rainforest that resulted in finding 130,000 arthropods, of which 60-70% were new to science! In layman’s terms (“Rachael-terms”), according to Merriam Webster Dictionary an arthropod is “any of a phylum (Arthropoda) of invertebrate animals (as insects, arachnids, and crustaceans) that have a segmented body and jointed appendages, a usually chitinous exoskeleton molted at intervals, and a dorsal anterior brain connected to a ventral chain of ganglia”. So…what Ehrlich works with – bugs, creepers, crawlies and ickies. But, what is astounding is that over half of them were new, never before seen, never recorded. Ever.
I find this so intriguing. According to the article, more than 100 scientists collected the arthropods from 2003 to 2004 and over the next eight years, attempted to identify them through various methods. The conclusion was amazing in that the scientists found 6,144 species in the less than half hectare plot. If 65% of the species were new, that means that almost 4,000 of those species were never before seen!
The research plot, 0.48-hectare, is the size of less than a full football field. Do you know how tiny that is in comparison to a whole rainforest? Obviously it is difficult to categorize everything in a rainforest, and I still praise these people for trying. Look at what was found in such a small area, AND it took 10 years. Just fascinating…
Now, the question is – will these new species pose a problem for Pest Control Professionals? The answer – nah, probably not. The rainforest is an exclusive habitat and the beings that live within the moist, hot plant life probably need the climate to survive. I live in Pennsylvania, and the worst we get is stink bugs for the most part. I can only image if we suddenly found 4,000 new species of bug to come after me and bite me. I would not be a happy camper.
Point of the story – keep up with the news. This is an amazing discovery and we will only make more with the coming years. Have a wonderful and safe 2013! | <urn:uuid:9de81090-3835-422b-9ee6-f22228a1f765> | {
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Writing a report is not easy! The writer always has a hard time trying to figure out what to write about, how to say it, what to include and what not include. There is no easy way around this. Like much of what we learn, we learn it by doing. (Try following a set of instruction about how to walk!).
Below you will find some links to information about report-writing and information about how to send reports.
The formal lab report should be written in a style that conveys information to the reader about 'the five Ws': who, what, when, where, why.
Every report must include references used, if any. This includes web sites. Refer to the section in the "message" document regarding academic honesty for more information.
The length depends on the report and the type of report. It is the amount and depth of content that determines the length. A typical page of 12 point font with one-inch margins all around will be around 250 words.
A research report will be eight to ten pages (2000 to 2500 words), not counting references or bibliography.
A typical lab report will be three or four pages (750 to 1000 words), not including illustrations or attachments, etc. Some reports may be longer than this while others may be shorter.
Page Count is not as a basis for the grade, however the report should be the right length for what you are reporting.
A complete research report has an introduction, a body and a conclusion or summary. The introduction states what the report is about and what it will cover. The body is the 'meat' of the report. The summary/conclusion is the wrap-up that refreshes the reader's memory, ties the pieces of the report together, or reaches a conclusion after presenting two or more sides of an issue.
Research reports will be graded on 'completeness', content, organization, and relation to course objectives.
|Here are some links that have helpful information about writing 'term papers' or research reports. They are guidelines and not models to be followed to the letter.||Virginia Tech|
|University of British Columbia|
|Wright State University|
Lab reports (if any) will be graded on the basis of 'completeness' and 'frugality' as well as information content.
1. Is the report complete? Does in convey what was done, or what site was visited? A good report will not leave the reader wondering what the writer saw, read, or if somwthing was done that was not reported.
Each COMPLETE lab exercise will include:
- data and calculations from the exercise
- graphs/illustrations (if any)
- answers to questions in the lab exercise
- a brief summary/conclusion about the lab
2. Is the report frugal? Too much information is as bad as not enough information. No one wants to read how many times you had to restart your computer on the way to a website, for example. A good report will not include unnecessary material that leaves the reader wondering why it was included.
1.Text of Email message. If the report does not contain special formatting such as tables, or illustrations this will be the easiest way.
2. Attach to Eemail. The following formats are acceptable if the report contains special formatting, if you want to preserve the format of your original docuement, or if it contains tables or illustrations. . Othe fformats will not be readable.
Most word processing software can save documents in many different formats through the 'save as' menu.
Last Update 08.19.09 | <urn:uuid:661c2c0d-1c73-4cf6-b6e3-7d44f129156e> | {
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Southeast Asia and Indomalaya (Japan, southern China, Viet Nam,
Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaya, Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, Nepal, and eastern
Burma reed, also known as
silk reed, cane grass, and false reed, is a tall, perennial, large-plumed
grass that grows in clumps in sunny upland areas. Stems, including the flower
stalks are from 3 to 15 feet in height, depending on soil and moisture conditions.
The leaves are 8 to 10 inches long and hairless, except for a single line
of horizontal hairs at the juncture of the upper and lower portions of the
leaf. Stems are approximately ½ inch in width, are round, solid, and
have nodes (stem-leaf junctures) every 3 to 5 inches along the stem. The
flower plumes, which can be up to 3 feet long, are composed of many hundreds
of tiny flowers and have a shimmery, silky appearance. Flowering occurs in
April and October, each clump producing an average of forty stalks and twelve
to twenty flowering plumes. Burma reed resembles several other tall grasses,
including common reed (Phragmites communis), giant
reed (Arundo donax), pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana)
and sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum).
Burma reed damages
native ecosystems by crowding and shading out understory plant species and
by creating conditions for extremely hot and destructive wildfires. In southern
Florida (Miami-Dade County), it is a serious threat to the globally imperiled
pine rocklands community whose pine canopy was largely destroyed in 1992
by Hurricane Andrew. Burma reed is a highly combustible fuel source because
of its overall plant mass, its large feathery flower plumes, and the dense,
hay-like leaf litter it produces. This hay-like litter enhances the fire's
movement along the ground, while the flower plumes carry the flames high
into the air. With the aid of winds, these plumes often detach and fly through
the air like torches, providing the potential for additional spread. Photographs of
its ignition during a wildfire show flames leaping over 30 feet high, threatening
nearby tree canopies.
IN THE UNITED STATES
Burma reed is found throughout southern Florida in
the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Lee, and Collier, and
the Florida Keys.
HABITAT IN THE UNITED STATES
native range, which is characterized by a warm, subtropical climate, Burma
reed occurs in bogs, in open savannahs, on upland cliffs, and along forest
and road edges, and thrives from sea level to altitudes of 6,500 feet. In
the U.S., Burma reed initially colonizes the margins of roadways, fields,
and forests, from which it can spread to undisturbed areas. The ability of
Burma reed to survive at high altitudes in its native range indicates a tolerance
to cold and the potential for it to spread further north in the U.S.
Burma reed was first introduced
into the United States in 1916 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, possibly
to investigate its potential as an ornamental plant. It was grown in a test
garden in Coconut Grove, Florida, from which it escaped and spread. By 1990,
it had become established in the wild as far as 30 miles from Coconut Grove
and along disturbed edges throughout Miami-Dade County. Burma reed has no
known economic value and, in Bhutan, is reported to be poisonous to buffalo.
BIOLOGY & SPREAD
Burma reed reproduces
by seed and through underground stems called rhizomes. Burma reed plants
flower twice each year, producing hundreds of thousands of tiny seeds that
are dispersed by the wind. New clumps of Burma reed emerge from rhizomes
that may be embedded in sand, soil, or rubble. Seeds and rhizomes are also
transported inadvertently in limestone rock from infested quarries that is
carried by train from Miami-Dade County, Florida to concrete manufacturers
throughout the southeastern United States. This unintentional movement of
Burma reed material allows it to invade new sites in Florida and and adjacent
states near limestone distribution centers.
Restoration of sites
infested with Burma reed requires a long term commitment to ensure effective
control and to allow native vegetation to become established. Burma reed's
deep roots make mechanical removal an extremely labor intensive and costly
undertaking and causes extensive disturbance to the soil. A more effective
management approach involves a combination of cutting or prescribed burning,
followed by application of herbicides. After cutting, mowing or burning Burma
reed plants down to the ground, a systemic herbicide like glyphosate, mixed
with an acidic surfactant (trade name: Roundup Pro®®) can be made to prevent
new growth. Repeat treatment is likely to be necessary for a couple of years,
until seed and rhizome stores are exhausted.
NOTE: Burning of Burma reed vegetation requires
a special permit and should not be undertaken without training, preparation
and assistance. Because Burma reed is an extremely flammable plant, fires
may quickly get out of hand.
A successful burn of Burma reed reduces the
plantís massive stalks to ash, eliminating the cost of vegetation removal.
Conveniently, because Burma reed is the first plant to resprout following
a fire, it can be sprayed freely with little concern about non-target kills.
It should be noted that burning, by itself, whether through prescribed or
natural wildfires, may enhance the growth and spread of Burma reed if not
followed up with chemical or mechanical control.
In areas where Burma reed is dispersed among
desirable native vegetaion, individual plants can be cut at the base using
a steel blade (e.g., Weed Whacker) and the remaining portions sprayed with
Roundup Pro®® to prevent new growth. Resprouts should be treated with a second
herbicide application to the new growth. This method requires highly qualified
applicators who can target the herbicide to avoid damage to native plants,
and may not be cost effective for extensive infestations.
USE PESTICIDES WISELY: ALWAYS READ THE ENTIRE PESTICIDE LABEL CAREFULLY, FOLLOW ALL MIXING AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND WEAR ALL RECOMMENDED PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GEAR AND CLOTHING. CONTACT YOUR STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL PESTICIDE USE REQUIREMENTS, RESTRICTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS.
NOTICE: MENTION OF PESTICIDE PRODUCTS ON THIS WEB SITE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ENDORSEMENT OF ANY MATERIAL.
For more information on
the management of Burma Reed, please contact:
SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE PLANTS
- Renee Rasha, Palm Beach County Department
of Environmental Resources Management; rrasha at co.palm-beach.fl.us
- The Nature Conservancy, Florida Museum of Natural
History, Gainesville, Fla. (352-846-5949)
grasses and other plants are available that can be substituted for Burma reed,
including Fakahatchee grass (Tripsacum dactyloides),
switch grass (Panicum virgatum), and Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia
capillaris). In the pine rocklands, the following grasses are recommended:
bluestem (Schizachrium rhizomatum); wire bluestem (Schizachyrium
gracile); wiregrass (Aristica stricta); Florida mock gamagrass
(Tripsacum floridanum). In coastal uplands or disturbed sites, areas
could be enhanced with pinewoods finger grass (Eustachys petraea).
Renee Rasha, Environmental Analyst, Palm Beach
County Department of Environmental Resources Management, West Palm Beach,
Jil M. Swearingen, National Park Service,
Joe Maguire, Miami Dade County Natural Areas
Photograph of fire by S. Demetropoulos
courtesy of Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management
Bor, N.L. 1960. The Grasses of Burma, Ceylon,
India and Pakistan. Pergamon Press, New York, 767 pp.
Gordon, D.R. and K.P. Thomas. 1997. Floridaís
invasion by non-indigenous plants: history, screening, and regulation. In
Simberloff, D., D.C. Schmitz, and T.C. Brown (eds.), Strangers in Paradise:
Impact and Management of Nonindigenous Species in Florida. Island Press,
Washington, DC. 467 pp.
Guala, Jr., G.F. 1990. Element Stewardship Abstract
for Neyraudia reynaudiana. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington,
VA. 5 pp.
Hammer, R.L. 1998. Wildland Weeds. Summer 1998.
Vol. 1, No. 3, p. 9.
Langeland , K.A. and K. Craddock Burks, Eds.
1998. Invasive Non-native Plants of Floridaís Natural Areas. University of
Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and Florida Exotic Pest
Lazarides, M. 1980. The Tropical Grasses of
Southeast Asia. J. Cramer, Vaduz. 225 pp.
Maguire J. 1993. Status of Burma reed in Dade
County pine rocklands. Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Newsletter
Noltie, H.J. 1998. Flora of Bhutan. Volume 3.
Publisher Royal Botanic Garden Publications,. Edinburgh (scheduled for publication
Schmitz, D.C., D. Simberloff, R.H. Hofstetter,
W. Haller, and D. Sutton. 1997. The ecological impacts of nonindigenous
plants. In Simberloff, D., D.C. Schmitz, and T.C. Brown (eds.), Strangers
in Paradise: Impact and Management of Nonindigenous Species in Florida. Island
Press, Washington, DC. 467 pp.
Swearingen, J. 2009. WeedUS Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States: Burma Reed (Neyraudia reynaudiana). http://www.invasive.org/weedus/subject.html?sub=6081.
The Nature Conservancy. Neyraudia
reynaudiana: Element Stewardship Abstract. In: Wildland Weeds Management & Research
Program, Weeds on the Web.
USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Plant Conservation Alliance, Alien Plant Working Group. | <urn:uuid:79677c79-8d5b-48df-9b43-528dfd7d7365> | {
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Philippines President Benigno Aquino will restrict construction on some of the country’s coastline after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed half a million homes and killed thousands, a move that could dramatically improve the country’s resilience to the next major storm. “Part of the President’s orders is to establish a ‘no-build zone’ along coastlines to ensure the safety of those living in resettlement areas,” Herminio B. Coloma, the President’s communications operations secretary, said in a radio interview on Sunday.
With climate change raising sea levels and possibly contributing to other extreme weather events that occur far from coasts, whether to reconstruct flooded areas, and how to do it, has become a subject of global debate. President Aquino’s decision runs counter that that of many developed nations, including the United States, who have opted to rebuild after recent floods, including Hurricane Sandy, despite warnings these floods could happen again.
As Quartz reported earlier, development agencies have particularly questioned the wisdom of rebuilding in Tacloban, the coastal Philippines city of over 200,000 that was virtually destroyed in the storm. Tacloban is uniquely vulnerable to natural disasters because much of the city sits at or below sea level, or in the path of landslides.
With over 7,000 islands, more than 22,000 miles of natural coastline, and sea levels that are rising at four times the global rate, a huge number of the Philippines 97 million people live in areas that could be considered future flood zones.
Coloma did not provide additional details about what kinds of construction will be banned. He added, however, that the president has ordered a large-scale, urgent planting of mangroves along the coast. The trees can slow down inland tidal surges, cutting 70 to 90% of a wave’s impact. | <urn:uuid:b114273d-32b9-4111-9349-5ac2b08a7dd5> | {
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Second Generation of British Colonies
The religious and civil conflict in England in the mid-17th century limited immigration, as well as the attention the mother country paid the fledgling American colonies.
In part to provide for the defense measures England was neglecting, the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven colonies formed the New England Confederation in 1643. It was the European colonists' first attempt at regional unity.
The early history of the British settlers reveals a good deal of contention -- religious and political -- as groups vied for power and position among themselves and their neighbors. Maryland, in particular, suffered from the bitter religious rivalries that afflicted England during the era of Oliver Cromwell. One of the casualties was the state's Toleration Act, which was revoked in the 1650s. It was soon reinstated, however, along with the religious freedom it guaranteed.
With the restoration of King Charles II in 1660, the British once again turned their attention to North America. Within a brief span, the first European settlements were established in the Carolinas and the Dutch driven out of New Netherland. New proprietary colonies were established in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.
The Dutch settlements had been ruled by autocratic governors appointed in Europe. Over the years, the local population had become estranged from them. As a result, when the British colonists began encroaching on Dutch claims in Long Island and Manhattan, the unpopular governor was unable to rally the population to their defense. New Netherland fell in 1664. The terms of the capitulation, however, were mild: The Dutch settlers were able to retain their property and worship as they pleased.
As early as the 1650s, the Albemarle Sound region off the coast of what is now northern North Carolina was inhabited by settlers trickling down from Virginia. The first proprietary governor arrived in 1664. The first town in Albemarle, a remote area even today, was not established until the arrival of a group of French Huguenots in 1704.
In 1670 the first settlers, drawn from New England and the Caribbean island of Barbados, arrived in what is now Charleston, South Carolina. An elaborate system of government, to which the British philosopher John Locke contributed, was prepared for the new colony. One of its prominent features was a failed attempt to create a hereditary nobility. One of the colony's least appealing aspects was the early trade in Indian slaves. With time, however, timber, rice, and indigo gave the colony a worthier economic base.
Detail from a painting by American artist Benjamin West (1738-1820), which depicts William Penn's treaty with the Native Americans living where he founded the colony of Pennsylvania as a haven for Quakers and others seeking religious freedom. Penn's fair treatment of the Delaware Indians led to long-term, friendly relations, unlike the conflicts between European settlers and Indian tribes in other colonies.
(Courtesy The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts)
In 1681 William Penn, a wealthy Quaker and friend of Charles II, received a large tract of land west of the Delaware River, which became known as Pennsylvania. To help populate it, Penn actively recruited a host of religious dissenters from England and the continent -- Quakers, Mennonites, Amish, Moravians, and Baptists.
When Penn arrived the following year, there were already Dutch, Swedish, and English settlers living along the Delaware River. It was there he founded Philadelphia, the "City of Brotherly Love."
In keeping with his faith, Penn was motivated by a sense of equality not often found in other American colonies at the time. Thus, women in Pennsylvania had rights long before they did in other parts of America. Penn and his deputies also paid considerable attention to the colony's relations with the Delaware Indians, ensuring that they were paid for land on which the Europeans settled.
Georgia was settled in 1732, the last of the 13 colonies to be established. Lying close to, if not actually inside the boundaries of Spanish Florida, the region was viewed as a buffer against Spanish incursion. But it had another unique quality: The man charged with Georgia's fortifications, General James Oglethorpe, was a reformer who deliberately set out to create a refuge where the poor and former prisoners would be given new opportunities. | <urn:uuid:00d531db-5854-4602-8ec8-bd30c495a07e> | {
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Traveling Salesman: Brute Force
March 12, 2010
The traveling salesman problem is classic: Find the minimum-length tour that visits each city on a map exactly once, returning to the origin. It is an important problem in practice; consider, for instance, that the cities are soldering points on a large circuit board, each of which must be visited by a soldering robot. It is also an important problem in mathematics, and is known to be in NP, meaning that optimal solutions for non-trivial problems are impossible. Nonetheless, there exist heuristic algorithms that do a good job at minimizing the tour length.
We will examine the traveling salesman problem in an occasional series of exercise, beginning with today’s exercise that looks at the brute-force solution of examining all possible tours. The algorithm is simple: First, select a tour at random, then determine all possible permutations of the tour. Second, determine the length of each tour. Third, report the tour with minimum length as the solution.
Your task is to write a program that solves the traveling salesman problem using the brute-force algorithm. When you are finished, you are welcome to read or run a suggested solution, or to post your own solution or discuss the exercise in the comments below.
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Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America
Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America is a tradition dating from the inception of the Scouting movement. A fundamental purpose of advancement is the self-confidence a young man or woman acquires from his participation in Scouting. Advancement is one of the methods used in the "Aims of Scouting"– character development, citizenship training and personal fitness.
There are separate advancement and recognition programs for the three main program divisions: Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing. Each program is designed for its age group and goals.
- 1 Cub Scouting
- 2 Boy Scouting
- 3 Venturing
- 4 Sea Scouting
- 5 Religious awards
- 6 Honor awards
- 7 Leadership and training awards
- 8 Distinguished service awards
- 9 Service awards
- 10 National service awards
- 11 Support of Scouting awards
- 12 Memorials
- 13 Unit awards
- 14 Scholarships
- 15 Special opportunities
- 16 Awards from other organizations
- 17 Footnotes
|Cub Scout advancement|
|50px Arrow of Light|
|30px 25px Webelos|
Advancement is one of the methods used to achieve the aims of character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Everything a Cub Scout does in the advancement program is intended to achieve these aims and aid in personal growth. The program has two tiers of advancement: the classic rank system and the newer Academics and Sports Program.
First grade boys may join the Tiger Cub program where they complete achievements to earn the Tiger Cub badge, and complete electives to receive Tiger Track Beads. Boys graduating from Tiger Cubs or joining at the second grade or above earn the Bobcat badge. They then proceed to the next rank for their age. Second grade boys work toward the Wolf badge, then toward Arrow Points. Third grade Cub Scouts work toward the Bear badge and then earn Arrow Points.
The Webelos Scout program is a two year program for fourth- and fifth-grade boys. Both years work toward earning Activity Badges. Webelos I dens (fourth-grade) work toward the Webelos Badge. After earning the Webelos badge, boys work toward the Compass Point Emblem and Metal Compass Points. Webelos II dens (fifth-grade) work toward the Arrow of Light.
The Arrow of Light award is the highest award available to Cub Scouts. In addition to the skill and activity requirements of the preceding ranks, the Arrow of Light requires Scouts to learn the Scout Promise and Scout Law, and visit one meeting and one activity of a Boy Scout troop, in preparation for advancing to the Boy Scouts. The Arrow of Light award is the only Cub Scout award that can be worn on a Boy Scout uniform. Both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts wear the badge below the left pocket. Adults wear the square-knot version of the badge above the left pocket.
The Cub Scouts Academics and Sports Program is designed toward the third aim of Scouting: the development of physical, mental and emotional fitness. It is an optional program for all Cub Scouts and is designed to assist in learning or improving skills. Belt loops are awarded for completing standards in various academic and sport fields. Advanced skills are recognized by pins, displayed on the Cub Scout Academic and Sports letter.
Several programs of religious awards are administered by various religious institutions and recognized, but not sponsored, by the BSA. These are generally recognized by a medal and an embroidered square knot.
Cub Scout leaders who complete training, tenure, and performance requirements are recognized by a system of awards. The Cub Scouter Award is available to any leader, while the Tiger Cub Den Leader Award, Cub Scout Den Leader Award, Webelos Den Leader Award and the Cubmaster Award are available to those who have held the respective positions. These awards are recognized by a certificate and an embroidered square knot insignia. Den Chiefs may earn the Den Chief Service Award or the Webelos Den Chief Service Award.
|Boy Scout advancement|
|20px Eagle Palms|
|20px Life Scout|
|20px Star Scout|
|20px First Class|
|20px Second Class|
The advancement program for Boy Scouts has two phases. The first phase of Scout to First Class is designed to teach the boy Scoutcraft skills, how to participate in a group and to learn self-reliance. Scout is the joining rank, and is awarded when the Scout demonstrates a rudimentary knowledge of the Scouting ideals. Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class have progressively harder requirements in the areas of Scoutcraft, physical fitness, citizenship, personal growth and Scout Spirit.
Although Eagle is the highest rank and one all Scouts should strive for, the number of Scouts achieving First Class within one year of joining is still one of the key measures of unit effectiveness. Studies have shown that if a Scout achieves First Class within a year of joining, he typically stays in the Scout program for at least three years. Scouts who do so are more likely to retain Scout values as an adult and achieve the BSA primary mission of "producing useful citizens".
The second phase of Star, Life and Eagle is designed to develop leadership skills and allow the Scout to explore potential vocations and avocations through the merit badge program. The Star and Life ranks require that the boy serve in a position of responsibility and perform community service.
The Eagle Scout rank likewise requires a position of responsibility, as well as a community service project planned and led entirely by the Eagle Scout candidate and the earning of a series of merit badges. After attaining the rank of Eagle, a Scout may earn Palms for additional tenure and merit badges.
Several programs of religious awards are administered by various religious institutions and recognized by the BSA. These are generally recognized by a medal and an embroidered square knot. Many other advancement and recognitions—such as the 50-miler award, Crime Prevention Awards, Emergency Preparedness Award and World Conservation Award —are available to Scouts who show performance in special areas.
|Varsity Scout Advancement|
|20px Varsity Letter|
|20px Varsity Letter Bar|
|20px Denali Award|
| Activity Pins
Advancement is a key part of the Varsity program. Varsity Scouts can earn any award or recognition that is available to Boy Scouts, including merit badges, ranks advancements, and other awards. There are also several awards that are only available to Varsity Scouts, and sometimes their leaders.
The Varsity Letter may be earned by participating in or accomplishing at least one high adventure or sports program, according to guidelines determined by the Varsity Coach, meeting attendance requirements and showing Scout Spirit.
The Varsity Letter is cloth patch that can be worn either on the front bottom of a merit badge sash or on the right breast of the Varsity Scout or Boy Scout jacket. This award can be earned every three months by an actively participating Varsity Scout. Subsequent awards are represented by gold bars pinned on the letter. Activity pins can also be pinned on the Varsity Letter.
Varsity Scouts can also earn activity pins in several areas of high adventure and sports. Program resources and official pins are available for backpacking, basketball, bowling, canoe camping, caving, cross-country skiing, cycling, discovering America, fishing, freestyle biking, frontiersman, mechanics, Operation On-Target, orienteering, rock climbing and rappelling, roller hockey, shooting sports, snow camping, soccer, survival, swimming, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, waterskiing, and whitewater canoeing. The requirements for earning an activity pin are determined locally by the team captain and are usually awarded at the conclusion of each ultimate adventure or sports season.
The Denali Award is the highest award in Varsity Scouting. The award is named after Denali, also known as Mount McKinley in Alaska. Requirements include advancing at least one rank in the Boy Scout program (or earning a palm for those who are already Eagle Scouts), serving in a leadership position for six months, taking primary and supportive leadership roles for activities in all five areas of emphasis, living the Varsity Scout Pledge, and completing a progress review.
Adult Varsity leaders may earn the Varsity Letter and activity pins. They meet the same requirements as the youth and must also complete Fast Start and Basic Leader Training (New Leader Essentials and Varsity Coach Leader Specific Training), attend six Varsity Roundtables, and complete a minimum of six months tenure.
Varsity Scout leaders who complete tenure, training and performance requirements may earn the Varsity Scout Leader Training Award. Varsity Coaches may earn the Varsity Coach's Key and the National President's Varsity Scout Coach Award of Merit.
Order of the Arrow
|Order of the Arrow honors|
|Distinguished Service Award|
The Order of the Arrow (OA) is a program of the Boy Scout division of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is the BSA's national honor society for experienced campers, based on American Indian traditions, and dedicated to the ideal of cheerful service.
| Bronze Award
|20px Gold Award|
|20px 30pxSilver Award|
|20px Ranger Award|
|20px TRUST Award|
|20px Quest Award|
|20px Quartermaster Award|
|40pxYoung American Award|
A Bronze Award may be earned for each category of arts and hobbies, outdoor, religious life, sea scouting and sports. After earning at least one Bronze Award and meeting tenure, leadership, personal growth and other requirements the Venturer may earn the Gold Award. To earn the Silver Award, the Venturer must earn the Gold Award, earn first aid and CPR certifications, show leadership and participate in ethics training.
Venturers may also earn expert awards that build on some areas of the Bronze Awards. These include the Venturing Ranger Award (Outdoors); the TRUST Award (Religious Life); the Quest Award (Sports); and the Sea Scouting Quartermaster Award (Sea Scout).
In addition to these awards, there are others, such as the Venturing Shooting Sports Outstanding Achievement Award and the Venturing World Conservation Award. Venturers may also earn other awards common to the Scouting program such as the William T. Hornaday Award. Venturers may also be recognized for their "excellent achievements and service to their community, state and nation" with the Young American Award.
Male members under the age of 18 may also earn the Star, Life, and Eagle Scout ranks from the Boy Scouting program if they have earned at least First Class rank in a Boy Scout troop or Varsity Scout team.
Venturing adult leaders who complete training, tenure, and performance requirements are recognized by a system of awards. The Venturing Leader's Training Award is available to any leader, while the Venturing Advisor's Key and Venturing Advisor Award of Merit are only available to the Advisor.
Venturing Leadership Award
Both youth and adults are eligible for the Venturing Leadership Award. There are three levels of these awards: council (for those at the crew, district, and/or council levels), region (for those at the area or region levels) and National. A limited number of these awards are presented on an annual basis to those involved in Venturing who have made exceptional contributions to Venturing at their particular level and who exemplify the Venturing Code.
|Sea Scout advancement|
|Long Cruise Badge|
|Small Boat Handler|
|SEAL Training Award|
|BSA Religious Emblems|
|Youth Religious Award Knot Youth Religious Knot|
|Adult Religious Award Knot Adult Religious Knot|
- Youth Religious Emblem
- Adult Religious Award
- Frank L Weil Memorial Quality Jewish Committee Award
- Frank L Weil Memorial Unit Recognition Award
- Honor Medal With Crossed Palms
- A lifesaving award presented to a registered youth member or adult leader who has demonstrated both unusual heroism and extraordinary skill or resourcefulness in saving or attempting to save a life at extreme risk to self; may be awarded posthumously.
- Honor Medal
- A lifesaving award presented to a registered youth member or adult leader who has demonstrated unusual heroism in saving or attempting to save a life at considerable risk to self.
- Heroism Award
- A lifesaving award presented to a registered youth member or adult leader who has demonstrated heroism in saving or attempting to save a life at minimum risk to self.
- Medal of Merit
- National Certificate of Merit
- This award may be presented by the National Court of Honor to a registered BSA member, youth or adult, who has performed a significant act of service that is deserving of special national recognition. Such action need not involve attempts of rescue or risk to self, but puts into practice Scouting skills or ideals.
- Local Council Certificate of Merit
- This may be awarded for meritorious actions.
Leadership and training awards
- Scouter's Training Award
- Scouter's Key
- Tiger Cub Den Leader Award
- Den Leader Award
- Webelos Den Leader Award
- Cubmaster Award
- Cub Scouter Award
- Venturing Leadership Award
- Distinguished Commissioner Service Award
- Scoutmaster Award of Merit
- Varsity Team Coach Award of Merit
- Venturing Advisor Award of Merit
- Sea Badge
- Wood Badge
- Professional Scouter Training Award
- Den Chief Service Award
Distinguished service awards
- Silver Buffalo Award
- Silver Antelope
- Silver Beaver Award
- Silver World Award
- Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
- District Award of Merit: A recognition for Scouters who give noteworthy service to youth at the district level.
- International Scouter Award
- William H. Spurgeon III Award
- William T. Hornaday Award: presented for distinguished service in conservation.
- Community Organization Award:
- Herbert G. Horton Alpha Phi Omega Service to Youth Award
- Scouting Square Knot Award, American Legion
- Marvin M. Lewis Award, Elks
- Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award
- Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
- Scouter's Achievement Award, VFW
- Cliff Dochterman Award, Rotary
- George Meany Award
National service awards
- The Spirit of Scouting Award
Designed for presentation to a noteworthy individual who has performed exceptional and unusual service to young people in hard-to-reach communities over a long period of time.
- Whitney M Young Jr. Service Award
Recognizes outstanding services by an adult individual or an organization for demonstrated involvement in the development and implementation of Scouting opportunities for youth from rural or low-income urban backgrounds.
- ¡Scouting ... Vale la pena! Service Award
Recognizes outstanding services by an adult individual or an organization for demonstrated involvement in the development and implementation of Scouting opportunities for Hispanic American/Latino youth.
- Asian American Spirit of Scouting Service Award
Recognizes outstanding services by an adult individual or an organization for demonstrated involvement in the development and implementation of Scouting opportunities for Asian American youth.
- ScoutReach National President's Award
- Dr. Frank "Tick" Coleman Service Award
Support of Scouting awards
- James E West Fellowship Award
- William D Boyce New-Unit Organizer Award
- E. Urner Goodman Camping Award
- Quality Unit Award
- National Summertime Pack Award
- E. Urner Goodman Scholarship Fund
- National Jewish Committee on Scouting: Eagle Scout Scholarship Programs
- AFL-CIO Wood Badge Scholarship Program
- VFW Wood Badge Scholarship Program
- William M Minto Memorial Scholarship For Sea Scouts
- Sons of the American Revolution: Arthur M. & Berdena King Eagle Scout Scholarship
- Elks National Foundation: Eagle Scout Awards
- Woods Services Award
- Torch of Gold certificate
- Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award
- 50-Miler Award
- BSA Lifeguard
- Boardsailing BSA
- Crime Prevention Awards
- Den Chief Service Award
- Donor Awareness Patch
- Emergency Preparedness Award
- Firem'n Chit
- Historic Trails Award
- International Activity Badge
- Interpreter's Strips
- Kayaking, BSA
- Leave No Trace Awareness Award
- Mile Swim, BSA
- Paul Bunyan Woodsman
- Physical Fitness Award
- Recruiter Strip
- Scuba, BSA
- Snorkeling, BSA
- Totin' Chip
- Whittling Chip
- World Conservation Award
- Young American
Awards from other organizations
- Alpha Phi Omega offers the Scouting Recognition Certificate and the Herbert G. Horton Alpha Phi Omega Service to Youth Award.
- The American Legion offers the Eagle Scout of the Year and the Scouting Square Knot Award.
- The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks offers the Marvin M. Lewis Award.
- The Freemasons of North America offer the Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award.
- The United States Department of Defense offers the Youth Certificate of Recognition and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.
- The Veterans of Foreign Wars offer the Scouter's Achievement Award.
- "Cub Scout Tiger Cub Rank". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/Tiger.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- "Cub Scout Tiger Cub Electives". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/tiger_electives.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- "Cub Scout Bobcat Rank". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/bobcat.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- "Wolf Badge Requirements". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/wolf.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- "Wolf Electives". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/wolfarrow.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- "Bear Badge Requirements". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/bear.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- "Bear Electives". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/beararrow.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- "Webelos Scout Activity Badges". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/webbadges.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- "Webelos Badge Requirements". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/webelos.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- "Arrow of Light Badge Requirements". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/arrowoflight.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- While any religious emblem may be earned as a Cub Scout and worn as a Boy Scout, these are administered and awarded by religious institutions and are not considered BSA awards as such.
- "Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/a-s.html. Retrieved 2006-03-27.
- Medallions for most awards were discontinued in 2001
- "Cub Scout Leader Recognition Awards". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/13-595/index.html. Retrieved 2006-02-06.
- "Boy Scout Joining Requirements". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsrank1.html. Retrieved 2006-03-23.
- "Tenderfoot Rank Requirement". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsrank2.html. Retrieved 2006-03-23.
- "Second Class Rank Requirement". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsrank3.html. Retrieved 2006-03-23.
- "First Class Rank Requirement". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsrank4.html. Retrieved 2006-03-23.
- "Star Rank Requirement". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsrank5.html. Retrieved 2006-03-23.
- "Life Rank Requirement". U.S. Scouting Service Project. http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsrank6.html. Retrieved 2006-03-23.
- "Venturing Bronze Award". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/venturing/awards/bronze.html. Retrieved March 15.
- "Venturing Gold Award". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/venturing/awards/gold.html. Retrieved March 15.
- "Venturing Silver Award". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/venturing/awards/silver.html. Retrieved March 15.
- "Venturing Ranger Award". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/venturing/awards/ranger.html. Retrieved April 20.
- "Venturing Trust Award". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/venturing/awards/trust.html. Retrieved April 20.
- "Venturing Quest Award". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/venturing/awards/quest.html. Retrieved April 20.
- "Sea Scouting Quartermaster Award". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/venturing/awards/quarter.html. Retrieved April 20.
- "Shooting Sports Outstanding Achievement Award". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/venturing/awards/shooting.html. Retrieved March 30.
- "Young American Award". Boy Scouts of America. http://www.scouting.org/awards/youngamerican/index.html. Retrieved March 30. | <urn:uuid:a0ffc453-153e-4752-b964-9e585ba83e1b> | {
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It was probably her oldest friend. The City and The Tree had known each other almost 140 years. The City, Oakland, was only 24 years old when The Tree arrived, a Manna Gum Eucalyptus imported from Australia. At first she had trouble understanding him because of his accent. She could hardly believe The Tree was gone.
Well, not exactly gone. After it was blown over by high winds, conveniently falling away from the nearby restaurant and in front of the historic Camron-Stanford house -- The Tree was always highly considerate -- it sprawled across the grass, stretching an incredible 120 feet. People stood in the branches and imagined what it would have been like to perch there when the tree was standing. Despite a sign warning "Caution Hazardous Please Keep Off," children and even adults couldn't resist the temptation to climb on the giant trunk.
Almost everyone took a picture of the gigantic root ball, now standing 20-feet tall, weighing 94,000 pounds; they posed in front of it or stood in the hole in the ground, dwarfed by the massive tangle of roots. The Tree was named The Lake Merritt Eucalyptus. City employees and residents held a blessing ceremony in its honor.
"It was like a holiday gift," The City thought. "I wonder if The Tree knew how much he was loved."
She recalled some of what they had experienced together. The Tree was likely part of the effort to turn what was then a tidal lagoon into Lake Merritt, the Jewel of Oakland. Back then it was hardly a jewel. It served as the sewer for the city. It was Mayor Samuel Merritt's idea to transform it into a showpiece for the city. He had a dam built and donated 155 acres of dammed tidal waters to the city. Soon after, it was designated as the nation's first wildlife refuge to protect the large numbers of migratory birds.
The Tree was planted in front of the stunning Camron-Stanford House, an Italianate Victorian that Merritt had built to encourage development around the lake and downtown.
"If I recall, The Tree was planted the same year the Camron-Stanford House was built," The City thought.
Initially, of course, she couldn't have known they would have such a long-term friendship. How many trees would live more than 100 years? They grew together. The City stretching out to the east and the north, The Tree stretching upward, majestically overlooking the lake.
She remembered how excited they were when the Necklace of Lights was installed in 1925 -- 33,400 bulbs strung between 126 lampposts around the lake.
"It's enchanting," The Tree said.
The Necklace was turned off in 1941 in accordance with the World War II blackout. It would be more than 40 years before it was back on. It took a 10-year effort, but Oaklanders, being Oaklanders, were determined. In 1985 the restored Necklace of Lights was turned on again.
A lot had happened during that time. There was a General Strike in 1946 to protest efforts to break the unions. Children's Fairyland was built in 1950, serving as an inspiration for Disneyland. The City's population became more racially and ethnically diverse. In the '60s anti-war protesters converged on the Oakland Induction Center and the Black Panther Party organized against police brutality and established the Free Breakfast Program for schoolchildren.
"Never a dull moment," The Tree commented. The City had to agree. But she wasn't complaining. She loved being a vibrant, evolving place. "That's what a City should be," she told her friend.
When she was devastated after her beloved Oakland Raiders left for Los Angeles, The Tree offered sound advice. "You don't own the team," he had counseled. "Don't set yourself up to be a sucker." Since the team returned, she'd lost track of the number of times she wished she'd paid more attention to The Tree.
Similarly, during her sometimes fraught relationship with The Prince (Mayor Jerry Brown), The Tree had advised her not to wear her heart on her sleeve.
"You are a passionate city," The Tree had said. "That's part of your charm and allure. But you have to protect yourself. Most of these things will take care of themselves."
The Tree was correct again. Mayors came and went. Sports teams would threaten to leave. Downtowns would disappear and trendy restaurants would appear. Those events didn't define The City. Her residents were her heart. And even as those populations arrived and departed, The City maintained a certain character, her own identity.
"You've been telling me that for years," The City said to The Tree, just a few months ago. "Maybe I'm finally beginning to appreciate it."
"I think so," The Tree had said.
And now he was gone. Well, almost.
"Goodbye, old friend," The City said. "I'll miss you." | <urn:uuid:bc16c8e2-4a88-4781-9c85-d1d6ef26a505> | {
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In 2011-12 (April-March) India produced around 540 million tonnes (mt) of coal. This was 1.36% more than the that produced in 2010-11 (April-March).
Of the 540 mt, Coal India accounted for around 436 mt or a little over 80%. The balance was produced by Singareni Collieries Company and a host of other small companies.
This wasn’t enough to meet the demand for coal in India. Hence, 99 mt of coal was imported, primarily from countries such as Australia, Indonesia and South Africa.
India’s coal import has been growing significantly over the years (as can be seen from the table here). What also comes out clearly is that during 2003-09, the cost of the import grew at a much faster rate than the quantity. This was the period when the international prices of coal were rallying and touched $190 per tonne in mid-2008.
Why this was not par for the course
This would have been par for the course if India did not have enough coal reserves, as in the case of oil. (We don’t have enough known reserves of oil and hence we don’t produce enough to meet the demand. So we import oil).
But as numbers from the Geological Survey of India (as on April 1, 2012) indicate, India has 293.5 billion tonnes (bt) of coal reserves. These reserves are referred to as geological reserves and are for valid for a depth between 0.9 metres and 1,200 metres.
Not all of these reserves can be mined. Open cast mining of coal typically goes to a depth of around 250 metres below the ground whereas underground mining goes to a depth of around 600-700 metres.
The quantity of coal that can be extracted is referred to as extractable reserves. P.C. Parekh, a retired IAS officer in a presentation, puts the extractable reserves at around 60 bt. (You can access the presentation here). Another expert this writer spoke to said this number could be significantly higher.
But that’s beside the point. What this clearly tells us is, unlike oil, India has enough coal to mine.
Given this, India should not be importing the nearly 100 mt of coal that it did during the last financial year.
So, why is India not able to mine enough coal?
The simple answer is that Coal India, which is the biggest producer of coal in the country, is not able to produce enough. One look at the table clearly proves that. Click here for table.
Why coal blocks were given away for free
During 2004-12, the total coal produced by Coal India increased by 17.5%, or at a minuscule rate of 2.3% per year. The slow increase in the production fell short of the demand growth, as during the period energy needs surged with India becoming the second fastest growing country in the world. A study published in 2011 shows that coal is used to meet 40% of India’s energy needs against the global average of 27%.
Adding to the import cost was the spurt in global commodity prices during 2004-09 as China expanded at a breakneck speed. Global coal prices shot up as China gobbled up commodities from all over the world.
The international price of coal, which was at a little over $20 per metric tonne in mid-2003, rose to around $40 per metric tonne in mid-2005 and then to around $190 per tonne in mid 2008.
Given these reasons, the government felt that there was a need to look beyond Coal India. In fact, the inability of Coal India to produce enough coal was the main reason why The Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act 1973 was amended with effect from June 9, 1993, to allow the government to give away coal blocks for free.
The Economic Survey for 1994-95 points out the reason behind the decision. “In order to encourage private sector investment in the coal sector, the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act, 1973, was amended with effect from June 9, 1993, for operation of captive coal mines by companies engaged in the production of iron and steel, power generation and washing of coal in the private sector.”
The total coal production in the country in 1993-94 was 246.04 mt, up 3.3% from 1992-93. The government understood the production growth was not going to gain greater momentum anytime soon because newer projects were hit by delays and cost over-runs.
“As on December 31, 1994, out of 71 projects under implementation in the coal sector, 22 projects are bedevilled by time and cost over-runs. On an average, the time over-run per project is about 38 months. There is urgent need to improve project implementation in the coal sector,” the economic survey of the government noted in 1994-95.
Even though the decision to give away coal blocks for free came into effect in 1993, nothing much happened until 2004. But after that the government went into an overdrive to give away coal blocks for free.
Between 2005 and 2009, the government gave away 149 coal blocks for free. For Indian companies, which were scrambling for the fuel to meet their growth aspirations, it also made sense to have direct access to domestic coal during the period as the international prices were ruling high.
But, as it has become clear now, giving away the coal blocks for free did not solve the problem. As per the audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, as many as 86 blocks were supposed to produce around 73 mt of coal as on March 31, 2011. In reality, however, only 28 blocks started production and their total output was just around 34.6 mt.
Why Coal India output is capped
Coal India has probable reserves of around 18.9 billion tonnes, but is still unable to expand production at a higher rate. Why, seems to be the question nobody is asking.
Had I been a television journalist, I would simply attribute it to Coal India’s inefficiency, as is the case with most public sector companies.
But the truth is a lot more complicated than that, and, to a large extent, explains why the government’s decision of giving away coal blocks for free hasn’t worked.
India’s coal reserves are largely concentrated in the middle of the country in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Maharashtra. There are some reserves in the Northeast as well but they are, at the best, minuscule.
The trouble is that the states with the biggest coal reserves are also dealing with the Naxalite problem. Hence, operating in these regions is not very easy.
A lot of the coal reserves are also in regions categorised as forest areas and getting clearances from the state governments is not easy. What also has not helped is that the Ministry of Environment and Forests, which gives the overall environment clearance, is not known to be very efficient.
“Our 168 projects are pending environment and forest clearances at the Centre and State levels. Sixty-seven of these projects are greenfield and we are unable to make any investment in these. Remaining are ongoing expansion schemes, which too have been stalled,” NC Jha, then Chairman of Coal India, had told The Times of India at the beginning of the year.
But these are small issues. The biggest problem facing Coal India is the acquisition of land. The right to property is not a fundamental right in India. And over the years, the government has acquired land forcibly from the citizens of this country at rock bottom prices.
In Ranchi, where this writer grew up, original landholders have still not been paid after their land was acquired to set up what was then one of the biggest public sector units in the country. Attempts are rarely made to rehabilitate those who gave up the land. The homes built for them are not livable, to say the least, in most of the cases. Hence, people are reluctant to hand over their land, their only source of income.
The government’s attitude has only politicised the issue. Hence, the state governments are not interested as they are likely to lose votes if they use force to acquire land.
Due to these same reasons for giving away coal blocks for free has not worked and will not work. Of the 195 coal blocks that the government has given away for free, 193 are in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
All these states have a Naxalite problem and that will affect the private and other government players as much as it has been impacting Coal India. The government’s environmental policy and the land acquisition policy continue to remain in a mess.
What also does not help is the fact that the expertise required to get a coal mine up and running is largely limited to Coal India. Mining coal is not exactly as easy as digging a tube-well.
In order to get a block up and running, companies need to prepare a mine plan, carry out the environmental impact study (EIS) of the area etc. The EIS essentially looks at what the current environment of the area is like, how mining coal will change that and what can be done to ensure that the current environment can be maintained.
For Coal India, this planning is done by its subsidiary Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI). Such expertise is very difficult to find in the private sector.
Coalgate is not a problem that emerged overnight. It is a problem created by the various Congress governments (given that the party has ruled the country for the most part since independence) over the years. This led to the Congress-led UPA government giving away coal blocks for free to ensure that India produces more coal. But that is a problem that remains and will remain.
Most of the data regarding coal production in India unless otherwise stated has been sourced from Provisional Coal Statistics, 2011-2012, Coal Controller’s Organization, Ministry of Coal.
(Vivek Kaul is a writer. He can be reached at [email protected]) | <urn:uuid:097d7a06-f3ce-4b5d-8440-fa3fe36dd62c> | {
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physically active and strong; good at or sports:
an athletic child.
of, like, or befitting an .
of or relating to ; involving the use of physical skills or capabilities, as strength, agility, or stamina:
athletic sports; athletic training.
an athletic field.
Psychology. (of a physical type) having a sturdy build or well-proportioned body structure.
Compare (def 2), (def 1).
Or the receiver leaping in gyration to catch a poorly thrown ball that defies all bounds of athleticism.
NFL Playoffs: Why Football Needs Violence Buzz Bissinger January 17, 2011
Among the giants of fantasy, athleticism, and history, is there any room for the every day hero?
The Legend of Brown Dog: A Great American Hero Gets His Due David Masciotra December 6, 2013
The athleticism is astounding, and the kids’ dedication–obsession?
What to Watch on TV This Week Nicole Ankowski December 6, 2008
He considers the beauty of athleticism and wonders if it is proof of the existence of some divinity.
David Foster Wallace, Traditionalist? Considering ‘Both Flesh and Not: Essays’ David Masciotra November 1, 2012
But he was not athletic, at a time and a place when athleticism among young men was the coin of the realm.
Paul Begala on Romney: Once a Bully, Always a Bully Paul Begala May 10, 2012
Fishing was Gus’s ideal of athleticism; the exercise was gentle, and you sometimes had half a dozen perch for your trouble.
Acton’s Feud Frederick Swainson
athleticism is as jealous an accomplishment as any art you would acquire.
Three Hundred Things a Bright Boy Can Do Anonymous
Nineteenth-century master launches an attack on out-moded Scottish marital laws and Victorian cult of athleticism.
Life Histories of North American Wood Warblers Part One and Part Two Arthur Bent
athleticism takes up time and cripples a man in his competitive examinations, and in business.
Certain Personal Matters H. G. Wells
athleticism in England is an asceticism, as much as the monastic rules.
Twelve Types G.K. Chesterton
physically fit or strong; muscular or active
of, relating to, or suitable for an athlete or for athletics
of or relating to a person with a muscular and well-proportioned body See also somatotype
1835, from athletic + -ism.
1630s (athletical is from 1590s), “pertaining to an athlete,” from Latin athleticus, from Greek athletikos, from athletes (see athlete). Meaning “strong of body; vigorous; lusty; robust” [Johnson, who spells it athletick] is from 1650s.
(usually used with a plural verb) sports, as running, rowing, or boxing. British. track-and-field events. (usually used with a singular verb) the practice of exercises; the principles of training. Contemporary Examples Certain forms of talent we easily respect: talent at athletics, talent for entertainment. I Was Adam Lanza, Part 3 David Frum December 22, 2012 […]
a ramjet. noun another name for ramjet
Athol (Harold) born 1932, South African playwright and actor. noun Athol (ˈæθəl). born 1932, South African dramatist and theatre director. His plays include The Blood-Knot (1961), Sizwe Bansi is Dead (1972), Statements after an Arrest under the Immorality Act (1974), and The Captain’s Tiger (1999)
a city in central Massachusetts. a male given name. Historical Examples The scene of uproar, noise, and confusion on board the Athol is far above my ability to convey. Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 3, July, 1851 Various Though wild as ony Athol deer,She has trepann’d me fairly, O! The Book of Humorous Verse Various […] | <urn:uuid:12d5a56d-bed9-4858-b225-ec5f72ab1378> | {
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GEF and UNEP Launch Global Platform for Efficient Lighting
25 September 2009: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have launched the “Global Market Transformation for Efficient Lighting Platform,” a public-private partnership directed at reducing global energy demand for lighting.
The Platform aims to transform lighting markets, primarily in developing countries, by fostering the usage and production of energy efficient lighting while gradually discontinuing use of incandescent lighting, and substituting traditional fuel-based lighting with modern, efficient alternatives such as solid-state lighting (SSL) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps. It is hoped that, through these efforts, global demand for lighting energy can eventually be reduced by up to 18 percent.
In attendance for the event was UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, who noted that “in terms of climate change, this is among the lowest of low-hanging fruit. Eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are linked with lighting; this project can by 2014 make a big dent in these while saving people money too.” [UN News Centre] [GEF press release] | <urn:uuid:57eddd85-d7cb-491b-bf06-f4c7e0f03a21> | {
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As I discussed in my last post (‘A novel is not a fable’), novels don’t have to have an explicit moral message or an ending that contains an implicit one. Instead, they can ask moral questions or pose moral dilemmas, both for characters and for readers.
But how about in YA fiction? Do writers and publishers have an ethical responsibility to make sure that stories marketed to under 18s can’t be read as containing negative moral messages? For instance, is it OK for a YA book to tell a story in which wickedness is apparently rewarded, or does this risk leading teens ‘morally astray’? Irrespective of whether an ending is happy or sad, is it a requirement that the ‘good’ triumph or at least don’t lose out? Often arguments in favour of narrowing what’s permissible in YA fiction focus on the need to ‘protect’ young people. But does ‘protecting’ YA readers mean that we have to dictate to them on moral issues?
I believe books offer important opportunities to experiment with moral issues: safe within the confines of a fictional world we can watch moral dilemmas play out without having to face any real-life consequences. Books allow teenagers to try out different versions of themselves, gaining a vicarious emotional experience of how it feels to make different types of choices. Books that leave the interpretation of the moral questions at stake up to the reader allow teenagers the chance to decide what is right and wrong for themselves.
All people – children and adults – spend a lot of time trying to make sense of issues of right and wrong. We receive moral messages all the time, and many of them are in direct conflict. Even tiny children make judgements about right and wrong. These may be based on a minimal understanding of the world, let alone the facts, but we all have to work with what’s available to us.
In pedagogic terms I’m a big believer in Piaget’s idea that when you tell children something you prevent them from discovering their own truth. Similarly, if you tell people didactically what’s wrong and right, you prevent them from figuring it out for themselves. Of course we need input from our friends, family, colleagues and wider society to figure things out – to decide which views we agree with and which we don’t – but there’s a big difference between saying ‘I think this’ and ‘You must think this’. And isn’t that what’s happening when people insist that YA and children’s fiction must show a vision of the world that is ‘right’, at least as far as the ending goes?
This seems very dangerous to me because it assumes that there are moral absolutes even about complex issues and surely any thinking person recognises that sometimes the best we can do is pursue the ‘least bad’ option. That’s precisely where fiction comes in. Where better to play with your morals than in your imagination, through other lives, where there’s no danger to you or to the world around you? Where better to examine the consequences of making the ‘wrong’ choices? Isn’t it better to face what we don’t want in fiction so we’re not tempted to put it into practice? Because that, to me, seems the true danger of well-meaning attempts to ‘protect’ young adults from getting the wrong end of the stick when it comes to moral issues.
Young adults experiment. They experiment with their hair, and their clothes, and their music, and their behaviour with different people, and their sense of self, and their career options, and the things they might want to do/be later in life… And part of that is experimenting with right and wrong. What young person has never said ‘Well, is it really that bad? I’m pretty good: maybe I should see what the other side of the coin is like?’ and then gone done something silly and irresponsible – and maybe fun but maybe dangerous.
I’m not saying YA should, in effect, be a series of warnings to teens: a sort of ‘don’t do this or look what might happen!’ approach. That’s just as dangerous as only giving YA readers ‘good’ examples to follow. Young adults – indeed, people – need both. They need to see people making the ‘wrong’ choices and people living up to their better selves: people taking the obvious path, right or wrong, and people forging a path of their own. People need variety in fiction to make life more interesting. And part of that variety should revolve around moral issues.
I’m not suggesting that books should try to send immoral messages: all I’m saying is that books shouldn’t always been seen as having to have a moral message at all. It’s OK for the ‘wrong’ thing to happen, even at the end of a book. In fact, sometimes this is an incredibly powerful way to demonstrate to readers that something is wrong without telling them so.
I love books that make me do a lot of the work: books that make me talk to them, defending my favourite characters, yelling at those who’re making bad decisions, ranting at the kettle in reading-breaks about all the things in the book that ring true as regards real life… If instead of telling the reader what to feel, you create the circumstances where the reader will simply react emotionally, then the emotion will come from inside the reader and will be the truer and stronger for it. Similarly, if you encourage a reader to feel injustice, rather than telling them something isn’t right, then they’ll also summon their own outrage: they’ll believe from the heart that the thing in question is unjust because they’ve reached that conclusion themselves. When a writer puts moral questions and dilemmas before readers and then refuses to dictate the answers, readers can discover their own truth as regards the rights and wrongs of the issues at stake. The process of doing this makes for a far deeper engagement with those issues and a much greater chance that the reader will keep thinking not just about the book but about what the book says about the world around us.
I often think it’s easier to learn from bad writing than from good. With bad writing, it’s a pretty simple matter to pick out what’s wrong, what mistakes you don’t want to make in your own work, how you think things could be done better. With great writing it’s hard to separate all the things that make it great: it’s hard to see how you can use a fantastic book to improve your own writing without just mimicking it. The same is true, in a way, for moral issues. When the ‘right’ thing happens at the end of a book, it’s very satisfying, but easily forgotten. When the ‘wrong’ thing happens, it can be a real blow for a reader. How many times have I agonised over what should have happened in a book? But that’s the point. Those stories stick with us because they push us to decide for ourselves not just how a book should have ended but why. And those are the lessons – ones we teach ourselves – that follow us into our real life choices about good and bad, right and wrong.
This is why teenagers, in particular, need books that don’t necessarily have a moral message: ones that are morally ambiguous, others that ask questions rather than answering them, and still others where the ‘wrong’ thing happens, leaving readers to right those wrongs in their own imaginations and, in so doing, clarify their own moral principles. If we dictate what is right and wrong to YA readers, we take away their opportunities for exploring and experimenting with these issues for themselves. Fiction is a safe place to do that. Of course, if you leave people to make up their own minds, they might see a morally ambiguous ending as containing a dubious moral message… but that doesn’t mean these readers will decide that message is right, let alone act on it. Do we really think young adults can’t – and, indeed, don’t – make their own decisions anyway?
I think we should worry less about ‘protecting’ young readers from potentially making moral ‘mistakes’ as regards how they interpret different stories and more about how these concerns might be preventing writers and publishers from publishing books that afford readers important opportunities to explore their understanding of right and wrong. | <urn:uuid:78bf8d09-9e30-45ac-b386-e4757c8193a8> | {
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Optimists are excited about the technology’s potential to reduce the bloodshed that results from human error. But many observers, including Emily Badger at Atlantic Cities and Tom Vanderbilt in Wired, have cautioned about the potential that driverless cars will further entrench the privilege of motorists over all other classes of road users.
David Alpert at Greater Greater Washington says this may be an idea that works better in theory than in practice:
My background is in computer science, too, and computer scientists love figuring out how to make complex systems perform efficiently. Driverless cars provide an opportunity to optimize the real-world traffic system, if you can get most people driving computer-controlled cars and can get all of those computers to cooperate.
But you can’t optimize people so easily. Already, cities host ongoing and raucous debates over the role of cars versus people on their streets. For over 50 years, traffic engineers with the same dreams about optimizing whizzing cars have designed and redesigned intersections to move more and more vehicles.
These changes frequently pushed other users aside with longer waits for crosswalks, the need to push buttons to get a walk signal, awkward bridges over wider and wider arterials, or simply omitting bike or pedestrian facilities entirely and then blaming those users when careless drivers hit and kill them.
Some pro-automotive advocacy groups like to push the theme of a “war on cars,” but bicyclists and pedestrians feel like there’s been a war against them since the early 20th century. This Texas team’s video just perpetuates that impression.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Stop and Move marvels at the city of Fresno’s wasteful use of funds dedicated for air pollution reduction. And Bike Lane Living offers a range of perspectives on bicycling as presented in television commercials. | <urn:uuid:7c772bde-0d72-44f5-983f-c1fc875b8312> | {
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Murray N. Rothbard, Economist And Free-Market Exponent, 68
By DAVID STOUT
Published: January 11, 1995
Murray N. Rothbard, an economist and social philosopher who fiercely defended individual freedom against government intervention, died on Saturday at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan. A resident of Manhattan, he was 68.
The cause was a heart attack, said a friend, Lew Rockwell.
Mr. Rothbard, who was born in New York City, received his Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University in 1956. From 1963 to 1985, he taught at New York Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn.
Mr. Rothbard was the author of some two dozen books and many articles on economic theory. At the time of his death, he was a professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and vice president of academic affairs at the Ludwig von Mises Institute at Auburn University in Alabama.
The Ludwig von Mises Institute is named for an Austrian economist who fled the Nazis and became Mr. Rothbard's mentor. Mr. Rockwell, who is the head of the institute, called Mr. Rothbard "the founder of right-wing anarchism."
Mr. Rothbard's admirers consider "Man, Economy and State," a 1962 book whose thesis is that the free market is the extension of the natural order, to be one of his most influential works. But Mr. Rothbard probably caused bigger stirs with his free-flowing, often acerbic observations.
In his view, for instance, Khrushchev and Eisenhower were on equal moral footing because the actions of both had caused many deaths. And, as he wrote in opinion pieces, the wage and price controls imposed by President Richard M. Nixon in 1971 signaled that "fascism came to America," and that American farmers were not noble tillers of the soil but "businessmen, no more and no less, no more noble or wicked than other entrepreneurs."
Mr. Rothbard is survived by his wife of 41 years, JoAnn.
Photo: Murray N. Rothbard (United Press International, 1976) | <urn:uuid:743b5307-67c2-47f1-8d99-026842a26c68> | {
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America has always loved its sport heroes—the guys who can take a hard hit to the head, then get right back in the game again. We admire the players who can chalk it up to just a “bump” or a “ding.” The problem with this attitude is that researchers are discovering those seemingly innocent hits carry major consequences. Men’s Health talked to Linda Carroll and David Rosner, authors of The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic, available September 15, 2011, to find out what you should know about concussions—and the future of sports.
Men's Health: Why don’t you think people take concussions more seriously?
The problem is that concussions are what we call an “invisible” injury. By that, we mean that it has no outward signs and it can’t be seen on conventional brain scans. So, doctors—and patients themselves—need to go on symptoms, which can be subtle. If you’re a coach, for example, it’s hard to get as concerned about an injury you can’t see as one you can see, like a broken ankle.
MH: What exactly happens when you sustain a concussion?
Experts now say that a concussion is any jolt to the brain (and that doesn’t necessarily mean a hit to the head itself) that causes a change in mental status. The change can be subtle: a brief sensation of dizziness, confusion, or fogginess, for example. Those kinds of symptoms occur when the brain is jolted and the nerve cells are stretched and wrenched in response to a sudden acceleration or deceleration—like when you slam to a stop after colliding with another player. In response to that trauma, two things happen to the nerve cells. If the jolt is strong enough, the internal structures of the cells can be damaged and the cells can even die. But even lesser jolts can lead cells to dump all their chemical messengers in a kind of mini seizure. If the brain isn’t allowed to recover from these effects there can be a host of consequences—and even death if the athlete is young—if there is another jolt to the head.
MH: Why don’t some people recognize that they’ve suffered a concussion?
They don’t know all the concussion symptoms, many of which can be subtle. That’s why the most fundamental weapons to fight this silent epidemic of concussions are education and public awareness. All of us—from athletes and parents to coaches and healthcare practitioners—needs to learn about the dangers associated with head injuries and the importance of recognizing and managing any and all concussions.
More from MensHealth.com: Is There a Better Concussion Test?
MH: Is it possible to suffer a concussion and not know it?
Yes. You might not realize that a headache or a brief spell of dizziness or fogginess or confusion could be a sign that you had a concussion. What really confuses the issue for many young—and sometimes older—athletes is the host of names people have given to hits to the head: dingers, bellringers, among others. That allows people to dismiss their symptoms as something other than a concussion. They’ll say, “Oh, I didn’t have a concussion—it was just a dinger.” Making matters even more complicated is the fact that many people still think you need to have a loss of consciousness to have a concussion. But we now know that only a small minority of concussions—probably fewer than 10 percent—involve loss of consciousness.
MH: How common are undiagnosed concussions?
That’s something no one really knows. In fact, no one knows how many traumatic brain injuries of any sort there are in the general population. The numbers quoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) come from a very old survey study—1990s vintage—of people who show up at hospitals for diagnosis and treatment of a head injury. So, even the official stats vastly underestimate the scope of this silent epidemic.
MH: If you sustain a concussion, is the damage irreversible?
That’s another question that we don’t have a complete answer for yet. There’s a suggestion that there are permanent changes to the brain from studies that show that people become increasingly susceptible to a second concussion after they’ve suffered one. Other studies have found long-term differences between people who’ve been concussed and those who have not. One of the more concerning studies found that while concussed students eventually got back to where they were before they were concussed, their non-concussed peers had passed them by. As one researcher said to us: “If you got back to where you were before the brain injury, you might think that is recovery. It’s not. I don’t know any person who says, ‘I’m going to stay right here, at this level.’ ”
MH: Why don’t athletes—either pro or high school—just take themselves out of the game when they get hit?
Athletes tend to be very competitive and also very loyal to their teammates. They want to win and don’t want to let their teammates down, so they’ll get back out there even if they’re injured. Although that’s true for other types of injuries as well, it’s easier for players to justify ignoring the injury if it’s one they can’t see and they’re not really worried about. Beyond this, many haven’t fully recognized the seriousness of this brain injury and how severely it can impact their lives.
There was also a study that looked at this issue. When asked why they didn’t report concussions to coaches or trainers, high school football players gave researchers enough reasons to fill a playbook: didn’t want to leave the game, didn’t want to let teammates down, didn’t want to appear weak or injury-prone to the coach, didn’t want to risk losing playing time or a starting position, didn’t realize it was a concussion, didn’t think it was serious enough to report. These reasons become exponentially magnified in the pro game, where what’s a stake isn’t just playing time or a starting position but also a job and a paycheck.
More from MensHealth.com: Why You Play Through Pain
MH: What’s the difference between an “official” concussion and an “unofficial” one?
Historically, some athletes have made this distinction to diminish the importance of so-called “unofficial” concussions. They’ll say that they have an “official” concussion if they’re knocked unconscious and have to be carried off the field. Jolts to the head that have less dramatic symptoms—headaches, fogginess, short-term memory problems, for example—are dismissed as “unofficial” concussions that athletes just play through. So, when you ask athletes how many concussions they’ve had, you’ll often get a far smaller number than what is the true incidence, since all the “dingers” and “bellringers” are being left out.
MH: Why can’t players just wear thicker helmets?
The way to fix the problem is not through better helmets. This isn’t a perfect analogy, but it will give you an idea of why that’s so: Think of the brain as a raw egg. The brain floats around in fluid inside the skull just like the yolk floats around inside its shell. If you hold the egg and shake it hard, you can damage the yolk without ever harming the shell. That’s similar to what happens to the brain when it’s jolted. No matter how well you protect the outside of the head, you’re not going to stop the brain from slamming around inside the skull when there are rapid accelerations and decelerations. The damage is caused by the stretching and wrenching of the nerve cells inside the brain.
MH: What do you think about the future of the NFL?
The NFL has been under pressure for the last couple of years, and it’s finally begun to take steps to deal with its growing concussion crisis by strengthening protocols and amending rules: for example, by sidelining obviously concussed players until they are cleared by independent neurologists, by cracking down on illegal head hits to “defenseless” players, by reducing practice exposure to head contact. We certainly hope the league can continue to find ways to make the game safer through a culture change that would presumably trickle down to all levels of play in all sports.
More from MensHealth.com: The NHL's New Headache
Click here to buy The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic. | <urn:uuid:ea04cc50-e353-4408-acba-1c8fc6a81167> | {
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1. A political party like any other formal organization has the standing orders, specific rules and regulations geared at governing, regulating and rationalising the behavioural patterns of its leaders and members.
This is important in order to prevent anarchical situations and, indeed, to bring about what is generally referred to as "party discipline" and "order" in the conduct of the party's political work. A healthy party at all levels depends on its capability to enforce its rules and regulations.
2. The rules and regulations governing the conduct of the party leaders and/or members should be owned by the members and leaders that they are designed to serve and protect.
The rules and regulations should not be imposed to the members and leaders from a single person or an enclave of individuals in the top leadership hierarchy of the political party. The members and leaders have the duty and obligation to respect the party's rules and regulations. The political party leaders or members whose conducts are prejudicial and grossly detrimental to the party must not be spared.
3. In the Tanzanian political milieu, political parties have the legitimate power to discipline their leaders and members whose conduct, beyond any shadow of doubt; demonstrably undermine the party in different significant ways. I have no problem with the disciplinary powers vested upon the political parties by their own "rule books" provided that justice is done to the accused, including the right to be heard.
4. I have a problem with some political parties, particularly those in the opposition camp. Intra-party democracy is either scant or acutely rare. Some of the more unhealthy conflicts which culminate into expulsion can be resolved amicably without resorting to political ‘capital punishments.’
Dissent and differing views are not at all tolerated by the leadership enclave at the apex, reflecting what German sociologist Robert Michels (1876-1936) referred to as "oligarchy" being a characteristic feature of complex organizations, including political parties.
Most parties in Tanzania are oligarchic per excellence. Such political parties may not be dependable champions of good governance and democracy. This is not health for promoting and nurturing democracy in the country. Some 24 years have elapsed since the country reverted to political pluralism, including multi-party political dispensation.
Contrary to broad expectations, intra-party democratic practices remain at the crossroads. Something has to be done to build the capacity of parties in conflict management.
5. As the country prepares to write a "new constitution," it is high time we directed our focus on the powers of a political party to make a decision that directly leads to the end of the tenure of office of a Member of Parliament who was elected by both party and non-party voters in a constituency.
In this regard the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, Article 71 (1) (e) stipulates that a Member of Parliament shall cease to be Member of Parliament and shall vacate his seat in the National Assembly if s/he "ceases to be a member of the party to which he belonged when he was elected or appointed to be a Member of Parliament."
This provision is in the contemporary era politically untenable taking into account the poor ability of many political parties to either prevent conflicts or manage internal rivalries.
This provision is evidently obnoxious or draconian and it should not appear in our envisaged "New Constitution." Once a person is democratically elected to Parliament his tenure must be protected. The electorate-cum-voters should be the only power to recall their MP.
6. We are quite aware that democracy, expressed through the conduct of regular elections and by-elections is very expensive, especially in the context of our country with a myriad of competing priorities and scarcity of financial resources. It is not too late; a law could be enacted to enable the party whose candidate won the elections, once it expels the incumbent nominate a replacement be made with immediate effect.
Alternatively, the party whose candidate secured the second position in the race for the parliamentary seat in the constituency should be declared Member of Parliament to replace the one expelled by his or her political party.
Dr Benson Bana is head of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). | <urn:uuid:7180583c-6cbc-488d-8176-c8c55105d0aa> | {
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This is the advertisement of a toothpaste brand called Sensodyne. I was impressed by the way it advertised when I first watched it several years ago. Unlike adverts of other toothpaste brands, which either show animation of a tooth and oral bacteria or the super white teeth that the celebrity has got, Sensodyne would like to invite a “dentist” whom will be interviewed in the advert to simply talk about teeth cleaning and introduce the brand. Instead of vivid images in the advertisement, the magic weapon for Sensodyne is none other than the “dentist”, that is, the lady in hospital white who professionally and formally says “I recommend Sensodyne to my patients.”
It is the “dentist” who makes the advert as well as the product highly persuasive for consumers. And the persuasive technique applied here is Authority, which refers to the principle that people are voluntarily deferential to those in positions of power. In this case, authority is revealed through distinctive symbols, such as the lady’s identity as a dentist, the title (i.e., Dr.), and the clothes. Authority figures are usually more likely to gain compliance because of the high persuasiveness and trustworthiness. More specifically, people would like to go along with those with special knowledge and impressive credentials in a certain field (e.g., doctors; lawyers; professors). It’s worth noticing that people not only believe those with actual power to whom we follow, but are also inclined to comply with anyone “appearing” to be authoritative. In the advertisement, even though we can’t tell with confidence that the lady is a real dentist, how she looks and what she says may convince us to some extent her credibility.
The effect of authority upon persuasion is empirically indicated in the study of Harvey and Hays (1972). The study aimed to investigate whether people with different levels of dogmatism would be influenced differentially by communications from sources of high or low authority. One prediction being made is that the higher the authority goes, the greater the persuasion towards people especially those high-dogmatic (according to the theory of dogmatism; Rokeach, 1960).
In the experiment, eighty high- and low- dogmatic subjects were recruited and were told to read a speech which the speaker advocated stringent governmental control of industrial air pollution in a highly opinionated tone. Ss in the high-authority condition were informed that the speech was given by a research physiologist; those in the low-authority condition were told that the speaker was a high school student. After reading the speech, each subject was asked to rate the speaker on an impression scale, to complete a memory questionnaire measuring how well the subject could recall the speech, and lastly answer a set of questions concerning with their personal attitude about governmental control of air pollution.
Table 1 shows the means for the agreement with the speaker’s position for both high-authority and low-authority conditions. As can be seen, subjects who were presented with the high-authority communication gave more agreement with the speaker’s position, and no matter they were high-dogmatic or low. It can also be noted from Table 1 that high-dogmatic subjects were more likely to be persuaded by a high-authority communication than by a low-authority one, while low-dogmatic subjects given either high- or low-authority source were influenced similarly. The results are consistent with the prediction.
Why does authority persuade and influence on us? Well it could be explained from our past experiences. We were surrounded by older, smarter, and more experienced people (e.g., parents; teachers) when as a child, who always taught us what we should do. And we would be punished for disobedience. In fact, our compliance with authority arises spontaneously rather than by force, and we even reply on it. One explanation is that persuasion of authority can usually be beneficial. Imagine, how could we survive well without the guidance and protection provided by all those authority figures?
Harvey, J. & Hays, D. (1972). Effect of dogmatism and authority of the source of communication upon persuasion. Psychological Reports, 30, 119-122.
Rokeach, M. (1960). The Open and Closed Mind. New York: Basic Books. | <urn:uuid:496b91b4-5bca-44dc-b485-4d7775ebbdfc> | {
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Ask a question about 'Sustainable graphic design'
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Sustainable graphic design
is the application of sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
principles to graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
. It considers the environmental impacts of graphic design products (such as packaging, printed materials, publications, etc.) throughout a life cycle that includes: raw material; transformation; manufacturing; transportation; use; and disposal.
Graphic designers engaged in sustainable practice use techniques, processes, and materials that will help reduce the detrimental environmental, social, and economic impact of their designs, also known as the Triple Bottom Line
The triple bottom line captures an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational success: economic, ecological, and social...
When subjecting a design to a sustainability audit, a designer might consider:
- reducing the amount of materials required for production
- using paper and materials made with recycled, post-consumer waste
- printing with low-VOC inks
- what production methods require the least amount of transport
- which vendors use renewable energy
- if the product can fulfill more than one purpose
- if the end-product is biodegradable or recyclable
- if the end-product can be replaced by a digital, rather than printed, format
- just-in-time production to reduce number of units produced and warehoused
- which vendors sell products certified by third party NGOs | <urn:uuid:4b413e46-49dd-4079-a9d6-cfeb8200679a> | {
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The stones possibly date to the Bronze Age period. It points towards Dunbeacon stone circle 400 m (¼ mile) to the west and the stones may have been used for astronomical observation.
They were removed in 1980 but the stones were replaced in 1983 by the Office of Public Works, after local outcry, using a plan and elevation made in 1977 by archaeologists of Ordnance Survey Ireland.
The purpose of standing stones is unclear; they may have served as boundary markers, ritual or ceremonial sites, burial sites or astrological alignments.
The stones are both about 1.8 m (6 ft) tall.
A third stone once stood 63 m (70 yd) SSW of the pair; this has since been removed. | <urn:uuid:8d8cd414-a81b-4b77-924d-8fb5995f5b21> | {
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TVA Cultural Resources
A Thousand Eyes
TVA Cultural Resources manages approximately 9,000 archaeological sites on over 270,000 acres of TVA land. Because the Tennessee River watershed covers a vast territory, TVA staff members are unable to protect all of these sites from being damaged or destroyed through looting or vandalism. In order to address this problem, TVA has developed a project called A Thousand Eyes.
Through this project, TVA works with local groups and communities to protect archaeological sites and preserve them for future generations. Staff members conduct cultural resources presentations and field trips in which communities have the opportunity to learn more about the protection of sites on TVA land.
If you notice suspicious activity (digging, unpermitted dredging, etc.) on TVA lands, please contact the TVA Police.
To learn more about TVA’s Thousand Eyes project, or to inquire about scheduling a cultural resources event, please send us a message. | <urn:uuid:f8c5c341-a7bf-42f2-bca2-bb879b55c45f> | {
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Controlling Heat In Large Data Centers With Improved Techniques
At the Georgia Institute of Technology, researchers are using a 1,100-square-foot simulated data center to optimize cooling strategies and develop new heat transfer models that can be used by the designers of future facilities and equipment. The goal is to reduce the portion of electricity used to cool data center equipment by as much as 15 percent.
“How these are arranged is very important to how much cooling power will be required,” Joshi said. “There are ways to rearrange equipment within data centers to promote better air flow and greater energy efficiency, and we are exploring ways to improve those.”
Our research on a single PC air cooling using variations of air fans and pulsation provides some insight into the problem of optimization of heat transfer in a complex geometrical conditions. | <urn:uuid:1d573731-7ecb-4168-8bbf-c047850b7859> | {
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Probably just like everybody else, I think the peacock is the prettiest bird in existence. When I was a child I loved to go to the park and try to find those long tail feathers that the males would sometimes pluck out or simply lose through molting.
Peacocks or Peafowl are members of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. There are two species of Peacock which live in Asia and Africa. Male Peafowl are easily recognized for their brilliant tail feathers which fan out into a rainbow of colors when the male is trying to impress a female (peahen) during courtship. Female peahens are colored grey or brown. Baby peacocks are called Peachicks. Baby chicks coloring ranges from yellow, tan and light ivory shades.
Pheasants exist worldwide in feral (wild) populations and in farms where they are raised for eggs, meat and feathers. Most familiar birds of the pheasant species are the Common Pleasant and Golden Pheasant. Pheasants diet consists of seeds and insects. Brightly colored male pheasants have wattles on their beaks and sport long tails. Females are plainly colored with shorter tail feathers. ' | <urn:uuid:16b530ee-ca80-4cb7-b031-56ee943efa49> | {
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The U.S. Department of Defense wants to test a directed energy weapon in space, one that it hopes will someday destroy ballistic missiles moments after launch. The weapon, a so-called neutral particle beam, would be boosted into space and tested from orbit in 2023.
Neutral particle beams don’t get as much attention as lasers but are attractive in their own right. The weapons work by accelerating particles without an electric charge—particularly neutrons—to speeds close to the speed of light and directing them against a target. The neutrons knock protons out of the nuclei of other particles they encounter, generating heat on the target object.
Particle beams are effectively the “heat rays” or even “death rays” of science fiction. Unlike lasers, which burn the surface of a target, particle beams penetrate beyond the surface to affect its interior. This makes particle beams immune to measures that can deflect lasers, like brightly polished, mirror-like surfaces. A sufficiently powerful beam could generate enough heat to burn a target, igniting its fuel supply, melting it and rendering it aerodynamically unstable, or frying a missile’s onboard electronics.
A neutral particle beam requires an accelerator to produce the atomic or subatomic particles that make up the beam. The accelerator must produce a tremendous amount of particles in a very short amount of time, then release them in a focused beam. A weaponized neutral particle beam would also need a power supply, a power storage system, and staging system to feed energy to the accelerator. Finally, it would require an aiming system and either onboard sensors or communications links allowing it to take targeting cues from other space or air-based sensors or a centralized battle management system. | <urn:uuid:021ecdca-48d5-4a3e-9fd6-0d4cbb7dd86d> | {
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Is There Life on Enceladus?
The idea that there might be a significant body of water under the icy surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus isn’t new; we’ve known about its water vapor geysers for years. But now that we’ve essentially confirmed the existence of a subterranean liquid saltwater ocean roughly the size of Lake Superior, Enceladus joins Jupiter’s moon Europa on the shortlist of celestial bodies in our solar system that may contain extraterrestrial life.
On March 12th, 2008, the Cassini probe came closer to the surface of Enceladus than any other manmade object ever has, flying past a mere 16 miles from the moon’s icy surface. You can watch 44 raw images from the flyby arranged sequentially as an animation here:
It may be a while before scientists can directly investigate the possibility of life on Enceladus—NASA’s proposed plan to send a submarine to Europa has a 2030 deadline, and as of yet there is no similar plan for Enceladus—but this does speak to the prevalence of liquid water in the outer solar system, which is an encouraging sign that life may be present. And it is telling that, after more than a century of science fiction that predicted Martians, we find ourselves looking—once again—for the man in the moon. | <urn:uuid:2c9b9188-0d5c-480b-9119-68e4218bce5c> | {
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“Witch hazel is a shrub that everybody in New England, who goes into the woodland, knows by sight. Its botanical term is Hamamelis Virginica, given it many years ago in honor of the early settlers of Virginia, who, before ascertaining the medical worth of the leaves and bark, used the twigs with success as divining rods”. Witch hazel was described as growing from eight to fifteen feet by the age of five or six years. It was not to be confused with a much shorter shrub (rarely more than five feet tall) by the name of hazel – the latter was the nut-bearing hazelnut. The two are not related although witch hazel seeds/nuts are also edible.
The plant goes by several other names including spotted alder, striped alder, tobacco-wood, winter-bloom, snapping-hazel, and, of course, Southern witch-hazel.
The latter was not thought to possess any of the qualities of the true witch hazel though that writer noted that unscrupulous gatherers of the witch-hazel leaves and bark did often try to pass of the one for the other. “…the fraud is detected at once by the taste. There is a similarity in appearance of the leaves and bark, but the flavor is almost as different as chalk from cheese.”
About November witch hazel trees have tiny yellow flowers emerge that expand throughout winter. There are “nubbins”, one might refer to as nuts or seeds, which are interspersed amongst the blooms.
Witch hazel has a rather unusual way of dispersing its seed. The seeds are kept over winter and ripen them the next fall when its flowers are expanding… “when the pod bursts open, snapping them several feet away. If the branches are gathered before the seeds are scattered the pods will open in the house and throw their seeds across the room.” Most sources noted seeds being flung 10 to 20 feet, but Gibson claimed he’d seen them thrown up to 45 feet away from the host shrub. – Dowd, Mary Alice. Our Common Wild Flowers at Springtime and Autumn. 1906. Boston.
After an encounter with it William Hamilton Gibson said of witch hazel: “I had been attracted by a bush which showed an unusual profusion of bloom and while standing close beside it in admiration I was suddenly stung on the cheek by some missile and the next instant shot in the eye by another, the mysterious marksman having apparently let go both barrels of his little gun directly in my face. I soon discovered him, an army of them,–in fact a saucy legion, all grinning with open mouths and white teeth exposed and their double-barreled guns loaded to the muzzle ready to shoot whenever the whim should take them”. – The Nature Study Review. Nov. 1919.
“Medicinally, witch hazel is an astringent. Both bark and leaves contain tannic acid in large quantities, but the greater percentage is in the bark.” The bark was stripped off and distilled for its oil. It was used for treating acute derangements of the stomach. How often was it taken? “People do not buy it by the four or eight-ounce bottle now, but by the quart or gallon, and every medicine chest is not properly equipped unless it has a liberal supply…”. – Good Housekeeping. Aug. 1894.
North American witch hazel was named for its resemblance to the English and Scottish Witch or Wych elm which produced a rather large, though seldom straight tree. The Witch elm was used for bent-wood work, boat frames, etc. The wych-elm or Eurasian elm Ulmus glabra, has large rough leaves, grows primarily in woodlands or near flowing water. It has clusters of flowers and winged fruits. The old English prefix wych, or witch meant “bend”)so named because the tree had pliant branches.
There are accounts of hazel and witch hazel being used for fishing rods or poles, and it is difficult to know from many accounts whether the writer meant the hazel [hazelnut], the witch hazel, or the wych-elm that was used in olden times in England. While witch hazel is native to North America (with versions also native to Japan and China) it put in an appearance across the pond early on.
“Hamamelis virginiana was one of the first New World plants to be adopted for ornamental use by European horticulturists. As early as the mid-17th century, the plant was growing in private botanical collections in London. And it’s been a perennial favorite ever since.” – The Brooklyn Botanic Garden website. http://www.bbg.org/gardening/article/winsome_witch-hazel.
The Positive Medicine web site in the UK noted a collaborative effort between John Bartram and an English gardener to distribute witch hazel in England. Peter Collinson, an English cloth trader and avid gardener bought various plants and seeds from America and distributed them to English botanical gardens.
“The Father of Fishing, Izaac Walton, can be consulted for an account of making rods. By Walton’s time hazel as in hazelnut, witch hazel, and the wych elm for which the North American witch hazel is named were all growing in England.
An account of rod-making in England from April 22, 1870 may be of interest. “I have been told, very good fly rods may be made of mountain ash, also of wych elm and of hazel…”. – English Mechanic and Mirror of Science.
An American writer thought witch hazel wasn’t of much interest to the professional rod maker or fisherman, but that, “many a witch hazel fish-pole has augmented the truant boy’s strong of forbidden fruit down the creek bank in the first warm days of spring. Down South where witch hazel is scarce and scrubby, its cousin, the famous red gum, is cut short in its career and lifts fish from the ‘Swanee’ river and other southern streams famous in song and story.” – Hardwood Record. June 10, 1917.
Another American wrote, “He had a witch-hazel pole which he had cut in the winter and from which he had scraped the bark, to make it look nice. He kept it on the rafters of the woodshed…”. Munn, Charles Clark. Boyhood Days on the Farm: A Story for Young and Old Boys. 1907. Boston.
Because the forked branches were thought to possess magical powers of pointing to hidden streams or veins of metal [gold, silver, coal] they were used as divining rods by well diggers and would-be miners. It was sometimes referred to as the witch of the woods because it bloomed out of cycle with most other plants and shrubs.
By the turn of the century infusions of witch hazel were being combined with alcohol to make an astringent lotion for external inflammations. An advertisement in the Index of Diseases and Remedies claimed it was the best preparation for use in sprains, bruises, prevention of ecchymosis, leucorrhea, etc. “It [miscible with water] may be used internally in the same doses as the fluid extract.”
Native Americans, “put great faith in it as a sedative and application to external hurts and inflammations. They still the leaves and bark, and bathe sprained joints and muscles. They apply it for all their burns, bruises, and aches. It quickly takes out the smart and sting and allays the inflammation, lessening the swelling and restoring the hurt to a normal condition. Likewise I have seen them use it for weak and sore eyes, sores in the ear, nose, throat, or mouth, and for sore throat too. As a relief to the bites of insects most of us are familiar with it, while many of us have used it with good results for our lame backs and rheumatism…”. The penner of those lines noted Indian women mixed it with oil and used it as a beauty product for the skin. – Life and Health Magazine. April 1912.
The following description may help interested parties to find the bush in the wild or to know when purchasing if they are indeed purchasing true witch hazel. “The witch hazel leaf is nearly as broad as it is long, bluntly pointed at its tip, with a stem generally less than one-half inch in length. The sides are unequal in size and shape and the edges are roughly scalloped.”.
Witch hazel tea may be purchased as can the dried leaves. Leaves can be gathered from nature and stored away to make tea and poultices as needed. It’s hard to beat a plant that can supply you with medicine, fishing poles, and winter blooms. Blissful meals yall, – thehistoricfoodie© | <urn:uuid:05ec26f3-0c63-46f1-9b70-56328b6b46ce> | {
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Personality - an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting Free Association - i n psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever co
Chapter 13 Vocabulary
Emotion a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience James-Lange Theory the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological
Andre Mallqui Period 7 Chapter 8 Vocabulary Learning a relatively permanent change in an organisms behavior due to experience Associative Learning learning that certain events occur together Classical Conditioning (Pavlovian Conditioning) learning where a
Andre Mallqui Period 7 Chapter 8 Article 3: See AggressionDo Aggression SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER 1. Who is considered the father of social-learning theory and a m ajor researcher chronicled in the article? The person known to father of social learning theo
Andre Mallqui Period 7 Chapter8Article2:KnockWood! SEPARATEPIECEOFPAPER
1.Whatresearchersworkischronicledinthearticle? Theresearcherwhoseworkischroniclesinthisarticleispsychologist,B.F.Skinner. 2.WhywasSkinnerknownasaradicalbehaviorist(makesuretogiveafull
Andre Mallqui Period 7
Chapter 7 Article 1: To Sleep, No Doubt to Dream.
ALL answers to articles SHOULD ALWAYS be done on a SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER (there is not enough room to write your answers in the blanks) unless you type your answers on this sheet.
Chapter 6 Vocabulary Selective Attention the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect Inattentional Blindness Visual Capture the tendency for vision to dominate the other senses Figure-Ground
Chapter 5/6 Article 2: Watch Out For The Visual Cliff!
Separate Piece of Paper!
1. Who is/are the major theorist(s) that the article is focused on? The major theorists in the article are Eleanor Gibson and Richard Walk 2. What do many psycho
Chapter 5: Sensations, Part 2 Wavelength the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio Cones receptor cells tha
A ndre Mallqui Chapter 5 Vocabula ry: Sensations
Sensation t he process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and r epresent stimulus energies from our environment Parallel P rocessing t he processing of several aspects of a problem si
Andre Mallqui Period 7
Chapter 5/6 Article 1: What You See Is What Youve Learned SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER
1. Major theorist being talked about in the article? The major theorist talked about in the article is Colin Turbull 2. Why is it good that you filter
Developmental Psychology a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the life span
Fetus The developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth
Zygote The fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week
Chapter 4 Article 2: Discovering Love
1. What researcher conducted the study you are reading about? Harry Harlow, a developmental psychologists, conducted this study. 2. Describe how the Freudians explained how individuals developed a close bond to their
Andre Mallqui Pd. 7
Chapter 4 Article 1: How Moral Are You?
1. What researcher theorized that morality is acquired in developmental stages? Lawrence Kohlberg was the researcher who theorized that morality is acquired in developmental stages. 2. How is mor
Chapters 11 14 5th Period
Andre Mallqui - center of mass moves a linear distance so speed is - center of mass for rolling motion finds acceleration is - Kinetic energy is - Inertia is - kinetic energy is sum of rolling and translation kinetic energy
Chapters 11 14 11.1 Rolling Motion of a Rigid Object
Andre Mallqui 5th Period - center of mass moves a linear distance so speed is vmc= dsdt=R ddt=R - center of mass for rolling motion finds acceleration is acm=dvcmdt= Rddt=R - Kinetic energy is K= 12Ip2
Andre Mallqui 5th period Cornell Notes 6.1, 6.2, 6.4 6.1 Newtons Second Law Applied to Uniform Circular motion a(r) = v^2/r is the magnitude of centripetal acceleration and is always perpendicular Because that is a, multiplying by mass gives the force of
WOLL HW CHECK #11 Ex Parte Milligan Dean Presidential Powers in Times of Emergency Directions: Word process your answers under each of the following questions and upload this completed document to the Woll homework check #11 assignment box at Turnitin.com
WOLL HW CK #4 Key A Theory of Critical Elections Key The Responsible Electorate Complete the following, print out and bring this assignment to class on the assigned due date. Directions: answer the following in the space provided. 1. Define
WOLL HW CK #3 Woll Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System Paulson Toward A Responsible Party System? Mayhew Divided We Govern Complete the following, print out and bring this assignment to class on the assigned due date Directions answer
Woll HW CK #2 1ST Quarter Berelson Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory Complete the following, print out and bring to class on the assigned due date. 1. What are the classical requirements for the democratic citizen, as outlined by Berelson? Berelso
Andre Mallqui WOLL HW CHECK #12 Woll Constitutional Democracy and Bureaucratic Power Wilson The Rise of the Bureaucratic State Directions: Word process your answers under each of the following questions and upload this completed document to the Woll homew
Andre Mallqui WOLL HW CHECK #11 Ex Parte Milligan Dean Presidential Powers in Times of Emergency Directions: Word process your answers under each of the following questions and upload this completed document to the Woll homework check #11 assignment box a | <urn:uuid:9f8aa6f3-968f-43b5-a962-0b611d00d434> | {
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Carton of 30 Prozac capsules, England, 1993
Prozac was first marketed in the US in 1988. Prozac is the trade name for fluoxetine. It became a widely prescribed drug to treat depression. Low levels of the chemical serotonin in the brain are linked with depression. Prozac increases serotonin to restore this imbalance. It is a controversial drug. It was initially hailed for its beneficial effects. However, Prozac was later criticised by some who linked it to adverse behaviour. Anti-depressants may be given to those with anorexia nervosa, a eating disorder, that may cause depression. Eli-Lilly & Company Limited made this example. It was the first company to produce the drug. ‘Prozac’ is now everyday language. It has had its own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary since June 2008.
Related Themes and Topics
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Any animal, vegetable, or mineral substance used in the composition of medicines. They affect the structure or function of a living organism.
A mental state associated with acute sadness. Activity can be decreased, especially interaction with others, and sleep, appetite, and concentration can also be disturbed.
Glossary: materia medica
A Latin medical term sometimes used to refer to medical substances.
Glossary: anorexia nervosa
A disease characterized by a person’s sustained refusal to eat without any identifiable digestive system disorder; it was first identified and named in 1873. | <urn:uuid:b2b2799d-44af-4d38-9b56-2ef74c10e12e> | {
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How to Play Dreidel: The Traditional Game, Plus a New Spin
What You’ll Need
- “Gambling pieces” (plastic chips, pennies, small candies, buttons, peanuts in the shell, etc. may be used) for each player
- A dreidel for the group.
How to Play
Distribute an equal number of gambling pieces to each player. Begin play by having each of the players ante up one or two pieces into a common pot. Take turns spinning the dreidel and taking the actions determined by the letter you spin:
Nun: The player takes nothing.
Gimel: The player takes all.
Hey: The player takes half.
Shin: The player puts in.
The winner is the person who collects all the gambling pieces.
A New Spin for Your Family
In addition to lighting and blessing candles, eating latkes, and exchanging gifts, your family may wish to try a new spin on the dreidel game.
What You’ll Need
- Eight (8) sheets of construction paper or copy paper
- Markers, pens or crayons
What You’ll Do
Cut a large dreidel shape from each of the eight sheets of construction paper.
Write one of these discussion starters (or your own eight discussion starters) on the dreidels so that each dreidel has a different discussion starter on it:
- Togetherness is part of our family when…
- Sharing is part of our family when…
- Loving is part of our family when…
- Fun is part of our family when…
- Celebration is part of our family when…
- Mitzvot are part of our family when…
- Learning is part of our family when…
- Tradition is a part of our family when…
Draw eight blank lines below each discussion starter.
Together with your family, come up with eight answers for one of the discussion starters on the first night of Hanukkah. Choose one family member to record the answers on that dreidel. When you’re finished, add the dreidel to your Hanukkah decorations. Use a different discussion starter dreidel (and a different family member to record the answers) for each of the subsequent nights of the holiday.
You may also try playing the dreidel game with a charitable twist: Everyone puts some money in the kitty, and the winner gets to choose where to donate it. | <urn:uuid:88233b20-e6b7-4ab6-8c91-124af842c550> | {
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From Classics to Graphics: 6 Literary Masterpieces Turned Into Graphic Novels
Abridging classic novels for younger readers is nothing new. But in recent years, classic literature has been graphic novel-ized, making it more accessible for readers young and old while preserving the plot, themes, and sometimes even the author's voice. English class will never be the same, thanks to these classics gone graphic.
1. The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde's only novel, about a man who sells his soul to maintain his beauty, was just begging for a more visual makeover. The 2009 graphic novel written by Ian Edginton and illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard abridges the text, but still keeps much of Wilde's original prose. Marvel's 2008 version has better graphics, but it reads more like a copy of SparkNotes. Both books are recommended as a supplement to—not a substitute for—the original work. In the words of Dorian Gray himself, "How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. If it were only the other way!"
2. The Metamorphosis
The Incredible Hulk. Wolverine. Gregor Samsa. All of these characters undergo major transformations, but only one of them might appear on an AP English exam. Franz Kafka's 1915 novella about a traveling salesman who wakes up to find he's turned into a huge insect makes for a compelling graphic novel. Peter Kuper's 2004 adaptation looks like an enjoyable read, but it goes against Kafka's wishes. When the cover of the first edition was being designed nearly a century ago, the author asked that Gregor not be drawn as an insect. Instead, he hoped readers would conjure their own image of "horrible vermin" when picturing the creepy-crawly protagonist.
The Trial, Kafka's dystopian novel about the perils of bureaucracy, has also been adapted into a graphic novel. And if you want to learn more about the man behind the stories, check out Kafka's graphic biography by R. Crumb and David Zane Mairowitz.
Ulysses is one of those works that comes with a few barriers to entry. For starters, the Penguin Classics version is 1040 pages long. Then there are the 18 unstructured chapters that James Joyce boasted "[have] so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant." (Thanks, dude.) But Robert Berry's "Ulysses 'seen'" makes the modernist masterpiece more modern—and accessible—than ever. The graphic novel is available for free online or $7.99 on the iPad. Like the original, Berry's adaptation is serialized and raised a few questions of obscenity—Apple required nude images to be removed. Unlike the original, each chapter comes with a handy reader's guide.
4. Pride and Prejudice
Plenty of readers all over the world have no trouble reading Jane Austen's most popular novel. But what do you do after you've devoured the text and the six-part BBC series with Colin Firth as, omg, Mr. Darcy? Here's an idea: Get another fix with this 2009 graphic novel version from Marvel. The story's abridged, but reviewers on Amazon say it's more true to the novel than some film adaptations. The women's-magazine-style cover with headlines like "Bingleys Bring Bling to Britain" is fun, too.
5. The Diary of Anne Frank
Image Courtesy The JC.com
Anne Frank couldn't have imagined that the diary she started two days after her thirteenth birthday in 1942 would ever become a best-selling memoir, a Pulitzer-Prize winning play, and an Academy Award-winning film. The diary's latest incarnation: a 2010 graphic biography written by Sid Jacobson and illustrated by Ernie Colón. Commissioned by the Anne Frank House Museum, the biography depicts many years before and after Anne's time in the Secret Annex, from her parents' early lives to the publication of her diary to her father's life as the family's sole survivor.
6. A Wrinkle in Time
Image Courtesy GoodOKBad.com
It may not be part of the canon, but Madeline L'Engle's 1962 science fiction fantasy novel is a young-adult classic. While the original work contains a few illustrations, the graphic novel by Hope Larson published October 2 is the first to fully depict Meg, Calvin, Charles Wallace, and the rest of the characters as they journey through space and time. And c'mon, you know you want to see how Larson draws the tessering process.
Which classic would you like to see adapted next? | <urn:uuid:e21428a3-ac51-4df5-8f9a-3898713f6ff0> | {
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The Louisiana Superdome is now an island refuge for as many as 30,000 people, according to news reports. Many sheltered in the stadium while Hurricane Katrina raged overhead on Monday, August 29, 2005, and many more have been brought to the Superdome after being rescued from their flooded homes. The stadium itself was surrounded by flood water when the QuickBird satellite captured this detailed image on August 31. Much of the stadium’s bright white roof is missing, though the underlying roof structure appears to be intact. Interstate 10 runs along the lower edge of the image.
In the large version of the image, provided in the link above, the flooding stops just a few blocks away from the stadium. While safe from the floods, several downtown buildings show signs of wind damage.
Note: Often times, due to the size, browsers have a difficult time opening and displaying images. If you experiece an error when clicking on an image link, please try directly downloading the image (using a right click, save as method) to view it locally.
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- Breakfast After the Bell (PDF)
Breakfast After the Bell offers a breakfast at no charge to each student enrolled in a public school that has 70 percent or more students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunch under the USDA’s National School Lunch Program.
- Community Eligibility Provision (PDF)
Improves access to free school meals in eligible high poverty local educational agencies and schools and eliminates the administrative burden of collecting household applications.
- Provision 2 (PDF)
Provision 2 is an eligibility option for districts that reduces application burdens and simplifies counting and claiming procedures. Provision 2 can be offered for breakfast, lunch or for both breakfast and lunch.
- School Nutrition Programs (PDF)
CDE's Office of School Nutrition administers the U.S. Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Programs in local school districts and charter schools to promote the health and well-being of children.
- Smart Snacks in School (PDF)
Smart Snacks in School are nutrition standards required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This legislation required the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools, other than foods sold under the national school lunch and breakfast programs.
- Summer Food Service Program (PDF)
Ensures that children continue to receive nutritious meals during the summer, when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast. | <urn:uuid:bf7b981d-508e-4b9a-ba15-eb1e16d7d0a9> | {
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Cancer care is becoming increasingly personalized. In one cancer after another, science is yielding discoveries about genetic mutations that affect survival and treatment outcomes. These discoveries are both prognostic, indicating tumor aggressiveness, and predictive, forecasting treatment efficacy.
These discoveries have led to better survival and smarter treatment in some once-hopeless diagnoses. A decade ago, 80 percent of patients with metastatic melanoma lived less than one year after diagnosis. Today, the one-year survival rate is 60 percent, thanks to the discovery of the BRAF mutation and therapies that target it. Similarly, lung cancer is no longer a one-size-fits-all diagnosis; 60 percent of non–small-cell lung cancers have a known genetic driver that guides treatment selection. Lung cancers in nonsmokers often respond well to targeted therapies, but those in smokers tend to have a different molecular makeup and rarely respond to any treatment regimen.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines include more than 600 molecular tests to guide treatment selection, yet an NCCN survey shows that molecular testing isn’t yet standard practice in oncology. Nearly 3 in 10 oncologists rarely or never perform molecular testing when prescribing targeted therapies.
Among clinicians who do order molecular diagnostic tests, the reasons are varied. Respondents to a separate NCCN survey said that the most frequent reasons for ordering a test were the evidence supporting its use and its specific use. Only 35 percent placed importance on a payer requirement that a test be performed before a targeted agent is prescribed. — Michael D. Dalzell
Frequency of companion diagnostic testing
Source: NCCN Trends: An Evaluation of the Use of Companion Diagnostic Testing and Targeted Therapies. National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Fort Washington, Pa., Feb. 11, 2013.
What information is important to clinicians about molecular tests?
Source: Engstrom PF, et al. NCCN Molecular Testing White Paper: Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Reimbursement. JNCCN. 2011;9(suppl 6):S1–S16. | <urn:uuid:7d0670d2-6602-4a15-9a28-b302cab949a6> | {
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In Linux, the load average is said to be on 1min/5min/15min. The formula used by the kernel is actually an Exponential moving average.
If we define
cpuload(1) as the first computation of the cpu load 1min, and
active() as the function returning the number of process in state "running" or "runnable" on the system, then the formula used by the kernel to compute the nth cpu load 1min is:
cpuload(0) is 0; it is the value stored in memory before the first execution of
My question is, how was the weighting 2-5.log2(e)/60 chosen? In my opinion, 2-5/60 would have been better because 1min would have been the half-life of the number of process (because (2-5/60)12 = 1/2).
Maybe it's helpful if i post the explicit formula of
cpuload(n) in addition to the recursive definition above (right-click to see it in full size): | <urn:uuid:028bc3bb-cc95-4e1d-8ba8-71eef2017c36> | {
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Learning Differences in Boys & Girls
This course will provide information on the learning differences between boys and girls. The text and readings will address a number of areas in which boys and girls differ in learning, brain function and language development.
Participation in this course will be provided with research and information to help in developing a background for planning gender based classroom activities, strategies, and other innovations.
The required text is: Gurian, M, and Ballew, A, (2003). The boys and girls learn differently. Action Guide for Teachers. CA: Jossey-Bass. Textbook can be ordered from http://www.amazon.com | <urn:uuid:4230dfc7-34dd-440b-a1df-fa47ac1ed88b> | {
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There was a time when vehicle air conditioning was “the newest thing” and an unusual automotive accessory. Did you know that it wouldn’t be until the mid-1950s that an affordable air conditioning unit could be mass produced by the automobile industry? How interesting. Let’s hop in our time machine with the Brown’s Alfa Romeo—in Patchogue, NY—staff, and examine the facts. Enjoy the adventure!
In 1902, Willis Carrier invented the first modern air-conditioning system to control humidity at the printing plant where he worked in New York. However, the premier automotive AC systems were born in the 1930s. As a 1933 Popular Science article indicates, a third-party custom installed these super interesting units. The third party used a large compressor mounted under the floor boards. These automotive air conditioning systems were expensive, and they were only outfitted in limousines and fancy cars. So much for someone needing to save money having one.
The first company to offer AC as factory-installed was Packard. They advertised the mechanical feature by saying “Forget the heat this summer in the only air-conditioned car in the world.” Unlike dash-mounted systems in the modern day, the cooling coil (evaporator) was in the trunk with a fan blowing cool air into the passenger compartment.
To turn off Packard’s system, you needed to remove the drive belt from the A/C compressor. The one on-off switch was on the fan. One of the problems that slowed AC adoption at this time was money. To buy a Packard with AC cost an additional $274 when the average annual income was $1,368.
General Motors was next. In 1941 Cadillac created approximately 300 vehicles with AC, which like the Packard, was in the vehicles’ trunks. The units also had no compressor clutch, so the only control was by shutting the fan on and off. Cadillac improved this after World War II by creating controls. The only drawback to that “improved” system was that the driver had to get into the rear seat to operate it. That must have been really, super convenient.
GM first equipped its 1954 Pontiac with a new mass-produced system. The automaker was also the first to offer a magnetic clutch on the compressor, so when it was not in use, no power was required.
Little documentation exists on Ford’s air conditioning development, but by the late 1950s AC was offered on several Ford models. Ford’s “Select-Aire” system was the first to direct air through the vents below the windshield. Ford also offered a dealer-installed air conditioning system called Polar-Aire, a stand-alone hang-on system.
Today, automotive AC systems are a necessary technology and are found in 95% of the vehicles sold in America. They’re usually built into cabin temperature control systems to work with the cabin’s heating system. In most automobiles, one can set the temperature one desires the cabin to be at and the system either turns on the AC or the heater depending on the outside temperature. | <urn:uuid:46602d57-2439-436e-ac04-eca204b5e94b> | {
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by Stuart Mielke
‘Grass-fed’ is now widely used across the global market place for bovine products. It is loosely defined and can mean anything from 51% of the animal’s diet coming from grazed grass and forages to 100% fed on grass. Grass-fed is now so common place that one must ask whether it retains any great value as product differentiation. Has ‘grass-fed’ seen its day? And how should sustainable food move forward?
There is the perception among some that ‘grass’ means grass whereas ‘grass-fed’ may refer to using a variety of herbage plants; rightfully so as grazers need dietary diversity for their health. It may also enhance the nutritional value and the flavour of the products delivered for human consumption. ‘Grass-fed’ also does not mean just grazed grass as it includes the feeding of conserved grasses and herbage plants. And ‘grass-fed’ can also come from zero-grazing systems.
If one thinks that ‘grass-fed’ means grass, it is easy to sign up to the idea that cattle farming belongs along the wet, maritime, Atlantic seaboard of Europe. The extended growing season has long since been considered as advantageous for cattle farming. It still is, so long as the right balance is struck between stocking intensity, managing nitrate leakage, and coping with a fickle climate that can impact upon the duration of the grazing season, housing and forage needs, and forage preservation.
The curve ball in times of increasing environmental constraint is the ability of some maritime regions to grow and utilize nitrogen-fixing legumes. When ‘grass’ means grass nourished with plentiful amounts of artificial nitrogen and liberally dosed with slurry, one begins to think about the environmental impact of the system; not just in terms of GHG emissions but also the possible pollution of aquifers, rivers, lakes and drinking water. Apparently, New Zealand is finding that combining intensive grass-fed dairying in a maritime climate with preserving a pristine natural environment is not so easy. Scratch below the surface and one has reason to ask if ‘grass-fed’ is really all that it is cracked up to be from the perspective of sustainable food production.
Henceforward, ‘grass is only grass’ is not going to carry much weight when it comes to product differentiation. A broader audience is going to become aware that intensive grass production in wet climates may, on the surface, seem to provide cheap dairy products, but add in the externalities, and cheap they are not. If your promotional campaign leads with ‘grass-fed’ it is time to ask whether your claims relating to sustainability are going to stack up as both consumers and regulators increase their scrutiny of food production. There may appear a chasm between the marketeer’s ‘grass-fed’ and what is the green, truly sustainable reality.
Others are already moving the goal posts and elaborating for their consumers what they mean by ‘grass-fed’. It will be about demonstrating and verifying that the products are healthier, higher in Omega 3s and with a better Omega 3:6 ratio. They must be ‘free-range’ and, in general, more animal welfare friendly. It will be about sward diversity, less fertilizer and more flora, fauna and pollinators. ‘Grass-fed’ should be associated with ‘better for the environment’ but it will be increasingly recognized that all ‘grass-fed’ animals are not raised equally. It will be about the farming system used and not ‘grass fed’ per se. Achieving low net GHG emission per unit of food produced will be very important; but it will only be one performance indicator and more will be defined over time.
Simply, going forwards, if artificial nitrogen cannot be produced efficiently in terms of cost and GHG-emissions, the cattle-farming focus will move to those regions best suited to legumes rather than grass. It will be about utilizing deep-rooting herbs, alfalfa, the vetches, the sainfoins and the clovers within rotational pastures. They, and forage crops, will be reincorporated into arable farming. Offsetting the GHG emission against soil fertility building of depleted arable soils will provide an important reason for strategically re-thinking where we deploy our farmed ruminants.
Elsewhere, we will see a move away from intensive, nitrogen-reliant grass growing in maritime climates to the extensive use of grasslands, like the steppes, the old prairies, the Pampas, and the Transylvania plateau. The climates of these regions are often cold, their growing seasons short and their winters long, but they are well able to produce a ‘grass-fed’ product. Preserving their often high-nature-value grasslands will be another ‘strategic’ reason to raise cattle where there is ecological value-added to be attained. Extensive production on less-expensive-to access land may also be better suited to balancing carbon sequestration with the GHG emissions of ruminants.
At present it is difficult to say how the economics of the above will stack up. They will, undoubtedly, be influenced by where and how the taxpayer agrees to support food production. It will be about working within the financial and regulatory constraints that society is going to place on cattle farming henceforth. Crucially, it will be about the marketing story presented to the consumer and how much the consumer is willing to pay for a product’s green characteristics; characters that will be more farming-system specific than now. Nonetheless, to focus solely on ‘grass-fed’ will no longer be an option in a changing world and, for some, it is now time to reconsider their way forward. | <urn:uuid:8acd1713-9e48-4736-8073-a56d459046cb> | {
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It’s been a worrying week for computer users. Internet Explorer, the world’s most popular web browser, was found to have a serious security flaw that could have put millions of computer users at risk from cyber criminals and hackers.
The browser is thought to be the weak link that allowed hackers to carry out a sophisticated and highly targeted cyber attack against Google earlier this week, which resulted in the search giant reconsidering its operation in China.
It also sent entire nations in to a spin. The governments of France and Germany warned their citizens not to use Internet Explorer, and to switch instead to a different browser. The British government declined to follow suit.
Microsoft has now released a “patch”, to plug the hole in the browser’s code and protect it against the vulnerabilities that allowed Chinese hackers to break in to the Google email accounts of dissidents and human rights activists, and compromise the security of other large corporations.
But many computer users are wondering whether they should consider using a different web browser, such as Mozilla’s Firefox or Google Chrome.
“The patch should resolve the current problems with Internet Explorer, but the big question is, will people install it?,” asks Graham Cluley, a security expert with Sophos. “Some people can be very lackadaisical about installing these software updates, but they really need to start to get in to the habit of updating their computers – companies such as Microsoft release these updates for a good reason.”
Cluley says that Internet Explorer 6 is the most vulnerable web browser, yet it is still used by big government agencies such as the Ministry of Defence. This is a hangover from the early days of the web, when IT departments wrote systems and software that was only compatible with Internet Explorer 6, making it tricky and expensive to migrate to more stable and secure versions of the browser further down the line.
“If you’re using Internet Explorer 6 at home, you should upgrade to internet Explorer 8, the latest and greatest version of the browser,” advises Cluley. “It’s also worth considering a different browser altogether. The new version of Firefox is very good at updating itself to keep web users protected. It will do a much better job of securing the whole web experience.”
Despite the global dominance of Internet Explorer – it accounts for 63 per cent of the whole browser market – there are plenty of alternatives available to computer users. One of the most popular is Firefox, which has a 25 per cent share of the browser market worldwide, but is attracting lots of new users in Europe, accounting for 40 per cent of that search market, just five per cent less than Microsoft.
Indeed, while Graham Cluley says that no web browser is completely secure, he thinks diversity in the browser market benefits everyone. “Internet Explorer is attractive to hackers and virus writers because it dominates the market,” he says.
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Category: Health Yourself Views: 2156
Even the most health-conscious people can fail to consider how nail polish is affecting their bodies. But a recent study found that many of the most popular nail polish brands in America are much more harmful than they would seem.
What the Research Shows
Researchers recently tested for signs of chemical toxins in 24 women participating in their study. They found evidence of toxins in the bodies of every single woman. What was the source of these chemicals? Nail polish. The results showed that 100% of the participants showed signs of triphenyl phosphate only 10 hours after applying nail polish. This type of conclusive result is remarkable, and it’s also alarming.
In a follow up study, the same researchers tested 10 different nail polishes for triphenyl phosphate, and discovered the chemical in 8. Two of those polishes that tested positively for the chemical did not disclose it on their product label. This could mean that up to 20% of nail polishes sold in our country contain a dangerous chemical that isn’t listed as an ingredient.
What is Triphenyl Phosphate?
One of the biggest concerns about triphenyl phosphate (or TPHP) is that it is known to disrupt humans’ endocrine system, which controls all our hormones. Head researcher, Dr. Heather Stapleton, voiced her concerns, saying, “There is growing evidence suggesting that TPHP may affect hormone regulation, metabolism, reproduction and development”.
This is particularly harmful for the young girls who use nail polish regularly, since healthy hormonal development is an essential part of their growth. Nevertheless, TPHP poses a serious health risk to anyone exposed to it. It’s also known for being:
- Neurotoxin (developmental effects)
- Endocrine Toxin
- Reproductive Toxin
- Skin irritant and allergen
Other Health Threats
- Formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a well known carcinogen that can dissolve in water and in air (you know that strong nail polish smell?). Exposure to this chemical can also produce symptoms like a scratchy throat, asthma, and difficulty breathing. Those with chronic diseases are especially susceptible to poisoning from formaldehyde.
- Toluene. This chemical is known to impede development in children (and some scientists found traces of it in breast milk!). Additionally, it can be irritating to the skin upon exposure.
- Dibutyl Phthalate. Some nail polish brands swap this phthalate for TPHP, but it’s no better for your health. In fact, it poses similar health risks such as hormonal disruption and reproductive system toxins.
Natural Nail Polish Alternatives
Luckily, there are some companies who decided to respond to the discoveries of dangerous nail polish ingredients. There are a handful of awesome, natural alternatives that don’t contain the same risks of allergies, cancer, and hormone disruption. Here are some of our favorite options that offer a great selection at great prices!
- Honeybee Gardens carries a line of natural nail polish in a wide variety of colors. These are actually water-based (so they remove effortlessly with your standard rubbing alcohol) and contain absolutely no traces of dangerous chemicals or carcinogens.
- Acquarella has a selection of over 50+ nail polish colors. These are all water-based, and don’t contain any formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, mercury, or wheat products.
- SpaRitual is a toxin-free brand of nail polish that is also totally vegan!
- Peacekeeper Cause-Metics also has a few bright nail polishes that are infused with argan oil, as well as being toxin-free. This one’s a great way to make a classic color keep your nails moisturized.
Your mani-pedi should be a fun way to express yourself, and not a threat to your health, or the health of your growing children. But it’s easy to make the switch to health-conscious nail polish without compromising your wallet OR your sense of style!
ॐ Namasté - Blessings!
© 2008-2019 crystalwind.ca. All rights reserved.
The information contained on CrystalWind.ca is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Please consult with your healthcare professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes or taking supplements that may interfere with medications. Any products or information discussed are not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure any illness, disease or lifestyle. | <urn:uuid:d30e2097-f19e-49be-982f-11d6d9644a10> | {
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Software testing Includes topics such as Acceptance Testing, Hardware Software Co-design, Software Architecture, Software Reliability, Software Safety etc. Hardware Technology is the science of exploring the physical components of Computer. Hardware research major areas involve the design, analysis and modeling of complex systems on a chip.
Hardware Technology is the study of Hardware components which help in proper functioning of the computers. Subareas include : energy/reliability/security-aware VLSI systems, configurable computing, distributed computing, autonomic computing, IC design for low power/voltage, co-operative intelligent system design, computer architecture, 3D IC design, design automation, distributed real time systems, cyber-physical/hybrid systems, embedded and real-time processors/systems, hardware and software co-design methodologies, formal verification methodologies, models of computation, cryptographic hardware and embedded systems, side channel attacks, computer arithmetic and computer/network security. | <urn:uuid:885a9a92-3d48-40da-8634-eaf63cf049f3> | {
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Calories (カロリー) are the source, and the unit of measurement of energy for living things in Toriko. The amount of calories one might possess varies from person to person, however Bishokuya, and those infused with Gourmet Cells tend to have a much higher calorie intake than normal people. As a result, these people tend to consume, and use more than the average person, thus granting them greater stamina than normal, but at a higher price. This allows them to use powerful high energy attacks that would otherwise be impossible.
A thousand calories is a kilocalorie (キロカロリー), and it is this unit of measurement that the use of power is generally measured in the series. Calorie consumption can be cut down, if one were to learn Food Honor, a mental concept that increases concentration, while reducing unnecessary movements. There also seems to be other methods similar to Food Honor that other creatures are capable of using, with similar effects. If one learns the secret of Food Honor and Food Immersion, they would also be able to increase the intake of energy from an Ingredient, while they are digesting it. | <urn:uuid:b8efed8d-1806-49da-bac9-b69e21ee06d8> | {
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George Washington certainly felt that the celebration of Thanksgiving could not be divorced from any religious connotation, as indicated in the following Thanksgiving Day proclamation:
"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors."
Although certainly not as revered as the Birth of Christ, it is as much a religious holiday as Christmas, Easter or Passover. Unfortunately this aspect of Thanksgiving has been downplayed in our schools and replaced with teachings about tolerance and ethnic diversity. They have been so successful at this there is no wonder that when it comes time to talk about Thanksgiving in the classroom, virtually no one opposes. This is because the celebration has become completely divorced from its true meaning, and hence is uncontroversial to the secularists.
They have not been so successful with Christmas, however the attempts to divorce this holiday from all historical meaning are well underway. We are seeing 'Christmas' replaced with 'Holiday.' It is done in the name of tolerance and diversity awareness.
It was in 1789 that George Washington gave the above Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. By 1989 its celebration has already lost much of its true meaning as taught in the schools and celebrated by many. I wonder what will be the fate of Christmas in the year 2089? | <urn:uuid:dd205992-2cfc-4a89-b45b-1c7c9bbc6247> | {
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Whats is GRP?
Some of our canopies are manufactured from GRP. What is this?
GRP stands for Glass Reinforced Plastic (or Glass Reinforced Polyester). Also known as Glass Fibre or Fibreglass, it has a host of uses. It is a composite material, made by combining millions of glass strands, each one thinner than a human hair, in a polyester resin. Without the glass fibres the resin would simply shatter, but when the composite sets it creates a very strong durable material.
GRP has a very high strength to weight ratio, will not corrode or dent and is not subject to bacterial infestation. This makes it an ideal maintenance free material for manufacturing door canopies. | <urn:uuid:2f99efef-e525-42b7-bf07-4f1ee2a2191f> | {
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Was Mom's Stay-Well Advice Right?
Don't go out with wet hair. Rest. Cover your mouth when you cough.
This "feel-better, don't spread colds" advice was recently put to the scientific test. The verdict: Most of our moms' classic tips won't keep us safe from colds and flu, says Rachel Vreeman, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine and the author of the myth-busting book Don't Swallow Your Gum. But Mom did get a couple of things right. Here, experts set the record straight on which motherly advice is worth taking.
Tale: You'll get sick if you go out in the cold with wet hair.
The truth: Exposure to viruses—not skipping the blow-dryer—causes cold and flu.
"Scientists have studied this really well," says Vreeman. "They've put cold viruses in the noses of two groups of people. One group was then exposed to cold/wet conditions, and people who were chilled were no more likely to get sick than those who weren't." Being outside can make your nose run (cold weather dilates blood vessels), but it doesn't make you more susceptible to viruses.
Tale: Feed a cold, starve a fever.
The truth: This is half right.
When you're congested, nutritious food will fortify your immune system. But when you're feverish, your metabolism is revved up and you need more energy—not fewer calories—to fight off infection. Bottom line: Stay hydrated and eat well, no matter what your symptoms.
Tale: Avoid dairy when you have a cold.
The truth: There's no medical basis to skip dairy when you're sick.
Many people, including some pediatricians, believe that dairy products increase mucus production. However, research shows this may be a placebo effect. In one study, people who knew they were drinking cow's milk reported more nasal symptoms than those who had soy milk—but people who didn't know which milk they were drinking reported the same (minimal) effects.
More from Prevention:
Tale: You lose most of your body heat through your head.
The truth: It's wise to keep your head covered with a cozy hat.
Although technically you don't lose more body heat through your head (about 10%, which is proportional to the body surface area)—it may feel that way, says Cleveland Clinic researcher Daniel Sessler, MD. That's because your face is about 5 times more sensitive to temperature than other areas. "It's an early warning system that alerts you to put on a sweater or turn up the thermostat long before your core body temperature gets too cold," says Sessler
Tale: Have some chicken soup when you're sick.
The truth: There's something to this age-old comfort food remedy.
Researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center found that chicken soup prepared with lots of veggies mitigates some of the inflammation responsible for cold symptoms, like a runny nose and congestion. To get rid of common cold symptoms, you have to get rid of the inflammation that's causing them, says Jack Gwaltney Jr., MD, a professor emeritus of medicine at the Center for the Prevention of Disease and Injury at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Tale: Rest, don't exercise, when you're under the weather.
The truth: You do need to rest, but a little exercise might help you feel better.
In a study from Ball State University, volunteers with severe colds were divided into two groups, one of which exercised for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The other group simply rested. In both groups, cold symptoms lasted for about 8 1/2 days (8.36 for the exercisers; 8.45 for the resters) and peaked during the morning hours. But as a group, the exercisers felt better during the afternoon and evening than the resters did.
While some exercise is good for you, don't overdo it when you're sick. Intense workouts (lasting more than 90 minutes) can actually weaken immunity.
Tale: Cover your mouth with your hand when you cough.
The truth: Although this might look polite and germ preventing, it's anything but.
When you capture a cough or sneeze in your hand, you're likely to pass the cold on to someone else. Cold viruses exist in large quantities in the nasal fluid of sick people and are easily transferred from their hands after even the briefest contact. You also leave viruses on doorknobs, phones, countertops, and elevator buttons.
To sidestep such icky transmissions, be sure to wash your hands frequently, and use a tissue or, if one isn't handy, cough and sneeze into your inner elbow.
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A newborn sleeps 16 to 18 hours a day, in short segments of 2 to 3 hours. Babies have different sleep cycles as adults. Theirs is far shorter, and they spend more time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is the phase where sleep is the lightest, and brain activities are the most active. It is believed that REM sleep is necessary for their brain development. As they grow, their periods of wakefulness increase.
By 3 or 4 months, a baby’s internal rhythms are more organised, and most can sleep in stretches of 5 to 6 hours in the night. They also have shorter periods of REM sleep, and longer periods of deep, non-REM sleep. By 6 months, many babies are able to sleep through the night.
Signs of infant sleep problems
Some babies develop separation anxiety when they are about 6 months old. They may also begin to have difficulty going to sleep because of separation anxiety, over-stimulation, or over-tiredness.
Common signs of babies experiencing these night awakenings or difficulty going to sleep may include the following:
- awakening and crying one or more times in the night after previously sleeping through the night
- crying when you leave the room
- refusal to go to sleep without a parent nearby
- clinging to the parent at separation
Because sleep problems may also occur with illness, consult a doctor your baby begins having difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep, especially if this is a new pattern.
Signs of sleep readiness:
You can help your baby sleep by recognising signs of sleep readiness, teaching him to fall asleep on his own, and comforting him with awakenings. Your baby may show signs of being ready for sleep with the following:
- rubbing eyes
- looking away
You may want to speak with a doctor if your baby seems overly irritable and cannot be soothed. If your baby is difficult to rouse from sleep and generally seems uninterested in feeding efforts, speak to the doctor immediately for reassurance or further medical guidance.
There are many factors that can affect your baby’s sleep. The underlying causes are often treatable. We offer hospital-based and home-based sleep study for your convenience. Consult our senior specialist Dr YT Pang at CENTAS for an accurate diagnosis of your baby’s sleep problem. | <urn:uuid:6482c23e-6a99-433c-9020-4008dd1f6131> | {
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Lack of warning system cost lives
A tidal wave rises over the wall of swimming pool in Penang.
Photo: AMATEUR VIDEO
Australian scientists knew in advance that southern Asia was going to be hit by a destructive tsunami but were powerless to save lives because that part of the world has no early-warning system.
Such a system would have given people on the Thai coast 15 minutes' warning. People in Sri Lanka and India would have had longer to flee to higher ground.
The far-flung Australian territory of Cocos Island, 1000 kilometres from Sumatra, has a warning station designed to give Australia three to four hours' notice if a tsunami is headed for our shores.
Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Phil Cummins said the station had picked up the fast-moving deep-water swell caused by the weekend's earthquake.
But, unlike Pacific nations, which have a system to warn of tsunamis, no such arrange-ment exists for the Indian Ocean. This prevents Australian scientists and authorities from contacting their counterparts in other countries.
Australia's national agency for geological research, Geoscience Australia, said it alerted Emergency Management Australia half an hour after the massive earthquake.
That information was sent to Australian emergency services, police and the army, but not to Indian Ocean villages that needed it most.
"Had there been (an Indian Ocean alert system), I think there would have been time for people in Sri Lanka, across in the Maldives or somewhere like that to have done something about it," said Geoscience Australia chief executive Phil McFadden.
But for places closer to the epicentre, such as the Thai resort island of Phuket, there would have been very little time.
"Bear in mind that these waves travel through the ocean about 500 km/h. They're pretty darn fast," Dr McFadden said.
"Phuket's about 400 kilometres from Aceh, so it would have taken about three-quarters of an hour for the wave to get across (to) Phuket.
"I think we reacted about as fast as anybody, and that was half an hour, so if they had been on an alert system that had been direct, they might have had 15 minutes' warning.
"I'm not certain what they could have done in that time."
Dr McFadden said the need for an alert system for the Indian Ocean had been discussed but its cost and effectiveness were problematic.
Indian authorities agreed that such a measure should be considered, but said their emphasis had been on warning systems for cyclones, which were much more common in the region.
Nothing like Sunday's wave had been experienced in living memory or even folk memory.
The chief of India's National Institute of Oceanography, Satish Shetye, said a tidal wave savaging the metropolis of Chennai was as believable as the drowning of Fifth Avenue in New York in the film The Day After Tomorrow.
Dr McFadden said there were potential problems with warning systems if information was not provided appropriately and on time.
"Half the people go down to the beach to have a look instead of getting in their car or on horses or whatever and getting up to high ground," he said.
"This is why it's quite expensive to have an effective tsunami warning service because you have to inform the police, the local services. You have to have people going out and actually saying 'Go to high ground, do not go towards the ocean, stop all your scuba diving and other tours'.
Another problem was that occasionally, after a warning, tsunamis did not happen and people could be injured or killed scrambling to high ground.
"But it is something that those areas need to think about seriously - getting a proper alert system," he said.
In Los Angeles, the head of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, Charles McCreery, said US officials who detected the undersea quake tried frantically to get a warning out about the tsunami but were hampered by the lack of an official alert system.
"We tried to do what we could. We don't have any contacts in our address book for anybody in that particular part of the world," he said.
- with agencies | <urn:uuid:5a88269c-0001-4359-8460-9a0634526b76> | {
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Subsets and Splits