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Developing a Community-Based Monitoring Program for Drinking Water Supplies in the Indian Bay Watershed: A Baseline Study of Surface Water Quality, Contamination Sources and Resident Practices and Perceptions
In rural Newfoundland, our watersheds are the life blood of our cultural and economic identity as well as providing critical drinking water supplies. Drinking water issues in rural areas are inextricably tied to the health of watersheds. Therefore, protection and conservation of watersheds and all of their components is vital to rural livelihoods and well- being. Land-use practices occurring in watersheds have an impact on water quality and health of the overall ecosystem, including the individuals that rely on these resources for subsistence, culture, and recreation.
The study has the following objectives:
- To determine the presence of microbiological and/or chemical contaminants of surface waters and roadside springs in the Indian Bay watershed (elements of the local drinking water supply outside of the scope of the existing provincial monitoring program);
- To determine population perspectives and practices related to water contamination, environmental management and sustainable solutions; and
- To research community-based watershed water quality monitoring models employed elsewhere that may be applicable in Indian Bay along with their relative strengths and weaknesses.
- Kelly Vodden, Memorial University
- Stephen Holisko, Memorial University
- Atanu Sarkar, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
- Stephen Moss (Indian Bay Ecosystem Corporation)
- Indian Bay Ecosystem Corporation (IBEC)
- Towns of Indian Bay and Centreville-Wareham-Trinity
- The Harris Centre – RBC Water Research and Outreach Fund
- Developing a Community-Based Monitoring Program for Drinking Water Supplies in the Indian Bay Watershed: A Baseline Study of Surface Water Quality, Contamination Sources and Resident Practices and Perceptions (2014). Holisko, Speed, Vodden, Sarkar, and Moss.
- From Source to Tap: Developing a community-based monitoring program for drinking water supplies in the Indian Bay Watershed (2013). Holisko and Vodden. | <urn:uuid:734f4115-8fbb-4343-9122-3a3920736ef0> | {
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United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is a Cabinet member in charge of the Department of Justice and as such, is often considered the chief law enforcement officer of the United States of America. However this has changed in the last decade with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, as many of the bodies traditionally overseen by the Attorney General are now under the purview of the Secretary of Homeland Security. Despite this decrease in power, all prosecutorial power has been retained and the Attorney General supervises all United States Attorneys. The current Attorney General is Eric Holder who has served since 2009 when he succeeded Michael Mukasey. By virtue of office, Holder is 7th in the presidential line of succession. Holder is the first African American to become Attorney General.
The position of Attorney General has a long history and was one of the first four Cabinet positions created by George Washington, who appointed Edmund Randolph as the first occupant.
Attorneys General of the United States
|Name||Term of Office|
|Edwin Meese III||February 25, 1985||August 12, 1988|
|Richard Thornburgh||August 12, 1988||August 15, 1991|
|William Barr||November 26, 1991||January 20, 1993|
|Janet Reno||March 12, 1993||January 20, 2001|
|John Ashcroft||February 2, 2001||February 3, 2005|
|Alberto Gonzales||February 3, 2005||September 17, 2007|
|Michael Mukasey||November 9, 2007||January 20, 2009|
|Eric Holder||January 26, 2009| | <urn:uuid:986f7045-e9fe-4c35-a1d0-f4714e818dae> | {
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"The flu is not just another cold," says Dr. Marie Griffin, an influenza expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, who believes that many Americans take the virus too lightly. But you might say the flu is the common cold's stronger, nastier cousin.
Like the common cold, the flu causes coughing, sneezing, a runny nose, and a sore throat. But for the flu-bitten patient, things get much worse -- fast. In just a day's time, a healthy person can develop a full-blown case of the flu with a fever, headache, sore muscles, and debilitating fatigue. The worst symptoms usually pass in three to five days, though a cough or sore throat may linger longer. In some cases, however, a flu infection can persist, causing serious complications.
One of the most common complications of the flu is pneumonia, an inflammation of the lungs that causes chest pain and a cough that produces yellow-green discharge. Although the flu can damage lungs directly, it's more common for a virus to weaken the respiratory system's defenses, leaving lungs vulnerable to an assault by bacterial infections, which causes pneumonia, says Dr. Kristin Nichol, of the Minneapolis Veteran's Affairs Medical Center.
Doctors generally only prescribe medication for severe cases. If the flu catches you, doctors say the best therapy is to rest, drink fluids, and take a nonaspirin pain reliever. | <urn:uuid:78750290-03da-4a07-b805-8d5cc8ad93d6> | {
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Your Guide to the Chippewa National Forest
The Chippewa National Forest was the first National Forest east of the Mississippi River. President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated it a National Forest in 1908.
The Chippewa National Forest is home to over 1,300 lakes (including two of Minnesota’s largest lakes – Leech Lake and Lake Winnie), 925 miles of river, over 400,000 acres of wetlands, campgrounds and hundreds of miles of hiking and snowmobiling trails.
Home to over 1,000 lakes and miles of river, the Chippewa National Forest is a great place to go fishing. Leech Lake is home to a large Walleye population and provides you with fresh fish all year long. Here are some of our favorite tips to catch a walleye, so you can show off to your friends and family. Don’t forget to check our weekly fishing report so you can stay up to date on the best spots to reel in a fish and know exactly what’s biting each season.
Coniferous forests to the north, hardwood forests to the south, and prairies to the west. The Chippewa National Forest’s diverse ecosystem makes it a great place to go bird watching and see all types of different birds. Additionally, the Chippewa National Forest has the highest breeding population of Bald Eagles in the continental US. Grab your binoculars, paper, and a pen to record what you see while exploring!
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cranberries can all be found in the Chippewa National Forest. Depending on the time of year and location – you could fill up your bucket with fresh sweet berries.
HIT THE TRAILS
Named for the Bald Eagle in Ojibwe, the Migizi Trail is a 18 mile paved loop that surrounds Pike Bay. The trail has four access points – Forest Supervisor’s Office in Cass Lake, the Norway Beach Recreation Area, the South Pike Bay picnic area, and across from the Cass Lake Wayside Rest. Take a portion of the trail for a day hike, or bike the entire trail.
The 50 mile long trail goes from Walker to Park Rapids and is one of the oldest paved trails in Northern Minnesota. The portion of the Heartland Trail southwest of Walker is home to beautiful lakes, forest, and wildlife. The Heartland Trail also works to connect other trails and recreation areas, including Chippewa National Forest’s Shingobee Recreation Area.
Shingobee Recreation Area
Located just 5 miles southwest of Walker, the Shingobee Recreation Area is a place for various activities including hiking, cross-country skiing, bird watching and camping. After a long day out on the Shingobee, fill up with hearty, authentic, Kansas style BBQ at The Piggy – located in Walker. The Piggy, raved reviewed by the New York Times, is a must stop – but make sure you get there early!
Tags: berry picking in Chippewa national forest, Berry picking near leech lake, bird watching in Chippewa National Forest, bird watching near leech lake, Chippewa National Forest, hiking in Chippewa national forest, hiking near leech lake, Leech lake activities | <urn:uuid:07bf1e46-c939-4121-a4f9-738b831452a0> | {
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As we enter into National Mosquito Awareness week
, it is only appropriate we give a shout out to malaria, the mosquito-borne illness that has been causing fever, joint pain, shivering, vomiting, convulsions and sometimes death in people ever since there were people.
You can partially attribute the declines of the Greek and Roman empires to malaria epidemics, and the majority of Union soldiers caught the nasty disease during the Civil War. While malaria has now been more or less been eradicated from non-tropical environments, there are still between 350 and 500 million cases a year, with one to three million resulting in death.
If you do happen to run into the wrong bug in the wrong place, it usually takes one to two weeks before the unpleasantness sets in. When it does, you can comfort yourself with the fact that many great (and not so great) men have been in the same feverish boat. We list some of our favorite malaria sufferers after the jump
Alexander the Great
was able to defeat the mighty Persian army, but some historians believe he couldn't overcome the bite of a tiny mosquito, and died of malaria at age 32.Christopher Columbus
may be responsible for introducing malaria to the new world. So when the explorer came down with his own acute case in 1503, it was rather fitting.
If wooden teeth, a hyperactive conscience and the British army weren't enough, George Washington
also suffered recurrent malaria attacks throughout his life.
After contracting a debilitating case of malaria during a long trek, Davy Crockett
was left for dead by some not-so-loyal travel companions. Of course, he beat the illness and later died a far more glorious death at the Alamo.
It was pretty much inevitable that Ernest Hemingway
would catch malaria on one of his adventures. And he did, while covering the Greco-Turkish war as a foreign correspondent.
While we now know John F. Kennedy
kept a stunning list of medical issues hidden from the public, he was always up-front about the malaria he contracted during World War II.
In 1944, a severe case of malaria resulted in Mahatma Gandhi
getting an early medical release from the last of his imprisonments for nonviolent civil disobedience.
Despite missing most of spring training due to a bout with malaria, Roberto Clemente
won the National League batting title in 1965.Jeremy Piven
-- no stranger to exotic maladies
-- caught malaria while filming "PCU." What makes this odd is "PCU" appears to have been shot in not-so-tropical Toronto.Anderson Cooper
and Chris Matthews
were each hospitalized after catching malaria on (separate) trips to Africa. Upon learning this, we hear Wolf Blitzer had all standing water removed from the Situation Room. | <urn:uuid:8f75834d-c81e-4f2d-9f76-a7c745dc1442> | {
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Glen More: see Great Glen, valley, Scotland.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
More on Glen More from Fact Monster:
- Great Glen - Great Glen Great Glen or Glen More,valley, 60 mi (97 km) long, Highland, N central Scotland, ...
- Loch Ness - Ness, Loch Ness, Loch , lake, 22 mi (35 km) long, Highland, N central Scotland, in the Great Glen. ...
- Encyclopedia: British and Irish Physical Geography - Encyclopeadia articles concerning British and Irish Physical Geography. | <urn:uuid:e1999e93-6a14-4f4a-87ae-f59ca4701b20> | {
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Who is it?
The guanaco is considered to be a wild species of llama that cannot be domesticated. It is similar to its relatives, dromedaries and camels, with its proud bearing and somewhat contemptuous attitude. Like them, its adaptation to adverse environmental and climactic conditions is a fact. It is not a lover of heat, though it withstands all types of temperatures. Of all the camelids, it the one with the southernmost range.
It may be seen over the two Andean watersheds, from Peru to Tierra del Fuego, on plains and at altitudes which reach 3,000 metres above sea level.
What are its habits?
This mammal usually forms communities of 20 individuals led by a male which protects the herd.
The guanaco may run as fast as about 64 km/h, which is very important for surviving its predator, the puma.
Its diet is made up of grasses, moss and tubercles.
The male becomes particularly aggressive during the breeding season and it fights against other individuals for the females. This happened between November and February. After a gestation lasting 11 months, they give birth to one cria.
Did you know…
They sometimes ally with greater rheas to defend themselves from dangers in their environment: the greater rhea uses its magnificent vision and the guanaco its wonderful hearing and sense of smell. | <urn:uuid:ac45bc5c-e81b-43cc-8710-e14e7ed546c8> | {
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Theravada (Pāli: थेरवाद theravāda (cf Sanskrit: स्थविरवाद sthaviravāda); literally, "the Teaching of the Elders", or "the Ancient Teaching") is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It is relatively conservative, and generally closest to early Buddhism, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population) and most of continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand). It is also practised by minorities in parts of southwest China (by the Shan and Tai ethnic groups), Vietnam (by the Khmer Krom), Bangladesh (by the ethnic groups of Baruas, Chakma, and Magh), Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia, whilst recently gaining popularity in Singapore and Australia. Today Theravada Buddhists number about 250 million worldwide, and in recent decades Theravada has begun to take root in the West and in the Buddhist revival in India.
The Theravāda school is ultimately derived from the Vibhajjavada (or 'doctrine of analysis') grouping which was a continuation of the older Sthavira (or 'teaching of the Elders') group at the time of the Third Buddhist Council around 250 BCE, during the reign of Emperor Asoka in India. Vibhajjavadins saw themselves as the continuation of orthodox Sthaviras and after the Third Council continued to refer to their school as the Sthaviras/Theras ('The Elders'), their doctrines were probably similar to the older Sthaviras but were not completely identical. After the Third Council geographical distance led to the Vibhajjavādins gradually evolving into four groups: the Mahīśāsaka, Kāśyapīya, Dharmaguptaka and the Tāmraparnīya. The Theravada is descended from the Tāmraparnīya, which means 'the Sri Lankan lineage'. Some sources claim that only the Theravada actually evolved directly from the Vibhajjavādins.
The main doctrines of Theravada are from the teachings found in the Pali Canon of early Buddhism. These include the Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Middle Path, and the Hindrances to Enlightenment. There is little to no use of worship in Theravada and emphasis is on mental development through meditation.
Levels of Attainment
A Buddha is someone who is fully enlightened. A person who is fully enlightened, but not the Buddha of our time, is called an Arahant in Pali. Such a person has eradicated all ten hindrances to enlightenment:
- The belief in a permanent personality, ego
- Doubt, extreme skepticism
- Attachment to rites, rituals, and ceremonies
- Attachment to sense desires
- Ill-will, anger
- Craving for existence in the Form world (heavenly realms)
- Craving for existence in the Formless world (heavenly realms)
An Anagami (non-returner) has completely eradicated the first five hindrances and never returns to earth or any other world system (planet, solar system). Such a person is re-born to a heavenly realm and attains enlightenment from there.
A Sakadagami (once returner) has eradicated the first three hindrances and greatly weakened the fourth and fifth; attachment to sense desires and ill-will. Such a person will be re-born to either the human or heavenly realm and will attain enlightenment there.
Dr. Gunasakera article on the forms Theravada takes
Theravada Buddhism has taken four distinctive forms in the West and around the world, in modern times, according to Dr. Gunasakera:
A. The Secular Buddhist Society Model. This is concerned with the intense study of the Dhamma in its original formulation as given in the Pali Canon, the development of norms of living in substantial conformity of the requirements of the Dhamma, and the encouragement of the observance of the Dhamma generally.
B. The Original London Vihara Model. This model encompasses the objectives of the secular societies, but places greater emphasis on the necessity to accommodate ordained monks to expound the Dhamma. In its interpretation of the Canon it tends to place greater emphasis on Buddhaghosa's exegesis whereas the secular societies tend to go the original Canon itself.
C. The Lankarama Model. This is the ethnic Buddhist Model par excellence. Its main objective appears to be to cater to the spiritual needs of expatriate groups using the particular national models of Buddhism as practiced in their home countries without any consideration of its relevance to the universality of the Buddha's teaching or the external conditions in the host country.
D. The Meditation Centre Model. Here the Buddhist Institution is transformed into a centre for "meditation" under the guidance of a self-proclaimed "teacher". The meditation practiced is a simplified form of the first foundation of satipatthana ignoring all the preconditions which the Buddha was careful to lay down for the correct practice of this technique of mindfulness.
Variations A and sometimes B and D tends to be a Modern Theravada which focuses on the Pali Canon and acknowledges that some of the suttas are not meant to be taken too literally. Variation B and sometimes C are a Classical Theravada which tends to use the literal word of the writings in the Pali Canon and the Commentaries.
An updated version of the forms Theravada takes in modern times
The article by Dr. Gunasakera is very good, but out-dated for the 21st century where Buddhism is practiced in numerous places and numerous ways, including online with various forums and blogs. An updated version of the major forms Theravada takes in modern times:
A. Secular Mindfulness movement In this form people use Buddhist techniques for improving mental, psychological well being and may also use Buddhist mindfulness in a corporate setting, known as "Corporate Mindfulness." Those who follow this form may not even meet at a temple and might meet online, in an office, or in a yoga studio. Belief in rebirth is optional and most are at least skeptical of rebirth and generally don't follow many Buddhist practices other than meditation.
B. Meditation center Theravada / vipassana In this form the members practice vipassana and other forms of Theravada Buddhist meditation at lay, peer-led groups and retreat centers. They might meet occasionally at Buddhist temples, but mostly meet at yoga studios, rented facilities or each others' homes. Typically there is a leader of the group who is a lay Dhamma teacher who might also have a regular full-time job and teaches and leads the group during his/her times off from work.
C. Traditional Temple Buddhism In this form, Buddhism is practiced at the temple and includes Refuge and Precepts ceremonies, Poya and Upsosatha day activities and other generally religious practices including blessings, funeral chanting, etc and all temple activities are performed by ordained monks and nuns.
D. Modern Theravada In this form the focus is on the Pali Canon, especially the Suttas. Those who follow this are sometimes referred to as "Suttanta." They might still hold the Abhidhamma and Commentaries in some regard, but their main focus of study and practice are the five Nikayas of the Suttas. The members of this form are Buddhist, generally accept rebirth and simply focus on the Suttas rather than what they feel are some of the later writings and teachings.
E. Classical Theravada In this form, the Classical Theravada Buddhists hold the entire Tipitaka in highest regard along with Buddhaghosa's Path of Purification and all the other Commentaries of the Elders in very high regard. They tend to take a more literal interpretation of the texts and strong adherence to the Vinaya.
The above is just a cursory overview and of course there can be some overlaps in one or more of the above forms showing up with some practitioners.
- Dr. V. A. Gunasekara. "Ethnic Buddhism and Other Obstacles to the Dhamma in the West". Retrieved on 5 Oct 2008. | <urn:uuid:241ba4da-46fb-4c64-b342-a917e7a7ef7e> | {
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Q: Given all the confusion surrounding null pointers, wouldn't it be easier simply to require them to be represented internally by zeroes?
A: Some implementations naturally represent null pointers by special, nonzero bit patterns, particularly when it can be arranged that inadvertently using those values triggers automatic hardware traps. Requiring null pointers to be represented internally as 0, and therefore disallowing use of the special, nonzero values, would be an unfortunate step backwards, because catching errors which result in invalid accesses is a Good Thing.
Besides, what would such a requirement really accomplish? Proper understanding of null pointers does not require knowledge of the internal representation, whether zero or nonzero. Assuming that null pointers are internally zero does not make any code easier to write (except for a certain ill-advised usage of calloc; see question 7.31). Known-zero internal pointers would not reduce the need for casts in function calls, because the size of the pointer might still be different from that of an int. (If ``nil'' were used to request null pointers, as mentioned in question 5.14, the urge to assume an internal zero representation would not even arise.) | <urn:uuid:42964481-4669-44d7-8f09-6b7b46191915> | {
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ERIC Number: ED335364
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1990-Nov
Reference Count: 0
Curriculum-Referenced Test Development Workshop Series, Addendum to Workshops Two and Three: Using Portfolios in Instruction and Assessment.
Arter, Judith A.
An overview of the state of the art of using portfolios for assessment and instruction (AAI) and an annotated bibliography of articles focusing on portfolios are provided. Using portfolios for AAI has become a popular practice; however, portfolios are not always clearly defined. A working definition of portfolio is provided: a portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits to the student and others the student's efforts, progress, or achievement in a given area or areas; it must include student participation in selection of portfolio content, the criteria for selection and for judging merit, and evidence of student self-reflection. There is little agreement on what can and should be included in a portfolio, mainly because suggested content depends heavily on purpose. Several portfolio systems currently being used in various locations are summarized. The systems are generally of two types: indicator systems in which a list of items is required to be collected on all students, and work sample systems, which rely heavily on ongoing classroom work that is selected and analyzed by students and/or teachers. Ways of promoting self-reflection and self-evaluation in students are outlined. The following issues in using portfolios for AAI are summarized: purposes; curriculum and instruction; content; assessment; management and logistics; and staff development. Appendix 1 presents four examples of written student self-reflection. Appendix 2 presents an annotated bibliography of 98 portfolio articles catalogued between December 30, 1989 and January 31, 1991. (RLC)
Publication Type: Reference Materials - Bibliographies; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Practitioners; Researchers
Authoring Institution: Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR. Test Center.
Identifiers: Curriculum Related Testing
Note: Addendum to "Curriculum-Referenced Test Development Workshop Series, Workshops One Through Three" (1988); see ED 303 486. | <urn:uuid:5dc4a69b-904b-44ad-97f8-c451a2ea4fff> | {
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INTEREST RATE RISK IN THE BANKING BOOK: EMBEDDED OPTIONS IN RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGES
Interest rate risk is associated with the fluctuations in the interest rates. Interest rate risk therefore can be defined as the change in the portfolio value that a bank obtains as a result of the unexpected changes in the interest rates. The interest rate risk can also be termed as one of the ways that an individual or the bank can make profits and the value of the shareholder can gain therefore banks accept interest rate risk as a normal part of their banking business. However, for banks taking an excessive interest rate risk could threaten bank’s earnings and capital base. This is because the fluctuations in the rate of interest normally alter with the earnings of the bank. This means that it changes its net interest income, the level of other incomes that are associated with the interest rate and operating expenses. This will in overall alters the value of the assets as well as liabilities. Often change when interest rates changes. Furthermore interest rate risk affects a bank’ earnings directly as, there may be changes on active and passive interest rates plus changes on market values of assets and liabilities as well as indirectly, due to changes on business volumes. Thus, to effectively manage the risks is very much essential in order to ensure that the earnings and the value of the bank is maintained in its expected position or increases as required.
Therefore, banks typically split interest rate risk into two components: traded interest rate risk and non-traded interest rate risk. The non-traded interest rate risk is often referred to as interest rate risk on the balance sheet or in the banking book and therefore includes all commercial banking activities in the banking sector. Both refer to the potential impact of adverse movements in interest rates but they follow different accounting rules. The underlying principle for separating these portfolios is that while the banking portfolio follows traditional accounting rules of accrued interest income and accrued interest costs, trading on the other hand relies on market values (market-to-market) of transactions.
In short the banking book is generally associated to instruments included in a bank’s commercial portfolio, where exposures are assumed to be non-tradable and held to maturity. All assets and liabilities generate accrued revenues and costs, of which a conspicuous amount is interest rate driven. Accordingly, there are maturity mismatches between assets and liabilities that can lead to excesses or deficits of funds as well as mismatches between interest rate positions, fixed or variable. Banks manage such mismatches through financial transactions (on the capital markets) either by investing excess funds or assuming long-term debt by other banks. There are many studies on interest rate risk on banking accounts including that of Brighouse & Hontoir (2008) which on his study of interest rate risk on banking accounts, determines the banking book excluding investment securities such as bonds and stocks and focusing mainly on loans on the assets side and deposits, financial debentures on the liabilities side.
The focus of this work is mainly on the major source of market risk for commercial banks which is the risk associated with the interest rate in the banking books. Therefore it includes the measurement of the interest rates risks, leaving out the trading book, overcomes the problem of double counting arising from the presence of a market risk requirement for interest rate sensitive positions held in the trading book. Nonetheless, the interest rate risk exposure of the trading book may compensate partially the exposure of the banking book. Most importantly, the banking book generates liquidity and interest rate risks, on which Assets and Liability Management (ALM) focuses.
Interest Rate Risk Components
There are a number of angles from where interest rate risk exposure can be identified. The primary components the risks that the banks can face are in many categories. These components will therefore include the yield curve risk, the optionality that is the main topic of discussion here, the re-pricing risk and finally the basis risk. The optionality, which will be the object of our study, represents that type of risk that will be faced by the banks from the options that are embedded in the bank’s assets. In our case we will mainly focus on the residential mortgages.
Re-pricing risk: A bank’s income may vary due to different re-pricing periods that will results to assets that are yield sensitive. Considered to be the more often discussed, this risk also is due to the difference in the timings of the maturity that relates to the fixed rate positions. Accordingly, unanticipated fluctuations on bank’s income and economic value can occur in relation to the variation in the interest rates.
As a result, the pricing mismatch between the assets and liabilities are the main reason for the interest rate risk. This is because the changes in the yield curve will impact more quickly on interest paid on liabilities than the interest that is usually earned on the assets. This is as a result of bank’s long term lending and short term borrowing.
Yield curve risk: Another source of interest rate risk is “the slope of the yield curve, which could have differential effects on banks assets and liabilities” (Covello & Hazelgren, 2005). The financing of short and long-term assets with medium-term liabilities exposes the bank to a possible increase curvature of the yield curve.
The basis risk: Furthermore, the interest rate risk exposure can be magnified when imperfect correlation in the adjustment across different interest rate markets of the yields earned and paid, is thus introduced. Hence, even in the relation that is there among the assets, the liabilities that accrue and the off-balance-sheet instruments of similar maturities or re-pricing frequencies, “income may fluctuate due to a lack of co-movement of rates”. For instance, a financial institution can decide to fund a loan whose payments are based on the US Treasury bill rate, with a deposit that re-prices based on Libor rates, exposing itself to the risk that can result henceforth in the changes that are not expected between two index rates.
Optionality: Banks are subject to interest rate risk through the use of instruments incorporating embedded options which can drive to loan refinancing or early deposit withdrawal. This may cause an unexpected change in cash flows and asset values for the financial institution. Embedded option risk or optionality is the risk that is caused by the options that are normally embedded in many banks assets and liabilities and also the off-balance-sheet portfolios. An illustration is a mortgage loan in addition to other security instruments such as the bonds that may either have the call option or the put option or both. Therefore proper management is required to avoid the risks that are associated with it . Therefore optionality is considered to be an increasingly important source of interest rate risk.
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision strongly recommends that “a bank engaging in residential fixed rate mortgage lending, should be aware of the optionality features of the risk embedded in many mortgage products that allow the borrower to prepay the loan at any time with little, if any, penalty (Hussain, 2000).”
Interest Rate Risk Assessing Models
The interest rate risk is a very significant risk in the banking books in that the interest rate risk will merit the support for capital Although credit risk is likely to remain the dominant risk to banks, the emergence of new financial products when considered in the context of growing competition in financial services has led to a significant increase of interest rate risk in commercial banking.
For this purpose, ALM is the unit in charge of managing the interest rate risk as well as the liquidity of the bank, focusing essentially on the commercial banking pole. ALM policies use two target variables in order to assess interest rate risk exposure: the interest income determined through the earnings perspective and the net present value of assets minus liabilities through the economic value perspective.
The Earnings Perspective
In the earnings approach, it is concerned with the changes that will affect the earnings generally. It therefore deals with the impact analysis of changes in the interest rates that will affect the earnings of the bank in overall.
Thus, the earnings perspective explains the sensitivity of earnings in the short-term to interest rate movements, which in the banking book is captured by accrual accounting and measures such as Earnings at Risk (EaR). In other words, the focus is on a traditional banking book where exposures are not market-to-market and interest rate risk arises due to volatility in the bank’s net interest income, over a given time horizon. Although banks usually adopt this perspective due to the immediate impact interest rate movements have on reported earnings through this variable and also due to the threat, volatility of earnings can pose to capital adequacy, this approach does not completely capture the impact of interest rate shocks on the market value of long term positions. Consequently some banks have moved towards an economic value orientation.
THE ECONOMIC VALUE PERSPECTIVE
Fluctuations in market interest rates can also impact on the bank’s economic valued assets, the liabilities therein and also the off-balance-sheet positions. Therefore, the sensitivity of the banks interest rate movements is a particularly important consideration for shareholders, management and supervisors alike. This approach examines the economic value of the bank as the value of the banks expected net cash flow today that is its present value. This is in short the expected cash flows plus the expected net of the cash flows on the off-balance-sheet position and finally minus the expected payments that relate to the liabilities.
Although the economic value perspective is more challenging to conduct due to assumptions concerning the behaviour of long-term instruments such as those with embedded options, it provides a more complete outlook of the potential long-term effects of interest rate volatility than is offered by the earnings perspective. The latter examines changes in near term earnings, hence may not provide an accurate sensitivity measure of a bank’s overall positions to interest rate movements.
In the banking books, the risk in interest rates is captured by accrual accounting and measures such as earnings at risk (EaR), the approach banks are lately attracted to, due to its simple implementation. Since EaR relies on existing data, as income that are always available, it provides a quick and easy overview of risks. However the EaR does not measure the economic value effects resulting from interest rate fluctuations but only looks at the impact of the shocks on the cash flows generated by the portfolio (i.e. a bank’s net interest income). Moreover, the major drawback of this simple approach is that does not relate the adverse deviation of earnings to the underlying risks because aggregates the effects of all risks.
The choice of techniques used in assessing interest rate risk depends on the bank’s orientation towards either economic value or earnings and also of the type of business model pursued by the bank. For instance, commercial lending or residential mortgage lending, are managed by a present value approach (economic value). Nonetheless “the economic value of a bank should be equivalent to the discounted sum of all future earnings in a risk neutral world” therefore these two approaches are consistent and both can be useful. Therefore, a focus on cash flows may suggest impending liquidity problems as cash flows drop and alternatively, a sharp decline in economic value may imply that the bank is insolvent, even if operations continue to produce cash flows in the near term (Joseph, 2006).
In the financial field, the value of any asset today is denoted as the present value of the asset and it the value of the cash flows today that are to be obtained in future. Therefore in calculating the present value, there is a discount rate to be used and the cash flows expected in future have to be estimated. Therefore the most challenging issue is to determine the appropriate discount rate to be used and the prediction of the expected cash flows in future which are usually complicated by factors such as the options embedded in the assets and liabilities. The liabilities include the deposits in the banks which are assets to the client, the assets includes loans that are liabilities to those taking up the loans. Therefore deposits and loans are some of the assets and liabilities that contain the embedded options.
An embedded option is one of the components of securities such as the financial bond security, the mortgage security where one of the party or in particular the issuer has the well defined right to take any action against the counter party. Therefore this will complicate the estimation of the cash flows and the interest rates. In fact, there are a number of options that can be embedded into the bonds such as; the puttable bond where there is the put option that is a contract that allows the owner the right but not the obligation to sell a specified amount of the security, callable bond where there is the call option that is a contract that gives the investor the ultimate right to buy a stock, bond or any other security however the investor does not have the obligation to buy the stock, bond or any other security, the convertible bond that can convert into common stocks and others.
For example, a five-year fixed-rate deposit with a financial institution containing an American put option is a bond that the investor has the right to put back to the institution at any time. Similarly, prepayment privileges on loans and mortgages are call options on bonds. A loan commitment made by a bank or another financial institution is a put option on a bond, giving the borrower the right to sell (put) the bond back for its face value any time within the life of the mortgage (Levinson, 2009).
“In practice, banks will generally have a mix of all these types of interest rate risks, with the effects potentially offsetting or reinforcing one another. It is the complexity of the resulting combination of factors that makes interest rate risk difficult to manage”, asserts English (2002) in his study. However he concludes that is improbable that interest rate movements can threaten the stability of a banking system.
The valuations of the securities are done using different approaches such as the Black Scholes model for bonds and other approaches where other securities that are embedded are priced similarly. Therefore to properly value debts with embedded options, one has to create a model that will take into account the probability that any of the options can be exercised also with the behaviour of the borrowers to determine when they will exercise the options. This can easily be illustrated using the options in the residential mortgages by implementing a straight forward valuation model. In addition, the mortgage interest has also decreased encouraging the use of mortgages. When the current mortgage rates are lower on an outstanding mortgage, the benefits of refinancing are thereby enhanced.
Mortgage loan are usually payable monthly and the instalments therein are usually due on the first, seventh, fourteenth or twenty-first calendar day of each month. In addition, each mortgage loan has a repayment schedule which is characterized by the instalments consisting of the payments of interest calculated on the outstanding loan balance and the repayment of the mortgage loan that is the principal portion of the amortization of the mortgage loan (McDowell, 2010). The higher the interest payments, the lower the principal portion repaid and the lower the interest, the higher the principal loan repayment since the instalments amount are fixed.
Mortgagors always have the option to either fully finance the loan before the maturity date or to partially repay the loans before the maturity dates. For the mortgagors, this will depend on their views about the possible opportunities that are there of refinancing the loan. This is because when the mortgagors have acquired the loan and the rates of interest are lower on the outstanding mortgage, the benefits of refinancing the loan are much higher. Normally, the benefits to the borrower who is holding a long-term fixed rate loan is the pay-off of the option under various interest rate levels which is determined as the time profile of the differential annuities savings after and before exercising of the option. Also the benefits to the borrower can be seen as the present value of these cash savings at the date of renegotiation that is when repaying the loan and contracting a new loan at a lower rate, with the same bank (Anderson & Kerr, 2001). Therefore, these loans are usually unexpectedly re-priced.
The uncertainty of the borrower’s time of payment of the loan by the lender such as prepayment of the loan by the borrower is quite a big issue to the lender in order to ensure that the proceedings go as expected. The lender therefore introduces the cash flow and the asset value uncertainty because to them the benefits that are there to a borrower are what make up the cost to them (Bragg, 2006). It is clear that the banks are there to make profits rather than losses and therefore this can be enhanced by ensuring the income they get for example from the loan interest far exceeds the expenses they will have to incur in lending out there money.
If the mortgage rates decline, the individuals will refinance their high fixed-rate or the variable-rate loans to lower fixed-rates loans, the results being margin deterioration for banks. Even though there will be increase in the cash inflow from the accelerated loan run-off and the refinancing fees that will be charged by the banks, in the long term view the cash flows from the loan run-off will decrease since the replacing of the mortgage will carry a lower rate than the original mortgage. Theoretically however, the losses can be limited by making the customers pay for the option that they can exercise which is in short determining the value that the customers should pay to compensate the additional cost of options that the banks will have to bear.
To the borrower, even though the prepayments usually generates a cost to them which is the penalty on the outstanding balance imposed to them, this cost does not at any point offset the benefits that arises by the borrower opting to borrow at a lower interest rates. This is because in the long term view, the lower borrowing interest rates will be advantageous to the borrower compared to the cost there will have to bare for exercising the option and the for refinancing.
In addition, embedded option risk is expected to be particularly important for regional and possibly super-regional banks rather than money-centre banks due to the difference in asset-liability composition and alternative hedging opportunities. Money-centre banks participate in mortgage securitization to a greater extent than regional and super-regional banks in addition to having lower levels of mortgage loans. Thus they are expected to have a lower level of embedded option risk (Brighouse & Hontoir, 2008).
However, if prepayments penalty of the borrower are eliminated or the closing stocks are reduced, the likelihood that the mortgage will be refinanced increases since the overall cost associated with the refinancing will have been reduced. The other way can also be to hedge the option risk using caps and floors and instead pay the cost of hedging the risk which is lower in the overall overview. The risk of the decreasing interest rates can be hedged by use of the floor that ensures there is a minimum fixed return even though the rate of the new loan is lower or by using caps where it is one of the methods of hedging risks that are guaranteed on the insurance contracts where there is a maximum value on the rate guaranteed to the customers in case of a rise in interest rates. Therefore, hedging is one of the risk management tools that are used in controlling the loss associated with the risks in the fluctuations of the prices of the banks interest rates (Dickson, 2006). It is basically the transfer of risks and not necessarily buying the insurance policies.
Therefore because of the option that is available in a fixed-rate home mortgage, it is known as a callable bond where the payments are normally made by the borrower to a bank or another financial institution. A callable bond is that type of a bond that gives the issuer of the bond the privileges of redeeming the bond at some point before the maturity of the bond. Therefore the issuer always has a right although not the obligation to buy back the bonds issued on the call date at a defined call price at that time. The call price is usually higher than the par value of the bond and the issue price and usually, there is a substantial call premium.
McDowell (2010) presents a mortgage pricing model that fully specifies all borrowers’ options with respect to default, since mortgage pricing models recognize two explicit options embedded in mortgage contracts, the right to default and the right to prepay. Regarding the latter, they evaluate a model containing two sources of uncertainty, interest rates and house prices. The sensitivity analysis conducted assuming a mortgage term of 30 years, revealed an increase in the probability of prepayment while increasing interest rate volatility, holding all else constant. This is pretty straightforward, as “higher interest rate volatility creates greater opportunities for interest rate declines to result in refinancing opportunities.
If there is a decline in the market rate of interest by the time of the call date, the issuer will therefore opt to refinance the debt at a cheaper level since the issuer pays the option in form of a higher coupon rate. The mortgages are a good example of callable bonds. The mortgages are usually fixed rate form of bonds. If the rates go down, a lot of home owners will refinance the mortgages. This will become a loss to the bank and advantageous to the house owners. Therefore, in general, the mortgage is usually embedded with the call option.
In practise therefore, the mortgagor’s is treated as formal call option, exercisable at any time and also at par. With the high change in the mortgage rates and the market based interest rate, the borrower can thereby determine the value of the refinancing option in advance and the comparisons are made to the attainable savings. Therefore the bonds such as the mortgage should be refunded only if the savings from the option exercise made represent close to 100% of the option value occurring when the rates are sufficiently low (McGrath, 2006). However, at 100% efficiency, the expected cost of waiting for further interest rate declines exceeds the cost of the new mortgage; the financially sophisticated borrowers will trigger refinancing as soon as the efficiency reaches 100% (McGrath, 2006).
VALUING A CALLABLE BOND
According to McDowell (2010), a callable bond is the same as a fixed rate home mortgage and the payments that are made by the borrower go to the bank and other financial institutions until the borrower decides to call the bond. A call option can be exercised as soon as the market value of the bond is higher than the value of the original bond as a result of the bond interest rates declining. The price known as the exercise price is also termed as the value of the original loan that the borrower could decide at any time to stop making the payments by paying it off is denoted as. The interest rates and the bond value are correlated, whereby a decrease in the interest rates will cause an increase in the bond value and an increase in the interest rate will decrease the bond value. If the interest rates decrease, the bond value will increase and there will be more money in the call option whereby the price will be denoted as at time t. to calculate the price, ,
The market value of the remaining payments at date
The mortgage at date
The option price (not-exercised) at date
Assuming the mortgage was a one factor model, the there is a correlation between the zero coupon bonds, interest rates and the prices. In addition, the zero coupon bond will increase in their price as the interest rates decreases and the zero coupon bonds will decrease as the interest rates increases. This means that the coupon bonds and the interest rates have a negative relationship. Exercising an American call option is not advisable especially before the expiration of a dividend paying asset; however there are exceptions to these. The exceptions are when the dividends or monthly payments to the credit institution and it will be appropriate to exercise the option at a time that is immediately before the final ex dividend rate.
For example, assuming the ?t is 0.25 years and the market prices for three months is USD 98.48 and USD 96.96, while the implied volatility which has an expiry of 6 months is 15%, we would first solve for r10 :
98.48 = 100 = 100
1+ r10 ?t 1+0.25 r10
Therefore the three month yield becomes 0.0617
For the six months Treasury bill, the average discounted value for the six months all over the path would therefore include a second step:
96.96 = 1 * « 1 + 1 *100
1+ r10 ?t 1+ r20 ?t 1+ r21 ?t
The right hand side is the discount factor for period one, while the second factor is the average discount factor.
The evaluation of a callable bond is a process. First and foremost one has to determine the monthly payments and the outstanding mortgage payments. That is the payments that are yet to be made between the day of the analysis and the date of the expiration of the mortgage loan. This is the same as coming up with the payment schedule of the loan outstanding.
Using the BDT approach, an interest rate tree is build taking into consideration the mortgage per yield curve and the volatility of the curve. At each node in the tree, the values are compared with each other whereby the value of the existing mortgage is compared against that of a newly financed mortgage. The newly financed mortgage is calculated as the par plus the refinancing costs of the callable bond. If the new mortgage has a lower value, then the value of the existing mortgage is replaced at the node otherwise, no replacements are made.
Comparison of the intrinsic and the time value of the option is done by working backwards whereby we will start with the final payments of the residential loan and the time value of the prepayment call option at each node (Dickson, 2006). Assessment is done at each node of the tree, the option pay off.
The value of the American call option at a specific date is calculated by working backwards through the lattice. Finally, the market value of the callable bond is measured as the difference between the values discounted. However, we would need to consider if the date that corresponds to a node is the call date. If it is, then the bond price in the future of the node is more than the call price. We would therefore have to reset the price to a call price.
This option available to the borrowers has motivated them into obtaining a mortgage. This is because if the mortgages were repayable at their market value instead, the borrowers would instead have no motive to refinance the loan and therefore they will perceive the mortgages to be an unfair deal to them. When considering a fixed rate mortgage, the refinancing ideas are more or less the same. In short, with the decrease in the interest rates, the borrower will always have the right to benefit permanently and in the same cases have the rights to be protected from increase in the interest rates. In this case however, the refinancing would not involve the costly process of re-qualifying the borrower, reappraising the property and paying a variety of loan fees and taxes.
THE EVALUATION OF THE PREPAYMENT OPTION
Home mortgage refinancing activity has grown at very high levels during the last several years since 1990 and is an important economic activity that has cropped up. Therefore, the ability to forecast when refinancing occurs, it is of interest to managers of lending institutions and the borrowers themselves.
We assume following Dickson (2006) that mortgage holders minimize the market value of their mortgage liabilities. They own a call option that gives them the right to receive an amount equal to each of the remaining mortgage payments in exchange for payment of the remaining principal plus any applicable transaction costs. The mortgage holder has a transaction cost Xi associated with prepayment, representing the fraction of the remaining principal balance that the mortgage holder must pay if he or she decides to prepay.
The following steps would be applicable for measuring the impact that the gradient of the interest rate term curve; the volatility of the natural logarithm of the short interest rate; the credit spread width and the transaction costs level has on the callable bond.
Inputting: this would require one to collect information for input. The two main sources are the provider Reutersand the interest rate term structure in terms of the short rate volatility. The information collected should be relevant and ensures timeliness that is the information should be up to date. In addition there is the developing of a binomial lattice tree by generating the algorithm using the BDT approach; from here we can compose the algorithm so as to know the lattice structure.
The parameters are then estimated so as to know of the short rate dynamics. This is where the use of retours comes in so as to estimate the input parameters for the BDT lattice structure. From these we can describe the dynamics in the stochastic of the interest rates.
Using the American call option, with a three year fixed mortgage then the amount of debt would equal to 1,000,000 Euros with payments made in every quarter. The payment schedule is important since it identifies the sequence of each payment between the date of analysis and the mortgage contract. The transaction costs level help to identify the strike prices of the call option.
The final step involves getting the short term interest rates by going back to the previous steps, two and three. To get the dynamics of obtaining the cash flow’s present value, a structure known as the lattice structure has to be constructed with the cash flow series of the mortgage and credit spread. To identify the price of the prepayment option, we would use the cash flows and the strike prices. The market value of the loan (bond) and the prepayment option are both used at the date of analysis. The market value of the mortgage is the price of the bond less the prepayment option.
In conclusion, when the short term structure is independent an increase in the volatility would cause an increase in the call option which would result to a decrease in the mortgage market value. If the positive gradient decreases, the negative gradient would result to a price increase. Therefore the prepayment option prices signify volatility changes with respect to the mortgage market value. The credit spread is related to the prepayment option price since it is a decreasing function. With high volatility levels, then the price sensitivity is high as well (Bragg, 2006). The transaction cost and the prepayment option price is negatively related. Considering that transaction costs exist, if the volatility increases the mortgage market value will decrease as well.
EVALUATING THE OPTION ADJUSTED SPREAD:
The binomial tree and the option adjusted spread can be used to evaluate the adjusted spread. The option adjusted spread is the same as the binomial tree only that there is a constant amount that is added to or subtracted at each rate so that the end value is the actual market price. The amount that is constantly added is known as the option adjusted spread value. The two options may conflict when it comes to the credit risk of the issuers, the liquidity risk that is exhibited by the markets and the different tax status payments. A callable security always yields more than a non callable issue. The differences in the nominal yields are eliminated by the OAS option.
It is useful and increasingly popular to quantify the spread between two rate structures. One structure is the binomial tree, appropriately calibrated to give a theoretical price. The other structure is the same tree but with a constant amount added to (subtracted from) each rate, such that the resulting value of the bond is the actual market price. The constant amount added (subtracted) is termed the option adjusted spread (OAS).
The on any two financial instruments may differ due to differences in:
credit risk of the issuers’
liquidity risk exhibited by the markets in which the instruments are traded
differential tax status of payments made on the issues and
For instance, the yield on a BB-rated straight corporate bond will exceed that on a straight treasury issue due to credit risk, whereas the yield on a straight municipal bond will be less than that n a similarly rated straight industrial bond due to tax differences.
The yield on a callable security will exceed that on another wise identical non callable issue. The OAS removes such differences from the nominal yields of two financial instruments, hence the term, option-adjusted. Thus the OAS reflects differences only in credit risk, taxability and liquidity risk. The authors illustrate this by supposing that the benchmark interest tree is for an on the run treasury issue, and calculate the theoretical price of a BB-rated, callable corporate issue using this structure. Not surprisingly, they find that the market price is substantially below the theoretical value, thus the rates that would deliver a price equal to market value would be greater than the benchmark, say by 210 basis points. Assuming we have priced the callable corporate issue taking the call feature carefully into account at each node, then the 210 basis point spread is option adjusted. In this case the spread represents differences in credit risk between the corporate issuer and the Treasury Department, and possibly differences in liquidity between the corporate and government bond markets.
In conclusion therefore, in order to evaluate the callable bond, we will need to adopt one of the commonly used steps in order to be successful in the process. Generally, in order to find the price of any bond we must determine the cash flows and discount them at an appropriate rate. Once we’ve grown and calibrated our BDT interest-rate tree, we may then price these securities by inserting cash flows at various nodes reflecting option payoffs. By then averaging and discounting, we can price a security with all of its option features taken into account.
First and foremost for each payment date, we will determine the payment schedule of the residential loan that is the mortgage that one is working on. The payment schedule is revised from the date of payment to the day that the mortgage contract comes to expiration.
Secondly, we will build an interest rate tree from the BDT model as seen earlier. The model should be build considering a bullet mortgage par yield curve and the volatility that is calibrated to the data.
The third step is to compute the value of the mortgage at each node. This is done using the back induction starting from the final scheduled payments. At each node, the value of the existing mortgage is compared with the value of a newly refinanced mortgage. The newly refinanced mortgage is assumed to be par value plus the refinancing costs. Therefore the value of the existing mortgage will be replaced at the node only if the mortgage has a lower value than the initial value.
Next, we determine, starting with the final scheduled payments of the residential loan, the time value of the prepayments call option at each node and then we work backwards. At this point, we will compare the intrinsic and the time value of the option. In the final step, we will access the option pay off at each node of the tree.
We will continue working backwards through the lattice while determining the value of the American call option at the date of analysis that is the first node of the lattice.
In fact, using numerical procedures, Chen et al. (2009) demonstrate how risk factors, such as interest rate volatility, house value return volatility, the loan to value ratio, and prepayment penalties, impact the value of a fixed-rate mortgage. In their numerical approximation, they consider a callable and default fixed-rate mortgage, including prepayment penalties. They employ an option-based approach which is derived from the contingent claims analysis of Cox, Ingersoll and Ross (1985), which models derivative securities based on a partial differential equation. The results show that the mortgage value is lower to the lender and greater to the borrower than the value of an equivalent option free mortgage, even at origination
Of course actual mortgagors prepay for a variety of reasons, not just because they want to refinance the same principal when interest rates drop. For example, some might choose to keep the principal amount unchanged while taking advantage of lower mortgage rates by paying the same monthly coupon amount as before, thereby paying off the loan more quickly than before. Others might choose to take advantage of increased property values by withdrawing equity and increasing the size of the loan. And many others prepay because, they sell their property.
Maturity Gap Analysis
The simplest measure of interest income exposure to interest rate risk is the GAP concept which has a central place in Asset-Liability Management. There are different types of interest rate gaps that can be broadly be classified into two as
- The variable interest rate gap. The variable interest rate gap is basically a difference of the assets and the liabilities that are interest sensitive. Therefore this is the defined difference between the interest sensitive assets and the interest sensitive liabilities.
- The fixed interest rate gap. This is usually for a certain time period and is also a difference between interest rate assets and liabilities but this time the interest rate is fixed. In short it is the difference between fixed rate assets and fixed rate liabilities.
When the variable rate gap is positive, the base of assets that are rate-sensitive is larger than the base of liabilities that are rate sensitive. If the index is common to both assets and liabilities the interest income increases mechanically with interest rate. The opposite happens when the variable rate gap is negative. When the interest rate gap is zero, the interest income is not sensitive to changes in interest rates. This approach is called gap analysis. How large the gap is that is its size for a specified time bucket, which is assets minus liabilities that re-price or mature within that time bucket, indicates the bank’s re-pricing risk exposure.
Although straightforward, gap analysis provides only a rough approximation of the actual change in net interest income because it does not take account of the changes that occur within a specified time while it ignores the results of change in the market rate which always cause a difference in spread between the interest rates (Bragg, 2006). The gap analysis also fails to relate the income and option related positions that are it does.
Duration Gap Analysis
In order to conclude about the effects of fluctuations in interest rates on the economic value, sensitivity weights can be applied to each time bucket. This approach is based on the duration as such that the percentage change in economic value will be obtained and related to the percentage change in the level of interest given a certain fixed duration of time. To add onto that such weights use the estimates that relate to assets and liabilities that fall within a specified time bucket. A combination of maturity/re-pricing schedule with sensitivity weights can be used to provide a rough measure of the volatility in the economic value of a bank that would result in case of interest rate movements..
Institutions with complex interest rate risk profiles primarily use simulations to assess the impact of changing rates on earnings. However, these simulation models typically entail detailed assessments of the potential impact of interest rate volatility on the earnings of the firm and also the economic value that bit gains by trying to simulate the interest rate that will be in the future and the effects that it will be imposed on the cash flows. In reality, this simulation models can handle the more the interest rates that change and varies a lot in the interest rate environment. This varied and refined change in the interest environment includes the changes in the slope and the shape of the yield curve to other interest rates as derived from the famous Monte’s simulation. For example in the statistic, a simulation is dealt with current exposures and a constant balance sheet with no new growth is assumed. In order to know how much the earnings are exposed, the simulations conducted on one or more interest rate scenarios, over a specific period. Dynamic simulations are considered to rely on detailed assumptions regarding changes on existing business lines, new businesses and changes in management and customer behaviour.
Such simulations can be useful in order to estimate the cash flows that are expected in the future (project the cash flows) and also any expected earnings and the economic value outcomes. Even though, dynamic simulation is highly dependent on key variables and assumptions that are extremely difficult to project with accuracy over an extended period.
It is further apparent that the mortgage loans give the borrowers of the loan the option to prepay the loan at book value and the refinancing option. If mortgages were repayable at their market value instead, borrowers would in this case have no financial motive to refinance, even though they might perceive market-value prepayment to be unfair. The same result can be obtained considering a fixed rate mortgage that would refinance itself. In other words, the borrower would always have the right to benefit permanently from reductions in interest rates while being protected against interest rate increases. In this case, the refinancing would not involve the costly process of re-qualifying the borrower, reappraising the property and paying a variety of loan fees and taxes.
In the market today, refunding efficiency is used as a tool by many corporate and municipal bond issuers in their refunding decisions
Refunding Efficiency = Present Value of Cash-flow Savings / Value of Call Option
It is therefore practical that the mortgagor’s right to refinance is now treated as a formal call option. The call option is exercisable at any time at par. Given the prevailing mortgage rates and market based interest rate volatility, the borrower can therefore determine the value of the refinancing option and compare it to the attainable savings.
The figure bellow illustrates how mortgagors can approach the refinancing decision using the notion of refunding efficiency. The new mortgage is assumed to be option-less and matching the amortization schedule of the outstanding one, for the remaining 25 years. (In reality the matching does not occur, however, as long as the new mortgage is fairly priced, its precise amortizing structure is irrelevant).
The two options may conflict when it comes to the credit risk of the issuers, the liquidity risk that is exhibited by the markets and the different tax status payments. A callable security always yields more than a non callable issue. The authors illustrate this by supposing that the benchmark interest tree is for an on the run treasury issue, and calculate the theoretical price of a BB-rated, callable corporate issue using this structure. Not surprisingly, they find that the market price is substantially below the theoretical value, thus the rates that would deliver a price equal to market value would be greater than the benchmark, say by 210 basis points. Although straightforward, gap analysis provides only a rough approximation of the actual change in net interest income because it does not take account of the changes that occur within a specified time while it ignores the results of change in the market rate which always cause a difference in spread between the interest rates (Bragg, 2006). Dynamic simulations are considered to rely on detailed assumptions regarding changes on existing business lines, new businesses and changes in management and customer behaviour.
In conclusion, seeking the optimal refinancing strategy, mortgagors might be too hasty to refinance accounting only for their monthly coupon payments while ignoring the expected present value of the new mortgage. As a result, the mortgagor might force an equilibrium solution that has a higher expected present value (Bragg, 2006). Conversely, employing the notion of refunding efficiency (Bragg, 2006) the borrower calculates the savings as the difference between the present values of the existing mortgage and the new one. From above, it is clear that banks typically split interest rate risk into two components: traded interest rate risk and non-traded interest rate risk. The non-traded interest rate risk is often referred to as interest rate risk on the balance sheet or in the banking book and therefore includes all commercial banking activities in the banking sector. Both refer to the potential impact of adverse movements in interest rates but they follow different accounting rules.
Indeed, when the short term structure is independent an increase in the volatility would cause an increase in the call option which would result to a decrease in the mortgage market value. If the positive gradient decreases, the negative gradient would result to a price increase. Therefore, the prepayment option prices signify volatility changes with respect to the mortgage market value. The credit spread is related to the prepayment option price since it is a decreasing function. With high volatility levels, then the price sensitivity is high as well (Bragg, 2006). Therefore, in order to evaluate the callable bond, we will need to adopt one of the commonly used steps in order to be successful in the process. Generally, in order to find the price of any bond we must determine the cash flows and discount them at an appropriate rate. Once we’ve grown and calibrated our BDT interest-rate tree, we may then price these securities by inserting cash flows at various nodes reflecting option payoffs.
Fig. 1. Refinancing decision for 25-year mortgages
The authors note that efficiency depends not only on the refinancing rate but also on the factors that affect the yield curve and thus the shape of the yield curve. Also the interest rate volatility affects the efficiency which we have assumed to be 16%. At a higher volatility the option value would increase and therefore the 100% efficiency level would require a lower rate (Anderson & Kerr, 2001). | <urn:uuid:e9eb624c-4538-4359-874e-e62a920f2c17> | {
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Tutorial 11: Practice Test on Tutorials 7 - 10
WTAMU > Virtual Math Lab > Intermediate Algebra
After completing this tutorial, you should be able to:
- Take a test on topics covered in tutorials 7 - 10 in
Special Notes about Tutorial 6:
I can not guarantee
you will pass
your test after going though any of the tutorials in this website or
practice test. However, it will definitely help you to better
the topics covered better.
Disclaimer: WTAMU and Kim Seward are not
for how a student does on any test or any class for any reason
not being able to access the website due to any technology
There are no videos on this page.
It is important to note that, chances are, I'm not your
math instructor. You
need to check with your math teacher as to things like when your next
test is and what it covers. It may cover more material on the
than what is in this practice test.
Just note that there are
other practice tests at this website. So, after finding out what is on
your test (if you have one) do the practice test(s) problems that go
the test you are preparing for. If you are not in a class or are
not having a test soon, this practice test is still good practice to go
through and check to make sure you are understanding this material
moving on - kind of like a spot check. The material on this practice
test goes with Tutorial 7: Linear Equations
in One Variable
8: An Introduction to Problem Solving
9: Formulas and Problem Solving
, and Tutorial
10: Linear Inequalities
Also note that your teacher may word the problems on
their test a
little differently, may have some different kinds of problems, or may
a different number of problems than what is in this practice test.
Again, since I'm probably not your math instructor, I don't know
how your teacher will set up your math test. Just note that these
problems will help you build an understanding of the concepts presented
and the terms used in math problems. If you have an
of the problems instead of just memorizing them, then you should do
on these concepts, no matter how the test is set up.
Steps to Studying for a
Work through problems. If you are in a
class, you should have
done this on completion of any homework you have done. For
you can accomplish this by doing the practice problems found in each
Check work on problems. The practice
problems in each tutorial
have links to the answers to them so you can instantly check how you
doing. Also, in most math books, the odd answers are found in the
back of the book.
Review concepts. Whether you got the
problems right or wrong,
make sure you review over them. If you did get a problem wrong,
sure you either review that concept in it's respective tutorial or ask
your math teacher about it. If you don't ask about a problem
a test, you are going to kick yourself when it comes up on the
Work through problems as if you were taking the
- no notes, book,
webpages, etc. This practice test is a perfect way to do
taking this practice test, check your answers by clicking on the link
the answer key found at the bottom of the practice test (before the
extra help on these topics' section)
It is to your benefit to show as much of the work as
the problems that have several steps involved.
Make sure that you read the directions carefully,
believe how many points get taken off math tests for people not
Pace yourself. You do not have to be the
first one done
to do well on the test. Do not panic if there is still time left
to take the test and others are turing it in. Sometimes that
they do not know the material and left some of the answers blank.
Do not worry about anyone else but yourself.
Don't rush through a problem.
Another thing that
math teachers take points off for are careless mistakes made by people
that rush through a problem. When those students get their tests
back, they bonk themselves on the head at some of the things that got
wrong, things that they knew how to do.
Check your answers. If you have time, go
back and check
Remember to breathe!!!! I know some of you
are scared to
death at the thought of having to take a math test of any kind.
you guys, try to relax and don't forget to breathe. (Even if you
aren't scared to take a math test, it is probably a good idea to
remember to breathe, I wouldn't want you to pass out during the
test). If it feels like your brain has left the building during
just close your eyes and breathe in and out and in and out and your
Good luck on your test. If you are taking a
math test soon,
don't panic, you are going to do great!!!
Problems 1a - 1c: Solve for the variable.
Problems 2a - 2c: Solve the word problem.
2a. The product of 5 and a number is 8 less than 7 times that
2b. The sum of 3 consecutive integers is 234. Find the
2c. You are wanting to buy a stereo system that costs $325
plus tax. If you are going to be taxed 8.25%, how much will be the
final cost of the stereo system? (round to the nearest cent)
Problem 3a: Solve the equation for the specified variable.
Problems 4a - 4b: Solve the following word problems.
4a You are traveling down I-40 at a constant speed of 70 mph.
How many hours will it take you to travel 385 miles?
4b. A farmer has three cylindrical shaped containers to hold
feed in. Each container has the same radius of 3 feet and height
of 4 feet. What is the total volume of the three containers?
Hint: the volume formula for a cylinder is
Problems 5a - 5c : Solve, write your answer in interval notation
and graph the solution set.
Need Extra Help on these Topics?
Last revised on July 3, 2011 by Kim Seward.
All contents copyright (C) 2001 - 2011, WTAMU and Kim Seward.
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Bulbaceous and rhizomatous, perennial, herb. Fl. yellow, May. Roadsides.
Beard’s Provinces: South-West Province.
IBRA Regions: Avon Wheatbelt, Jarrah Forest.
IBRA Subregions: Avon Wheatbelt P2, Northern Jarrah Forest, Southern Jarrah Forest.
Local Government Areas (LGAs): Donnybrook-Balingup, Northam, Williams, York.
General Biology. Growth form. Geophyte. Life form. Annually renewed bulb. Reproduction. Bulbils. Dispersal. Soil. Fire response. Generally survives fire.
Notes. Not known to set seed in Australia.
Additional information. Origin. South Africa. History of use/introduction. Garden escape.
Suggested method of management and control. Spot spray metsulfuron methyl 0.2 g/15 L + Pulse®, or 1% glyphosate. Apply at bulb exhaustion, generally just on flowering. Exercise care if manually removing as physical removal can result in spread of bulbils. Read the manufacturers' labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. For further information consult the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to determine the status of permits for your situation or state.
Legend: Y = Yes, regularly, O = Occasionally, U = Uncertain, referred by others but not confirmed.
FloraBase is produced by the staff of the Western Australian Herbarium, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Publication or other use of content on this site is unauthorised unless that use conforms with the copyright statement.
Western Australian Herbarium (1998–). FloraBase—the Western Australian Flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/ | <urn:uuid:bf20fcb6-1e93-4194-9441-1805a00926d7> | {
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Today is a big day for all our AI preceptories and enthusiastic, the three computer scientists often called as GodFathers of AI, Yoshua Bengio, Geoffrey Hinton, and Yann LeCun has been honored with this year’s Turing Award, the Nobel Prize of computing.
The three men have laid the foundations for many of the recent advances in artificial intelligence. The techniques developed by the trio in the 1990s and 2000s enabled huge breakthroughs in tasks like computer vision and speech recognition.
They have developed Deep Learning with conceptual and engineering foundations for AI by using neural networks for computing. Their work underpins the current proliferation of AI technologies, from self-driving cars to automated medical diagnoses.
The three winners will split a $1 million prize that comes with the award, which is currently funded by Google. The Turing award is named on the British mathematician Alan Turing, who laid the theoretical foundations for computer science and about whom I can talk whole year.
Recommended: 10 Machine Learning Algorithm You Must Know
Jeff Dean, Google’s head of AI, praised the trio’s achievements. “Deep neural networks are responsible for some of the greatest advances in modern computer science,” said Dean in a statement.
“At the heart of this progress are fundamental techniques developed by this year’s Turing Award winners, Yoshua Bengio, Geoff Hinton, and Yann LeCun.”
In 1983 Hinton co-invented Boltzmann machines, one of the first types of neural networks to use statistical probabilities. Hinton showed the solution to training so-called deep networks.
He coauthored a seminal 1986 paper on a learning algorithm called back-propagation. That algorithm, known as backprop, is at the heart of deep learning today, but back then technology wouldn’t quite come together.
Apart from this, Hinton heavily contributed to convents, invented neural network designs that are well suited to images, Hinto proved the concept by creating check-reading software for ATMs at Bell Labs.
Currently, Geoffrey Hinton is a vice president and a senior researcher at Alphabet Inc.’s Google Brain, chief scientific adviser of the Vector Institute and a professor at the University of Toronto.
“He is a genius and knows how to create one impact after another,” said Li Deng, a former speech researcher at Microsoft who brought Dr. Hinton’s ideas into the company.
Dr. LeCun takes the Hinton inventions to the next level, he moved to AT&T’s Bell Labs in New Jersey, where he designed a neural network that could read handwritten letters and numbers. An AT&T subsidiary sold the system to banks, and at one point it read about 10 percent of all checks written in the United States.
LeCun developed and grow the mindblowing capabilities of neural networks and make them more powerful and useful. LeCun pioneered, including backpropagation and convolutional neural networks, have become ubiquitous in AI, and, by extension, in technology as a whole.
LeCun says he is optimistic about the prospects of artificial intelligence, but he’s also clear that much more work needs to be done before the field lives up to its promise.
Current AI systems need lots of data to understand the world, can be easily tricked, and are only good at specific tasks. “We just don’t have machines with common sense,” says LeCun.
Yann LeCun currently is a vice president and chief AI scientist at Facebook and a professor at New York University. Bengio and LeCun are also co-directors of CIFAR’s Learning in Machines and Brains program.
Yoshua Bengio is mostly known for there astounding work in the field of neural network. Currently, Bengio is a professor at the University of Montreal and the science director of both Mila (Quebec’s AI Institute) and the Institute for Data Valorization.
Bengio pioneered methods to apply deep learning to sequences, such as speech, and understanding text. But the wider world only caught on to deep learning early in this decade, after researchers figured out how to harness the power of graphics processors or GPUs.
His research in Montreal helped to drive the progress of systems that aim to understand natural language and technology that can generate fake photos that are indistinguishable from the real thing.
Yoshua Bengio also works with Yann LeCun on computer vision breakthroughs when they were at Bell Labs, went on to apply neural networks to natural language processing, leading to big advances in machine translation.
More recently, he has worked on a method best known for enabling neural networks to create completely novel, but highly realistic, images.
The trio’s achievements are particularly notable as they kept the faith in artificial intelligence at a time when the technology’s prospects were dismal.
The foundation laid by Yoshua Bengio, Geoffrey Hinton, and Yann LeCun over the past several years, help us to build algorithms to extract patterns in data that recognized languages, environments, and objects and led to breakouts in speech recognition, robotics and machine learning of digital images and videos.
More in AI : | <urn:uuid:4abdb804-3bb9-49cc-bff1-51c5ad9e2d18> | {
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The Montreal Protocol Is the Most Successful Climate Agreement Ever
Its most recent victory is a phase-out on HFCs, a powerful greenhouse gas.
Remember the hole in the ozone layer? If you were around in the 80s, you definitely do—it was a climate bogeyman of the time, along with acid rain, and rightfully so.
It was in that decade that scientists confirmed that chemicals called CFCs (found in aerosol cans like hairspray and deodorant) were eating away at the ozone layer, and would produce some scary consequences, from skyrocketing skin cancer rates to damaging effects on plant life and marine ecosystems, if left unchecked.
That realization lit a fire under scientists and, importantly, government officials. (Margaret Thatcher, who trained as a chemist, was among those spooked by it.) In 1987, almost every country in the world signed the Montreal Protocol, agreeing on a plan to phase out damaging CFCs. Consumers bought in, too, voluntarily boycotting the spray cans. As a result of this global effort to get rid of CFCs, scientists now say the ozone layer is slowly healing.
The Montreal Protocol continues to have a huge impact. On Saturday, an amendment was added that will see the phase-out of another potent greenhouse gas, HFCs, used in refrigerators and air conditioners. Although HFCs aren't degrading the ozone layer like CFC's did, they do have 1,000 times the heat-trapping powers of carbon dioxide. Partly driven by growing demand for air conditioners, HFCs are one of the fastest-growing greenhouse gases, increasing at a rate of 10-to-15 percent per year in parts of the world.
This latest agreement is legally binding, and more than 170 countries have signed on.
We've seen some hefty climate summits lately, such as in Paris last year, where countries agreed to work together to limit the increase in global average temperature. That's nothing to sneeze at. But let's take a moment to appreciate the Montreal Protocol, which still isn't necessarily a household name—although it's done nearly 20 times as much for climate protection as the Kyoto Protocol, according to a New York Times op-ed by Durwood Zaelke and Mario Molina. (The latter won a Nobel Prize in 1995 for his work on CFCs in the atmosphere.)
"The Montreal Protocol has done more for climate protection than any other agreement," Zaelke, who is founder and president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, told me over the phone. Thanks to Montreal, "nearly 100 climate pollutants have been phased out, by nearly 100 percent," he continued.
Manufacturers saw the HFC ban coming, and have been preparing themselves by researching alternatives they'll be able to gradually phase in.
There are lessons to be learned from the Montreal Protocol's success, including the benefit of breaking up climate change, which is often treated as one massive problem, into "more manageable pieces," Zaelke said, "where you can focus on solving that one piece."
We should look to the Montreal Protocol's latest achievement as a sign of what's possible
Then there's the fact that the Montreal Protocol deliberately takes developing countries' needs into account, he said. With the new HFC ban, richer nations will phase the chemicals out first, followed by developing ones. Another element of it is that, while the pledges from Paris are voluntary, the Montreal Protocol actually includes trade sanctions—it can punish nations that don't abide by its terms (although it's never been used to do so). These sanctions are only used as a last resort, but they still give the agreement some teeth.
We need to keep working to limit CO2 emissions, but Zaelke also pointed out that a big dent can be made by cutting back on what he calls "short-lived climate pollutants," a category that includes HFCs. Quick mitigation of HFCs and these other pollutants (black carbon, methane, and tropospheric ozone) could avoid 0.6°C of future warming by 2050, and up to 1.5°C by end-of century, he told me. That's significant. So we need to focus on them, too.
This year has seen plenty of bad climate news, from relentlessly hot temperatures to a melting Arctic, extreme drought, and out-of-control wildfire. We should look to the Montreal Protocol's latest achievement as a piece of good news, and a sign of what's possible.
"I am optimistic," Zaelke told me. "When the yogurt finally hits the fan, and world leaders are personally splattered, they're going to turn to us and say, What can I do that's fast? We'd better have a plan that's perfected and underway."
Get six of our favorite Motherboard stories every day by signing up for our newsletter. | <urn:uuid:af08ef3a-3435-4a30-a9e4-a535254e6fe8> | {
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DAKAR, Senegal — When Salma Sylla was a little girl, she tried to find relief from Senegal’s steamy hot season by retreating to the roof of her home to sleep. Restless and overheated, she would lie awake staring at the stars.
The area where she lived outside Dakar, the capital, had no electricity, and the heavens sparkled. She tried to count the stars, realizing more shone on some nights than on others.
Ms. Sylla, now 37, was intrigued. But studying the stars in Senegal was not easy: High school courses were limited; libraries rarely had books on space; telescopes were few and expensive.
Not much has improved since Ms. Sylla was a girl; astronomy offerings are extremely limited in Senegal’s universities. But officials here hope to change that, as part of a mission to improve science, technology, engineering and math skills by bolstering the country’s university programs and building a science and research center.
The undertaking is part of “Emerging Senegal,” a broad development strategy by President Macky Sall that also includes plans for a planetarium.
The effort got a lift last week, when Senegal welcomed a team of more than three dozen scientists from the United States and France, part of NASA’s New Horizons program. The scientists fanned out across the countryside in hopes of observing the silhouette cast by an ancient chunk of rock orbiting beyond Pluto as it passed in front of a bright star.
The viewing was intended to help the team prepare for when the plutonium-powered New Horizons spacecraft passes by the object — nicknamed Ultima Thule (Beyond the Known World) — on New Year’s Eve.
“This is the farthest exploration of anything in space that has ever taken place, by quite a lot,” said Alan Stern, project leader for NASA’s New Horizons mission. “We are way, way out there.”
For the scientists, coming to Senegal was a process of elimination. Most of the areas that offered the best viewing were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The other options — in neighboring Mali, for example — were in areas patrolled by violent extremists.
The countryside of Senegal is peaceful, parts of it do not have electricity, and many rural areas are sparsely populated. That was a bonus for the scientists, who wanted a clear sky, free of light. Still, Senegal was a risky proposition. The area is on the cusp of the rainy season, and cloudy skies threatened to block the event, which occurred early Saturday and lasted less than a second.
Scientists are still evaluating data from the viewing, but the skies turned out to be clear and they are hopeful.
Senegal was an enthusiastic host. About two dozen Senegalese astronomers and scientists, including Ms. Sylla, accompanied the New Horizons team in the field and contributed to the viewing.
African countries have racked up their own space achievements. Moroccan astronomers have discovered comets, asteroids and planets outside our solar system. Ghana’s first satellite is now orbiting the earth. Students in Tunisia have organized public events to observe the sky, even though they do not have an observatory.
“Astronomy is virtually as popular in Africa as it is everywhere in the world,” said David Baratoux, the president of the African Initiative for Planetary Sciences and Space, who is based in France.
The biggest hindrance is money. The United States spends more on its space program than the value of Senegal’s entire economy. The 21 high-powered telescopes brought by the New Horizons team were nearly double the number of telescopes available in all of Senegal.
The New Horizons team hopes that the telescopes in Senegal and a handful in Colombia, with some assistance from the Hubble Space Telescope, will answer some questions about Ultima Thule, part of the Kuiper belt, before its spacecraft arrives. Is it shaped like a potato, for instance, or is it actually two objects orbiting each other?
Last week, at a late-night dress rehearsal for Saturday’s viewing, Diarra Dieng, an applied physics student in Dakar, tweaked the settings on a $3,500 telescope, guided by a NASA scientist.
“This is amazing,” she said, as she tried to train the telescope on the correct star.
Instructors at Ms. Dieng’s high school in Dakar had encouraged her to pursue studies in science, but she was skeptical at first. “I never knew girls could do this kind of work,” she said.
The New Horizons team had spread across the lawn of a conference center to work out equipment kinks ahead of the viewing. The biggest problem came when someone accidentally turned on the sprinkler system.
The scientists let anyone milling about the nearby parking lot get a view of Saturn and Mars. Students who had studied astronomy through online courses joined a long line. Fathers hoisted small children to the eyepiece. The minister of higher education took a peek.
“Mmmmm,” was all one woman could say, shaking her head as if in disbelief.
The higher education minister, Mary Teuw Niane, said he hoped the team’s visit would foster future student collaborations with NASA.
Anne Verbiscer, an astronomy professor at the University of Virginia and part of the New Horizons team, said she valued working with Senegalese students and could relate to overcoming hurdles in pursuing a career in astronomy.
Dr. Verbiscer was 5 when a human first walked on the moon in 1969. Transfixed by the Apollo mission, she wanted to be an astronaut for Halloween. So she shopped for a costume with her mother and finally found one: It was in the boys’ section.
In Senegal, Ms. Sylla remembers her grandmother telling her the stars were obscured some nights to help hyena hunters go undetected. Her quest to find out what was really happening in the skies led her to persist. She cobbled together studies at Senegalese institutions and abroad.
Today, Ms. Sylla is the first Ph.D. student in astronomy at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. | <urn:uuid:64987328-df61-4adf-b209-051409b75aba> | {
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Submitted by Tim Buckley on Wed, 01/12/2011 - 9:54am.
Wednesday morning's visible satellite image gives us a rare sight here in the Cape Fear area -- snow! The snow cover from this past storm is clearly visible as skies have finally cleared out across the region.
Take a look!
All of the white you see on land north of Wilmington is snow on the ground. As you can see, some melting has taken place since the snow initially fell back on Monday - but there's still plenty of snow cover in Pender County / Columbus County / Bladen County and points north. This frequently shows up on visible satellite images during the winter months across the US, but it's rare to see it here in our area just because we don't often have snow on the ground.
But how can a satellite positioned 22,000 miles above the Earth see the snow in our area in great detail? It works like this. A visible satellite image is made up of light from the visible spectrum that is reflected back to space. Since clouds are one of the best reflectors of visible light, they show up great on these images. But, snow acts the same way - and shows up similarly as you can see in today's example.
In fact, in certain situations it can be difficult at first glance to tell the difference between clouds and snow on a single image. There are some easy ways to tell though. If you look closely, you can often see rivers/streams/forests embedded within the snow cover. You can clearly the Lumber River today on our image, which looks like a dark diagonal line through the snow toward the South Carolina border.
Perhaps the easiest way to tell the difference between clouds and snow is to view a loop of the satellite image. As you might guess, the snow doesn't move, while the clouds do.
Here's a broader look across the Southeast.
In this image you can really see the snow continue back into South Carolina, Georgia, and all the way west into Arkansas. There are some clouds in this image as well in the North Carolina mountains and into Tennessee - and you can see by a quick glance its difficult to tell the difference.
A fun test to do over the next few days of clear skies is to check back at these pictures and "watch" the snow melt from space.
That's all for now, enjoy the sunshine!
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Sexual orientation and transgender identity hate crime
If someone has been violent or hostile towards you because of your sexual orientation, this is known as a homophobic hate incident.
Hostile or violent incidents because of your transgender identity are known as transphobic hate incidents.
Hate incidents can happen anywhere. Sometimes you may know the person who attacked you, but often hate incidents are carried out by strangers.
Read this page to find out more about homophobic or transphobic hate crime and incidents and what you can do about it.
What is a homophobic or transphobic hate incident?
Something is a homophobic or transphobic hate incident if the victim or anyone else thinks it was carried out because of hostility or prejudice based on sexual orientation or transgender identity.
This means that if you believe something is a hate incident, it should be recorded as this by the person you are reporting it to.
Sexual orientation and transgender identity refer to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT).
Who can be the victim of a homophobic or transphobic hate incident?
Anyone can be the victim of a homophobic or transphobic hate incident.
You can be the victim of a homophobic or transphobic hate incident if someone believes you’re a LGBT person even though you’re not. You can also be the victim of a hate incident because of your association with members of the LGBT communities.
What type of incidents can be a homophobic or transphobic hate incident
Homophobic and transphobic hate incidents can take many forms including:
- verbal and physical abuse
- physical violence
- threatening behaviour
- online abuse
- damage to property.
It can be a one-off incident or part of an ongoing campaign of harassment or intimidation.
Hate incidents are not only carried out by strangers. It could be carried out by a carer, a neighbour, a teacher or someone you consider a friend.
When is a homophobic or transphobic hate incident also a hate crime?
When a homophobic or transphobic hate incident becomes a criminal offence, it’s known as a hate crime. There are no specific homophobic or transphobic hate crimes. Any criminal offence can be a hate crime, if the offender targeted you because of their prejudice or hostility against LGBT people.
When someone is charged with a homophobic or transphobic hate crime, the judge can impose a tougher sentence on the offender under the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
Remember, the incident you’ve suffered may still be a crime even if it’s difficult to show it was carried out because of hostility based on sexual orientation or transgender identity.
What you can do about a homophobic or transphobic hate incident or crime?
If you’ve experienced a homophobic or transphobic hate incident or crime you can report it to the police. You can also report a hate incident or crime even if it wasn’t directed at you. For example, you could be a friend, neighbour, family member, support worker or simply a passer-by.
If you’re being repeatedly harassed by the same person or group of people, it’s best to report all the hate incidents you experience to help the police get the full picture.
When reporting the incident or crime you should say you think it was motivated by hostility or prejudice based on sexual orientation or transgender identity.
Incidents at work
If you’ve experienced acts of hostility or harassment because of sexual orientation or transgender identity at work, you may have a discrimination claim under the Equality Act 2010.
Incidents at or near home
Many homophobic or transphobic hate incidents happen near the victim’s home. For example, you may be repeatedly harassed or intimidated by neighbours or local youths. People may be throwing things like rubbish in your garden or damaging your property. Sometimes, disputes with neighbours escalate into verbal or physical abuse.
You can report these incidents to the police. There are also other things you can do to stop these acts.
You can get your local authority or landlord to take action under their anti-social behaviour powers. You can also take civil court action to get compensation and an order to stop the perpetrator continuing with the behaviour under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
Incidents at or near school
When bullying is motivated by hostility or prejudice based on disability, it can be a hate incident. Bullying in itself is not a criminal offence. But if it’s serious enough, it could also be a hate crime. Bullying includes cyber bullying.
If you’ve experienced homophobic or transphobic bullying, the school should deal with it under their behaviour policy. They should also co-operate with the police and social services if they become involved.
If the school fails to deal with the bullying, you may have a discrimination claim under the Equality Act 2010. You may also be able to challenge the schools failure to act under their public sector equality duty.
- What are hate incidents and hate crime?
- How to report a hate incident or hate crime
- Problems reporting a hate incident or hate crime
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What is perihelion and aphelion of earth?
In the solar system, perihelion and and aphelion are the positions of a solar orbiter (planet or comet or asteroid) when the the distance from the Sun is least and greatest respectively.
Also, they are used to give least and greatest distances. As the orbits are elliptical, by symmetry, the time for moving from either to the other is (orbit period)/2. For the Earth, perihelion is 1.471 E+08 km and aphelion is 1..521 E+08 km, nearly. The Earth reaches these positions in the first week of Jan and Jul. | <urn:uuid:70603e0c-b2c2-4222-bf90-067b78e81c7f> | {
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NASA has requested $16.2 billion for FY 2005, a slight increase (5.2%) over the agency's congressional appropriation in FY 2004. The increase is largely for reorienting the agency toward space exploration and manned missions to the Moon and Mars. In mid-January President Bush announced a new mandate for NASA; a return to the moon with robotic missions no later than 2008. To accomplish this goal, $11 billion would be reallocated from other NASA programs. The plan also calls for completing work on the International Space Station by 2010 and refocusing onboard research on the effects of space flight on astronaut health. The shift in NASA's mission would add 1% in FY 2005 to the space science budget, which would increase to $4.1 billion.
Programs that feel the effect of the reallocation are the Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) and Earth science applications. ESE would be cut by 7% to $1.41 billion and Earth science applications would decrease 15% to $76.9 million. Despite the cuts, the ESE budget includes funding to complete the current generation of satellite systems, the June 2004 launch of the Aura satellite that will look at the physics and chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere, and Cloud-Sat satellites to study climate and weather.
NASA budget documents are available at http://www.nasa.gov/about/budget/index.html.
The proposed funding for NOAA in FY05 is $3.3 billion, an 8.2% decrease from last year's appropriation. Within NOAA, the majority of the research is managed by the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), which is slated to receive a 12% decrease, leaving the program with a total of $350 million. Under the President's FY05 budget request, the National Ocean Service (NOS) would receive $394.3 million (down 22%). The National Weather Service is slated for a 3% increase, bringing the total to $749 million.
NOAA's budget slashes funding for the "wet side", which includes the NOS and OAR. Programs in NOS that will receive less funding than last year include: Navigation Services (down $15 million), Ocean Resources Conservation and Assessment (down $80 million) and Ocean & Coastal Management (down $31 million). In OAR, the Ocean, Coastal and Great Lakes Research program was cut by $50 million. The Weather and Air Quality Research program was cut by $20 million. However, the Climate Research Program requested $13 million more than last year.
NOAA's budget documents are available at http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/budget2005/.
The Department of Education (ED) requested a total of $57.3.4 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of nearly 3% from last year's funding level. Similar to the last couple of years, the ED program for math and science education for elementary and secondary education is funded through the Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program -- there is an identically named program at the National Science Foundation that complements the ED program. The funding request for MSP is $269.1 million, an 80% increase over last year's allocation. However, this funding is primarily for mathematics, not science. In addition, this large increase is due to a decrease in the NSF part of the MSP program. The Administration is phasing the MSP program out of NSF and trying to move it entirely to ED.
Additional information on the ED budget is available at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/Budget04/04summary/index.html.
In its FY 2004 request, EPA has sought a total of $7.76 billion, down 2% from the agency's FY 2004 appropriation. Extramural research grants and graduate fellowships administered by the EPA would be severely cut under the FY 2005 budget request. The Science to Achieve Results (STAR) graduate fellowship program would be cut by 33.5 % relative to the FY 2004 enacted level. Approximately 93 fewer of the larger STAR research grants would be awarded. The cuts to the STAR program are somewhat surprising because the National Academy of Science called the program "excellent" in a recent report. Research programs that would be affected by the proposed cuts in EPA STAR funding include: ecosystems protection ($22.2 million decrease), pollution prevention ($5 million decrease), endocrine disruptors ($4.9 million decrease), mercury research ($2 million decrease) and hazardous substance research centers ($2.3 million decrease). Other research programs that would receive less funding next year include an $8.3 million cut for Homeland Security Building Decontamination Research and a $1 million cut for Environmental Technology Verification. Lastly, all funding for the EPA Office of Environmental Education would be eliminated in the proposed budget. The office received approximately $10 million in FY 2004.
EPA's budget documents are available at http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/budget/budget.htm.
The Department of Agriculture supports several programs in soil science, watershed management, and water resources. Most of these programs are funded through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which requested a total of $2.76 billion. Within this amount, $40 million would go towards watershed and flood prevention operations, $5 million would go towards watershed surveys and planning activities, $20 million would go towards ground and surface water conservation program, and $295 million would go towards the Wetlands Reserve Program. Of all programs mentioned, only the Wetlands Reserve Program would see an increase in funding. The Emergency Watershed Protection account would not be funded at all under the proposed FY 2005 budget.
Additional information on the Department of Agriculture's budget request is available at http://www.usda.gov/agency/obpa/Home-Page/obpa.html.
Total funding for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) would decrease by 6.5% from last year's funding level, for a total of $5.2 billion. The FY 2005 budget proposes a $63.8 million increase in funds for the National Fire Plan, which includes program increases for wildfire suppression and hazardous fuel reduction. The total request for the National Fire Plan from both Forest Service and the Department of Interior is $2.5 billion.
Funding for wildland fire management would decrease by 12% from last year's allocation, to total $1.4 billion. Forest and Rangeland research requested an increase of $14.3 million for science and technology. The Minerals and Geology Management program requested $60 million, a 10% increase from last year's funding level.
Addition information on the USFS budget request is available at http://www.fs.fed.us/budget_2005/.
The FY 2005 request for the Smithsonian is $628 million, including a new Facilities Capital account. This funding level marks a 27% increase from the FY 2004 appropriation. Approximately $21 million of the $32 million increase would be used primarily for renovation and revitalization of facilities. The National Zoological Park would get $19.5 million and the National Museum of Natural History would get $7 million for revitalization projects.
Last year a specially appointed science commission released a report outlining the role of research within the Smithsonian. The report noted that funding erosion and poor long-term scientific leadership have placed the institution in poor financial standing. Adding to the funding complexities are congressionally mandated increases for targeted programs; the report asserts: "The cannibalization of staff positions to fund these mandated increases must stop." Earlier, the National Research Council released a report with similar findings. The message, however, does not appear to have had a significant impact on the president's FY 2004 request. This year, however $1.5 million would go toward implementing some of the commission's recommendations such as expanding the fellowship program and providing funds for the care of the collections at the National Museum of Natural History.
Special update prepared by Emily M. Lehr, AGI Government Affairs Program and Gayle Levy, AGI/AAPG 2004 Spring Semester Intern.
Sources: Agency budget documents, Environment and Energy Daily, Greenwire,
The Washington Post
Please send any comments or requests for information to the AGI Government Affairs Program.
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History of Afterlife in Different Religions Judaism Part 1
About the views on life after death and the afterlife and history of the beliefs in the Jewish religion.
THE AFTERLIFE IN DIFFERENT RELIGIONS
The soul may have difficulty separating from the physical body at death and may experience a loss of identity. To prevent this from happening, Dumah (Silence), guardian angel of the dead, asks each soul for its Hebrew name. If the soul in life has learned a Torah verse that begins with its first initial and ends with the last letter of its name, it will remember its name in death, for the Torah is eternal.
The newly dead soul may be unable to silence all the sensory images and noise that cling to it from this world. Two angels stand at each end of the world and toss the soul back and forth to get rid of this earthly static. Otherwise, the lost soul would wander in the world of Tohu (Confusion and Emptiness), perhaps for hundreds of years.
After death the impure soul goes to Gehenna (Gehinnom). It is located beneath the land and the sea and has entrances in both places. It is immeasurably large, dark, and cold, but within it are rivers of fire. Here the soul is purged of all defilement that it has accumulated during its lifetime. Punishments may consist of being cast into fire and snow or being hanged from different limbs of the spirit body. The thoroughly wicked remain here in everlasting disgrace. The ordinary soul need stay no more than 12 months, during which time it can be helped by prayers and sacrifices made by the living. (It is an insult to recite prayers for more than 11 months, because it implies that the deceased would be required to serve the full term.) Gehenna is emptied on the Sabbath, and the souls are given a glimpse of the light of Paradise. Without this respite, they would be unable to endure the anguish of the other six days in Gehenna.
Now the soul is ready to enter Gan Eden (Paradise, or the Garden of Eden) where it will be bathed in a `River of Light to cleanse away all lingering earthly illusions. First it goes to the lower Gan Eden, the heaven of emotional fervor. It will revel in benign emotions extended toward God and other souls. Souls with interests in common form heavenly societies in which they serve God according to their area of specialization. Each group has its own leader, or rabbi, to help it progress in celestial attainments.
|You Are Here: Trivia-Library Home » The Afterlife in Different Religions » History of Afterlife in Different Religions Judaism Part 1|
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The ceremony of a traditional Hindu wedding is conducted in Sanskrit. The wedding ceremony takes place over several days. The wedding ceremony is supposed to take place in open space and the bride’s family usually set up a tent or canopy in their backyard and filled with flowers, colorful personal decorations, and jewelry. The "bright half" of the northern course is when most weddings are held. The wedding is a happy affair and most objects contain many vibrant colors. The bride wears a sari and the groom wears a turban on his head. The wedding signifies a bond between the bride and groom and also the two families.
Many regional rituals have evolved over time. The couple has both an oral agreement (vagdana) and a written contract (lagna-patra). The ceremony is basically a fire-sacrifice (Vedic yajña).
The priest or Brahmin officiates at the wedding ceremony. The wedding begins when the curtain is removed and garlands of sandalwood chips are placed around the necks of the bride and groom. .During the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom give each other garlands signifying respect for each other as partners. Yogurt is offered by the father of the bride to the groom as a symbol of respect and welcoming the groom to the family. Then the bride’s father places his daughters hand in the groom’s hand asking him to accept his daughter as an equal partner.
The bride places both her hands into the groom's. Her brother gives her rice. The bride and groom offer the rice as a sacrifice into the fire. To symbolize the couples eternal love, their pledge to love each other and remain faithful, scarves are placed around the bride and groom and then ties together. Appreciation for knowledge, values, sacrifice and service
Signifying four goals in life, religious and moral, prosperity, earthly pleasures and salvation, the bride and groom walk around the fire four times. Led by a priest or a Brahmin, the happy couple then takes seven steps together signifying
Respect and honor
Sharing joys and sorrow
Trust and loyalty to the other one
Appreciation for knowledge, values, sacrifice and service
Confirm their vow of purity, love family duties and spiritual growth
Follow the path of righteousness
Encourage an everlasting bond of love and friendship
The couple is blessed by their parents by dipping a rose in water and sprinkling the water on the couple. The groom applies a small dot of vermilion (powdered red lead) to the bride's forehead and welcomes her as his partner for life. Then the bride and groom touch the feet of their parents as a sign of respect.
Today’s Hindu weddings have been commercialized like many old traditions, but many of the ancient rituals still remain.
Wedding Cultural Differences | <urn:uuid:f107a8bc-bec3-4348-ab50-0ef867fe850b> | {
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I made this video to provide a clear example of what radiant energy (static electricity) looks like on a Bedini motor. On this motor, you can see blue sparks on the mechanical, magnetic triggered switch, which is called a "reed switch." The Reed switch does NOT spark when the contacts close, but upon disconnecting, a back EMF spike is produced, which produces the radiant energy, and this produces a beautiful blue spark. The spark occurs on the disconnect, which is proof that there is energy occurring on an open circuit - this energy normally gets wasted, and without a charging battery hooked to this, the power is being wasted.
This is a Bedini window motor. For experimental purposes, it uses mechanical reed switching to provide a clear example of radiant electricity being produced. There are 3 coils of wire. 1 coil is the power wire, the 2nd coil is a charging wire, and the 3rd coil is a pickup coil, which is optional, and not used in this configuration. Note that in this video, the radiant energy is not being used for anything.
This motor can easily be used like an SSG (simple school girl). You can use the radiant energy that is produced to charge batteries. You simply hook up a bridge rectifier on the secondary coil, and your done!
Contrary to some popular opinions, the radiant charging of this charger is just as powerful as an SSG. The switching speed is very rapid, since there is a mechanical reed switch triggered by 1/16" Neo magnets. This motor is more complex than an SSG, but personally I find it much more attractive and interesting. It can be made to spin at very high RPM without a lot of inertia, and the very large coil provides 600 volt radiant spikes! The only downside is that the coil uses very small gauge wire, which isn't ideal for charging large batteries, so you'll need to rig up a system of discharging into capacitors first, then dumping the capacitor into a battery, which is called "impedence matching." The reason is, batteries have low resistance (low impedance) and this can cancel the radiant energy if you are using really thin wire - as with this motor. You can use thicker gauge wire like 19 gauge and it will fix the problem so you can charge a battery directly.
Browse the Ritalie.com "Free Energy Webstore" here: http://www.ritalie.com/store
Thanks for looking! | <urn:uuid:6e948fae-2a86-429a-8e73-d9691b059bee> | {
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Sex Offenders Outline Term-Paper
Committing sex crimes is one of the most wide-spread types of offense, and it is one of the scariest ones, as often it is targeted at children. In different countries there are various jurisdictions applicable for sex offenders and various definitions of sex crimes. They can be minor, such as receiving or sending obscene content in SMS messages, and can be such that involve a victim or several victims. And the latter kind of cases is the one, towards which the government prevention efforts are directed.
Despite the efforts and different programs, recidivism rate among sexual offenders reaches 5.3%. It is not a positive tendency, as it means that every 19th offender released from prison commits new sex crime within 3 years after release. While according to statistics, sex offenders are less likely to get arrested for any crime (43% against 68%), they are more likely to commit the same kind of crime – 5.3% versus 1.3%. An average age of sex offenders’ victims is less than 13, and for rape victims – around 22.
The above presented statistics may seem really scary, and rightly so. In order to change the situation, some urgent measures have to be taken and effective programs to decrease recidivism cases should be implemented. Today one of the effective ways of keeping sex offenders under some kind of control is regular updating of sex offender registry. In the US such databases are open to the public through special websites or other sources. The offenders are classified into… | <urn:uuid:bf77d307-93ee-49b6-af0f-66459e3dba04> | {
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System of Equations Problem
Vivien is trying out cupcake flavors for her birthday, and she plans on buying a certain number of each flavor. The first flavor red velvet costs $2.00, and the second flavor chocolate peanut butter cost $1.50 If 25 people are attending her party how many cupcakes can she buy of each if her budget is $45?
X represents the amount of red velvet cupcakes bought, and the domain on the graph below.
Y represents the amount of chocolate peanut butter cupcakes and the range in the graph below.
Work and Explanation
My two equations used to represent these problems are x+y=25 and 2.00x+1.50y=45
Graph of My System of Equations
Analysis of Results
My results represent the point at which you would stay in budget while buying 25 red velvet and chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. This means that event though you could change the amount of cupcakes for each flavor, you would be over or under the budget of $45. I completed and analyzed this problem because it interested me in how I could find the amount of cupcakes I could get for my birthday while setting a budget that I could stay within. These types of problems occur in real life because while planning a wedding or a party one normally has a set budget, so if one used this method they could solve a system of equations to find a way to stay within their budget. | <urn:uuid:3c6561c1-c17d-4edf-9da9-1940d65a71d7> | {
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Rape, also known as sexual assault, is forcing someone to take part in a sexual intercourse against someone's will. Rape also includes having sexual relations with someone with intellectual disabilities or someone who is unconscious. Rape is a crime that is punishable by law. Sometimes the victims of rape fail to report this crime to authorities because they feel that society will look down on them, especially if the perpetrator is a person of authority. Rape is a serious issue affecting many societies. That's why students encounter essays on rape. Sample papers give you information on what your rape essay should look like. They help you to understand how to outline the introduction, main body, and conclusion. | <urn:uuid:5aab21f6-76d0-4434-a88c-9a5efd96a056> | {
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An explanation of the Ferber training method of getting your baby to sleep.
One of the major shocks of having a new born is the complete lack of sleep induced by being kept awake by your little one and their small, but incredibly powerful set of lungs. There are many different methods that can be tried in order to get your baby into a regular sleeping pattern, and none are more successful, yet controversial, than the Ferber method.
Devised by the American paediatrician Richard Ferber in 1985 within his book 'Solve your childs sleep problem,' the Ferber method basically means you leave your child to soothe them self to sleep when they are emotionally and physically ready. Ferber believes this can be done between the first 4-6 months of life, and although has been proven to be incredibly successful, is still a controversial method to adopt.
The Ferber method recommends that following a loving and warm bedtime routine, usually involving bath time, you put your baby to bed awake, then leaving them, even if they cry, for periods of time that increase as the time spent using the method goes on. Ferber argues that it is the putting to bed of a baby awake that teaches them to go to sleep on their own. In order to adopt the Ferber approach, when your baby starts to cry, leave them for roughly five minutes before returning to soothe, but do not pick up or feed them.
When they are settled leave again, and when the crying inevitably starts, return after a slightly longer period of time, gradually increasing this as each night passes. The suggested waiting time is based on how comfortable you feel with the technique and how many days you have using it. Ferber argues that after a few weeks of gradually increasing the waiting time, most, but not all babies will learn to fall asleep on their own, when that are ready, learning that crying earns a check on, not completely devoted and unlimited attention.
The main advantage of the Ferber approach is that is does seem to work, allowing you a much more sound night of sleep after the process has settled into a routine. It also encourages baby to send themselves to sleep when their body and mind tells them to.
The main problem of using, and inparticularly starting the method is the emotional upheaval that leaving your baby crying creates. For most parents, sitting outside their baby's room while they cry, without being able to pick up, feed or cuddle them is extremely difficult, and parents find they simply can't do it, and quit the technique before it takes off.
Parents also find it difficult to gauge how long each wait should be, while this should be measured by how long the method has been in effect, it is important to measure this against how comfortable you are with it, upsetting yourself will only make the technique harder on you and your baby. Measure the emotional effects on you of using the Ferber method and apply this to the waiting time as well as the use of the method overall; it has to be worth the upset for you to adopt it.
The Ferber method has proven popular by many parents in the long run, but there are several factors to address before trying it. Don't underestimate the emotional trauma that controlled crying places on you and your baby; the method works but, as with most things, is not for everyone. If Ferber doesn't work for you there are several others methods to try in order to help settle your little one into a regular sleeping pattern.
Author : Elizabeth Stansfield
If you have a question about this article or something else, visit our friendly forums & ask the AskBaby community.
||Chat about the ferber method with our friendly community... | <urn:uuid:f0ccdcce-c4f3-4489-96fb-49ef3a23c0fc> | {
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|1.||a large triangular plucked stringed instrument consisting of a soundboard connected to an upright pillar by means of a curved crossbar from which the strings extend downwards. The strings are tuned diatonically and may be raised in pitch either one or two semitones by the use of pedals (double-action harp). Basic key: B major; range: nearly seven octaves|
|2.||something resembling this, esp in shape|
|3.||an informal name (esp in pop music) for harmonica|
|4.||(intr) to play the harp|
|5.||archaic (tr) to speak; utter; express|
|[Old English hearpe; related to Old Norse harpa, Old High German harfa, Latin corbis basket, Russian korobit to warp]|
Health Administration Responsibility Project
(Heb. kinnor), the national instrument of the Hebrews. It was invented by Jubal (Gen. 4:21). Some think the word _kinnor_ denotes the whole class of stringed instruments. It was used as an accompaniment to songs of cheerfulness as well as of praise to God (Gen. 31:27; 1 Sam. 16:23; 2 Chr. 20:28; Ps. 33:2; 137:2). In Solomon's time harps were made of almug-trees (1 Kings 10:11, 12). In 1 Chr. 15:21 mention is made of "harps on the Sheminith;" Revised Version, "harps set to the Sheminith;" better perhaps "harps of eight strings." The soothing effect of the music of the harp is referred to 1 Sam. 16:16, 23; 18:10; 19:9. The church in heaven is represented as celebrating the triumphs of the Redeemer "harping with their harps" (Rev. 14:2). | <urn:uuid:af7eb82b-3905-4023-aae2-3f36be426733> | {
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Paragliding is a popular sport amongst people who enjoy stepping off a precipice while seated in a harness that is attached to a fabric wing. That wing then inflates to provide support to hold the pilot aloft as they soar through the air hundreds of feet above the ground. Using a series of suspension lines, and working with the pressure of the air entering vents on the wing, these pilots can soar on thermals for hours at a time, crossing many miles in the process.
How long and where they go depends in part on their skills in working the paraglider to take advantage of the winds. Foot-launched flying with a non-motorized inflatable wing is truly a free-flying adventure.
The paraglider's wing is usually made of rip-stop nylon and attached to a harness by Kevlar lines. Wing designs may vary in terms of shape and size but are formed by two layers of fabric connected so they form cells to trap incoming air, which in turn inflates the wing and keeps the pilot aloft.
To see how extreme a paragliding adventure can be, watch this Nightline segment about two adventurers who climbed Mount Everest back in 201, then paraglided from the summit. They would fly for about 42 minutes before landing 15 miles away in the village of Namche Bazaar. After landing, they then took a nearly 500-mile kayaking trip on the Ganges River to the Indian Ocean as well. This unique adventure earned Sanobabu Sunuwar and Lakpa Tshiri Sherpa the 2012 National Geographic Adventurers of the Year award.
Many companies offer tandem paragliding for those looking to make their first flight and learn more about the activity. Some paragliding companies even offer powered paragliding during which the pilot sits in the harness chair and has a motor connected to a large fan in his or her backpack.
Paragliding on Skis and Parahawking
Paragliding can provide some truly unique experiences.
For instance, there is one alternate form of the sport that gives pilots the ability to soar in a tandem glider on thermals chosen by a bird of prey – such as an eagle or hawk – that leads them throughout the flight. At times, the bird lands on the pilot's gloved hand for a quick thank you treat for leading paraglider across the sky. This unusual approach to paragliding is a bit rare and is called parahawking.
Paragliding through mountain passes in the Alps, and then landing on snow before skiing away is one of the ultimate thrills for pilots. Here's a picture of tandem paragliding in Megeve, France, where this alternate form of the sport is a common practice.
Although not technically paragliding, some skiers will also harness themselves to a kite, so they can ski for miles across snow and ice, occasionally soaring through the air as they go. Snowkiting is another former of high-flying adventure, although participants never reach the same heights as paragliders.
Videos of Paragliding Flights and Races
To get a sense of what paragliding and parahawking are like, watch these videos. The first features is the Highlights of Red Bull X-Alps 2011 an adventure competition where paragliding pilots and endurance athletes have to race nonstop from Salzburg, Austria to the Kingdom of Monaco using only a paraglider and hiking boots.
Some of the scenes on the webcast, as the racers soar around the Matterhorn and high over other mountains in the Alps, make you question the sanity of those participating in the event. The next video clip is a flight over Telluride, Colorado, with the Telluride Air Force, while the final one is from the Bridal Falls Air Races. | <urn:uuid:818fbeea-f958-4c64-8c6c-a28dd776a742> | {
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The Jacksonville Area Sea Breeze EXperiment (JASBEX) 95: Putting Together a Cooperative Data Gathering Experiment on the Sea Breeze of the Atlantic coast of Florida and Georgia
A. Sandrik, P. Welsh, B. Ives
The Jacksonville Area Sea Breeze EXperiment (JASBEX) was conducted as a cooperative data gathering effort to build a database for analysis of the sea breeze in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. Several federal, state, and local agencies, two universities, and many local volunteers cooperated and pooled available resources to participate. The entire planning and operational phase took place during a six month effort, culminating in a one month field project from 23 July to 25 August 1995 at selected sites along the east coast areas of Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. This region was selected to include over 25 sites within and near the future warning area assigned to the new NEXRAD Weather Service Office Jacksonville,FL (NWSO JAX), a brand new WSR-88D Doppler radar facility near the international airport at Jacksonville, Florida, as well as several Navy and Navy Reserve meteorological units, and the Florida Air National Guard meteorological training unit. From the academic side, both Jacksonville University and Florida State University participated in JASBEX. Many local volunteers also participated in JASBEX.
The number of cooperatively participating DOD, NWS, and civilian trained observers was sufficient for a 24 site local mesoscale observation network and 3 teams of student observers to record surface observations at coastal sites. Unique to this experiment were the combination of recording and conversion of pilot balloon raw data to vertical wind profiles, electronic data entry of the entire manually recorded portion of the dataset, and daily precipitation estimates from the new WSR-88D Doppler radar. Some of the data were recorded from remote sensors by electronic means and were directly input into the electronic dataset, but the majority of the data was manually recorded. The surface data was manually recorded on paper forms at ten primary reporting sites and at eight augmenting sites. Of the eight augmenting sites, five were manned by Naval Reserve personnel and three were manned by Jacksonville University students under the Partners Project grant. Pilot balloon data was recorded at three of the augmenting sites, and the data was converted to vertical wind profile data by Jacksonville University and Florida State University students under a COMET Partners Project grant.
These JASBEX activities filled an important gap in the modern datasets available for sea breeze studies. Currently, mesoscale modeling efforts are underway at Florida State University and Navy sites with the JASBEX dataset.
Jacksonville Area Sea Breeze EXperiment (JASBEX) 95
1.0 Scope of Activities Completed
The Jacksonville Area Sea Breeze EXperiment (JASBEX) was conducted as planned. The entire operational phase took place during a one month field project from 23 July to 25 August 1996 at selected sites along the east coast areas of Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. This region was selected to include over 25 sites within and near the future warning area assigned to the new NEXRAD Weather Service Office (NWSO JAX), a brand new WSR-88D Doppler radar facility near the international airport at Jacksonville, Florida.
The specific activities funded under the COMET Partners Project proposal included the augmentation of the data collection sites with 3 teams of student observers to record surface observations at coastal sites, conversion of pilot balloon raw data to vertical wind profiles, and electronic data entry of the entire manually recorded portion of the dataset. Some of the data were recorded from remote sensors by electronic means and were directly input into the electronic dataset, but the majority of the data was manually recorded. The surface data was manually recorded on paper forms at ten primary reporting sites and at eight augmenting sites. Of the eight augmenting sites, five were manned by Naval Reserve personnel and three were manned by Jacksonville University students under the Partners Project grant. Pilot balloon data was recorded on paper at three of the augmenting sites, and the data was converted to vertical wind profile data by a Jacksonville University student under the COMET Partners Project as well.
The electronic data entry portion of the Partners Project grant work included data entry for the eighteen manually recorded sites into a personal computer spreadsheet program and file conversion of the electronic data into the spreadsheet as well. This format was chosen to allow easier future access to any portion of the dataset for future numerical modeling of the sea breeze.
The COMET Partners Project activities filled important gaps in the data gathering portion of JASBEX, and greatly enhanced the overall value of the dataset by its conversion to an electronic format.
1.1 JASBEX Overview
The site(s) at which the data were collected was determined by the number of trained observing personnel, available sensors, logistically suitable field locations, and funding resources to procure additional student help. Preplanning for this experiment included the evaluation of human and equipment resources available among existing area agencies. At a meeting held at the NWSO JAX facility to explore this concept, representatives of NWS, Contract observing sites, and DOD facilities in the region reported surprisingly good outlooks for this project. The number of cooperatively participating DOD, NWS, and civilian trained observers was sufficient for a 24 site local network. This lead to additional meetings and site visits to investigate the logistic details of the proposed site list. Simultaneously, funding from external sources was investigated, proposals were drafted, and needs coordinated among the participants.
There was a unique spirit of cooperation engendered among and across lines of several governmental activities. Participants included organizations from Federal Agencies (Commerce, DOD, Transportation, and Interior), State Agencies (Florida Air National Guard, St. Johns River Water Management District) , the participating Universities (Jacksonville University and Florida State University) and many individual volunteers.
This project was intended as a pilot study to determine the best method to conduct a voluntary cooperative field program on a sub-regional scale. To focus the investigation, two major scientific objectives were established:
(1) To investigate the Atlantic Bight sea breeze regime, and its effect on convective initiation.
(2) To ground truth the new WSR-88D Doppler radar algorithms and their tunable parameters in the Atlantic Bight region.
The need for this study is established by recent work by Ken Gould (1993 M.S.thesis, Florida State University) using the Melbourne Florida Doppler Radar data, and the CAPE project as reported by NASA Contractor Report 4537 entitled A Study of the Merritt Island, Florida Sea Breeze Flow Regimes and their Effect on Surface Heat and Moisture Fluxes (July 1993).
Related work by COMET post-doctoral fellow (Chris Herbster, FSU and CITM) involves the modeling of the sea breeze in the North Florida region, and compliments this pilot data gathering and analysis program. This body of recent work raises some interesting questions regarding the limits of our current understanding of the sea breeze, its dynamics, and its mesoscale interactions with preexisting boundaries and flows. National plans to provide guidance to local forecasters from synoptic scale models enhanced to grid scales of the order of 10 km may later be found to be lacking in validity for such reasons.
2.0 Project Timeline and Work Description
There were five phases to the proposed research which were broken down by the functional activities to be performed and are described in the following section along with those activities which were actually completed. The COMET Partners Project supported Jacksonville University students who participated in phases two, three and four of the data collection for JASBEX. Partners Project supported students from Jacksonville University were also the primary participants in the data reduction phase of JASBEX.
Phase 1 Planning and Coordination Phase
Dates: 1 April -- 30 May 95
Work required prior to the Intensive Operations Period (IOP) was completed on a some what compressed schedule since it primarily involved identifying and scheduling the available human assets from the participating agencies. This was accomplished smoothly though at a later time than originally planned. This also impacted the number of sites, although the final gathering of the necessary permissions, logistical arrangements and hardware acquisition, and even suitable reservations and accommodations for the project personnel were easy by comparison. All these required intensive liaison necessary in a cooperative project, but were completed in time for the operational periods. During this phase the bulk of the Office of Naval Research and National Weather Service requested equipment funding was committed to hardware and support requirements for additional field teams.
Phase 2 Project Time Phasing and Schedule Preparation
Dates: 1 June 95-- 15 June 95
Student helpers from both Jacksonville University and Florida State University were identified and matched with various funding sources. During this phase final schedules for all of the personnel and field site logistics and hardware details germane to the IOP were completed. Helium, pilot balloons and specialized hardware were needed for each pibal site for frequent launches at several distant locations.
Phase 3 Preliminary and Training Phase
Dates: 15 June 95-- 22 July 95
Final preparations of all equipment and facilities, including training and practice pilot balloon launches (pibal) for the participants were held by a combination of Florida State and NWS personnel with two theodolites. Navy active duty personnel trained their Naval Reserve participants in the use of the Mini-Rawinsonde (MRS). Naval personnel set up remote sensing platforms at three sites, delivered helium and other supplies, and two additional theodolite units were obtained on loan from Florida State University and the Weather Service Forecast Office in Atlanta, Ga.
There were still ongoing adjustments to the site locations, manning, and training of student participants until the week before the Intensive Operations Phase. The students supported by the COMET proposal were used for observational support and in the data reduction phase of the experiment. Those active in this phase of the project were trained in taking surface observations and occupied stations near the beachfront. These students were from Jacksonville University and were funded under the COMET Partners Project.
Phase 4 Intensive Operations Phase
Dates: 23 July -- 25 August
As planned, The IOP was envisioned to consist of two separate one-week periods designated IOP1 and IOP2, separated by a week. This was a part of the lessons learned by Florida State personnel from a previous tropical storm incident which were passed on to the JASBEX planners, and it proved very valuable. The week long separation was to provide time in which to produce a quicklook data analysis, but also allow any tropical system or disturbed weather to clear the area. Safety of the deployed teams was paramount, and there were site surveys to insure adequate physical security, as well as a hurricane recall plan. Students were used to augment only the least vulnerable observing sites to ensure their safety.
Normal synoptic and aviation surface observations were taken by trained observers at double the normal interval, i.e. half-hourly except when a special observation is taken at the site within 10 minutes of the half-hour interval report. These reports comprised the bulk of the data taken by existing sites and the deployed field teams, and provided the high quality kernel of the dataset.
These were augmented in two ways, with additional upper air and non-standard sites. The upper air observations were in the form of pilot balloon observations and mini-Rawinsondes from Navy mobile teams. In addition, the sensor reports from automatic data reporting sites such as those installed by the Navy or owned by the state forestry agencies, provided an adjunct to this kernel.
Supplemental radiosonde launches by the Jacksonville NWS office. were conducted during the IOP portion of the project. Funding for these soundings was requested from and granted by the NWS. Navy mini-Rawinsondes were released at two sites roughly equidistant North and South of the Jacksonville NWS upper air site.
During this phase the dataset was successfully gathered from all cooperative sites and deployed teams of observers. There was only one significant data loss due to a faulty cable connector. The proposed dates of the field team observations were adjusted to meet constraints imposed by the parent agencies available assets and manpower schedules. This adjustment was both necessary and fortuitous, since the adjustment of the first Intensive Operations Period forward one week allowed its completion prior to the arrival of Hurricane Erin in the first week of August. Separation of the IOP into two individual one week periods with time in between to make adjustments allowed Hurricane Erin to clear the area, and normal summer conditions to return for the second IOP week, though few adjustments were necessary. The second IOP week was also completed before another tropical system approached the area. In retrospect it was uncanny to actually complete the data gathering in favorable conditions during the most active tropical cyclone year in several decades.
Nonetheless, there were several teams of trained military observers participating, predominantly from the Navy (including Naval reserve personnel from NORA 1273), but also including the Florida Air National Guard. Other observational datasets were included from an FAA administered contract site, and Interior Department parks. Automated instrument sites included Navy sites including three installed specifically for this exercise, others from the U.S. Forest Service and St. Johns Water Management District. In addition, student augmentation funded by COMET provided approximately two hundred forty man-hours of student augmentation from Jacksonville University in data collection. This data collection effort went very well, and provided quality observations along the coast.
3.0 Data reduction and analysis
Commencing immediately after the first IOP, data reduction was started on the large volume of manually recorded observational data. A "quicklook" at the first IOP1 during the period between the IOP periods showed the dataset to be consistent and of high quality. Reduction of IOP2 data was to be accomplished after the completion of the intensive period, but due to an active series of tropical cyclones, actually got under way two weeks later than planned. Nearly one hundred forty of the three hundred and eighty total man-hours funded by COMET were expended to enter data into electronic spreadsheet and database formats. Nearly all of the data were fully archived electronically before the end of the funding period.
The dataset was archived in the format of a series of Quattro Pro spreadsheets and three database workbooks. This vehicle was chosen because of its popularity in the PC environment and its low cost of acquisition compared to its feature set. One benefit of this program was that there were also several data export options, and a second ASCII dataset was created in this manner at the completion of the data reduction effort. Copies of the archived dataset have been delivered to sea breeze modelers at Florida State University and at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Final analysis of the data and comparative model runs were to be the subject of a separate proposal, but the budget debacle precluded submission. Even without that funding there has been considerable interest in modeling this dataset under other grants.
4.0 Cooperative Efforts in support of this proposal.
Currently the National Weather Service Office at Jacksonville has strong cooperative working relations with DOD sites, both of the local Universities, and the community. For example, personnel from the 4 Navy sites in the area with Meteorology and Oceanography Units are frequent visitors, as are the Florida Air National Guard weather flight and weather training facility personnel. The Jacksonville NWS Office has a strong working relationship with the Florida State University Department of Meteorology (since many staff are graduates) and both Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida locally.
This spirit of cooperation has enabled the pooling of the previously listed assets and enthusiastic support of this project in a time of tight budgets and manpower constraints. The primary ingredient needed to fully enable this project was the requested seed money for hardware, supplies and student support required to cover the gaps in the observational network, and the student manpower necessary to accomplish electronic data entry.
It is noteworthy that the overhead figure for Jacksonville University is very low in comparison to other universities. These figures also provide a very large return on investment, since most of the non-student manpower required is in the form of trained personnel being donated to this effort with the cost being absorbed by the donor agencies.
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Autism Issues Complicate Anti-Bullying Task
Positive interactions between those with disabilities, other peers seen as crucial
A widely publicized case of two Maryland teenagers charged with assault for bullying a classmate with autism—a classmate who later strongly defended them—illustrates the complexities that schools face with youth whose disabilities are based in social interactions.
Autism spectrum disorder, characterized by social impairment and communication difficulties, leaves some youths less able to recognize teasing or bullying when it occurs, said Ellen F. Murray, a clinical manager at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders in Alexandria, Va.
"They may not even understand teasing if it's happening right in front of them, much less if it's behind their back," said Ms. Murray. "A lot of our kids would definitely not pick up on those social cues and understand the perspective of another student."
With those challenges in mind, experts say that one way for schools to address bullying of students with autism is to take a step back and examine the entire school environment. And, while social-skills training is commonly a part of the individualized education program, or IEP, for students with autism, such instruction should not be limited just to them, experts say.
Schools are using a variety of approaches and individual programs to improve social interactions between students with developmental disabilities such as autism and their typically developing peers.
The Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights Center, or PACER, based in Bloomington, Minn., has several bullying-prevention resources for schools, including a toolkit to help start a peer-advocacy program. Such programs use the power of peer influence, and students can often spot problem behavior before adults do.
Positive Behavioral Supports
This schoolwide intervention framework supported by the U.S. Department of Education, offers schools a way to organize and monitor behavioral expectations for students and adults.
This program, used in more than 30,000 schools and aimed at students ages 4 to 14, includes in-school lessons on empathy, emotion management, and problem-solving. It also includes lessons for all students in how to recognize, respond to, and report bullying.
Currently being studied in several schools, this program enlists paraprofessionals who often "shadow" students with disabilities as active coaches on the playground, bringing children together and creating opportunities for joint play. The program has shown some success in expanding the social networks of students.
"All of us could benefit from good social-skills and communication instruction," said Chad A. Rose, an assistant professor of special education at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, who has expertise in the problem of bullying involving students with disabilities. Punishing bullies alone does not end up teaching them the skills they need to replace their negative behaviors with more positive ones, he said.
Research Sheds Light
Bullying is a fact of life for many students with autism, though it rarely goes as far as the incidents in Maryland, which police started investigating in March. According to police, a 16-year-old boy with autism was captured in cellphone videos being kicked in the groin, dragged by his hair, and coerced onto a frozen lake where he fell through the ice several times, among other dangerous incidents. He told a reporter that he wanted to resume his relationship with the classmates, one of whom he called his girlfriend.
"I don't feel like they exploited me," he told The Washington Post in an April 20 article. "If I do hang out with [my girlfriend again], I'm going to ask her not to videotape anything."
The incidents took place outside the teenagers' school, Chopticon High School in Morganza, Md. One of the teenagers accused in the case was sentenced to up to six years in a juvenile facility for second-degree assault and displaying an obscene photograph of the boy who was bullied; the other student is facing charges as an adult, including first-degree assault and false imprisonment.
The results of a 2013 survey of more than 1,000 families of children with autism spectrum disorders, published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, reported that 38 percent of the families had children who reported being bullied in the past month. Twenty-eight percent said they were bullied frequently. The study also found that about 9 percent of children with autism were perpetrators of bullying, with about 5 percent described as "frequent" perpetrators. Close to 70 percent of victims with autism who are bullied reported having experienced emotional trauma as a result of their treatment.
Those rates are higher than what had been noted in a 2001 study on American youths in general, the authors noted. In that report, about 30 percent of all children reported "moderate or frequent" involvement in bullying, either as a victim or as a perpetrator.
Another study, published in 2012 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, showed that 46 percent of children with autism spectrum disorder have been bullied, compared with about 11 percent of the general population of adolescents. (The different prevalence rates for bullying are linked to different definitions of the term used by various researchers.)
The students with autism found to be most at risk of being bullied were those who had more classes in general education, some form of conversational ability, and interacted with friends at least once a week. That study concluded that school-based bullying interventions must target students' conversational ability and social skills and must also address the fact that students are often victimized when they're in general education settings. Schools should encourage "social integration into protective peer groups" and increase the empathy and social skills of the general student population, the researchers recommended.
That type of social integration is the impetus behind a program called Remaking Recess, which has been pilot-tested at four elementary schools in Los Angeles that have students with autism fully included in the general education setting. That program enlists paraprofessionals and other adults in the school to provide active coaching on the playground that encourages interaction between typically developing students and those with autism. The paraprofessionals were taught to initiate games and age-appropriate activities and also how to fade into the background once the children started playing with one another. The goal is to teach skills in the child's natural environment.
The program "really helped me to understand that challenge, and it's elegant in its simplicity," said Bradley Rumble, the principal of the 820-student Leo Politi Elementary School in Los Angeles, whose campus used Remaking Recess during the 2013 summer school session. An evaluation of Remaking Recess that was published in March in Behavior Therapy indicated the program had some success in expanding the social networks of students with disabilities, said Connie Kasari, a professor of psychology and human development at the University of California, Los Angeles. She's also a member of UCLA's Center for Autism Research and Treatment. The creators of Remaking Recess have expanded the study to additional schools in Los Angeles, as well as Philadelphia and Rochester N.Y.
"It's usually paraprofessionals who are on the playground, but they don't actually think of the playground as a place for intervention," Ms. Kasari said. "The biggest problem for [students with autism] is understanding the 'hidden' curriculum and knowing how to interact in the classroom and outside of the classroom. How kids get along on the playground does affect how they're perceived in the classroom by their teachers. And, especially for children with ASD, but probably for all kids, just feeling more connected to your school helps you feel better about yourself."
Those types of interventions can work if they're embedded in a systematic framework for addressing a school's climate, said Catherine P. Bradshaw, the deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, based in Baltimore. One-shot approaches—such as a school rally or asking students to sign pledges promising not to engage in bullying—"have relatively little impact unless they are connected with something else in a school." And home-grown activities, like those that are created by students for their peers, often turn out to be quite influential, she said.
Getting Adults Involved
Such activities should be coupled with training for the adults in a school, many of whom overestimate how effectively they react to bullying, Ms. Bradshaw said. While studies show that the overwhelming majority of adults say they stop bullying when they see it happening, about half of middle and high school students report in studies that adults have seen bullying and done nothing. Adults are also believed to sometimes make the problem worse, according to students, said Ms. Bradshaw.
But just asking students about their perceptions of bullying can have a positive effect, she added. "Kids like to see that their opinions matter. And these are numbers that can be moved."
Mr. Rose, at the University of Missouri, said bullying is a complex series of behaviors, and that the ways to address it will also be complex. One important factor, he believes, is to teach bullies different ways to behave, rather than counting on swift punishment as the only way to respond.
"I think we're missing the boat when we're doing that," Mr. Rose said. Those who engage in bullying will "go through life, and until they learn a new skill that will serve the same or a similar function to the bullying, they will continue to do those behaviors."
He supports schoolwide approaches that spell out clear behavior expectations and schoolwide monitoring, such as the models of positive behavioral supports adopted by many schools. But it can take schools sometimes more than a year to institute a strong and consistent framework for student behavior.
"We have to start changing the climate of schools," Mr. Rose said, "and when we change the climate of schools, it takes time."
Vol. 33, Issue 30, Page 16 | <urn:uuid:eec1ad9a-302d-4d99-8b0f-7061f9dcc5f9> | {
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In fiber-optic communications, wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) is a technology which multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths (i.e., colors) of laser light. This technique enables bidirectional communications over one strand of fiber, as well as multiplication of capacity.
The term wavelength-division multiplexing is commonly applied to an optical carrier (which is typically described by its wavelength), whereas frequency-division multiplexing typically applies to a radio carrier (which is more often described by frequency). Since wavelength and frequency are tied together through a simple directly inverse relationship, in which the product of frequency and wavelength equals c (the propagation speed of light), the two terms actually describe the same concept.
A WDM system uses a multiplexer at the transmitter to join the several signals together, and a demultiplexer at the receiver to split them apart. With the right type of fiber it is possible to have a device that does both simultaneously, and can function as an optical add-drop multiplexer. The optical filtering devices used have conventionally been etalons (stable solid-state single-frequency Fabry–Pérot interferometers in the form of thin-film-coated optical glass).
The concept was first published in 1978, and by 1980 WDM systems were being realized in the laboratory. The first WDM systems combined only two signals. Modern systems can handle up to 160 signals and can thus expand a basic 100 Gbit/s system over a single fiber pair to over 16 Tbit/s.
WDM systems are popular with telecommunications companies because they allow them to expand the capacity of the network without laying more fiber. By using WDM and optical amplifiers, they can accommodate several generations of technology development in their optical infrastructure without having to overhaul the backbone network. Capacity of a given link can be expanded simply by upgrading the multiplexers and demultiplexers at each end.
This is often done by use of optical-to-electrical-to-optical (O/E/O) translation at the very edge of the transport network, thus permitting interoperation with existing equipment with optical interfaces.
Most WDM systems operate on single-mode fiber optical cables, which have a core diameter of 9 µm. Certain forms of WDM can also be used in multi-mode fiber cables (also known as premises cables) which have core diameters of 50 or 62.5 µm.
Early WDM systems were expensive and complicated to run. However, recent standardization and better understanding of the dynamics of WDM systems have made WDM less expensive to deploy.
Optical receivers, in contrast to laser sources, tend to be wideband devices. Therefore, the demultiplexer must provide the wavelength selectivity of the receiver in the WDM system.
WDM systems are divided into different wavelength patterns, coarse (CWDM) and dense (DWDM). Coarse WDM provides up to 16 channels across multiple transmission windows of silica fibers. Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) uses the C-Band(1530 nm-1560 nm) transmission window but with denser channel spacing. Channel plans vary, but a typical DWDM system would use 40 channels at 100 GHz spacing or 80 channels with 50 GHz spacing. Some technologies are capable of 12.5 GHz spacing (sometimes called ultra dense WDM). New amplification options (Raman amplification) enable the extension of the usable wavelengths to the L-band, more or less doubling these numbers.
Coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) in contrast to DWDM uses increased channel spacing to allow less sophisticated and thus cheaper transceiver designs. To provide 16 channels on a single fiber CWDM uses the entire frequency band spanning the second and third transmission window (1310/1550 nm respectively) including both windows (minimum dispersion window and minimum attenuation window) but also the critical area where OH scattering may occur, recommending the use of OH-free silica fibers in case the wavelengths between second and third transmission windows are to be used. Avoiding this region, the channels 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61 remain and these are the most commonly used. A sub-set of CWDM uses only the 2 wavelengths, 1310 nm and 1550 nm to lower costs for users who only need 2.
WDM, DWDM and CWDM are based on the same concept of using multiple wavelengths of light on a single fiber, but differ in the spacing of the wavelengths, number of channels, and the ability to amplify the multiplexed signals in the optical space. EDFA provide an efficient wideband amplification for the C-band, Raman amplification adds a mechanism for amplification in the L-band. For CWDM wideband optical amplification is not available, limiting the optical spans to several tens of kilometres.
Originally, the term "coarse wavelength division multiplexing" was fairly generic, and meant a number of different things. In general, these things shared the fact that the choice of channel spacings and frequency stability was such that erbium doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) could not be utilized. Prior to the relatively recent ITU standardization of the term, one common meaning for coarse WDM meant two (or possibly more) signals multiplexed onto a single fiber, where one signal was in the 1550 nm band, and the other in the 1310 nm band.
In 2002 the ITU standardized a channel spacing grid for use with CWDM (ITU-T G.694.2), using the wavelengths from 1270 nm through 1610 nm with a channel spacing of 20 nm. (G.694.2 was revised in 2003 to shift the actual channel centers by 1 nm, so that strictly speaking the center wavelengths are 1271 to 1611 nm). Many CWDM wavelengths below 1470 nm are considered "unusable" on older G.652 specification fibers, due to the increased attenuation in the 1270–1470 nm bands. Newer fibers which conform to the G.652.C and G.652.D standards, such as Corning SMF-28e and Samsung Widepass nearly eliminate the "water peak" attenuation peak and allow for full operation of all 18 ITU CWDM channels in metropolitan networks.
The 10GBASE-LX4 10 Gbit/s physical layer standard is an example of a CWDM system in which four wavelengths near 1310 nm, each carrying a 3.125 gigabit-per-second (Gbit/s) data stream, are used to carry 10 Gbit/s of aggregate data.
The main characteristic of the recent ITU CWDM standard is that the signals are not spaced appropriately for amplification by EDFAs. This therefore limits the total CWDM optical span to somewhere near 60 km for a 2.5 Gbit/s signal, which is suitable for use in metropolitan applications. The relaxed optical frequency stabilization requirements allow the associated costs of CWDM to approach those of non-WDM optical components.
CWDM is also being used in cable television networks, where different wavelengths are used for the downstream and upstream signals. In these systems, the wavelengths used are often widely separated, for example the downstream signal might be at 1310 nm while the upstream signal is at 1550 nm.
An interesting and relatively recent development relating coarse WDM is the creation of GBIC and small form factor pluggable (SFP) transceivers utilizing standardized CWDM wavelengths. GBIC and SFP optics allow for something very close to a seamless upgrade in even legacy systems that support SFP interfaces. Thus, a legacy switch system can be easily "converted" to allow wavelength multiplexed transport over a fiber simply by judicious choice of transceiver wavelengths, combined with an inexpensive passive optical multiplexing device.
Passive CWDM is an implementation of CWDM that uses no electrical power. It separates the wavelengths using passive optical components such as bandpass filters and prisms. Many manufacturers are promoting passive CWDM to deploy fiber to the home.
Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) refers originally to optical signals multiplexed within the 1550 nm band so as to leverage the capabilities (and cost) of erbium doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), which are effective for wavelengths between approximately 1525–1565 nm (C band), or 1570–1610 nm (L band). EDFAs were originally developed to replace SONET/SDH optical-electrical-optical (OEO) regenerators, which they have made practically obsolete. EDFAs can amplify any optical signal in their operating range, regardless of the modulated bit rate. In terms of multi-wavelength signals, so long as the EDFA has enough pump energy available to it, it can amplify as many optical signals as can be multiplexed into its amplification band (though signal densities are limited by choice of modulation format). EDFAs therefore allow a single-channel optical link to be upgraded in bit rate by replacing only equipment at the ends of the link, while retaining the existing EDFA or series of EDFAs through a long haul route. Furthermore, single-wavelength links using EDFAs can similarly be upgraded to WDM links at reasonable cost. The EDFA's cost is thus leveraged across as many channels as can be multiplexed into the 1550 nm band.
At this stage, a basic DWDM system contains several main components:
- A DWDM terminal multiplexer. The terminal multiplexer contains a wavelength-converting transponder for each data signal, an optical multiplexer and where necessary an optical amplifier (EDFA). Each wavelength-converting transponder receives an optical data signal from the client-layer, such as Synchronous optical networking [SONET /SDH] or another type of data signal, converts this signal into the electrical domain and re-transmits the signal at a specific wavelength using a 1,550 nm band laser. These data signals are then combined together into a multi-wavelength optical signal using an optical multiplexer, for transmission over a single fiber (e.g., SMF-28 fiber). The terminal multiplexer may or may not also include a local transmit EDFA for power amplification of the multi-wavelength optical signal. In the mid-1990s DWDM systems contained 4 or 8 wavelength-converting transponders; by 2000 or so, commercial systems capable of carrying 128 signals were available.
- An intermediate line repeater is placed approximately every 80–100 km to compensate for the loss of optical power as the signal travels along the fiber. The 'multi-wavelength optical signal' is amplified by an EDFA, which usually consists of several amplifier stages.
- An intermediate optical terminal, or optical add-drop multiplexer. This is a remote amplification site that amplifies the multi-wavelength signal that may have traversed up to 140 km or more before reaching the remote site. Optical diagnostics and telemetry are often extracted or inserted at such a site, to allow for localization of any fiber breaks or signal impairments. In more sophisticated systems (which are no longer point-to-point), several signals out of the multi-wavelength optical signal may be removed and dropped locally.
- A DWDM terminal demultiplexer. At the remote site, the terminal de-multiplexer consisting of an optical de-multiplexer and one or more wavelength-converting transponders separates the multi-wavelength optical signal back into individual data signals and outputs them on separate fibers for client-layer systems (such as SONET/SDH). Originally, this de-multiplexing was performed entirely passively, except for some telemetry, as most SONET systems can receive 1,550 nm signals. However, in order to allow for transmission to remote client-layer systems (and to allow for digital domain signal integrity determination) such de-multiplexed signals are usually sent to O/E/O output transponders prior to being relayed to their client-layer systems. Often, the functionality of output transponder has been integrated into that of input transponder, so that most commercial systems have transponders that support bi-directional interfaces on both their 1,550 nm (i.e., internal) side, and external (i.e., client-facing) side. Transponders in some systems supporting 40 GHz nominal operation may also perform forward error correction (FEC) via digital wrapper technology, as described in the ITU-T G.709 standard.
- Optical Supervisory Channel (OSC). This is data channel which uses an additional wavelength usually outside the EDFA amplification band (at 1,510 nm, 1,620 nm, 1,310 nm or another proprietary wavelength). The OSC carries information about the multi-wavelength optical signal as well as remote conditions at the optical terminal or EDFA site. It is also normally used for remote software upgrades and user (i.e., network operator) Network Management information. It is the multi-wavelength analogue to SONET's DCC (or supervisory channel). ITU standards suggest that the OSC should utilize an OC-3 signal structure, though some vendors have opted to use 100 megabit Ethernet or another signal format. Unlike the 1550 nm multi-wavelength signal containing client data, the OSC is always terminated at intermediate amplifier sites, where it receives local information before re-transmission.
The introduction of the ITU-T G.694.1 frequency grid in 2002 has made it easier to integrate WDM with older but more standard SONET/SDH systems. WDM wavelengths are positioned in a grid having exactly 100 GHz (about 0.8 nm) spacing in optical frequency, with a reference frequency fixed at 193.10 THz (1,552.52 nm). The main grid is placed inside the optical fiber amplifier bandwidth, but can be extended to wider bandwidths. Today's DWDM systems use 50 GHz or even 25 GHz channel spacing for up to 160 channel operation.
DWDM systems have to maintain more stable wavelength or frequency than those needed for CWDM because of the closer spacing of the wavelengths. Precision temperature control of laser transmitter is required in DWDM systems to prevent "drift" off a very narrow frequency window of the order of a few GHz. In addition, since DWDM provides greater maximum capacity it tends to be used at a higher level in the communications hierarchy than CWDM, for example on the Internet backbone and is therefore associated with higher modulation rates, thus creating a smaller market for DWDM devices with very high performance. These factors of smaller volume and higher performance result in DWDM systems typically being more expensive than CWDM.
Recent innovations in DWDM transport systems include pluggable and software-tunable transceiver modules capable of operating on 40 or 80 channels. This dramatically reduces the need for discrete spare pluggable modules, when a handful of pluggable devices can handle the full range of wavelengths.
At this stage, some details concerning wavelength-converting transponders should be discussed, as this will clarify the role played by current DWDM technology as an additional optical transport layer. It will also serve to outline the evolution of such systems over the last 10 or so years.
As stated above, wavelength-converting transponders served originally to translate the transmit wavelength of a client-layer signal into one of the DWDM system's internal wavelengths in the 1,550 nm band (note that even external wavelengths in the 1,550 nm will most likely need to be translated, as they will almost certainly not have the required frequency stability tolerances nor will it have the optical power necessary for the system's EDFA).
In the mid-1990s, however, wavelength converting transponders rapidly took on the additional function of signal regeneration. Signal regeneration in transponders quickly evolved through 1R to 2R to 3R and into overhead-monitoring multi-bitrate 3R regenerators. These differences are outlined below:
- Retransmission. Basically, early transponders were "garbage in garbage out" in that their output was nearly an analogue "copy" of the received optical signal, with little signal cleanup occurring. This limited the reach of early DWDM systems because the signal had to be handed off to a client-layer receiver (likely from a different vendor) before the signal deteriorated too far. Signal monitoring was basically confined to optical domain parameters such as received power.
- Re-time and re-transmit. Transponders of this type were not very common and utilized a quasi-digital Schmitt-triggering method for signal clean-up. Some rudimentary signal-quality monitoring was done by such transmitters that basically looked at analogue parameters.
- Re-time, re-transmit, re-shape. 3R Transponders were fully digital and normally able to view SONET/SDH section layer overhead bytes such as A1 and A2 to determine signal quality health. Many systems will offer 2.5 Gbit/s transponders, which will normally mean the transponder is able to perform 3R regeneration on OC-3/12/48 signals, and possibly gigabit Ethernet, and reporting on signal health by monitoring SONET/SDH section layer overhead bytes. Many transponders will be able to perform full multi-rate 3R in both directions. Some vendors offer 10 Gbit/s transponders, which will perform Section layer overhead monitoring to all rates up to and including OC-192.
- The muxponder (from multiplexed transponder) has different names depending on vendor. It essentially performs some relatively simple time-division multiplexing of lower-rate signals into a higher-rate carrier within the system (a common example is the ability to accept 4 OC-48s and then output a single OC-192 in the 1,550 nm band). More recent muxponder designs have absorbed more and more TDM functionality, in some cases obviating the need for traditional SONET/SDH transport equipment.
Reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM)
As mentioned above, intermediate optical amplification sites in DWDM systems may allow for the dropping and adding of certain wavelength channels. In most systems deployed as of August 2006 this is done infrequently, because adding or dropping wavelengths requires manually inserting or replacing wavelength-selective cards. This is costly, and in some systems requires that all active traffic be removed from the DWDM system, because inserting or removing the wavelength-specific cards interrupts the multi-wavelength optical signal.
With a ROADM, network operators can remotely reconfigure the multiplexer by sending soft commands. The architecture of the ROADM is such that dropping or adding wavelengths does not interrupt the "pass-through" channels. Numerous technological approaches are utilized for various commercial ROADMs, the tradeoff being between cost, optical power, and flexibility.
Optical cross connects (OXCs)
|This section requires expansion. (June 2008)|
When the network topology is a mesh, where nodes are interconnected by fibers to form an arbitrary graph, an additional fiber interconnection device is needed to route the signals from an input port to the desired output port. These devices are called optical crossconnectors (OXCs). Various categories of OXCs include electronic ("opaque"), optical ("transparent"), and wavelength selective devices.
Cisco's Enhanced WDM system combines 1 Gb Coarse Wave Division Multiplexing (CWDM) connections using SFPs and GBICs with 10 Gb Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) connections using XENPAK, X2 or XFP DWDM modules. These DWDM connections can either be passive or boosted to allow a longer range for the connection. In addition to this, CFP modules deliver 100 Gbit/s Ethernet suitable for high speed Internet backbone connections.
Transceivers versus transponders
- Transceivers – Since communication over a single wavelength is one-way (simplex communication), and most practical communication systems require two-way (duplex communication) communication, two wavelengths will be required (which might or might not be on the same fiber, but typically they will be each on a separate fiber in a so-called fiber pair). As a result, at each end both a transmitter (to send a signal over a first wavelength) and a receiver (to receive a signal over a second wavelength) will be required. A combination of a transmitter and a receiver is called a transceiver; it converts an electrical signal to and from an optical signal. There are usually transreceiver types based on WDM technology.
- Transponder – In practice, the signal inputs and outputs will not be electrical but optical instead (typically at 1550 nm). This means that in effect we need wavelength converters instead, which is exactly what a transponder is. A transponder can be made up of two transceivers placed after each other: the first transceiver converting the 1550 nm optical signal to/from an electrical signal, and the second transceiver converting the electrical signal to/from an optical signal at the required wavelength. Transponders that don't use an intermediate electrical signal (all-optical transponders) are in development.
See also transponders (optical communications) for different functional views on the meaning of optical transponders.
There are several simulation tools that can be used to design WDM systems.
- Code division multiple access
- Dark fiber
- Differential quadrature phase shift keying
- Multiwavelength optical networking
- Optical mesh network
- Optical Transport Network
- Polarization mode dispersion
- SELFOC Microlens
- SFP transceiver
- Time-division multiplexing
- Orbital angular momentum multiplexing
- Frequency-division multiplexing
- ITU-T G.694.2, "WDM applications: CWDM wavelength grid" ITU-T website
- ITU-T G.652, "Transmission media and optical systems characteristics – Optical fibre cables" ITU-T website
- ITU-T G.694.1, "Spectral grids for WDM applications: DWDM frequency grid" ITU-T website
- DWDM ITU Table, 100Ghz spacing" telecomengineering.com
- CWDM SFP Transceiver, Optcore Technology, retrieved March 26, 2013
- DWDM SFP Transceiver, Optcore Technology, retrieved March 26, 2013
- Siva Ram Murthy C.; Guruswamy M., "WDM Optical Networks, Concepts, Design, and Algorithms", Prentice Hall India, ISBN 81-203-2129-4.
- Tomlinson, W. J.; Lin, C., "Optical wavelength-division multiplexer for the 1–1.4-micron spectral region", Electronics Letters, vol. 14, May 25, 1978, p. 345–347. adsabs.harvard.edu
- Ishio, H. Minowa, J. Nosu, K., "Review and status of wavelength-division-multiplexing technology and its application", Journal of Lightwave Technology, Volume: 2, Issue: 4, Aug 1984, p. 448–463
- Cheung, Nim K.; Nosu Kiyoshi; Winzer, Gerhard "Guest Editorial / Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing Techniques for High Capacity and Multiple Access Communication Systems", IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 8 No. 6, August 1990 .
- Arora, A.; Subramaniam, S. "Wavelength Conversion Placement in WDM Mesh Optical Networks". Photonic Network Communications, Volume 4, Number 2, May 2002.
- First discussion: O. E. Delange, "Wideband optical communication systems, Part 11-Frequency division multiplexing". hoc. IEEE, vol. 58, p. 1683, October 1970. | <urn:uuid:b31f7799-8796-4066-aed8-e55274722114> | {
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This is Part Seven of a seven-part series on African constitutions
Continue to Parts: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7
Africa scholars agree that some constitutions on the continent are better than others, and some have good parts, but they say too much emphasis is placed on the constitutions themselves.
South Africa's post-apartheid constitution, which came into effect in 1997, is often presented as a model for a good constitution, seeking to establish democratic values, social justice and human rights.
Africa scholars, like Timothy Longman, the director of the African Studies Center at Boston University, also point to other constitutional successes, such as in post-conflict Burundi.
That country’s 2005 constitution set out ethnic parameters for the composition of the parliament and military, in an effort to defuse long-standing tensions between Tutsis and Hutus.
Longman says it's been quite effective.
"There are political problems in Burundi to be sure, but interestingly they are much less focused on ethnicity than they were before, so certainly when it comes to the issue of making all the ethnic groups feel like they are represented in the constitution, it seems to have made a big difference," Longman said.
J. Peter Pham, the Africa director at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, says some countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo have good constitutions on paper, but when these are not respected, they have little effect.
"The Democratic Republic of Congo does not have a bad constitution per say; its real problem is elections that are free, transparent and fair, so it has never quite lived up to the letter of the law," Pham said.
Scholars say that often times, Africa's constitutions seem to be focused too much on centralized power and not enough on diversity. G. Pascal Zachary, a professor at Arizona State University who writes the Africa Works blog, would like to see changes in Nigeria's constitution, along those lines.
"I think that there is very much something missing in religious and regional grievances. The constitution might provide for a new kind of regional autonomy," Zachary said.
South African President Nelson Mandela, center, flanked by his two deputy presidents, Thabo Mbeki, left and F.W. de Klerk, right, clap after a new constitution was approved by the Constitutional Assembly in parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, May 8, 1996.(AP Photo)
A professor of political science at Yale University, South Africa native Ian Shapiro, says it is important for constitutions to facilitate broad economic and political opportunities.
"If you have a situation where the people controlling the government have access to all the economic wealth, have access to all the external contracts, and have access to all the political perks and so on, then those who are not in the government are much more likely to defect from the system to become either criminals or to try and have a coup or to try and overthrow the system in some way," Shapiro said.
But Shapiro says getting better constitutions should not be the main priority of civil society activists.
"Things like corruption or failing institutional capacities of the state or drought, these are the things that have to be dealt with if a country is going to become viable," Shapiro said. "Changing the constitution does not make much difference."
While bad constitutions can prevent progress, he also says better-looking constitutions, at least on paper, have not prevented coups or civil wars.
In the short to medium term, many scholars point to targeted legislation with proper enforcement on political, economic and social issues as a more effective way to build and strengthen democratic societies. | <urn:uuid:c6e1dce6-1255-47bc-83aa-719867b30f4f> | {
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Facebook has taken a stand on this question since their inception by setting a minimum age limit for its users at 13 years of age. But just because Facebook says 13 year olds may use their social media service doesn’t mean that parents need to allow their kids to become users, does it? Here are some thoughts on the subject.
There are some parents who don’t see a need for setting a minimum age limit for Facebook users. Some of these parents simply aren’t concerned with their child’s interaction on the web, any more than they are concerned with any other aspects of their child’s life. Other parents who aren’t concerned about a minimum age have a very different reason. Their reasoning is based on their involvement with their kid’s activities online. They do not allow their kids full and uncensored access to the internet in any form. They have parental controls in place and seldom allow their young children on the internet without their presence there beside them. They may see Facebook as a connecting place with family.
Since Facebook has set this as the minimum age to join their network, many people have accepted this as being the appropriate age. Peer pressure enters into this big time. Facebook has said ‘it’s ok’ and ‘all my friends’ are using Facebook, so why shouldn’t I? There are a lot of fun games and learning opportunities on Facebook for kids this age, but there are dangers as well. Teens this age can be very vulnerable to adults and other teens who might use Facebook to gain a connection with them. Young teens can easily feel flattered by attention from others and innocently assume that people are who and what they represent themselves to be. This puts them at risk for predators of many different kinds. Kids this age often have very volatile emotions as well. This means that everything becomes magnified in their minds. Hurts wound deeper and friendships are taken very seriously. Thirteen may be old enough to use Facebook, but for most kids thirteen to fifteen, their use of this and other social media should be closely monitored and guarded with strict rules of behavior.
Some parents have held the line and refused to allow their kids to engage in social media activities until they are sixteen and in high school. Since, at this age, they are old enough to gain a drivers license, it is assumed that they should also be responsible enough to handle social media activities. Other parents have encouraged their kids to avoid the social media craze simply because it can be a distraction and a time waster, and they want their kids to remain focused on more important aspects of their life than socializing.
In reality, there is no magic age that fits every situation or every child. Since Facebook has set a minimum age of thirteen, it is wise of parents to support this age limit by not allowing their younger children to circumvent the rules by posting a false birthdate. Each child has a different level of maturity. It is the maturity level and sense of responsibility of your child that should be considered when making this decision, not just their age. Regardless of the age, teens should be taught how to use social media safely and responsibly. When rules are not followed, the privilege should be removed. | <urn:uuid:1f6a22cb-6881-4c1b-aa77-5fcb8a533337> | {
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(panoramic viewpoint) or the "Ombelico"
(navel) or even, Urbs Inexpugnabilis, as it was called
by the Romans. Enna is known by many different
names due to its geographic central position on the summit
of a rock, defensive in past times and capable
of offering incredible views to modern day
Enna was inhabited as early as the Stone Age by the Sicani,
a population with non indo-European origins, who were present
in Sicily since pre-history. A village, a necropolis and a
temple dating back to the Neolithic era, have been discovered
from these far off times
With the arrival first of the Siculi (15th
Century BC) and then the Greeks
(9th Century BC), the political situation
changed and the City began to mint Greek currency, as far
back as the 5th Century.
It became a Syracuse
ally against the Carthaginians, but in 397 BC,
it saw a Syracuse feud under Dionysius I (Dionysius the Elder)
and in 307 it was overtaken by the tyrant
In 259 BC, it was overtaken by the Carthaginians,
then liberated by the Romans a year later.
In 212 BC it passed over definitively to Rome.
At this point, there was the First Servile War
(139-132 BC), led by the Syrian slave Eunus,
who surrendered to the Romans, only after 2 years of siege.
After the fall of Rome and the devastation of the Vandali,
Enna was run by the Byzantines, until it
once again changed hands and was overtaken by the Arabs
With the arrival of the Normans in Sicily
(1070), Enna became the last stronghold of Arabic resistance
until the end of 1087, the year it was yielded by Ruggero
Under the Normans, the Swabians and the Aragonese,
the city was fortified by erecting defensive fortresses
and its development was continuous until the end of the 17th
Century, when it saw the beginning of a slow decline.
In 1860 Enna, after having actively participated
in the cause for unification, became part of the Reign
It was from the Medieval period that the town-planning began,
which is still present today, apart from the walls, which
are unfortunately no longer there.
The beautiful Lombardia (Lombardy) Castle
was constructed during the Swabian period. It is astonishing
for its integrity and size. Pietro III d’Aragona (Peter
3rd of Aragon) chose it as his Enna residence. The Torre
di Federico II (Tower) (13th Century) is just as
fascinating. It is 24 metres high with vaulted ceilings. The
Palazzo Pollicarini (15th Century) is also beautiful
with its Spanish influences.
Amongst the religious buildings not to missed are: the Duomo,
constructed in 1307 on the wishes of Queen
Eleonora d’Aragona, preserving precious paintings in
its interior and the Alessi Museum; as well as the Church
of Saint Francis of Assisi (14th Century), the Baroque
style of Saint Joseph and the ex church of Saint
John the Baptist with its beautiful gothic bell tower | <urn:uuid:07707b0e-ccee-4b83-b2cc-976ffdf70548> | {
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Chemists led by Nobel laureate K. Barry Sharpless have used what is called click chemistry to uncover unprecedented, powerful reactivity. This opens a new “chemical galaxy” of molecules, potentially paving the way for making drugs, plastics and unprecedented smart materials. Click chemistry is a term applied to chemical synthesis tailored to generate substances quickly and reliably by joining small units together. It is
It looks like a painting from Salvador Dali – but Hallucigenia was very much real. Truly one of the most surreal creatures to ever walk the face of the planet, it was finally deciphered and understood (at least partially) by paleontologists, after 4 decades of study. The process discovered not only its position in the tree of life, but also
I was reading this morning how excited some journalists were in reporting “the biggest oil discovery in decades”, and I got a little curios: how big is it? According to US oil company Apache, the field could have potentially up to 300 million barrels of oil in place – Australia gets a lot of oil, stock prices for Apache surge,
A parasitic plant called the dodder, which essentially acts like a ‘vampire’ upon its unsuspecting prey. A new research found the dodder actually communicates using DNA with its host in order to lower its defenses. A true vampire to the end – it needs an invitation to step in.
New research has shown that a big asteroid is well on its way to hitting Earth in 2880 – and by that I mean it has a 1 in 300 chance of actually hitting our planet, but it’s still the likeliest celestial body to hit the Earth in the foreseeable future.
Early modern human populations were culturally diverse and sometimes exchanged tools helped by river networks in a then savanna rich Sahara, according to the biggest ever comparative study of stone tools dating to between 130,000 and 75,000 years ago. At least fourdistinct populations, each relatively isolated from each other, have been identified as possessing distinct cultural practices.
A first of its kind study conducted at the University of Colorado Denver looked at how city design affects populace health. Older cities, initially built for pedestrian traffic in mind were found to harbor less cases of diabetes and other diseases than those with broader streets and fewer intersections. While some people can stay healthy and stick to exercising habits no matter where they live in, the study suggests that in general cities which are optimized for vehicle traffic discourage walking and other healthy activities.
In a breakthrough in robotics, researchers have programmed a swarm consisting of a whooping 1,024 members which can assemble in programmable 2-D shapes. The demonstration might provide insights in how natural self-assembling swarms operate, like ants who join up to form bridges for the good of the colony.
Researchers believe they have found seven dust specs from outside the solar system. This is the first time we have the chance to directly analyze interstellar matter. The material was probably ejected from a supernova.
Ebola is starting to get more and more worrying. Now, a team of WHO researchers has announced that the outbreak may have been underestimating, as it spreads much faster and affects more people than previously thought.
Even though coal is still Germany’s number one energy source, renewable energy is developing incredibly fast, with wind and solar energy catching up fast. If the trend continues, they will soon become the dominant energy source.
If you’re working in a biology lab, you may want to consider firing some of your assistants and hiring some sandcastle worms; they’re pretty good chemists, able to, among others, biosynthesize glue components they use to build the underwater tubular shelters they call home. Now, researchers are creating adhesives inspired from these chemicals that might make surgeries safer or even
China is experiencing the worst drought in over 50 years, threatening the country’s foo security for the first time in a long time.
Scientists introduced Clostridium novyi, a bacteria that causes mild illnesses in humans that typically lurks inside the soil and feces, in cancer tumors and found that these shrank and some cases were destroyed completely. The research suggests that bacteria, when engineered to reduce toxicity, can be a viable fighting tool against cancer, one with less destructive side effects than chemotherapy. Killing
How you act on the internet and how you act in real life are not the same thing – and people often “fake it to make it” online according to a new study conducted by Finnish researchers. According to them, using social network sites (SNSs) almost always includes an element of fakery. They focused on two social media sites, Facebook
A recent study conducted by Norwegian researchers found that 8.3 per cent of the Norwegian work force is addicted to work to the point where it becomes a health issue. They show that workaholism is on the rise, and the odds are this phenomenon isn’t limited to Norway. The term workaholic has two connotations attached to it – it’s either
In 2011, Diego Gómez Hoyos posted someone’s thesis about amphibian taxonomy on scribd while still an undergrad, hoping that by sharing the work he would help other fellow biology students. Come 2013, Hoyos was sued by the owner of the work and now faces copyright charges that, if found guilty, could have him jailed for up to 8 years. Jail
We’ve covered quite a bit the recent developments involving perovskite as an extremely promising light-to-energy conversion semiconductor. Now, researchers at University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität are performing research on perovskite-based devices that work the other way around by emitting light. Their research has turned out promising results that suggest high-brightness LEDs, manufactured at low cost and more easily,
At this very moment, the International Space Station has all its docking ports fully booked, as five manned and cargo spacecraft have occupied all available slots. Most expensive parking ticket ever The spacecrafts in question are: Soyuz TMA-12M, Soyuz TMA-13M, Cygnus 2, Progress 56, and ATV-5. The Soyuz crafts are tasked with ferrying the crew of Expedition 39/40 and 40/41 to and from
Climate models have invariably predicted that the upper atmosphere would become more moist as a result of global warming, the question remained whether these disturbances are natural or anthropogenic. A new research that used satellite readings found that indeed rising vapor content in the upper troposphere comes a result of man-made global warming. The findings further strengthens climate models and adds | <urn:uuid:3852afb2-be03-440c-a7c0-7a8e8822636a> | {
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As NASA’s Curiosity rover continues to inch across the red planet’s dusty Gale Crater, America’s interest in space exploration inches upward as well. Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings is a bit of space nerd himself, and this month he’ll be navigating us through an asteroid belt of misconceptions about the exploration of the cosmos. Even if you’re not one of the 6 percent of Americans who believes that the moon landing was a hoax, you might have been fleeced by one or more of these fallacies about the final frontier.
Space Myth #2: American Space Missions Launch from Cape Canaveral.
If we’re using “Cape Canaveral” as an example of what your English teacher used to call metonymy—representing some thing or concept with the name of something else—then yes, NASA launches from the Cape. It’s the same way we might refer to the movie industry as “Hollywood,” even though only one major studio (Paramount) is actually headquartered in the Hollywood district these days—they’re all elsewhere in Los Angeles. The same is true of NASA: in strict geographical terms, it hasn’t launched manned missions from the Cape itself in over forty years.
Cape Canaveral is a dangly sand headland jutting southward off the Florida coast, and has been used by the Air Force as a missile testing ground since 1949. It was ideally suited for the nascent space program because it had the wide Atlantic Ocean downrange—a big safety plus—and was one of the southernmost bits of the continental United States, which gives launches the added oomph of the Earth’s faster rotation near the Equator. Way back in 1865, a Jules Verne novel had predicted that the first moon launch would take place in Florida. Most of America’s early rocket launches did indeed take place near the tip of the cape, where the Air Force still maintains a space installation.
Since 1968, however, all manned civilian launches have taken place a few miles north of the cape, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The launch complex, including the pads where every moon mission and Space Shuttle launch took place, aren’t really on Cape Canaveral itself, but on an adjacent peninsula called Merritt Island. Unmanned NASA launches—probes and the like—still use the Cape, since they typically catch a ride on Air Force rockets. But no astronaut has taken off from Cape Canaveral proper since Gemini 12, when newspapers still cost a dime and Bonanza was America’s top-rated TV show. Of course, NASA isn’t launching astronauts at all anymore since the shuttle program was shuttered, but when we put a man or woman back in space again—and it will happen someday—it probably won’t be from Cape Canaveral.
Quick Quiz: Since 1999, what has been the telephone area code of Brevard County, Florida, in honor of its history of space launches?
Ken Jennings is the author of Because I Said So!, Brainiac, Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac, and Maphead. He's also the proud owner of an underwhelming Bag o' Crap. Follow him at ken-jennings.com or on Twitter as @KenJennings. | <urn:uuid:3516374c-d262-4b69-8995-4b0aa39f0bfe> | {
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Regional Geological Setting
Bangladesh lies between 20o 34′ and 26o 38′ north latitudes and 88o 01′ and 92o 41′ east longitudes and as a consequence falls in the north eastern South Asia. The Indian States of West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura border Bangladesh in the west, north, and east and Burma forms the southern part of the eastern frontier. The Bay of Bengal limits the land area in the south. Bangladesh having about 80% of its area as flat fertile alluvial land is rightly considered as an agricultural country. But the presence of abundant coal, hard rock, and limestone within mineable depths, large reserve of gas, peat, white ceramic clay, and glass sand can assist Bangladesh in gaining recognizing as an industrial country. Physically Bangladesh may be classified in to four distinct regions each having distinguished characteristis of its own.
I. The Eastern and Northern Frontier Hilly Regions comprising the extensive eastern hilly regions, hills of Lalmai and north-eastern Sylhet district and a narrow strips of a series of low hill ranges and isolated circular and elongated hillocks separated by recent alluvium along the northern frontier of districts of Sylhet and Mymensingh.
II. The great Table Land is trisect by the river systems of Meghna and Jamuna giving rise to three large blocks of high lands that exhibit smooth rolling topography.
III. Flood plains of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna River systems cover approximately 40% of Bangladesh.
IV. The Delta at present appears to be a combination of three deltas, namely, the Ganges delta, the Old Brahmaputra-Meghna delta, and the Ganges-Jamuna delta.
Structure and Tectonics
The major tectonic elements of Bengal Basin are the Pre-Cambrian Indian Platform and the Bengal Foredeep. The Indian Platform is divided into four parts including Rangpur Saddle, Northern Slope of Rangpur Saddle, Southern Slope of Rangpur Saddle and a Hinge Zone [Bakhtine, 1965].
The Bengal Foredeep filled with thick strata of Neogene is divided into two parts naming the Western Platform Flank and Eastern Folded Flank. The Western Platform Flank represents an area of deep subsidence, having simple structure of platform type, which sharply differs from eastern folded part of the Flank.
The Eastern Folded Flank is characterized by folding of intermediate or transitional type. By structural peculiarities of folds, it can be sub-divided into the following three tectonic zones;
A. The western zone:
The quietest zone of box like structures, which indicates that this folding is not yet accomplish. This zone includes Dakhin Nhila, Inani, Sitakind Maheshkhali, St. Martin’s, Jaldi, and Walataung.
B. The middle zone:
More disturbed, predominantly asymmetrical and includes Matamuhuri, Bandarban, Gilasari, Siatpahar, and Kasalong, etc.
C. The eastern zone:
This zone includes narrow, ridge like elongated and tightly folded structures like Mowdak, Borcal, Uttar Chatra and Shisok etc.
The present study area, Chittagong city lies in the western marginal part Chittagong Hill Tracts within the folded part (Eastern Folded Flank) of the Bengal Foredeep of the Bengal Basin. The development of Bengal Foredeep is directly related to the development of Himalayan Mountains in the north and the Arakan Yoma Hill Range in the east due to the north and northeastern collision of Indian plate with Eurasian Plate and Burmese Plate respectively. Folds of Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts are situated near the eastern edge of the Indian plate. An attempt has been made to interpret the mechanism for the formation of the folded belt of Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts in the light of plate tectonic theory.
Figure 2.4: Major structural elements of the Bengal basin and its adjacent areas (modified after Bakhtine, 1966; Guha, 1978; Alam, 1990; Reimann, 1993 and Gunguly, 1997).
According to Curray and Moore (1974), the present relative plate motion between the Indian and Eurasian plates is apparently in a north-east south-west direction at a rate of convergence 5 to 6 cm per year. This movement is evidenced by the seismic activities in the plate boundaries and is confirmed by the studies of paleomagnetism of rocks and oceanic magnetic anomalies (McKenzie and Sclater, 1971). The Indian plate being subducted and has been underthrusting the Burmese plate in the east and the Tibet plate in the north and finally is being consumed beneath the Benioff zone. The under thrusting of the Indian plate has also been supported by the study of local mechanism solution for some earthquakes in the north eastern India and Burma (Rastogi et al., 1973). The movement of the Arakan subplate (bounded by the Ninety East Ridge and covering the eastern and the southeastern part of Bangladesh) has been suggested to has resulted the formation of folds of the eastern flank of the Bengal Basin (Faruquee, 1975).
The regional setting of South- Eastern Folded Belt has been described in various literature- Bakhtine, Raju , Guha , Hossain (1985) Alam, Khan, Shamsuddin and Abdullah, Sikder , Murphy and stuff of BOGMC etc.
All works conclude that the Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts, the Geological name of southeastern folded belt is considered to be the youngest structural subdivision of the western flank of the Indo-Burma Ranges. The rocks of these north-south trending hills of this belt are ranging in age from Lower Miocene to Recent. The folded belt is separated from Arakan-Yoma Anticlinorium by the NNW-SSE striking Kaladan Fault [Rajib, 2002].
Folds of Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts are the western extension of the Arakan Yoma geanticlinorium, which are known in Bangladesh as folded flank of Bengal Foredeep of Bengal Basin. The surface relief of the area is represented by north-south stretched hills of sedimentary cover. The axes of folds run along NNW-SSE directions, which are parallel to the trend of the Arakan Yoma geanticlinorium. The structure is disrupted and complicated by the presence of numerous faults. It is generally observed that the intensity of folding increases towards the east. The amplitudes of the anticlines range from several hundred meters to more than 3500m. Most of the anticlines are asymmetrical and plunging in nature. The axial planes are mostly inclined to the east and the plunge of anticlines ranges from 20 to 150.
From the above discussion, it is observed that the relative movement of the Indian and Burmese plate has developed the main east west compression in the region. The Burmese plate being overridden the Indian plate has been serving as the main pushing agent and as a result the magnitude of force is higher in the east than the west. The analysis shows that the intensity of deformation and folding is higher in the east than the west, which is very much conformable with the field evidences. The tectonic forces thus generated from the east caused intensive deformation in the east become progressively weak towards the west to raise the formation of relatively broad and box-shaped folds in the western zone.
The folded region of Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts is characterized by asymmetrical box-shaped folds associated with reversed type of faults. Such structures can not be satisfactorily explained to have formed by horizontal compression alone. Similar structures have been studied extensively by Millar (1971) in the Tripura–Surma valley of India.
From his studies it has been found that such structure is developed due to vertical crustal movement. In the present study it is believed that the differential vertical movement of the curstal rock might have taken place due to the relative movement of the Indian and Burmese plate. When two plates came finally closer to each other, the basinal material may have bounced up to form the present structure. The upward movement of material in the region has also been confirmed by the abnormal gravity anomaly and elevation relationship (Verma & Mushapadhya, 1976). From the field study it has been observed that adjacent to the high angle reverse fault like Sitakund (Hossain & Akhter, 1983), the sedimentary rocks have been on the up thrown block due to gravity. This bending or draping effect can be responsible for the formation of asymmetrical anticlines. | <urn:uuid:c50728ff-d832-4d2b-b3ae-46e1d96adbd6> | {
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Unique Device Identification (UDI)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, hospitals, manufacturers and patients have lacked the needed information to quickly identify problems with medical devices and quickly remove those products from the market. As a result, the FDA in 2013 issued final regulations that will require medical device labels to bear a distinctive code—called the unique device identifier, or UDI—to help track products used in patient care.
The UDI is an alphanumeric code that identifies the make and model of the product and provides other clinically relevant information, such as an expiration date. Once a device has a UDI, the code can be added to relevant records—such as hospital purchase orders, a patient’s electronic health record, and an insurer’s claim forms—and tracked throughout the healthcare system. This information will help remove recalled products from the market and more quickly identify product failures.
Pew is working to support full implementation of the UDI system, including efforts to incorporate it into patients’ electronic health records and insurance claims forms. | <urn:uuid:f1680a9c-05b4-4b53-8ec1-4d32dd3964f4> | {
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February is for hearts and love. Happy Valentine’s Day. So let’s chat about that muscle which never stops loving your pet, it’s heart.
Like your heart a dog and cat’s heart pumps blood containing oxygen and nutrients to nearly every cell in the body. The heart is an efficient pump, but when diseased or stressed, fluid may build up in the chest, abdomen or both, causing heart failure or disturbances in the normal electrical rhythm of the muscle. Heart disease in pets has many similarities to human cardiac problems, but there are also differences.
Like any physical problem, it is important to recognize when your pet may be having heart problems. Dogs and cats do not develop atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) like people and do not have classic heart attacks, but do show other signs. Although they do not grab their chest in pain, dogs may display clinical signs including decreased ability to exercise, tiring easily, cough, breathing difficulties, distended abdomen, lack of appetite, and simply acting ‘old’. Cats show similar signs, but can be even more subtle and frequently include restlessness and an inability go appear rested or comfortable, hiding, an open-mouth breathing. And sadly, in both dogs and cats, sudden death is a possibility.
Certain factors may increase your pet’s susceptibility of developing heart disease. These include a few similar to humans – being overweight, eating a poor diet, age, and genetics / familial predilection. This is particularly true in certain breeds of dog, including Boxer, Boston terrier, Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and Cocker spaniel and in Maine coon, Persian, ragdoll, and Siamese cats.
The single most important step you can take to protect your pet’s heart is to schedule regular physical exams with your veterinarian. They will listen to the heart, check for normal heart sounds and rhythm, evaluate him or her for risk factors, discuss potential problems, and monitor overall health. Many times heart problems can be medically managed.
Dogs and cats can also develop heartworm disease, a condition where spaghetti-like worms live within the right side of the heart. The worms are transmitted via bites from infected mosquitoes. Heartworm is most common in dogs, but can also occur in cats. Prevention is easy and involves giving your dog or cat a monthly preventive, either in a chewable or topical form. Heartworm disease may lead to severe cardiac compromise and even death. Giving your pet a monthly preventive is the easiest thing you can do to decrease your pet’s risk of developing the deadly disease.
Obesity is another factor strongly correlated with heart disease. Love your pet via feeding a high-quality diet and getting him or her adequate exercise. Many problems can be helped simply with diet and exercise.
The good news for pets with heart problems is that there are many effective treatments, which extend time and quality of life. Many medications used in human medicine were pioneered in the veterinary world and are proven to be safe and effective. In more serious cases of heart disease, a veterinary cardiologist may even be consulted. With proper care, diet, activity levels, and medications, many pets with heart disease may lead a happy and active life.
Remember that love from your heart this February and every day should extend to your pet’s heart, too. | <urn:uuid:6ba4d5cd-6a4d-43d6-83a4-defa3d7f6a1b> | {
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A cavity is a hole in the outer layer of your tooth, called enamel, which exposes the inner layers of your tooth. These may or may not lead to toothaches, depending on the severity and placement of the exposure.
These holes primarily form due to acid erosion. The acid can come from food sources, such as citrus fruits or acidic drinks, or the acid can come from the mouth system itself.
In your mouth are living bacteria, which coalesce to form a sticky film called plaque.The bacteria in the plaque eat sugars, which can remain in your mouth after eating or drinking. An acidic byproduct is formed, which in turn eats away at tooth enamel until it forms a cavity.
There are ways to combat this vicious cycle, both naturally and mechanically. The body’s first natural defense against acid erosion is the formation of saliva. Saliva not only physically washes away acids and food particles, but it also delivers fortifying substances to tooth enamel and neutralizes existing acids.
You can also mechanically fight cavities by brushing your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes each time. You should wait for 30 minutes after eating before brushing. The acids in food softens enamel, and brushing in that state can actually damage your teeth. Let saliva neutralize acids first to prepare teeth for brushing.
Flossing is also vital, as it cleans areas of the mouth your brush can’t reach–in between teeth and behind the back molars.
For more information, call Payson Dental and Orthodontics in Payson, Utah, at 801-465-7966. Dr. Brian Kraft and our team look forward to making your smile shine! | <urn:uuid:cdcb8538-0239-471b-b79f-245c2dc7c07e> | {
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Smart homes can advantage proactive technology, which the home uses to respond to the wishes of its residents and adjust household functions accordingly. For example, locks, lighting, climate control or various appliance functions can be seamlessly adapted to the time of day, day of the week, or resident wishes. The more commonplace this type of technology becomes, the more important is the need to understand the needs, knowledge, wishes and fears that people associate with its applications.
How new technologies look determines whether they will be accepted in the home
The multidisciplinary Morphome project studied, among other things, the control of light and sound as part of the proactive experience. Independent computer control of such household functions as lighting in low-risk areas are considerably easier to accept than, for example, door locks, the control of stoves and other home appliances, or home entertainment content, such as television broadcasts, over which test subjects wanted to maintain greater control. Conversely, test subjects were willing to make concessions for things enhancing home safety, such as the home computer system turning off a stove left on.
The project developed a variety of designs and functions for smart lights, which were tested in test subject homes. It was found that household items with an entirely new way of functioning change the lives of residents in many, even unexpected ways. The lights, which were able to "listen" to surrounding noises and change their intensity or colour, made the residents consciously control their voices in a new way. This type of "decibel-light" might lead to a situation in which the residents begin to actively avoid doing things that make loud noises when they learn what the actual impact of those actions is. Conversely, noise readings taken on decibel meters differ from those picked up by a human ear: the extreme response of a light to a sudden sneeze caused some degree of amusement as well as irritation.
Design tests showed that the concrete character of a new technology has a major influence on its ability to be accepted into a home environment. The low-profile nature of climate control or alarm systems made them easier areas in which to employ computer technology. People want their homes to be first and foremost cosy, peaceful and filled with personal, familiar things. The project developed, for example, smart pillows, whose embedded microprocessors and RF sensors measured the reactions of people of different ages to technology, which was clad in a familiar, soft form. Children in particular enjoyed "lively" and noise-making pillows, playing with them like toys. Embedding computer technology in a soft and familiar item like a pillow made it seem easily approachable and safe. Pillows are not perceived as having anything to do with computers, and when a prototype made a sort of animal sound, the test subjects immediately associated the fuzzy pillows with a dog or other pet.
Human-based ideas and ethically-sustainable choices must be taken into consideration in design
The project's results demonstrate that the development of proactive technology should respect the abilities and decision-making power of people in regards to their living environment. Designers should give thought to what makes a house a home, and strive to develop technology so that it will not interfere with, but support and enhance precisely these dimensions of the home.
The Morphome project focused on the development of proactive home technologies which are grounded in human-based ideas and ethically-sustainable choices. Research also demands a broader social debate on the development and application of smart monitoring, sensing and control technologies. The proliferation of proactive systems in homes is hindered by industry standards as well as a lack of updates and maintenance services. Because each home is its very own, unique living environment, it is a challenge to develop standardised solutions for it. | <urn:uuid:18e8c1df-ba8b-4cd1-83bd-04d24d001de6> | {
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We live in an age of dire cynicism about corruption in politics. Nearly three-quarters of Canadians surveyed for Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer judged their government’s efforts against corruption to be “ineffective.” By this measure, Canadians have a lower opinion of their own government’s commitment to public integrity than do Pakistanis, Iraqis and Nigerians.
Since then, ongoing revelations by Quebec’s Charbonneau Commission of an orgy of bribery, influence peddling, and organized crime in the corridors of power have done little to improve the standing of Canada’s governing class.
Globally, the consequences of political corruption almost defy understanding.
The World Bank estimates that more than $1-trillion are paid in bribes every year, the largest of which are to obtain state contracts and monopolies. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that multinational criminality moves $2.1-trillion per year across borders, enabled by the active collusion or passive inattention of regulators. The Tax Justice Network estimates that governments lose $3.1-trillion per year because of tax evasion, disproportionately by those with the resources to sway policy makers or public servants.
By comparison, meeting the much-vaunted Millennium Development Goals – eradicating extreme hunger and poverty, establishing universal primary education, reducing child mortality by two-thirds, reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters, halting the spread of HIV and malaria, halving the proportion of people without access to clean water and sanitation, and promoting gender equality in schools and the workforce – would cost no more than $481-billion in development.
What the world loses to corruption in a single year would be enough to end the worst forms of human misery and transform human civilization, a dozen times over.
Political corruption robs citizens of our own resources, our fundamental rights, and our very identities as members of a free and equal society. It makes the weak prey to the strong, and delivers control of society into the hands of the unjust. It debilitates the nation, undermines the rule of law and rots public confidence in democracy. It is a crime against hope itself.
Corruption takes many forms: the theft of public resources; the sale of political influence; the betrayal of the public trust. In all cases, however, corruption thrives when political power is able to operate in the shadows, and it withers before the glare of public scrutiny.
The solution to corruption is therefore extraordinarily simple to describe, though fiendishly difficult to achieve: a vigilant, relentless, and fearless community of citizens and parliamentarians, standing together between our leaders and the levers of power.
Parliamentarians are the watchdogs of democracy, and it is tragic that so many citizens of so many nations perceive our watchdogs as having muted their bark, muzzled their bite, and been neutered by the very powers they were meant to hold at bay. It is a perception that is too often justified, but it is a perception that is just as often desperately unfair.
There are parliamentarians around the world who risk their lives every day to speak for those who would otherwise have no voice. There are parliamentarians who tilt at the powerful for no better reason than to shield others. There are still parliamentarians who understand that election to office is not a licence to rule, but a contract to serve.
Civic organizations, parliamentarians and global institutions have come together this week in Brasilia at the International Anti-Corruption Conference, in an effort to join forces in the fight against corruption. It is the single largest anti-corruption gathering in history.
We have seen a parade of Nobel laureates and village volunteers. We have wrestled with strategies that tell of vision and of folly. We have heard cries of optimism and howls of impotent rage.
But ultimately, this gathering will succeed only if it ends by inspiring cynical citizens to believe that the political process can be part of the solution, not only part of the problem; by stirring courage in timorous legislators to stare down those who know no restraint; and by convincing both groups that together, we can achieve the victory over corruption that none of us can reach alone.
Akaash Maharaj is COO of the Canadian-based Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, and is representing the parliamentary alliance at the International Anti-Corruption Conference. His personal web site is www.Maharaj.org and his Twitter account is @AkaashMaharaj . | <urn:uuid:d17824af-1386-4b7f-baca-ab356de3244c> | {
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Home > Patients & Visitors > Health Library > Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI]
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This information is produced and provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National Cancer Institute via the Internet web site at http://cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER.
Childhood soft tissue sarcoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in soft tissues of the body.
Soft tissues of the body connect, support, and surround other body parts and organs. The soft tissues include the following:
Soft tissue sarcoma may be found anywhere in the body. In children, the tumors form most often in the arms, legs, or trunk (chest and abdomen).
There are many different types of soft tissue sarcomas.
The cells of each type of sarcoma look different under a microscope. The soft tissue tumors are grouped based on the type of soft tissue cell where they first formed.
See the following PDQ summaries for more information:
This summary is about the following types of soft tissue sarcoma:
Fibrous (connective) tissue tumors
Fat tissue tumors
Smooth muscle tumors
Peripheral nervous system tumors
Bone and cartilage tumors
Tumors with more than one type of tissue
Tumors of unknown origin (the place where the tumor first formed is not known)
Blood and lymph vessel tumors
Besides rhabdomyosarcomas, the most common soft tissue sarcomas in children are in joint tissue, connective tissue, and nerve tissue.
Soft tissue sarcoma occurs in children and adults. Soft tissue sarcoma in children may respond differently to treatment, and may have a better outcome than soft tissue sarcoma in adults. (See the PDQ summary on Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma Treatment for more information on treatment in adults.)
Having certain diseases and inherited disorders can increase the risk of developing childhood soft tissue sarcoma.
Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn't mean that you will not get cancer. People who think they may be at risk should discuss this with their doctor. Risk factors for childhood soft tissue sarcoma include having the following inherited disorders:
Other risk factors include the following:
The most common sign of childhood soft tissue sarcoma is a painless lump or swelling in soft tissues of the body.
A sarcoma may appear as a painless lump under the skin, often on an arm, a leg, or the trunk. There may be no other symptoms at first. As the sarcoma grows larger and presses on nearby organs, nerves, muscles, or blood vessels, symptoms may occur, including pain or weakness.
Other conditions may cause the same symptoms that soft tissue sarcomas do. A doctor should be consulted if any of these problems occur.
Diagnostic tests and a biopsy are used to detect (find) and diagnose childhood soft tissue sarcoma.
The following tests and procedures may be used:
If these tests show there may be a soft tissue sarcoma, a biopsy is done. One of the following types of biopsies may be used:
In order to plan the best treatment, a large sample of tissue may be removed during the biopsy to find out the type of soft tissue sarcoma and do laboratory tests. Tissue samples will be taken from the primary tumor, lymph nodes, and other areas that may have a tumor. A pathologist views the tissue under a microscope to look for cancer cells and to find out the type and grade of the tumor. The grade of a tumor depends on how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope and how quickly the cells are dividing. High-grade and mid-grade tumors usually grow and spread more quickly than low-grade tumors. Because soft tissue sarcoma can be hard to diagnose, patients should ask to have the tissue sample checked by a pathologist who has experience in diagnosing soft tissue sarcoma.
One or more of the following laboratory tests may be done to study the tissue samples:
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the following:
The prognosis also depends on how the tumor responds to chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
After childhood soft tissue sarcoma has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.
The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the soft tissue or to other parts of the body is called staging. There is no standard staging system for childhood soft tissue sarcoma. Two methods that are commonly used for staging are based on the amount of tumor remaining after surgery to remove the tumor and/or the grade and size of the tumor and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment.
The following tests and procedures may be used in the staging process:
The results of the sentinel lymph node biopsy and CT scan are viewed together with the results of the diagnostic tests and initial surgery to determine the stage of the soft tissue sarcoma.
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
The three ways that cancer spreads in the body are:
When cancer cells break away from the primary (original) tumor and travel through the lymph or blood to other places in the body, another (secondary) tumor may form. This process is called metastasis. The secondary (metastatic) tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the bones, the cancer cells in the bones are actually breast cancer cells. The disease is metastatic breast cancer, not bone cancer.
One method used to stage childhood soft tissue sarcoma is based on how much cancer remains after surgery to remove the tumor and whether the cancer has spread:
Nonmetastatic childhood soft tissue sarcoma
In nonmetastatic childhood soft tissue sarcoma, the cancer has been partly or completely removed by surgery and has not spread to other parts of the body.
Metastatic childhood soft tissue sarcoma
Another method used to stage childhood soft tissue sarcoma is based on the size of the tumor and whether cancer has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
This staging system is based on the following:
Pea, peanut, walnut, and lime show tumor sizes.
Stage I is divided into stages IA and IB:
Stage II is divided into stage IIA and stage IIB:
In stage III, the tumor is either:
In stage IV, the tumor is any grade, any size, and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes. Cancer has spread to distant parts of the body such as the lungs.
Recurrent childhood soft tissue sarcoma is cancer that has recurred (come back) after it has been treated. The cancer may come back in the same place or in other parts of the body. Progressive childhood soft tissue sarcoma is cancer that did not respond to treatment.
There are different types of treatment for patients with childhood soft tissue sarcoma.
Different types of treatments are available for patients with childhood soft tissue sarcoma. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment.
Because cancer in children is rare, taking part in a clinical trial should be considered. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Children with childhood soft tissue sarcoma should have their treatment planned by a team of health care providers who are experts in treating cancer in children.
Treatment will be overseen by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating children with cancer. The pediatric oncologist works with other health care providers who are experts in treating children with soft tissue sarcoma and who specialize in certain areas of medicine. These may include a pediatric surgeon with special training in the removal of soft tissue sarcomas. The following specialists may also be included:
Some cancer treatments cause side effects months or years after treatment has ended.
Side effects from cancer treatment that begin during or after treatment and continue for months or years are called late effects. Late effects of cancer treatment may include:
Some late effects may be treated or controlled. It is important to talk with your child's doctors about the effects cancer treatment can have on your child. (See the PDQ summary on Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood Cancer for more information.)
Seven types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery to completely remove the soft tissue sarcoma is done whenever possible. If the tumor is very large, radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be given first, to make the tumor smaller and decrease the amount of tissue that needs to be removed during surgery. The following types of surgery may be used:
A second surgery may be needed to:
Even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given radiation therapy or chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called adjuvant therapy.
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy.
External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Stereotactic radiation therapy aims radiation directly to a tumor, causing less damage to normal tissue around the tumor. The total dose of radiation is divided into several smaller doses given over several days. This procedure is also called stereotactic external-beam radiation therapy and stereotaxic radiation therapy.
Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). Combination chemotherapy is the use of more than one anticancer drug. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
See Drugs Approved for Adult and Childhood Sarcoma for more information.
Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that removes hormones or blocks their action and stops cancer cells from growing. Hormones are substances made by glands in the body and circulated in the bloodstream. Some hormones can cause certain cancers to grow. If tests show that the cancer cells have places where hormones can attach (receptors), drugs, surgery, or radiation therapy is used to reduce the production of hormones or block them from working. Antiestrogens (drugs that block estrogen) may be used to treat childhood soft tissue sarcoma.
Watchful waiting is closely monitoring a patient's condition without giving any treatment until symptoms appear or change. Watchful waiting may be done when complete removal of the tumor is not possible, no other treatments are available, and the tumor does not place any vital organs in danger.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are drugs (such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen) that are commonly used to decrease fever, swelling, pain, and redness. In the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas, an NSAID called sulindac may be used to help block the growth of cancer cells.
The liver is removed and replaced with a healthy one from a donor.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
This summary section describes treatments that are being studied in clinical trials. It may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to find and attack specific cancer cells without harming normal cells. Imatinib (Gleevec) is a type of targeted therapy called a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It finds and blocks an abnormal protein on cancer cells that causes them to divide and grow.
Other targeted therapies being studied in clinical trials include angiogenesis inhibitors. In cancer treatment, angiogenesis inhibitors prevent the growth of new blood vessels needed for tumors to grow.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. See the Treatment Options section that follows for links to current treatment clinical trials. These have been retrieved from NCI's listing of clinical trials.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the stage of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests. This is sometimes called re-staging.
Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups.
A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.
Nonmetastatic Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma
For treatment of hemangiopericytoma (in infants and young children) and infantile fibrosarcoma
If an infant or young child has fibrosarcoma or hemangiopericytoma, treatment will be surgery whenever possible. Other treatments may include chemotherapy to reduce the size of the tumor, followed by surgery.
If an older child or adolescent has fibrosarcoma or hemangiopericytoma, treatment will be surgery whenever possible. Other treatments may include the following:
For treatment of desmoid tumor
Treatment of desmoid tumor will be surgery whenever possible. Other treatments may include watchful waiting, chemotherapy, or surgery followed by internal radiation therapy.
If surgery to completely remove the tumor is not possible, treatment to shrink the tumor before surgery may include the following:
For treatment of alveolar soft part sarcoma
Treatment of alveolar soft part sarcoma will be surgery whenever possible. Other treatments may include the following:
For treatment of clear cell sarcoma
Treatment of clear cell sarcoma will be surgery whenever possible. Radiation therapy may be given after surgery.
For treatment of desmoplastic small round cell tumor
Treatment of desmoplastic small round cell tumor may include surgery, chemotherapy (which may be given before surgery), and radiation therapy.
For treatment of extraosseous osteosarcoma
See the PDQ summary on Osteosarcoma and Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of Bone Treatment for more information on the treatment of extraosseous osteosarcoma.
For treatment of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor
Treatment of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor will be surgery whenever possible. Radiation therapy may be given after surgery.
For treatment of plexiform histiocytic tumor
Treatment of plexiform histiocytic tumor is surgery to completely remove the tumor.
For treatment of synovial sarcoma
Treatment of synovial sarcoma may include the following:
For treatment of undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma
There is no standard treatment for undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma. Treatment may be within a clinical trial for patients with nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS).
For treatment of angiosarcoma and lymphangiosarcoma
Treatment of angiosarcoma and lymphangiosarcoma may include the following:
For treatment of hemangioendothelioma
Treatment of hemangioendothelioma in children younger than one year may include the following:
Treatment of hemangioendothelioma in children aged one year and older may include the following:
For treatment of aggressive fibromatosis, dermatofibrosarcoma, and angiomatoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma
Treatment of these tumor types will be surgery whenever possible. Other treatments may include the following:
For treatment of epithelioid sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, and mesenchymal chondrosarcoma
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with nonmetastatic childhood soft tissue sarcoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Metastatic Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Treatment of metastatic childhood soft tissue sarcoma may include the following:
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with metastatic childhood soft tissue sarcoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Recurrent and Progressive Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Treatment of recurrent or progressive childhood soft tissue sarcoma may include the following:
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with recurrent childhood soft tissue sarcoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
For more information from the National Cancer Institute about childhood soft tissue sarcoma, see the following:
For more childhood cancer information and other general cancer resources from the National Cancer Institute, see the following:
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Changes were made to this summary to match those made to the health professional version.
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. A trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
The NCI's LiveHelp® online chat service provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
Write to us
For more information from the NCI, please write to this address:
Search the NCI Web site
The NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. For a quick search, use the search box in the upper right corner of each Web page. The results for a wide range of search terms will include a list of "Best Bets," editorially chosen Web pages that are most closely related to the search term entered.
There are also many other places to get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Hospitals in your area may have information about local and regional agencies that have information on finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems related to cancer treatment.
The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." In the United States, about two-thirds of children with cancer are treated in a clinical trial at some point in their illness.
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. For additional help in locating a childhood cancer clinical trial, call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
The PDQ database contains listings of groups specializing in clinical trials.
The Children's Oncology Group (COG) is the major group that organizes clinical trials for childhood cancers in the United States. Information about contacting COG is available on the NCI Web site or from the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Last Revised: 2012-05-25
If you want to know more about cancer and how it is treated, or if you wish to know about clinical trials for your type of cancer, you can call the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237, toll free. A trained information specialist can talk with you and answer your questions.
How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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New research indicates that the carbon price policy was working, writes Frank Jotzo.
Carbon emissions in Australia’s national electricity market would have been 11 to 17 million tonnes higher if Australia had not introduced a carbon price.
New research using the latest data indicates that the policy was working despite its Senate repeal.
Over the first two years of operation of the carbon price (July 2012 to July 2014), carbon emissions are down by 29 million tonnes or 8.2 per cent across the National Electricity Market compared to the two years prior.
The conclusion from our research is that the carbon price has been performing well in its main job: delivering emissions cuts in the power sector, which is the largest source of emissions and the sector with the biggest opportunity for cuts.
Besides helping to reduce power demand by households and industry, the carbon price has also had a strong effect on the relative costs of running different types of power plants, making highly polluting plants more expensive, and cleaner ones cheaper. Some black and brown coal generators have reduced their hours of operation; others have been mothballed.
We estimate that the emissions intensity (the amount of carbon dioxide released per kilowatt hour of electricity produced) of Australia’s power grid fell by 2-3% as a direct result of the carbon price, while demand fell by 1-2% and overall emissions by 3-5%. This is a conservative estimate.
Beware of misleading numbers
When the political stakes are high, as in the case of the cost of carbon pricing to the economy, misleading statements can be common. Opponents of the carbon price have wrongly equated the total value of emissions permits with the cost to the economy. In truth, selling permits generates revenue which the government can use to cut income taxes, for example. Also, almost half the permits are given away to industry for free anyway.
The actual economic cost is much smaller than the value of permits, or the tax take. Pretending otherwise is like calling the Goods and Services Tax an A$80 billion dollar cost to the economy, which of course it is not.
Stable policies needed
Political uncertainty dogged the carbon pricing policy over its entire existence. As a result its effect was not as great as it would have been under a stable policy framework.
It is likely that investment decisions were not much affected by the actual carbon price, because of the widespread expectation among industry that the carbon price might be repealed.
For investors in assets with lifetimes of several decades, what matters most is the expectation of policy settings over the medium to longer term.
That said, the fact that a carbon price exists will encourage businesses and householders to look for options to save energy and shift to lower-emissions equipment, fuels and processes.
The prominence of the carbon price in Australia’s political rhetoric over the past few years may have done as much to make people aware of power-saving opportunities. For companies, carbon pricing ensures that emissions become an item in financial accounting, giving the issue greater salience in company decisions.
If we are serious about moving Australia’s economy to a low-carbon footing, we need a stable policy framework that creates economic incentives to cut emissions. Major international economics agencies, such as the OECD and the International Monetary Fund, are recommending that governments introduce carbon taxes or emissions trading schemes.
Don’t dump the architecture
But what are the chances of getting carbon pricing back in Australia? Australia’s climate change policy has been bitterly divisive since the Rudd-Turnbull deal on emissions trading fell apart in late 2009. It has cost several political leaders their jobs.
Years and careers have been spent in negotiations with business and government, poring over the minute details of the carbon pricing architecture. More political capital was invested in developing this policy than any other in recent Australian history.
The tragedy in the repeal of the carbon pricing mechanism is that this architecture may now be lost. It seems unlikely that future leaders of either party will summon the force of will needed to introduce a carbon price again anytime soon.
By getting rid of it we are sending the worst possible message to other countries. It is a worldwide first for a national emissions trading scheme or carbon tax to be abolished; no other country is planning such a move. Most big emitters, such as China, are going the other way.
A better option, under the parliamentary circumstances, would be to follow Clive Palmer’s suggestion of keeping the emissions trading system but at a price of zero. The plan is yet to be considered by the Senate, although the proposal to wait for India to get on board before raising the price may doom the plan.
Here to stay
Climate change won’t go away as a policy issue in Australia. The world’s major countries – including China and the United States – are pushing ahead with policies that will clean up their energy systems and modernize their economies, and cut carbon emissions in the process. All countries are expected to put their pledges for a post-2020 international climate agreement on the table in early 2015.
Australia will not be able to hide in the international arena. And voters, having abandoned the issue in 2013, may once again demand credible climate action.
But we are likely to find ourselves in the realm of second-best climate policies. We may see more regulatory intervention, perhaps even in the power sector as the US administration is planning. These can be effective, but tend to cost more than an economy-wide price signal. Subsidy-based policies like Direct Action might rise but they are inefficient and limited in their reach.
Just like the Obama administration, future Australian governments may find that the politics of climate policy is too poisonous for a rational economic approach.
The one ray of hope lies in Australia’s tradition of putting itself in the vanguard of economic reform, from trade liberalisation to deregulation. Perhaps a future government will find the courage to reinstate a wide-ranging price incentive to cut emissions.
But one thing’s for sure: they had better not call it a “carbon tax”.
Many of these topics are covered in courses Frank Jotzo teaches at Crawford School including Domestic Climate Change Policy and Economics (EMDV8081) and Issues in Development and Environment (EMDV8013). You can also find out more about the Master of Climate Change at http://programsandcourses.anu.edu.au/2015/program/MCLCH
This article was originally published by The Conversation
Read more about this study: Sydney Morning Herald | <urn:uuid:4de80b5a-65fd-4e98-871e-d0a3172f14e2> | {
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Tornado Hits La Plata, Maryland
On Sunday, April 28, an F4 tornado cut an east-west path through La Plata, Maryland, killing 3 and injuring more than 100. These two images show a 6 x 17.8 km area centered on the town. The top image was acquired on May 12, 2001, and the bottom on May 3, 2002. The bands used for the image portray vegetation in red, and bare fields and urban areas in blue-green. The dark turquoise swath cutting across the 2002 image is the track of the tornado, where the vegetation was ripped up and removed.
These images were acquired on May 3, 2002, and May 12, 2001 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER will image Earth for the next six years to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet.
This image originally appeared on the Earth Observatory. Click here to view the full, original record. | <urn:uuid:087e287c-fc50-48c2-ad96-db050f7b4e8c> | {
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Construction workers found a time capsule during work at the town hall tower in Bolesławiec in South-western Poland. Metal tubes containing 18th cent. artefacts were found between a wooden beam and a ceiling.
Among the finds in the capsule were documents (oldest dated to 1776), construction plans, and German newspapers. The documents suggest that the tubes were reopened during subsequent construction works at the tower and indicate that coins were also deposited within the tubes, but they were probably stolen at some point.
All the archives and museum collections in Bolesławiec burned during World War II, so the newly discovered documents are priceless as artefacts. The finds are deposited in the Museum of Ceramics in Bolesławiec and are said to be put on display once conservation works are done. | <urn:uuid:e3a42319-3ca6-4f9d-8c98-505788c437fe> | {
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Professor George Patton from CATS discusses the importance of the middle years for health and emotional development
Lisa talks to ABC Radio National's Life Matters program about the importance of the middle years
Dr Lisa Mundy and other experts discuss the benefits and downsides of screen time with Woolworths
A report compiled by CATS shows that bullying is affecting the learning outcomes and emotional health of primary school students.
Primary school students who are being bullied and/or experiencing emotional difficulties are falling behind at school.
Channel 9 reports on the latest CATS research, highlighting that children as young as eight years old are unsatisfied with their bodies.
Hear Dr Libby Hughes and some CATS participants talk about poor perceptions of body image in young children.
The Age reports on recent research out of CATS, showing that body image pressures begin as young as eight years old.
Dr Lisa Mundy speaks to Peter Bell & Paula Kruger about using recent CATS research to prevent bullying in the future. *Link unavailable*
Dr Lisa Mundy speaks with Jon Faine about how having a group of friends can protect the mental health of a bullied child.
School bullying is depressingly common but having a group of friends, not just a single “bestie”, may bolster a child’s resilience.
One in five grade three boys have emotional or behavioural problems, putting their academic performance a year behind their peers.
David Taylor reports on the impact of emotional problems in boys, relating to their academic performance and development.
Dr Lisa Mundy talks to ABC News about new evidence that one in five primary school-aged boys exhibit emotional problems.
Dr Lisa Mundy chats to ABC TV Weekend Breakfast about the challenges of puberty and all things CATS!
Dr Lisa Mundy reviews the recently published book by Amanda Dunn, 'The New Puberty' for The Conversation.
Amanda Dunn discusses her upcoming book 'The New Puberty' and the importance of CATS in adolescent health research.
Hear Dr Lisa Mundy discuss the importance of the middle years, and talk about the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study.
We know the havoc that bullying can wreak on a child’s social and emotional wellbeing, but what toll might it have on academic outcomes?
The first large scale study into school bullying and academic achievement finds kids targeted by bullying are well behind in their learning.
The latest research to come out of CATS explores the effect of bullying on academic performance.
New research by MCRI has revealed that one in three boys and one in four girls aged 8 to 9 years are experiencing weekly bullying.
Schoolyard bullies are not only leaving their victims in tears, they're also robbing them of good results. *Link unavailable*
ABC Radio interview featuring Dr Mundy discussing the negative effects of bullying on children's academic performance.
Dr Mundy talks about how much time our young boys are spending on video games, and the effect on health.
New CATS research has found a link between different types of electronic media & mental health in young children. *Link unavailable*
Dr Mundy discusses recent findings on the link between electronic media and emotional & behavioural problems. *Link unavailable*
The study shows a link between time spent using TV and video games, and emotional and behavioural problems in late childhood.
Dr Mundy featured on A Current Affair, sharing recent findings around electronic media and behavioural problems.
CATS has found a link between different types of electronic media and mental health among young children.
There's a link between different electronic media and mental health among young children.
Bing watching TV and playing video games excessively has been linked to poor mental health in boys from the age of just eight.
Boys who watch a lot of television are at a higher risk of developing conduct and emotional problems.
A growing body of research is finding that the way parents relate to their children affects more than their mental and emotional health. It also has an impact on their physical wellbeing.
Congratulations Lisa! The Fellowship has allowed Lisa to spend time working on writing up some results from CATS. | <urn:uuid:da311021-fb2a-4df9-87a3-95119438536c> | {
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Heart disease is not just a man’s disease, yet it is America’s number one killer of women, claiming 480,000 women a year (one per minute). Ignorance is as real a threat as heart disease itself. In a 2003 study completed by the American Heart Association, of 1,000 women surveyed, a mere 13 percent viewed cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke as a threat to their health.But consider these stark statistics.
- 64 percent of women who died suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms.
- 1 in 2.6 female deaths are from CVD, compared with 1 in 30 from breast cancer.
- Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death for American women, and is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability.
The most common risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women is a sedentary lifestyle. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 39% of white women and 57% of women of color do not get enough physical exercise. Rates of physical inactivity are highest among poor women. As with men, diet, exercise, and a tobacco-free lifestyle are the keys to preventing heart disease in women. Simply by walking 30 minutes a day, three times a week a woman’s risk of a heart attack is reduced by 50 percent. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are also may experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
Schedule a yearly checkup to have your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked.
Get physical by marching or jogging in place for at least 15 minutes a day. Increase your activity by 5 minutes each week until you reach 30 minutes a day.
Drink more water and eat healthy. Put vegetables and fruits in front in the refrigerator and healthy snacks in the front of the pantry, so that healthy choices become a habit.
Keep an eye on your cholesterol. Avoid foods high in saturated and trans fat. Eat lean chicken or turkey (roasted or baked, with skin removed), fruits and veggies, low-fat or fat-free dairy products and whole grains.
Cut or eliminate the salt. Only use a little salt in cooking and put the salt shaker away during dinner. Watch for salt disguised in food labels as sodium alginate, sodium sulfite, sodium caseinate, disodium phosphate, sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide, monosodium glutamate (MSG), or sodium citrate.
Quit smoking. No matter whether you go cold turkey, attend a smoking cessation group, or use a medication to help you quit, just kick the habit.
Maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Eat smaller portions. Snack on fruits and vegetables. Sustain your momentum by keeping track of your achievements.
Most of all, don’t turn a blind eye to the facts. Your heart’s health depends on it. | <urn:uuid:e40ce260-6aaf-4821-9d25-ac5c814bacbc> | {
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5 EASY STEPS TO ARTHRITIS TREATMENT AND PREVENTION
When it comes to chronic ailments in animals, many are aware that the vast majority of causes are environmental. Many animal guardians assume that chronic illness is a part of the aging process and that it cannot be avoided. What many may not be as aware of is that the greater part of these ailments can be easily preventable. Companion animal arthritis is no different.
As with almost all chronic pain, arthritis is highly correlated to an animal’s diet. Many animals suffer from genetically weakened immune systems and genetic chronic inflammation. In all cases, an animal’s diet is a key component in healing or deteriorating the physical body. Though there are various types of arthritis and chronic inflammation that arise from a range of origins, they all have one universal property; with a few lifestyle changes, each type of arthritis symptoms can be significantly lessened or altogether preventable. The following is a list of five readily available means of reducing and/or preventing companion animal arthritis.
1) Diet Change- the vast majority of processed foods contain significant numbers of inflammatory ingredients. Just like humans, companion animals’ bodies must be nurtured with whole foods, not preservatives and by-products. What many companion animal care givers fail to realize is that even the expensive ‘prescription’ diet science based foods are among the worst brands for listing preservatives and by-products as first ingredients on their labels. Without getting into the gruesome details, these brands as well as other nutrient-poor foods do not contain ingredients that will nurture an animal’s body to health but rather will weaken the immune system and generate a body that is devoid of nutrient retention. The longer term effects of this type of anti-inflammatory diet include; arthritis, painful inflammation, unnecessary shedding, obesity, severe dehydration, kidney stones, bladder crystals, certain types of cancers ad early stage organ failure. By changing an animal’s diet to a nutrient-rich regimen, we will give them their best shot at a long term life free of the pain and suffering of inflammation. Nutrient rich diets include; raw food, cooked meats and steamed veggies as opposed to store bought processed foods. Excluding these whole food sources, there are also several types of nutrient rich store bought foods that are far higher in quality than science based diets which are categorically full of preservatives and by-products. Ask your local Animal Communicator or holistic vet which types of foods are best suited to your companion animals.
2) Yucca Root- Yucca plant has healing properties within it that invoke the body’s natural corticosteroids. When the body suffers from painful inflammation, naturally most would be inclined to consume anti-inflammatory medication. Many of these medications do not work with the body but rather against it; breaking down the immune system little by little. As opposed to medical steroids such as prednisone that will break down proper immune function, Yucca Root will work with the body to promote a healthy functioning immune system.
3) Add anti-inflammatory foods to diet- Returning to the diet once again, any animals who suffer from arthritis and other chronic inflammation may experience a reduction in painful symptoms by adding simple anti-inflammatory foods to the diet. Whether adding these anti-inflammatory foods to processed diets or on their own as a meal, any addition of these foods is likely to reduce symptoms and treat the root cause of the inflammation. Of course, most cats will be far more finicky about their food than will dogs. Whether it is a dog or cat in question, locating appropriate anti-inflammatory foods will encourage a healthier physical state for our animal friends. There is a wide selection of anti-inflammatory food options for our animal friends. Some of these options include; whole salmon (not canned), sardines (fresh), steamed broccoli, steamed celery, cucumber, several types of nuts and seeds. It is also important to note that adding omegas will increase digestive health, thereby encouraging a healthy weight. It is a good idea to consult with your holistic veterinarian to find out which combinations of anti-inflammatory foods are best for your animal friends.
4) Fish Oil/Omegas 3 & 6 supplement- Adding sources of omegas to an animal’s diet is crucial in terms of reduction of inflammation. There are innumerable sources of omegas that are readily available. Advocating for whole foods once again, feeding natural sources of omegas are often more nutritious than adding a food supplement. For example. Adding fresh fish to the diet will be a healthier option than fish oil alone. Though fish oil is a concentrated form of the omegas found in fish, the actual food will have other healthy components within it to nurture and moisturize the animal’s body. When an animal eats heavily processed and refined foods, these foods strip the body of moisture. Despite the lower grade and science based diets listing omegas as sourced within these foods, it is almost always too minimal of an amount to treat any type of moisture loss or lack of retention of moisture in the joints, skin, coat and organs. By supplementing the diet with wild salmon oil, for example, we are allowing the animal’s body to retain the necessary components of their food in order to have optimally functioning organs and tissues. Be sure to supplement fish oils that have specified fish origins as opposed to labels that just read “fish”. Any labels that read ‘fish’ without specification are likely nutrient poor, polluted fish sources.
5) Coconut oil- Coconut oil is a highly effective and tasty addition to an animal’s diet. In addition to its nearly miraculous anti-inflammatory properties, coconut oil will keep our animals feeling younger and more playful. For a more complete list of the many benefits of coconut oil for companion animals, view: https://soulsticespirit.com/2017/05/07/the-abcs-of-coconut-oil-for-cats-and-dogs/ Adding coconut oil to an animal’s daily regimen will help to both reduce genetic inflammation as well as prevent much of the hardship of later-onset inflammation. As with all holistic remedies, coconut oil must be given in small doses over a longer period to take effect. This is why beginning our animals on a coconut oil regimen at younger ages is a smart idea. This way, they will have had years to accumulate the added moisture in their joints and organs before aging sets in. If we are only learning about the many benefits of coconut oil as our animals are already aging, this oil can still have an anti-inflammatory effect over a shorter period of time.
As our animals age, the more moisture we can induce in our animal friends’ joints, bones and organs, the more notable their quality of life will increase. As animal’s age, their bodies are also lesser able to retain moisture. Without moisture, organs shut down, ranges of motion become decreased and quality of life diminishes. The important thing is that we, as caregivers of animals recognize that we can make a grand difference in the lives of our beloved animal friends by understanding how food and diet impacts an animal’s quality of life. We must acknowledge, too, that moisture is the body’s best friend and do all we can to promote a healthy and well rounded quality of life for those who are unable to do so for themselves. | <urn:uuid:4ab8ecee-c459-46a2-9f62-bdd00e46985e> | {
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Every superintendent, principal, and teacher is in a leadership position. Don’t ask if you are leading. You are. Don’t ask if you will make a difference. You will. The question is, “What kind of leader will you be, and what kind of difference will you make?”
—Richard DuFour and Robert J. Marzano, Leaders of Learning, p. 208
Improvement in schools starts with teachers and administrators collectively focused on bringing all students to higher levels of learning. Without this collaborative effort, schools cannot see progress, especially those that have limited or no achievement gains (flatlined data).
Sharon V. Kramer and Sarah Schuhl share a clear path to continuous improvement in this workshop. Teachers and administrators discover how to work together as teams of leaders to create systematic processes and implement best practices that ensure the learning of every student.
- Learn how to drive increased academic achievement for all students
- Develop ways to plan for structural changes that improve school cultures
- Gain steps for creating common assessments that enhance learning and align with state and national standards
- Determine how collaborative teams can plan for a guaranteed and viable curriculum
- Explore ways to gather and analyze data to examine instructional practices and inform next steps for learning
- Create action steps for immediate implementation
Learn from leading experts
Hear from our attendees
“The motivation and energy the presenter had was contagious! He shared so many ideas that were awesome for getting staff and students excited about learning.”
Kimm Mack, teacher, Killian Elementary School, South Carolina | <urn:uuid:b5417f51-790d-4571-84fa-0bf9b803866d> | {
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7 Dimensional Worlds
The ultimate world is one of 7 dimensions
Although we have used our little man example to try make more concrete our ideas, what we are exploring here is that life is a computer program.
A computer program can be one dimensional. It is a sequence. We don't mean a computer program written on paper (or something) but an electro-magnetic phenomenon (EMP) according to rules like a computer program.
The EMP phenomenon operates through time but it is not necessarily dimensional. What is certain is that our experience of the phenomenon is dimensional. EMP in the brain could have a multi-dimensional effect, but in itself it is a sequence of electro-chemical events.
If we existed in 5 dimensions, we could start the program and observe the the sequence of 'solid frames' from beginning to end. But we could not experience the whole thing at one go. For this, we need 6 dimensions.
That is, we need one dimension for our own time line. One dimension for the observed time line. And 4 dimensions to view 3-d solids all at once.
With 6 dimensions, we might also be able to be aware of other sequences of solids working out in a different way.
With 7 dimensions we could be aware of all sequences of worlds simultaneously and instantaneously.
With the little man, we can flip the pages and see the little man as a moving, apparently-living thing. We actually 'see' the animated little man. The animated little man is like an object.
In the same way, at higher dimensions, we actually see, as an actual object, what at lower dimensions is a sequence.
Suppose we read an account of a new object. We might read many thousands of words and eventually get some idea of the object. We might be able to visualise it exactly. But if we are shown a picture, then we can understand the object almost at once. No need to read thousands of words.
Words are a linear sequence. They are one dimension. A picture is 2 dimensional. Because we can perceive 2 dimensions, then the picture is like an insight. We see the new object in one go.
However, it may be the object is more complicated. And when we actually see the object, then we gain as much understanding as we can. We cannot go further because we cannot perceive more than 3 dimensions.
If we could, then we might see the object and its history, etc, all in one go, with instant insight and knowingness.
With 7 dimensions available we can know everything in an instant. | <urn:uuid:7d1bbea3-8021-4b1a-9d52-2097127e1cf7> | {
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There are nearly 15 million farmers in India who grow corn, which is considered to be the third most important crop, just behind wheat and rice. When you think of drones being used in agriculture, you probably assume it’s a huge octocopter flying just above the plants spraying either water or pesticides. Instead, companies like Skylark and Syngenta are using drones to collect real-time data about how to increase productivity and identify dying plants.
Agriculture Stories July 6
Agriculture Stories June 7
For the last 107 years, the apple orchard Beak & Skiff in Central New York has used bees to pollinate their apple trees. Each year, during spring when the orchards are in bloom there is only a short period that is the most optimal time to pollinate the apple trees. The success of the pollination is heavily dependent on the bee activity in the area. To take some of that uncertainty out of the equation, they tried something new this year. Fresh Fruit Operations at Beak & Skiff Orchards hired NY Genius finalist Dropcopter to pollinate their apple trees with a drone.
Agriculture Stories March 9
Oakland University professor Jon Carroll, Ph.D., is bringing agricultural drone technology, that is widely used in the US to Africa. The anthropology professor traveled to Liwonde, Malawi to help farmers optimize their crop production by using drone technology and to promote sustainable agriculture in Africa.
Agriculture Stories January 11
Yamaha makes a lot more than motorbikes, outboard engines, and watercrafts. Apparently, they make drones now as well. At CES 2018, they were showing off a new drone, the YMR-01, for pesticide application in the agricultural industry. Since the nineties, Yamaha had been using the R-Max remote helicopter to do the same but a drone should be easier to fly and therefore offer a larger market for Yamaha to cater to.
The Yamaha YMR-01 features an interesting rotor design with six arms but eight rotors. The double rotors in the middle are called“vertical coaxial” rotors. Yamaha states that the design of the drone is to create the most effective downward air currents for optimal application of pesticides. Smart.
Agriculture Stories January 6
A few weeks ago, during a press event in China, Shenzhen-based DJI Technology Co. Ltd. announced three new agricultural drones: the MG-1S Advanced, the MG-1P, and the MG-1P RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) version. These drones can be used for monitoring crops as well as spraying pesticides. DJI will price these new unmanned aerial vehicles 12% less expensive than their previous models launched in November 2016. These new low prices have drawn the attention from competitors who have stated that the Chinese drone maker is “disturbing the industry.”
Agriculture Stories December 25, 2017
At the DJI press event in Shenzhen, China last week, the Chinese drone manufacturer announced the following drones aimed at the agricultural market, the MG-1S Advanced, the MG-1P and the MG-1P RTK. It seems that these drones will be available soon for the Chinese market. No word, however on when and if these drones may come to the US. | <urn:uuid:1891cb54-bd57-4b18-8412-f006593d7c51> | {
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10 Reasons to play Rounders in School
Rounders England has many ways in which we can support Teachers, Colleges and Universities who are looking to develop Rounders, through resources, courses and competitions. We also offer Education Membership – click to find out the opportunities this brings for young people.
- Rounders is fun
By placing the emphasis on fun, Rounders stands out from other sports and can encourage those least active pupils into physical activity through enjoyment and sociability.
- Engages all pupils in regular physical activity
A fully inclusive sport, Rounders is a cross-generational, cross gender game that embraces all abilities and fulfills a key indicator within the curriculum.
- Develops confidence and interest to get involved in exercise
A positive experience and understanding of the long-term health benefits of physical activity will impact on pupils out of school participation and in later life.
- A tactical and strategic game that requires excellent teamwork
Everyone in the team gets credit. No-one gets singled out and no-one is left unacknowledged. It’s all about teamwork!
- Rounders shows that commitment yields clear rewards
A variation of the game can be played to encourage participation and allow for teaching differentiation and a clear improvement in performance.
- Exciting tailored leadership courses and volunteering opportunities for pupils
Through theoretical and practical learning, Rounders Young Leaders Award (RYLA) is tailored to encourage pupils to take on leadership roles that can support the game and physical activity within your school.
- Opportunity for invigorating friendly competition
Rounders is a high level competitive sport and, when embraced, can be played at National School Championships and School Games. With four England Squads there are trials for aspiring female players.
- Rounders is adaptable and can be played both indoor and outdoor
Rounders can be played all year round, broadening pupil’s experiences and introducing different rules of the game.
- Professional development opportunities for all staff teaching PE and sport
Opportunity to increase confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff through our wide range of courses, resources and support to all our education members to help create the very best Rounders experience possible.
- Playing, masters fundamental movement skills
With batting, striking, running and catching, Rounders permits pupils to read their environment and make appropriate decisions, allowing them to move confidently and with control in a wide range of physical activity situations. | <urn:uuid:4a9f88af-6de7-4f2d-81eb-33e8bb4ec71c> | {
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WHY DID NICODEMUS WAIT UNTIL THE COVER OF DARK TO VISIT JESUS?
This is a question that has been debated by scholars for centuries, and unfortunately the scriptures do not give us a clear and compelling answer. However, what we do know is this, “Nicodemus is a Pharisee at the top of his field. Not only is he a member of the Sanhedrin, he is the most renowned Bible teacher of his day. We also know that the Jewish religious leaders were divided into several groups. Two of the most prominent groups were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees separated themselves from anything non-Jewish and carefully followed both the Old Testament laws and the oral traditions handed down through the centuries. As a “leader,” he was a member of the Jewish ruling council. Although the Romans controlled Israel politically, the Jews were given some authority over religious and minor civil disputes. The Jewish ruling body was the council made up of seventy-one of Israel’s religious leaders.
The question before us is still, “why did Nicodemus wait until the cover of dark to visit Jesus and
what motivated him to come in the first place?” Under the cover of darkness, this well respected and influential religious man, this prominent national leader of noble decent and inherited wealth, this intellectual man who wielded great religious authority, this designated secret spokesman who represented some of his colleagues from the Jewish ruling council, waits until the cover of darkness to sneak in for a visit with Jesus. This remains me of the way some of us prefer to do things [under the cover of darkness].
However, this question still rattles our brain, but from what we understand from scripture, we can try and fill in some of the blanks. First, we know that Nicodemus was both impressed and curious about Jesus and chose to form his opinions about him from firsthand conversation. Second, it is possible that he did not want to be seen with Jesus in broad daylight because he feared reproach from his fellow Pharisees (who did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah). Finally, it might not have been fear that brought Nicodemus in the cover of dark; but it is possible that he chose a time when he could talk alone and at length with the popular teacher who was often surrounded by people.
No matter how we look at this question, how we think about it as it might relate to us, it still remains that Nicodemus chose the cover of dark to visit with Jesus. However, what Nicodemus did not know are understand was that his own night was blacker than he knew. He was living in complete darkness and he did not know that truth, was about to be revealed to him.
Now as he sit before the Master Teacher, this is what Jesus tells him, “So don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”
Nicodemus asked, “What do you mean by this? How does this happen?”
Jesus said, “You’re a respected teacher of Israel and you don’t know these basics? Listen carefully. I’m speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don’t believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can’t see, the things of God?
“This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”
What a tragedy that people have turned away from God’s offer, embracing instead the darkness in hopes of covering up evil actions. There is probably no more painful moment than when we honestly confront our tendency to love darkness, to twist or withhold the truth. The Son did not come to judge, but in the light of his character the sharp shadows of our sinfulness stand out. The people who hate the light are those who want to sin in the darkness. Evil deeds are revealed by the light, so people who want to do evil must do it in the dark so they cannot be exposed and caught in the act.
According to the context, to do what is right is to come to Christ, the light; the result of coming to the light and living in the light will be clearly seen in believer’s lives. Christ’s life in us will make our lives able to stand exposure to bright light, for our deeds will be honest, pure, and truthful. Now we can truly see that Nicodemus was able to see the light that night and experience God love from the Master Teacher because Nicodemus character was changed that very night under the cover of darkness with a meeting with the Master Teacher.
In closing, I leave you with this question, “Are you a modern day Nicodemus, living in the darkness, and seeking answers?” Know that it is time to open yourself up and be exposed to God’s shining light. Know the truth and the truth will set you FREE. I minister to you this day from a position of peace, power, purpose and prosperity. I remain your brother in Jesus, PASTOR DAVIS/MASTER TEACHER!
- Nicodemus Question Jesus on How a Person Can Be Born Again (vineandbranchworldministries.com)
- Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B (doohan.id.au)
- Nicodemus (stocktonbiblechapel.wordpress.com)
- The light came into the world, but people preferred darkness … (tvaraj2inspirations.wordpress.com)
- Dead Again, Born Again (johneruggles.wordpress.com)
- Christ Witnesses to Nicodemus John 3:1-21 (loopyloo305.com)
- “But whoever lives the truth comes to the light…” (insightscoop.typepad.com)
- Nicodemus – Searching for Answers (dmarienthee.wordpress.com)
- A question about the context of being “born again” (themysteryofchrist.wordpress.com)
- Student or Scholar? (phenum01.wordpress.com) | <urn:uuid:62b09876-11b8-41d7-b4a4-a800c43f6f66> | {
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They say you get bulging discs due to muscle imbalances in the body and that these muscles need to be built and strengthned in order to remove the stress on the back.
These are the following exercises that can be done for the neck:
These neck exercises will help to make your neck stronger. This includes your cervical paraspinal muscles, and subocciptial muscles. These exercises are called Isometric exercises. Isometric exercise is a type of exercise involving the static contraction of a muscle without any visible movement in the angle of the joint. In simple terms this means that in these exercises the length of the muscle does not change. As you continue to do these strengthening exercises for the cervical spine you will gain strength in your neck. Over time you should be able to increase the force and number of times you are able to perform the exercises.
- Press your palms against your forehead and push against each other, resisting motion. Hold this position for 5 seconds and repeat this exercise 3 times.
- With this next cervical strengthening exercise place your hand against the side of your head. Try to bring to your ear to your shoulder, resisting the motion. Repeat this exercise on the other side. Hold each position for 5 seconds and when finished relax slowly.
- Cup both hands against the back of your head. Attempt to push your head back, resisting the motion. Hold this position for 5 seconds, and when finished relax slowly.
- In the final cervical strengthening exercise, put your right hand against the right temple. Attempt to turn your chin to your right shoulder, resisting the motion. Repeat this on the left side. Hold for 5 seconds, then relax slowly. Do this neck exercise 3 times.
5. Shoulder Blade Squeeze
Begin this exercise standing or sitting with your back straight. Your chin should be tucked in slightly and your shoulders should be back slightly. Slowly squeeze your shoulder blades together as hard and far as possible provided it does not cause or increase pain (figure 1). Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times.
Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold a weight in each hand, and allow your arms to hang down at your sides, with your palms facing your body. Shrug your shoulders upward, contracting the upper trapezius muscle, hold for one count, and lower. Repeat eight to 12 times per set. (Starting weight: 17 to 26 pounds.)
Stand with your left knee on a flat bench and your right foot on the floor. Hold a weight in your right hand. Bend your torso forward, placing your left hand on the bench for support. Allow the weighted hand to hang down toward the floor. Pull the weight up until your upper arm is parallel with your back, pause, and then lower it. Repeat eight to 12 times per set. Switch to the left side, and repeat. (Starting weight: 13 to 22 pounds.)
Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the weights down in front of your thighs, with your palms facing your body. Slowly bring the weights straight up, as if you were zipping up a jacket. Slowly lower the 9weights to their original position. Repeat eight to 12 times per set. (Starting weight: 4 to 11 pounds.
Lie on a bench at a 45-degree angle. Hold a weight in each hand and allow your arms to extend down toward the floor. Keeping your elbows slightly bent, lift the weights up and out to the side to about shoulder level. Slowly lower the weights. Repeat eight to 12 times per set. (Starting weight: 2 to 6 pounds.)
Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Lift your arms up to the sides until they are parallel with the floor. Your elbows should be slightly bent. Slowly lower your arms. Repeat eight to 12 times per set. (Starting weight: 4 to 9 pounds.) | <urn:uuid:79f8686f-62ed-4a7b-9f6a-c46c327649df> | {
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Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis) or commonly called “white spot disease” is the most prevalent and persistent disease in both freshwater and saltwater fish. People who raise and farm fish or who have them as pets often encounter this disease.
Without the proper action and treatment, ich can cause serious problems in fish and can result to their deaths. Knowing and understanding ich and how it can be prevented and treated can help owners combat this disease.
What is Ich?
Ich comes from the protozoan Ichthyopthirius. A fish with this disease has 1mm white spots that appear on its body, fins and gills. These white spots hold encysted parasites that cause fish to behave and act differently.
Others also believe that stress causes ich. Unhealthy and stressed fish are more prone to it. While water temperature, improper diet, and poor water quality cause stress, one of the factors that increase stress is the handling and delivery of fish.
The process of moving fish from its origin (either the wild or farm-based) to the wholesaler, then retailer, then its new home is very stressful and can result in ich.
How Do You Identify Ich?
A person can check if fish are infected by scraping a white spot sample and placing it under a microscope with a few drops of water. A mature parasite is dark, moves by tumbling, and has a large horseshoe-shaped nucleus. Less mature parasites are smaller and more translucent.
What are the Physical Signs of Ich?
As mentioned earlier, the defining characteristic of this disease are small white spots on a fish’s skin and gills. These white spots damage fish tissue, irritate the skin and secrete mucus.
Ich often leads to skin loss and ulcers and adversely affects the ability of fish to breathe and swim in water. It can leave wounds and damage a fish’s gill, making it hard for a fish to get oxygen from water. It is no wonder why a lot fish with this disease die.
What are the Behavioral Signs of Ich?
Aside from the white spots, ich can be identified through abnormal traits and behaviors. These include:
- Loss of appetite or refusal of food
- Labored breathing
- Rubbing or scratching against fixed objects
- Swimming near the surface
- Resting on the bottom
- Lack or no sign of schooling (for schooling fish)
Ich-infected fish behave differently from healthy fish and all of these emphasize how harmful the disease can be.
How Do You Prevent Ich?
The best way to combat this disease is to prevent it. Once fish are infected, owners have to treat their pond, tank or aquarium and this entails a lot of time and work. Prevention is easier, simpler and cheaper than treatment.
The basic principle in preventing ich is keeping fish healthy. Providing the proper living conditions for fish such as a clean aquarium setup, the right water parameters, and quality food and nutrition can keep fish healthy.
The tank and aquarium water should regularly be checked and cleaned. Owners should maintain the right temperature, pH and ammonia levels to avoid stress and the outbreak of the disease. Feeds and food should properly be stored.
It is also important to have enough space for all of the fish in the tank or aquarium. This minimizes aggression among the inhabitants and helps reduce and avoid stress and disease.
Owners also have the responsibility of buying the right kind of fish and equipment. Since moving fish can cause a lot of stress, it is best to buy fish from a direct source – preferably a wholesaler or a farm instead of a retailer.
Owners should always examine the fish for any signs or symptoms of diseases. They must always check the aquarium or tank to see if the fish lived with dead or diseased fish. Owners should place newly bought fish in a quarantine tank and observe them for 2 weeks before introducing them to their new home. It is better to be cautious than to risk having all the fish infected.
How Do You Treat Ich?
There is only so much that owners can do. Even if they do everything to prevent the disease, sometimes, fish still get infected. Luckily, there are different ways of treating ich.
Ich parasites are affected by temperature. Heat can be used to accelerate the parasites’ development and eliminate them. The tomite stage is the stage when parasites break away from the fish’s body and fall to the bottom of the tank or aquarium. During this stage, “tomites” multiply and swim around to find a new host.
Tomites can only survive for 48 hours without a host or a fish. Beyond 48 hours, they die.
To ensure that the heat treatment is successful, owners can move fish to another tank, raise the temperature and wait for 2-4 days for the parasites to die. The owners should also treat the tank that the fish moved to; otherwise, the fish risk contaminating the first tank. While heat treatment is very effective, it can only be used to treat a contaminated tank, not the ich-infected fish per say.
Another way to treat ich is by using chemical treatments like formalin and/or malachite green. These also target parasites in the tomite stage. While both formalin and malachite green are effective, they can also be toxic to fish if not properly used. Formalin can turn into paraformaldehyde if it is left alone or stored for long periods of time. White precipitate in a bottle of formalin shows this transformation to paraformaldehyde.
The treatment that we use and recommend is SeaChem Paraguard. It’s incredibly easy to use and has helped us to eradicate outbreaks of several common diseases including Ich, cotton fin fungus and dropsy. It’s safe to use and inexpensive.
Although ich is a common fish disease that causes a lot of problems for fish and fish owners, the disease can be treated and avoided. Owners need to keep their fish healthy and to be ready in case their fish catch ich. | <urn:uuid:2f40ba74-6c4a-4759-b500-655c1b9031d7> | {
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Japan is scrambling to find alternative energy sources as the lights go out at its nuclear power plants this year.
On Feb 20, Kansai Electric Power shut down its last nuclear reactor, leaving only two in the nation still in operation, out of a total of 54. By the end of next month, the remaining two will also be turned off for regular maintenance.
Before the disaster at the Fukushima plant on March 11 last year, nuclear energy supplied a third of Japan’s power needs, while coal, oil and natural gas supplied slightly more than half.
People like Assistant Professor Hiroaki Koide, a nuclear researcher at Kyoto University, have long pressed for the nuclear plants to be shut down immediately. The Fukushima disaster has boosted their cause.
“Nuclear reactors are extremely dangerous as they produce very toxic, radioactive by-products. I am confident that existing fossil-based power stations will be able to supply all the power that we need,” he said.
So far, the gradual switch to fossil- based energy after March 11 has proceeded smoothly, with the country experiencing no unintended power blackouts.
Despite the unusually frigid temperatures this winter, power companies have not had to appeal to consumers to save power even though demand sometimes exceeded 90 per cent of peak supply.
But fossil-based power plants, on which the country is now increasingly dependent, are not without their own problems. Since last July, there have been more than 10 instances of operational problems, fuelling worries of instability of supply.
To address fears of a potential power shortage, the Japanese government is considering deregulation to boost the development of alternative energies.
A government panel has drawn up plans to relax rules in 183 energy-related fields to encourage the construction of mega plants for the production of solar, geothermal and wind energies.
Currently, renewable energies account for only about 1 per cent of Japan’s energy needs. Deregulation is a means by which the government hopes to boost that figure to 3 per cent in three years.
For instance, existing laws limit the size of a power plant to 50 per cent of the area of the land it stands on.
Stripping away such rules would enable the building of much bigger plants and hence the more efficient generation of power.
The government also proposes to allow geothermal and wind power plants to be built in Japan’s national parks, which is currently illegal.
It is even eyeing the use of the country’s nearly 400,000ha of unused farmland, of which about 170,000ha is deemed suitable for building solar or wind power plants.
The only snag is that much of this dormant land lies scattered around the country, requiring the use of land swops or other means to consolidate them into bigger properties for building power plants.
Recently, the government has shown interest in exploring for methane hydrate off the coast of central Japan.
Methane hydrate – an ice-like substance consisting of crystallised methane gas molecules trapped in water – can be used to produce methane gas for use in gas-fired plants.
The seabed surrounding Japan is believed to contain enough methane hydrate to supply the country with 90 years’ supply of natural gas.
In the meantime, efforts are being stepped up to find more efficient ways of using energy .
One post-March 11 innovation being explored is a new type of building material for use on the walls of buildings to generate power from sunlight.
This material, which uses organic semiconductors and is thinner and lighter than traditional solar panels, when applied on one or two skyscrapers, is said to be able to produce the same amount of electricity as a large-scale solar power plant.
On the third anniversary of the disaster, we look at how life has changed - or not - for the survivors and the country.
Other stories from our archives:
A year after the devastating triple disaster, rebuilding lives and industry along Japan’s north-eastern Tohoku region, especially the three hardest-hit prefectures, has been painfully slow.
One of the streets in Ishinomaki hardest hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in north-east Japan – is showing signs of recovery.
Mrs Takako Niinuma, 75, has vowed to return the Takata Matsubara forest devastated by the March 11 earthquake to its former glory for the sake of future generations.
Mrs Naomi Hiratsuka is now still searching for four children and a teacher whose bodies have not been recovered.
Mrs Masako Karino cannot bring herself to return to what is left of Okawa Elementary School. The battered shell of the school was where both her children died when the tsunami hit.
Singaporean Lai Ying Loong has been making weekend trips to the Tohoku region about once a month, joining other volunteers first in clearing debris and then in bringing cheer to survivors.
Ms Ruiko Sasahara, a mortician by profession, has been volunteering since disaster struck last year, repairing battered faces so that surviving relatives can say their final farewells.
Red tape and lack of skilled manpower are holding up the reconstruction of disaster-hit areas in Japan, even two years after it was slammed by giant tremors and tsunami waves. | <urn:uuid:5887d516-216c-4018-b5f4-cbf0a0758c39> | {
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Perinatal mental health is a major public health issue affecting 20% of Australian mothers within the first year post birth. Perinatal depression/anxiety is the most prevalent mood disorder associated with childbirth, with an incidence of 14% in Australia. The impact of perinatal depression/anxiety can be detrimental for the mother, her relationships and her developing infant. As a result of maternal depression/anxiety and stress, the increased level of maternal cortisol can threaten the developing foetal nervous system. This may result in poorer birth outcomes such as preterm delivery, small birth size and associated morbidity. Long term effects include poorer learning outcomes, adolescent mental health issues and associated lifelong consequences.
Early identification, treatment and support helps women recover from postnatal depression. Recovery can lead to an enhancement of their life skills, emotional development and the rebuilding of relationships. However, despite the prevalence and consequences of antenatal and postnatal depression, most women do not seek and/or receive treatment. With so few Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander peoples accessing mental health support until it is urgent, routine screening and effective early intervention for perinatal depression/anxiety in the Kimberley is critical.
The Kimberley Mums Mood Scale (KMMS) is an alternative to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and screens for depression and anxiety. It has been collaboratively developed by health care providers and over 100 Aboriginal women from eight language groups throughout the Kimberley. KMMS is a cross sector collaborative project which is supported by WA Country Health Service - Kimberley, Boab Health Service, KAMSC and The Rural Clinical School of WA.
This project aims to validate the KMMS using a gold standard mental health assessment and assess its acceptability. Once validated the KMMS should ensure the culturally appropriate mental health screening of Kimberley Aboriginal women during the perinatal period.
- Jayne Kotz
- Sudha Coutinho
- Dr Catherine Engelke
- Assoc Prof Julia Marley
- Meleseini Tai-Roche
- Dr Stephanie Trust
- Melissa Williams | <urn:uuid:8bcdbee3-da21-4b05-90d6-1937a6320dc8> | {
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Warm plaster will be a good helper especially in the construction of a country house.This will save on building materials, and to protect your home against heat loss.
Insulating plaster easy to apply, does not require alignment of the walls and fits well to the surface.This material appeared on the construction market relatively recently.There are, however, a caveat.Due to the fact that the warm plaster which has a higher density compared to other materials to insulate (foam or mineral wool, for example), its application implies that your home should be sufficiently strong foundation.
- heat-insulating plaster: the nature and composition of the thermal conductivity of plaster
- Warm plaster.Insulation under the plaster
- facade insulation and plaster
- Warm plaster, price
heat-insulating plaster: the nature and composition of the
What is thermal insulation plaster?This mortar with thermal insulating properties, which it received thanks to the
- Polymer Additives (hydrophobic, plasticizers, etc.).
- porous filler (expanded polystyrene beads, perlite, foam glass).
- lime, gypsum, cement and mixtures thereof as the binder mixture.
porous filler with a lot of air bubbles just and protects the premises from heat loss.
Warm plaster does not apply to the finish.Usually, it is applied decorative plaster, or other decorative finishing materials.
Thermal conductivity Thermal conductivity of plaster
plaster can be called its weaknesses.Although insulated plaster, the thermal conductivity is still warm plaster polystyrene granules composed is 1.5-2 times higher than the average thermal conductivity of the foam extruded polystyrene foam or mineral wool.
We conclude that in such a thermal conductivity layer of warm plaster must be in the same 1.5-2 times thicker.At the same time, we recall that the thickness of the layer of warm plaster should not exceed 0.5 cm.So, insulate the walls will have to the outside and the inside.And as we have mentioned, on top still have to apply a layer of plaster.
However, despite these shortcomings, warm plaster has undeniable advantages.
- Fast application
- not need reinforcement mesh (except in places with corners and cracks).
- surface does not require alignment.
- Good adhesion (stickiness).
- No cold bridges because there are no metal connections.
- in the wall, insulated warm plaster can not settle rodents.
Warm plaster.Insulation under the plaster
If you do not warm, and the usual plaster, insulation is a must.Thin layer decorative plaster will not be able to protect your home from Morse, though and give it an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
So generally use two kinds of material:
- Mineral wool Expanded polystyrene
second material, although it is much cheaper and easier to install, it is very toxic, has a low fire resistance and poor water vapor permeability.
mineral wool, in turn, excellent insulation under the plaster.Material non-flammable, environmentally safe, vapor permeable.However, it is not so popular because of the many nuances to install and expensive.
Today is also used in the construction of basalt insulation plaster (for example, Rockwool, Termolife, Knauf insulation).In stone wool has serious advantages over conventional mineral wool, although it belongs to the same class.
- Basalt heat insulation material is more durable.
- Manufacturability installation.Easy to cut.
- not afraid of vibration and ultraviolet.
facade insulation and plaster
facade insulation and plaster - processes which depend on how long your house will retain heat, and how long it will retain its appearance.The approach to such things should be according to the rules.
thermal insulation plaster, despite its advantages, besides those already mentioned above has a number of drawbacks.Therefore, the reviews on the use of warm plaster mixed.Some call the successful replacement of conventional insulation (mineral wool, polystyrene and expanded polystyrene), others - unprofitable investment.
Warm plaster inferior to some other heaters Specifications: thermal conductivity, they are much denser, have a lot of weight, cost more expensive and pay off much longer.
Use warm plaster on the basis of this offer is fragmentary or in difficult conditions:
- Where inconvenient to use conventional insulation (complex elements, seams, joints)
- on small areas (slopes, plinths)
- for interior works(wall decoration)
- for ceiling insulation
the construction market today a large selection of items of warm plaster.Among them are popular plasters such as thermal insulation plaster "Umka» (Umka), Warm plaster "Teddy Bear" plaster "Thermofix" Haunklif (HAUNKLIF), VarmMiks (WarmMix), Terral (Terralit), Termover (Thermover), TermoUm(ThermoUM) and Teplover.
Warm plaster, price
in any hardware store or on the construction site has a warm plaster.The price depends on the size and manufacturer.
- Kiev, plaster "Umka" - the price of 140 UAH (you can buy in packaging to 7 kg).
- Moscow, "Umka" - depending on the number of bags, from 525 to 710 rubles.
- Kiev, "Terral" - 72 UAH per 25 kg. | <urn:uuid:a13786ac-80a5-47e0-a828-012d2a009d8e> | {
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In my previous blog post, I noted how universal health insurance schemes often fail to help women and adolescents in need of sexual and reproductive health services. This shortcoming seriously undercuts the aim of universal health coverage to protect against “financial risk” and increase access to health care for low-income populations.
But an equally important weakness of universal health coverage as a concept is that it fails to address the non-economic factors that play a significant role in determining whether women and young people can access and use the health services they need. These factors include:
A draft discussion paper prepared for next week’s Global Leadership Meeting on Health acknowledges the critical gap of universal health coverage in addressing the social determinants of health and other barriers to health care. Indeed, this gap might even make universal health coverage something of a pipe dream when sexual and reproductive health is on the line. Without concomitant efforts to address these and the economic factors outlined in my previous blog, women and girls will continue to face challenges accessing and using sexual and reproductive and other critical health services and exercising their rights. The government and civil society leaders meeting next week would do well to discuss the full range of factors that can facilitate or impede people’s ability to achieve the highest attainable standard of health.
We at the International Women’s Health Coalition hope that global leaders agree to take a more holistic approach to improving health care by recommending development goals specifically for women and adolescents—two population groups who face the biggest barriers to care and whose health is critical for overall development. Such an approach would allow for focus on the particular health challenges faced by women and young people, the contextual factors that can jeopardize their health and erect barriers to care, and the specific interventions needed for both prevention and treatment of health conditions.
Universal health coverage is important, but it alone is not enough to guarantee access to health services and improve health. We need specific goals that address the diversity of barriers to care faced by women and adolescents, along with a dose of political will and resources adequate to meeting these goals. | <urn:uuid:b8ed06ec-5a3e-422f-91d8-99edf3d423d1> | {
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LSU is located Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is in the southern United States. Baton Rouge is the capital city of Louisiana and is home to more than one million people. The city of Baton Rouge is located just an hour away from the majestic city of New Orleans, which is known all over the world for its music, culture, and cuisine.
Since 1860, LSU has served the people of Louisiana, the region, the nation, and the world through extensive, multipurpose programs encompassing instruction, research, and public service. The University brings in more than $120 million annually in outside research grants and contracts, a significant factor for the Louisiana economy.
The quality of LSU’s academics is reflected in the number of nationally ranked programs and nationally recognized scholars at LSU. Since its first commencement in 1869, LSU has awarded nearly 200,000 degrees. That number continues to grow and includes some of the nation’s best and brightest graduates.
- LSU was founded by the Louisiana General Assembly in 1853 under the name Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy and was located near Pineville, La., with the first session beginning Jan. 2, 1860.
- LSU is one of only 30 universities nationwide designated as a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant institution.
- LSU is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral, and professional degrees.
- LSU includes 10 senior colleges and schools, in addition to specialized centers, divisions, institutes, and offices.
- As of the spring 2012, LSU’s enrollment is more than 29,000 students, including more than 1,500 international students and over 5,000 graduate students.
- LSU has more than 1,500 faculty members and a staff of more than 5,000.
- LSU Libraries contain more than 4.2 million volumes.
- The School of the Coast and Environment (formerly CCEER) was designated as the first Coastal Marine Institute by the Minerals Management Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Top 10 Reasons to attend LSU
- National Prominence: LSU is ranked in the TOP TIER of “Best National Universities” by a prestigious US News & World Report publication
- Academic Excellence: LSU offers more than 235 academic fields of study through 10 senior colleges and schools, in addition to specialized centers, divisions, institutes, and offices
- Affordability: LSU continuously stands as the most affordable university amongst its peers
- Vibrant Social Life: LSU is home to over 250 student organizations–there is something to suit everyone’s interests!
- Research: LSU is the flagship institution of the state of Louisiana and is one of only 21 universities nationwide holding land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant status
- Student Fellowship: LSU is one of the country’s most popular universities among high school students, according to U.S. News & World Report. In the publication’s recently released list of Most Popular Colleges: National Universities, LSU was ranked 16th, based on the percentage of applicants accepted by a university who end up enrolling at that institution
- Beautiful Surroundings: LSU’s campus, with approximately 250 principal buildings and 50 species of trees, was named one of the most beautiful campuses in America in Thomas Gaines’ The Campus as a Work of Art
- Culture: LSU in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, is in the center of Cajun and Creole culture, close to New Orleans, the birthplace of American Jazz, Mardi Gras, and the French Quarter, and within driving distance to Florida beaches and Houston, Texas.
- Diversity: LSU is home to students representing every state in the USA as well as over 120 different countries
- Athletics: LSU has one of the most successful athletic programs in the nation, and annually competes for conference, regional and national championships in most varsity sports. Since the beginning of LSU Athletics in 1893, Tiger sports teams have won 43 national championships in nine different sports
- LSU Robert S. Reich School of Landscape Architecture is consistently ranked among the top schools in the nation by DesignIntelligence, the leading journal of the design professions.
- According to the results of the 2008 survey, LSU has the number two ranked undergraduate and graduate programs in landscape architecture in the United States.
- According to The Princeton Review and Campus Compact‘s 2005 Colleges with a Conscience, LSU is one of the nation’s best colleges for fostering social responsibility and social service.
- LSU’s Information Technology Residential College, or ITRC, was selected by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, or NASPA, as the Gold Award winner in the housing/residence life category of the NASPA Excellence Awards.
- LSU has produced a number of distinguished undergraduates, including four Marshall Scholars, 24 Goldwater Scholars, 14 Rhodes Scholars, four Truman Scholars, and more than 25 Fulbright Scholars.
- LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine is one of only 28 in the United States.
- The LSU Honors College’s Modern Chinese Business and Culture program is one of the first in the nation to offer study abroad programs to pre-freshmen.
- Each year, the Laboratory for Creative Arts & Technologies at LSU’s Center for Computation & Technology hosts the Red Stick International Animation Festival. Activities of the festival include film screenings, workshops and lectures from leading animators in the entertainment industry.
- The Chancellor’s Future Leaders in Research Program, one of the many research opportunities available at LSU, offers competitive freshman the opportunity to be a direct participant in the research of a faculty member for four years.
- The geography program at LSU is one of the top 20 in the nation according to the National Research Council.
- LSU’s Center for Internal Auditing, or CIA, program has been the international leader in internal audit education since 1985. The LSU Department of Biological Sciences directs the foremost graduate program in museum-based ornithology in the world.
- The LSU Museum of Natural Science is currently one of the nation’s largest natural history museums, with holdings of over 2.5 million specimens and is the only comprehensive research museum in the south-central United States.
- Entrepreneur magazine ranked the E. J. Ourso College of Business’s Entrepreneurship Institute among the nation’s top 50 comprehensive entrepreneurship programs in the nation.
LSU is focused on maximizing our impact on the intellectual, economic and social development of Louisiana, our nation and our world. To create a better environment that promotes advanced research, creative scholarship, and economic development our office recently underwent reorganization. Formerly the Office of Research & Graduate Studies, we are now the Office of Research & Economic Development. We have renewed focus on our intellectual property development and commercialization activities producing a greater, more lasting impact on the economic development of Louisiana and beyond—an aim of the University’s National Flagship Agenda.
At any given time, there are more than 2,000 sponsored research projects being conducted by the more than 6,000 faculty and graduate students at LSU. With support from national sources like the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Department of Homeland Security and NASA, LSU is forging new frontiers in hurricane response and preparedness, bioscience, national security, technology, literature, coastal sciences, and genetics. | <urn:uuid:7d5af39d-6269-4fd1-bd40-040f2f9e7df4> | {
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An indictment is a formal, printed accusation. It is used by a number of common-law legal systems around the world such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and Botswana. In the United States (U.S.), this charging document is used in both the federal and state legal systems. It commonly is used in situations where a person is believed to have committed a felony. Also, it may be used for misdemeanors but it is not very common.
In U.S. courts, a prosecutor generally is the person responsible for the creation of this charging document. When the prosecutor has strong beliefs that a particular person committed a particular crime, he may present his case to a grand jury. This is the body that decides whether there is enough evidence to take the case to trial. If an indictment is denied on the grounds of insufficient evidence, a prosecutor may be allowed to present the case again in the future, but attempts to do so are not common.
Grand juries are almost exclusively used in the U.S. The United Kingdom utilized grand juries at one point but eliminated them decades ago. A magistrate now is allowed to present an indictment directly to the court.
In the U.S., the indictment often is presented to the accused at his arraignment. This is a court hearing where a person is made aware of the charges against him. The indictment that he receives can include numerous charges.
Each crime that a person is charged with is considered a count. If, for example, a person is accused of murdering two others, he may be charged with two counts of murder. An indictment usually separately and clearly outlines each count.
It normally also includes the time and place where the crimes allegedly occurred. Details of how the accused is believed to have committed the crimes may be included. It also is necessary for the indictment to outline which court has jurisdiction to hear the case, and to acknowledge that this court has the authority to act in the event that a person is found guilty. The wording of certain parts of an indictment is very sensitive in some jurisdictions.
The indictment usually entitles a person to have a jury trial. This is an opportunity for the accused to have the evidence for and against him accessed by a group of impartial peers. A person is not, however, required to accept a jury trial.
It is sometimes unbelievable the risks that some big business owners or corporate leaders will take to gain profits.
Back in 2001, a big American construction company was handed down a grand jury indictment for paying off other companies to give high bids so his company would win the bid, which meant big bucks for them.
It was a conspiracy that lasted many years. The project was supposed to be done by competitive bidding. Laws were no doubt broken, so an indictment was the right thing to do.
Some of the companies involved in the conspiracy pleaded guilty and paid a steep fine. These companies had been able to keep all this fraud a secret until one of the employees noticed something suspicious and notified the Justice Department. Then the big indictment began.
@Suntan12 -I heard about that case, but you know that a grand jury indictment is not so hard to come by. Usually the evidence is supplied to the grand jury in secret and the indictment is either granted or not. The defendant is not present while the evidence is supplied to the grand jury so that they do not have a chance to explain the situation.
This is why it is easy to get a grand jury indictment. A grand jury indictment does not mean that the defendant is guilty or would face a higher likelihood of a guilty verdict. It just means that the evidence was presented in such a way that the grand jury felt that there was enough evidence for the prosecutors to proceed with the case.
There have been plenty of cases that initially had grand jury indictments that were won by the defendant.
I was reading about the federal indictment brought against former vice presidential candidate John Edwards. He faces a six count indictment relating to misuse of campaign funds to cover up an illicit affair that he was having.
I was reading that he had two large donors that offered a million dollars each in order to supply Edwards’ mistress with her lavish lifestyle so that she would not talk about the affair.
They tried to reach a plea agreement, but the federal government wanted Edwards to plead guilty to a felony which would force him to lose his law license.
They say that he could get up to eight years in prison because the federal prosecutors have been
working on this case for the last three years. They say that it is the first case of its kind in which campaign funds were used to cover up an affair. I guess we will see what happens, but I do think that there is some karma in play. | <urn:uuid:c1b92670-5a4e-4bed-9dfb-708f059cfde7> | {
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Do you want learn how to teach yourself guitar? Don’t know where to start? No matter whether you are just beginning or already have some skills, this course will show you how. Tuning, proper ergonomics, right-hand picking and fingerstyle, left-hand techniques, rhythm, chords, and scales will all be explored. No matter what kind of music you like, the course will provide the tools to teach yourself for years to come. Most guitar music is learned by written guitar “tablature” and listening/observation. The course will explain tablature and how to use this method to read and write different chords & rhythm structures. We will also learn how to “play by ear”. These skills and techniques can also be applied to other stringed instruments such as ukulele, mandolin, vihuela, Cuban tres, and requinto. Note: You may bring an acoustic or electric guitar –either steel-string or nylon-string.
Requirement: You may bring an acoustic or electric guitar - either steel-string or nylon-string. | <urn:uuid:620a7712-60e1-438b-a114-1276c34cdaa0> | {
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The evolution of ecological and phenotypic diversity within a rapidly multiplying lineage is called or known as adaptive radiation. It starts with a recent single ancestor. This process results in the speciation and phenotypic adaptation of species. These species exhibiting different morphological and physiological traits. Thus, they can exploit a range of divergent environments. Adaptive radiation can be graphically illustrated as a bush, or clade, of coexisting species on the tree of life.
Identification of Adaptive Radiation
Four features can be used to identify an adaptive radiation:
- A common ancestry of component species: Specifically, a recent ancestry.
- A phenotype-environment correlation: A significant association between environments and the morphological and physiological traits used to exploit those environments.
- Trait Utility: The performance or fitness advantages of trait values in their corresponding environments.
- Rapid Speciation: Presence of one or more bursts in the emergence of new species at the time of ecological and phenotypic divergence.
Causes of Adaptive Radiation
- The evolution of a novel feature. It may permit a clade to diversify by making new areas of morpho-space accessible. A classic example is the evolution of a fourth cusp in the mammalian tooth. This trait permits a vast increase in the range of foodstuffs which can be fed on.
- Evolution of this character has thus increased the number of ecological niches available to mammals. The trait arose a number of times in different groups during the Cenozoic, and in each instance, was immediately followed by an adaptive radiation.
- Birds find other ways to provide for each other, i.e. the evolution of flight opened new avenues for evolution to explore, initiating an adaptive radiation opportunity.
- Adaptive radiations often occur as a result of an organism arising in an environment with unoccupied niches, such as a newly formed lake or isolated island chain. The colonizing population may diversify rapidly to take advantage of all possible niches. In Lake Victoria, an isolated lake which formed recently in the African rift valley, over 300 species of cichlid fish adaptively radiated from one parent species in just 15,000 years.
- Adaptive radiations commonly follow mass extinctions: following extinction, many niches are left vacant. A classic example of this is the replacement of the non-avian dinosaurs and the end of the Cretaceous, with mammals at of brachiopods by bivalves at the Permo-Triassic boundary. | <urn:uuid:17a4ca58-616e-4705-9cf8-84f9aea50fd9> | {
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American realness : Du Bois , Dewey and JamesThe emergence of reality in the coupled States heralded a new way of approaching philosophic passs by ascribing justness not to the coherence of abstract propositions withal to the value of those propositions for human being conduct . In What Pragmatism marrow William James (1907 ) assures his audience that succession pragmatic approaches to doctrine argon nothing new pragmatism has been peculiarly carry out in America , where it has generalized itself into a universal rush (156-57 . The writings of John Dewey and W . E . B . Du Bois as well as , denudation in America a particular motif and chance for the pragmatic transformation of philosophy the former is come to primarily with the relationship between pragmatism and democracy , while the last mentioned uses pr agmatic insights to further the cause of black kindling .
part Du Bois owes his intellectual victimisation and heritage to James and Dewey , it is Du Bois s means of pragmatism in The Souls of Black Folk that proves most effectual , since it concurrently illuminates the pragmatist system and uses that method to address and propose solutions to cover problems of human inequalityAccording to James (1907 , pragmatism is defined as a method of settling philosophical questions by tracing their practical consequences (155 . If a question is examined and of the possible answers are shown to have some(prenominal) practical impact on individual human development , the question is dis missed as irrelevant . The acquisition of a! truth occurs not just intellectu each(prenominal)y and once and for all , however through a mixture of...If you want to demoralise a full essay, order it on our website: OrderEssay.net
If you want to get a full information about our service, visit our page: write my essay | <urn:uuid:591c3049-e785-4130-8479-f2a5e6aeede0> | {
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This week my adult son "asked" me why some white Louisiana guys say "ax" instead of "ask." I am sure that as a former English teacher I answered too quickly, so I decided to look for the real reason.
I found this response at http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/art/title.gif.
December 16, 1999
ax - ask
Sam Sherwood wrote:
There is a guy in my office who has a heavy southern accent and he says "ax" instead of "ask". When questioned he claims it's a regional pronunciation (Mississippi area), but I don't understand this since it sounds to me more like a regional mispronunciation. There is also a man in my office from the Bahamas and he too says "ax." Can you explain?
Thank you for asking (aksing) this question.
While the pronunciation /aks/ for ask is not considered standard, it is a very common regional pronunciation with a long history. The Old English verb áscian underwent a normal linguistic process called metathesis sometime in the 14th century. Metathesis is what occurs when two sounds or syllables switch places in a word. This happens all the time in spoken language (think nuclear pronounced as /nukular/ and asterisk pronounced as /asteriks/).
Metathesis is usually a slip of the tongue, but (as in the cases of /asteriks/ and /nukular/) it can become a variant of the original word. This alternative version in Old English was axian or acsian, as in Chaucer's: "I axe, why the fyfte man Was nought housband to the Samaritan?" (Wife's Prologue 1386). Ascian and axian co-existed and evolved separately in various regions of England. The ascian version gives us the modern standard English ask, but the axian variant ax can still be found in England's Midland and Southern dialects.
In American English, the /aks/ pronunciation was originally dominant in New England. The popularity of this pronunciation faded in the North early in the 19th century as it became more common in the South. Today the pronunciation is perceived in the US as either Southern or African-American. Both of these perceptions underestimate the popularity of the form.
/aks/ is still found frequently in the South, and is a characteristic of some speech communities as far North as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Iowa. It is one of the shared characteristics between African-American English and Southern dialects of American English. The wide distribution of speakers from these two groups accounts for the presence of the /aks/ pronunciation in Northern urban communities.
So in fact, your colleague is correct in calling /aks/ a regional pronunciation, one with a distribution that covers nearly half of the territory in the United States and England. | <urn:uuid:d5a6b413-c57a-47c0-b4c6-e97b06ad2086> | {
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The Stay at Home Kid is coming to terms with reading and writing and maths- he is surprising me with his maths, but also with his story telling.
I recently bought the book Show Me A Story and this has been a big hit he now performs puppet shows for the dog and tells tales to all of his friends. The book is really well laid out with a range of activities for a range of enthusiasms as well as age groups. The story tiles have helped with his word recognition, and he has realized the link between thinking up a story and recording it, so the random scripting is evolving into recognizeable words and his story talents are really coming along. I have to admit this is an area as a Home Educator that I was worried he would miss out on. How do you teach story telling and writing. Actually I think the two are more linked than that last sentence suggests, and it was the desire to record stories that is driving him to learn words. It does help that a dear friend is a published author-and that has impressed the Stay at Home Kid.
I showed the book to a friend of mine and she bought several copies for her daughter’s friends as gifts.
The book is worth a read if you are willing to support creative play- you probably have to be in the background and able to start the activities up especially for younger children- but as the kids get older and their reading skills improve, they may well be able to self motivate themselves to use the book. | <urn:uuid:775d1496-96ef-4d26-b099-8d35226ff4de> | {
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The Hubble Space Telescope uses mirrors to collect science
data. Hubble's main mirror is about eight feet in diameter.
Light enters the telescope and strikes the main mirror, which
reflects the light forward to a smaller (12-inch) secondary
mirror. This small mirror reflects the light again, sending
it through a two-foot hole in the center of the large mirror
to the science instruments. These powerful instruments analyze
the incoming light stream and translate it into information
and images for scientists back on Earth.
After Hubble's launch in 1990, NASA discovered a flaw in
the large, main mirror. The flaw was tiny about 1/50th
the thickness of a piece of paper but significant enough
to distort Hubble's vision. During the First Servicing Mission,
astronauts added corrective optics to compensate for the flaw.
The optics acted like eyeglasses to correct Hubble's vision. | <urn:uuid:88cdac58-6be7-43a1-943e-a9ec287daa6e> | {
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Life can be challenging at times, as scientists in training you know this all too well. When daily life doesn’t go as planned it can lead to lack of motivation, frustration, and sadness. Stress and strain can be draining, leaving you with less than 100% of yourself to put into your work, relationships, and pleasurable activities. How do you make it through? Resilience—it can help you manage the tough times allowing you to persist and persevere in whatever the challenge may be.
Resilience refers to our ability to bounce back, learn from our mistakes and come out of the challenge stronger. Years ago, in graduate school, myself and my fellow trainees experienced a very challenging work situation. It was physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging, so much so that several staff members left, including a fellow trainee, opting not to complete her degree. We had to find ways to persevere in spite of the challenges we faced. Although it was extremely difficult and far too tempting to give up and quit, we quickly identified aspects of the training experience that felt supportive, focusing on relationships and people who offered support and encouragement. We re-examined our priorities, and began to shift our thinking so that we could see an end to the experience and the rewards to follow. Perhaps some of your academic work or personal life situations feel similar.
Dr. Martin Seligman, a psychologist and researcher of positive psychology, has spent years researching resilience, hope and optimism. He and his research team have identified characteristics that help to build resilience. When things get tough, consider these strategies:
Acceptance – Accept that setbacks and disappointments are a part of life. As much as we wish things would always go our way they simply don’t. Dealing with small everyday setbacks helps us development the resilience to handle larger challenges in life.
Stay Connected – Connect with others who are supportive and will encourage you. Spending time alone when you are feeling down can lead to isolation, loneliness, sadness, and pessimism. Find others in the lab, in your families, or among your friends who affirm you and acknowledge your strengths.
Keep Perspective – Keeping things in perspective helps us see things as they are. Having perspective allows us to see the broader picture which can offer us a more realistic view of the experiences we face in the moment.
Opportunity – Consider the setback or challenge as an opportunity for new learning. Seligman’s research suggests that individuals who bounce back more quickly often see their failures as opportunities as opposed to those who struggle from the same experiences.
Optimism – An optimistic attitude allows us to view disappointments as temporary, isolated experiences that are brought on by external factors. Individuals who are optimistic appreciate their experiences, value their relationships, and are encouraged by the future.
So the next time you find yourself faced with a significant setback, resist the temptation to give up. Engage in the above strategies and look for the positive things around you. If you are intentional about looking for them you will find them.
Other resources from the OITE on resilience:
- Join our Mindfulness Meditation group on Thursdays: https://www.training.nih.gov/mindfulness_meditation_group
- Need help now?? Check out resources for NIH intramural trainees: https://www.training.nih.gov/get_help_now
- Watch out for our next Tune In and Take Care workshop held each semester
- Check out our YouTube video: Resilience in the Job Search
- Related blog posts: | <urn:uuid:bcc0a3d4-375f-4ee0-84ce-87ce27de5252> | {
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Fat Cells-how they work
Fat Cells; how they work
Did you ever wonder why some people have more fat cells than others? Did you ever wonder how they work? As much as we wish we didn’t have them, they are essential to our lives. Fat cells are designed to expand and shrink depending on diet and exercise. By reducing the amount of fat your body stores is what causes our fat cells to shrink and this is what we call “losing weight”. Unfortunately, they never go away!
A while ago I lectured on fat cells and how they work. Many people loved the information, so I thought I would share here. Statistics show that an incredible 65.2 percent of the U.S. population is considered to be “overweight” or “obese.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Here is an interesting statistic from the CDC.
Trends by State 1985–2010
During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. In 2010, no state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30% or more.
Did you ever wonder how we create fat cells? Not only can you fill your fat cells to maximum capacity, but also you can actually make more!!! Believe it or not, there are certain times in our lives and under certain circumstances, when we can create a higher number of fat cells. Here is the bad news, once you create a fat cell by excessive eating, it is yours for good and never goes away. As you can see from the picture above the difference between someone that has never been obese and those that have reduced their fat cells. It is still an accomplishment when a person that has been overweight or obese loses a ton of weight and they should feel proud and share the information of why they changed their lives!!!
When we are born we are born with a certain number of fat cells. A typical infant has 5-6 billion fat cells. If the mothers diet is bad, she can increase the number of fat cells her baby will have in her third trimester. This is so important when you are pregnant to make sure you are eating healthy and watching how much weight you gain during your pregnancy. During pregnancy is another time you can increase your fat cells. Once you have them, they are yours to keep!!! You want to make sure you are exercising and eating healthy at this time for a lot of reasons.
During late childhood and early puberty is another time when you can actually increase your fat cells. It is important to teach your children to eat healthy as children and develop healthy eating habits as they approach this time in their lives. If they go into this part of their lives with unhealthy habits you are setting them on a course for obesity and a life of the health issues associated with it.
A healthy adult who has healthy body fat has 25-30 billion, and an over weight adult has 75 billion, with severe obesity; this number can be as high as 250 to 300 billion! That is 10 times what a healthy person has. An overweight person’s fat cells can be up to 3 times larger than a person with ideal body composition.
Dr. Samuel Klein of the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis stated, “The more metabolically harmful fat cells in obese people have 50 to 75 per cent more mass than fat cells in lean people”, said lead author of the study.
If you do not get your weight under control, you can make it difficult for you to loose weight in the future. Many people will go have liposuction to remove unwanted fat, but what they don’t understand is if they don’t change their life style their body will just make more fat cells to deal with the amount of excess food they are consuming. There are no short cuts!!! You have to burn 3,500 calories to burn just 1 pound of fat!!
Here are some interesting facts. A child who has normal weight parents has a 7% chance of being over weight or obese. A child who has 1 over weight parent has a 40% chance of being over weight or obese. A child who has 2 overweight parents has a 70% chance of being over weight or obese. That is scary when you look at how many children today have 2 over weight or obese parents. As parents we set the example. Our children need to see us eating healthy and exercising. What we do speak so much louder than what we say.
It has been interesting as I work with people that have been overweight. As they strive to get lean, sometimes it can be difficult because they can shrink their fat cells but never truly get rid of them.
The more muscle you have and can build your body can burn anywhere from 50-100 more calories even when they are resting. Fat takes up 5 times mores space so as you burn fat off and increase muscle you will see major inch loss. I always explain to people it isn’t what you weigh that is important; it is what your body fat percentage is that defines how healthy you are. | <urn:uuid:75f7b9d8-7af6-4b77-a1ad-9834db5f0f7d> | {
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This video is bonus content related to the March 2014 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now, or in our online store.
One of my favorite ways to explore new riffs, chord patterns and melodic figures is to take one of the seven fundamental modes and use its structure as a guideline.
In doing so, I often discover new chord shapes or melodic ideas that I may not have otherwise come across. Using this modal approach also offers a systematic way to take existing riffs or chordal ideas and tweak them in new and different harmonic directions.
The seven fundamental modes are built from the major scale, also known as the Ionian mode, which is spelled, intervallically, one (the root), major second, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, major seventh. Starting on each successive note, or degree, of the major scale and ascending one octave through that same set of notes forms a different, unique mode.
As a kid, I found this very confusing. | <urn:uuid:3ee9b1a8-a3ca-4ff1-93aa-e852345429e7> | {
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At the Republican National Convention in mid-May, delegates selected Abraham Lincoln, a former one-term congressman from Illinois, as the party’s presidential nominee. He defeated the frontrunner, Senator William Henry Seward of New York, who is pictured here as “the Celebrated Black Republican Minstrel, Retiring from the Stage.”
In Antebellum America, minstrel shows were very popular, especially at Democratic Party events. White performers blackened their faces with burnt cork or greasepaint, dressed as plantation slaves, and parodied the songs and dances of black slaves. Democrats also denigrated their political rivals with the racist nickname “Black Republicans,” which implied that the Republican Party supported full racial equality. In fact, most Republicans only opposed the expansion of slavery into the Western territories and did not want complete racial equality.
From the cartoonist’s Democratic point of view, Seward had been acting like a black man (minstrel) and advocating racial equality (Black Republican) because of his outspoken opposition to the expansion of slavery. Seward had been one of the leading founders of the Republican Party in the mid-1850s and was known for his argument that the expansion of slavery was contrary to both the U.S. Constitution and “higher law” (i.e., universal moral law). He also contended that the Southern economic system based on slavery and the Northern economic system based on free labor were in “irrepressible conflict.” Therefore, it was imperative to halt the expansion of slavery into the West so that free labor would eventually triumph.
In the cartoon’s text, “Weed” on the wall poster refers to Thurlow Weed, the New York political boss who supported Seward’s career; “Greeley” indicates Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune who was instrumental in Lincoln’s nomination; and “bones” denotes an instrument resembling castanets, which was played at minstrel shows, and the namesake of a stock minstrel character, Mr. Bones. | <urn:uuid:4312fb1a-5b48-4c04-8f14-fb6a2c1b0d20> | {
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In 1918, World War I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The entire world celebrated. An armistice (a truce) was signed declaring the "war to end all wars" was finally over. The next year, on November 11th, the US called the day "Armistice Day" in memory of all the men and women involved in WWI. On Armistice Day, surviving soldiers marched in parades through their home towns. Politicians and veteran officers gave speeches and had ceremonies in thanks for the peace that had been won.From About.com :
Many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America sets aside to honor American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat. That's not quite true. Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor America's war dead.Please take time today to remember all those who have served our country, both living and deceased, for without them we could not benefit from the freedoms that we enjoy.
Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors ALL American veterans, both living and dead.
I thank my readers out there who have served this country, or still serve: This one's for you - | <urn:uuid:abb07d83-8da7-4882-a91e-7195c6cb5cf9> | {
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The deterioration of thatched roofs
Kirby, J. J. H. and Rayner, A. D. M., 1989. The deterioration of thatched roofs. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 25 (1-3), pp. 153-158.
Related documents:This repository does not currently have the full-text of this item.
You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided below.
The mechanism of thatch deterioration is poorly understood Preliminary observations were made on 16 roofs, all thatched with combed wheat reed. Thatch wears away from the exposed surface of the roof. Three distinct zones (the outer, middle and inner) develop and appear to represent three stages in the decay of thatch. The inner zone is a region of mainly microbial activity, the middle a region of microbial and invertebrate activity and the outer a region of abiotic activity (weathering). The inner is the earliest and the outer the last, stage. Although decay typically takes the form of a basidiomycete-mediated white rot process, a soft rot process mediated by imperfect fungi may occur occasionally. The rate of decay in areas of soft rot is faster than in areas of white rot.
|Creators||Kirby, J. J. H.and Rayner, A. D. M.|
|Departments||Faculty of Science > Biology & Biochemistry|
|Additional Information||ID number: ISI:000172496000019|
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When it comes to ground covers, people generally think of using either plants or organic mulches, such as wood chips, straw or bark nuggets. However, rocks are an alternative ground cover to consider and are a low maintenance option in comparison to the the other choices. They never decompose and provide a firm surface for walking on. Yet, they are not immune to the powers of nature, especially the water element.
Compared to living ground covers and organic mulches, covering the ground with rock can reduce the ability of soils to absorb water. The healthy soil activity stimulated by the roots of plants and the process of decomposition does not occur under stone, leading to greater and greater compaction over time. After a heavy rain, low-lying areas with stone mulch are likely to have standing water, which discolors the stone with an unsightly brown stain as it recedes.
Heat and Drought
Besides becoming compacted and unable to absorb water, soils under rock mulches dry out faster than they would otherwise. The stone absorbs and amplifies the heat of the sun, desiccating the soil and making a good environment for succulents, but not for most other species. White stone, which is commonly sold as a mulch product, reflects sunlight onto the undersides of the foliage, causing sun damage to sensitive species. The effect could be used intentionally to create a hot, dry microclimate in the garden, but it is detrimental to the majority of plants.
Stone is often used to line drainage ditches and other places where water flows through the landscape. It's logical to think that the stone would not wash away like a lighter organic mulch would, but this is not always the case. A torrent of storm water can easily dislodge pebbles and gravel, carrying along the soil underneath them. In this situation, use rocks that are at least the size of a tennis ball and completely cover the ground to make sure there is no possibility for water to work its way under and around them.
Using Rock Ground Covers Wisely
Stone is best used for specific landscape applications, rather than as an all-purpose ground cover. For example, lining an ephemeral waterway with stone gives the effect of a dry stream bed. To create a stunning landscape feature that resists erosion effectively, include water-loving plants to hold the soil in place and fill spaces between the larger stones with small pebbles like a natural stream bed. On the other end of the spectrum, a rock garden takes advantage of the warmth generated by the stones for heat-loving plants. Create a rock garden on a mound of soil, however, to ensure good drainage, tucking tiny plants into the the soil in the crevices between small boulders and ornamental rocks.
- Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images | <urn:uuid:27f65ef8-e06b-460d-b25f-60f2fe7669a0> | {
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APA format. (Use Blooms Taxonomy) I need an better understanding of the subject....argumentative writing
1) Analyze the challenges of leading a virtual team? (The top challenges of today)
2) Evaluate virtual team learning tools used by leaders to enhance communication and productivity of virtual teams?
3) Evaluate virtual team learning techniques used by leaders to enhance communication and productivity of virtual teams?
The challenges of leading a virtual team are low trust, cultural differences, low level of team spirit, lack of personal direct conversations, and no social interactions. The formation and the working of a virtual team create a feeling that each person is working individually. Emails make it difficult to create a spirit of oneness. The leader finds it difficult to communicate across cultures. A short message is adequate for a team member in London but it appears rude to a team member in Korea. The leader finds it difficult to create confidence in virtual members when some of the team members are at the home office (Blaise J. Bergiel, Erich B. Bergiel, Phillip W. Balsmeier, 2008). The leader finds it difficult to convey friendship with his team members. In a face to face team a smile was enough to make a team member feel happy. The distance makes virtual team members lose direction and energy. Virtual team members often located in several parts of the world work for several days without ...
This solution explains the challenges for leaders of virtual teams. The sources used are also included in the solution. | <urn:uuid:76ebee15-f4e7-4d8f-9a62-04ee6de333aa> | {
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texinfo-show-structure command produces too much
information. Perhaps you want to remind yourself of the overall structure
of a Texinfo file, and are overwhelmed by the detailed list produced by
texinfo-show-structure. In this case, you can use the
command directly. To do this, type:
and then, when prompted, type a regexp, a regular expression for
the pattern you want to match. (See Regular Expressions in The GNU Emacs Manual.) The
occur command works from
the current location of the cursor in the buffer to the end of the
buffer. If you want to run
occur on the whole buffer, place
the cursor at the beginning of the buffer.
For example, to see all the lines that contain the word ‘@chapter’ in them, just type ‘@chapter’. This will produce a list of the chapters. It will also list all the sentences with ‘@chapter’ in the middle of the line.
If you want to see only those lines that start with the word
‘@chapter’, type ‘^@chapter’ when prompted by
occur. If you want to see all the lines that end with a word
or phrase, end the last word with a ‘$’; for example,
‘catching mistakes$’. This can be helpful when you want to see
all the nodes that are part of the same chapter or section and
therefore have the same ‘Up’ pointer.
See Using Occur in The GNU Emacs Manual, for more information. | <urn:uuid:c6f82a43-dedb-4ff2-b2e8-e060b0273c3d> | {
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|National Parks are a vital part of peace |
and education for people everywhere.
As much as people need other people, they also need time to themselves, a place to go to find peace. To stop. To rest. To listen within. The beauty in nature helps people and families find solace.
Now this is where the National Park Service can help.
National Parks and families go together like sunshine and blue skies. Park ranger programs are the lifeblood of any stay in a National Park. My family and I know this firsthand from our many adventures camping with kids. I’ve addressed the importance of National Parks before on my Camping with Kids blog in the post entitled “National Parks and Families.” I’ve also discussed the important issue of selling private land within national parks for commercial development in my post entitled “The Future Enjoyment of National Parks.”
My family and I have learned from Park Rangers that National Parks are for discovery:
We have found life within the emptiness of a desert, a diverse ecosystem, lichen upon rocks, the fragility of sand pavement.
|Arches National Park|
the diversity of the desert
We’ve seen the ages of geology painted in the canyon walls of the west.
We’ve wondered at the archaeology that uncovered artwork of an ancient people and learned about their culture.
|Mesa Verde National Park |
discovering the culture
of the Ancient Ones
We’ve listened to volumes of history constructing the freedom needed to make our government great.
On our family camping trips to National Parks, we’ve discovered the excitement of watching the Milky Way pop out in a blackened night sky while reclining on a beach. We smelled the heady fragrances of ponderosa pine in spring and wild rose in June. We sought out shelter from the rain under the canopy of trees in a national forest, experienced the coolness of caves or crystal clear mountain water in summertime, and felt the moisture cling to our skin hiking up into the clouds on a mountain trail.
|The cooling mountain waters in |
Yosemite National Park
The centuries of knowledge that the United States National Parks hold are not just for those who can visit the parks firsthand. Not with today’s technology. Teachers, schools, parents, and students around the world can discover facts and find lessons on history, science, art, geology, biology, archaeology, and much more on the National Park Service’s Find Your Park website. Scroll down to "America’s Classrooms for Teachers" to find a treasure trove of resources for teachers.
National Parks are needed in today’s world not only for the beauty and solace they provide, but also for the knowledge they share with others. Bravo, National Park Service. Happy Birthday! | <urn:uuid:e67f36cb-e77b-4133-89a7-08823b9effb7> | {
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Scientists have the “skinny” on an ancient species of 4.5-foot-tall penguins that were slightly slimmer than our flightless friends today.
Although the bones were discovered over four decades ago, scientists only recently pieced the bones together. The result was a skinny penguin, taller than any existing bird, with an elongated beak specialized for hunting.
To see what these penguins might have looked like, make sure to check out an artist’s rendition in the Nat Geo article.
I-DiveSite Venom 35s
Canon G7 X
Ikelite Housing for D750
Sealife Micro HD +
Plan Your Adventure > | <urn:uuid:5ae36c4b-74c4-4d3d-965a-0b80171cbc29> | {
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Partial hysterectomy is a very common surgery which involves the removal or separation of a woman’s uterus. In other words, it is a surgical procedure in which the fallopian tubes and the uterus are removed. This surgery can be performed for many reasons. It can be done for the treatment health problems like cancerous tumors, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, dysphasia and immense vaginal bleeding.
Difference Between Partial And Complete Hysterectomy
There are two kinds of hysterectomy, they are Partial Hysterectomy and complete hysterectomy. Both the surgeries are different from one another in a few aspects. In case of partial hysterectomy, only the uterus is removed while the ovaries are not detached. The circulation of blood to the ovaries is stopped as a result of which the ovaries stop functioning. On the other hand, in case of complete hysterectomy or surgical menopause, the uterus, the fallopian tubes and the ovaries are removed. This interrupts in the production of the ovarian hormone.
Different Surgery Techniques
Partial Hysterectomy can be performed through different techniques. The normal surgical process can be performed by making an opening or incision in either the abdomen or the vagina. In most cases, the doctors prefer the opening of the abdomen. The incision that is made in the abdomen is very much akin to the cut that is made during a caesarean operation. Following that, the uterus is detached and divided from the blood supplying units. After that, the ligaments connected to it prior to need be removed from the body.
After the surgery, the patient is required to stay in the hospital for a period of one to four days. The reason behind this is that the doctors prefer to monitor the recovery closely. The success rate of this surgery is almost 100 % as most of the patients are able to recover fully after the operation.
Another technique to remove the uterus is vaginal hysterectomy. This surgery is done through the vaginal canal. In this procedure, laparoscopes are inserted through the abdomen and the uterus is removed through the vagina. This method is considered to be less complicated and requires a shorter stay at the hospital. The patient recovers faster than in the case of the open method. Even complete hysterectomy can be done with this method. However, it cannot be ignored that the open method allows maximum access to all the organs.
Another technique is the laparoscopic technique. Under this method, the uterus is disconnected leaving the cervix behind. This is referred to as laparoscopic assisted super cervical hysterectomy. This surgery involves the use of morcellator to cut the uterus, the pieces of which are removed by the laparoscopic ports.
Another technique of laparoscopic hysterectomy is the Da Vinci method. In this technique, the surgeons remotely control the instruments that have high precision and they also give a three dimensional and magnified visual field to the surgeon. This method is preferred by many patients as it not too invasive and has minimal complications. This surgery also facilitates quick recovery. However, it should be noted that the Da Vinci method cannot be performed on all patients as the nature of surgery largely depends upon the condition of the patient. Thus, it is seen that in certain cases, the open method of partial hysterectomy is preferred.
Side Effects Of Partial Hysterectomy
After the removal of the uterus through hysterectomy, a woman is likely to experience hormonal imbalance. There is a tremendous fall in the progesterone level which is followed by a decrease in the level of estrogen over a period of one or two years.
The downfall in the level of progesterone gives rise to a host of side effects. The side effects include fatigue, mood swings, headache, depression, dizziness and nervousness, hair loss, heart palpitations, irritability, insomnia, joint pain, low sex drive, painful sexual intercourse, memory lapses, urinary incontinence, vaginal dryness, etc.
Women who undergo partial hysterectomy are at an increased risk of developing arthritis, heart diseases and osteoporosis. It can also result in endometrial cancer or even thyroid dysfunction. Thus, due to these side effects, it is advisable that women who undergo this surgery should take natural hormone supplements in order to cover the deficiency of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. | <urn:uuid:1914b01f-054a-4c3e-97b3-6c402c6d9ae5> | {
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The theory of autointoxication claims that by-products of incomplete digestion may poison the body and, therefore, cause disease. It can be traced back to most ancient cultures of medicine. In the Western world, humoral medicine was based on the idea that all diseases were caused by the imbalance of the four body humors. Conversely, health constituted a balanced mix of these humors. Waste products formed in the intestinal tract were thought to be a major potential contributor to such imbalance. Both Hippocrates and later Galen viewed "autointoxication" as a major etiologic factor of disease (1).
The cure seemed all too obvious: To minimize the threat of autointoxication, the contact time of the toxic material in the intestines had to be shortened. Purgatives of all sorts were the answer. Clysters (enemas) of various types, therefore, formed an important part of Chinese, Hindu, Sumerian, Egyptian, and other medical traditions. Throughout the history of medicine, the colon was treated "with attacks from above with purges, attacks from below, with douches and frontal attacks by the surgeon (2)."
During the 19th century, the theory of autointoxication represented the ruling doctrine of medicine. French physicians such as Charles Bouchard (1837-1915), who coined the term (3), and Frantz Glenard of Lyon (1848-1920) were leading the field (4). German doctors such as Ludwig Brieger (1849-1919) and Herman Senator (1834-1911) enriched the theory by apparently identifying the chemical process underlying toxin formation: intraintestinal putrefaction of proteins.
The list of symptoms of autointoxication was long: fatigue, depression, anxiety, neurasthenia, poor appetite, headache, and epilepsy, to name a few. Regular bowel movements remained the key to good health (5). The obsession of many patients with their intestinal tract made them easy prey for quacks and charlatans in all thinkable guises. By the late 19th century, the markets were flooded with pills and tonics as well as enema devices and practitioners of abdominal massage, all aiming at ridding the colon of its contents and the patient of his or her money.
Evacuation enemas were given for immediate results, and retention enemas offered the additional option of administering therapeutic agents. Anything from honey, wine, and beer to less benign substances such as urine or tobacco was used. Therapeutic claims became more daring as "colonic quackery" grew.
TWO EXEMPLARY PROPONENTS
Charles A. Tyrell (1843-1918) was particularly aggressive in promoting himself, his books, and, most importantly, his therapeutic device, the "Cascade" (6). This was a rubberized water bottle that held 5 quarts (about 5 liters) of liquid. The patient would insert its nozzle into his or her rectum and sit on the instrument. The patient's body weight would then create the pressure to drive the fluid into the patient's colon. Tyrell led huge advertising campaigns promoting his "Cascade" as a cure for anything from cholera to rheumatism. Like most quacks, he emphasized that his treatment was natural and hence harmless. At the same time, he attacked mainstream medicine for using poisonous remedies that merely harmed the patient. Like most quacks, he compensated his lack of medical knowledge with a sound know-how in business matters. More than 100 editions of his book were published, his "Cascade" was sold by the millions worldwide, and his institute earned him a fortune. Like most quacks, he promoted his treatment as a veritable panacea without ever providing convincing evidence.
John Harvey Kellogg was a slightly more respectable, albeit overoptimistic proponent of autointoxication. This physician from Michigan, claimed that colon therapy prevented surgery in all but 20 of 40,000 patients suffering from gastrointestinal disease (7).
A TOUCH OF SCIENCE
By the turn of the century, the market for devices, laxative pills, and tonics was booming as never before. An endless profusion of remedies, sold in shops and by mail order enterprises, promising health through regularity of bowel movements, "opened men's purses by opening their bowels" (8). At that stage, the notion of autointoxication even received support from unexpected quarters: Metchikoff, who had previously received the Nobel Prize for his theory on phagocytosis, thought that "chronic poisoning by intestinal microbes weakens our cellular elements ... and might provoke senile phenomena" (9).
Colonic quackery was quick to take up this apparent sanction from the ivory towers of science. Henceforth, its promoters were keen to point out that autointoxication was supported by the very best of medical expertise. Millions used colonic irrigation not least because science had apparently given its blessing.
There had been surprisingly little objection from mainstream medicine. This changed dramatically in 1906 when the American Medical Association formed its Propaganda Department, which later became the Bureau of Investigation. One of its leading members, Arthur J. Cramp, initiated a campaign against the "proprietary evil" that existed within the medical profession. The Journal of the American Medical Association joined the "continuous, relentless, excoriating critique of quackery." A particular focus of Cramp's campaign was against colonic irrigation and the fallacy that "autointoxication produced by intestinal obstruction ... was ... the only cause for disease (10)." The dangers of colonic irrigation were systematically exposed and the truth was distributed widely. Simultaneously, rigorous scientific investigation into the theory of autointoxication was initiated for the first time. The hypothesis was soon found to be wrong (see, for example, Donaldson ). For a while, "colonic quackery" seemed to be an issue of the past, but charlatanism, it seems, dies hard.
THE PRESENT REVIVAL
Today colon therapy is almost as popular as it was in its heyday. It forms an integral part of the therapeutic armamentarium of most (nonmedically qualified) alternative practitioners around the world who have, during the past three decades, experienced an unprecedented resurgence in this popularity (12). Based on a four-star rating system, colonic irrigation has received two stars in terms of popularity (13). Another source states that it "is once more gaining in popularity and is now commonly used by alternative health practitioners" (14). Accurate data on its prevalence are not available.
Aggressive advertising and promotional texts abound (see, for example, Plant ). Many of the outlandish claims of yesterday are echoed today: "If bowel movements are not consistent, waste products and toxins are not eliminated in a regular manner, and health can be compromised" (14), to cite a book modestly entitled The Ultimate Guide. According to this text, the therapy cleans the colon in its full length, detoxifies it, reconstitutes intestinal flora, and even rids the body of parasites and prevents bacteria from entering the blood stream. Today's list of indications for colon therapy is impressive (14,16,17): alcoholism, allergies, arthritis, asthma, backache, bad breath, bloating, coated tongue, colitis, constipation, damage caused by nicotine or other environmental factors, fatigue, gas, headache, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, indigestion, insomnia, joint problems, liver insufficiency, loss of concentration, mental disorders, parasite infestation, proneness to infections, rheumatoid arthritis, sinus congestion, skin problems, and ulcerative colitis. False claims, a lack of evidence, big money, aggressive advertising, disregard of risk-little seems to have changed. In the hope of finding some type of evidence, I have written to the two professional organizations for colon therapy in the United States. The fact that no reply was received may speak for itself. Most proponents of colonic irrigation deny any adverse effects, but one text (17) states that possible side effects are nausea, diarrhea, and nervous disturbances. The risks of electrolyte imbalance (18) or water intoxication (19) are either omitted entirely or downplayed (17).
Coffee enemas are a hazardous derivative of colon therapy. As part of an unorthodox anticancer diet (20), a coffee enema is administered on a 4-hour basis "to help relieve pain, nausea and other symptoms accompanying detoxification" (21). Its proponents claim that caffeine is absorbed in the colon and leads to a vasodilatation in the liver, which in turn enhances the process of elimination of toxins. None of this is proved, nor is there any evidence of the clinical efficacy of coffee enemas. Coffee enemas are associated with severe adverse reactions (22), and even its proponents speak of a "healing crisis" that occurs in many patients (21).
The ancient theory of autointoxication has been the basis of today's colon therapy. There is no evidence that it conveys true benefit in any condition. Even a recent "review of the available literature" by a proponent of colonic irrigation provides only theories and anecdotes (17). Yet good proof exists that it is associated with considerable risks. Physicians should know about the dangers of colon therapy some of their patients might be using. In such cases empathy, reassurance, and factual information will be helpful.
E. Ernst, M.D., Ph.d., F.R.C.P. (Edin)
Department of Complementary Medicine; Postgraduate Medical School, University of Exeter; Exeter, England.
1. Thomas SN, Chen N, Chen PSV. Intestinal autointoxication: a medical leitmotif. J Clin Gastroenterol
2. Hurst AF. An address on the sins and sorrows of the colon. BMJ
3. Bouchard C. Recherches experimentales sur la tozicité des urines normales. Comp Rendu Soc Biol
4. Thomas SN, Chen N, Chen PSY. Glenard's disease: the vagaries of visceroptosis. N Y State J Med
5. Wacher A. Colon-hydrotherapie. Erfahrungsheilkunde
6. Tyrell CA. The royal road to health.
New York: Tyrell's Hygienic Institute, 1894.
7. Kellogg JH. Should the colon be sacrificed or may it be reformed? JAMA
8. Young JH. The toadstool millionaires. The medical messiahs and American health quackery.
Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 1992.
9. Metchnikoff O. Life of Elie Metchnikoff
1845-1926. London: Constable, 1921.
10. Cramp AJ. The JBL
cascade treatment. JAMA
11. Donaldson AN. Relation of constipation to intestinal intoxication. JAMA
12. Fulder S. The handbook of alternative and complementary medicine.
Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1996.
13. Woodham A. HEA guide to complementary medicine and therapies.
London: HEA, 1994;49.
14. Colon therapy. In: Chopra D, ed. Alternative medicine, the ultimate guide.
Washington, DC: Puyallup Future Medicine;1994:143-8.
15. Plant M. A doctor's guide to your colon.
New York: Harper and Row, 1986.
16. Juchheim JK. Colontherapie. Raum Zeit
17. Kelvinson RC. Colonic hydrotherapy: a review of the available literature. Compl Ther Med
18. Dunning MF, Plum F. Potassium depletion by enemas. Am J Med
19. Ziskind A, Gelis SS. Water intoxication following tap water enemas. J Dis Child
20. Ernst E, Cassileth B. Cancer diets, fads and facts. Cancer Prev Int
21. Petton R, Overholster L. Alternative cancer therapy.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.
22. Green S. A critique of the rationale for cancer treatment with coffee enemas and diet. JAMA | <urn:uuid:5aa552e3-cabe-44b9-97de-ac4aa0d03f89> | {
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Micro-electro-physiology @ HAIP, Ljubljana
- 1 Background Info
- 2 Protocols
- 3 Plant S.M.E.L.A
- 4 Patches for measuring
- 5 Participants
- 6 rough schedule
- 7 Material for the Book
- 8 Interesting Links
- 9 Preparations
Electrochemistry of Plant Life
Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
Using the arduino we can measure analog voltages using the 6 Inputs ADC. The analog voltage between 0 and 5 V is converted into a 10bit digital number, from 0 to 1023. this can be used to read a value from a sensor, eg a temperature sensor such as the TMP36, a potentiometer or from the electrodes.
Sound Card - Line In
If the potentials we want to measure are mostly changes/modulations in voltages, we can also use the analog-to-digital converter from the sound card. Although that means we cannot measure static voltages, but only fast changes changes, frequencies above ~ 1hz. The sound card is a very fast and precise ADC (single if mono, or double for stereo), sampling at 44khz or up to 96khz and 24 bit resolution.
If the signals are to low, such as µV in the example of potentials in plants, we need to amplify the signal and make sure we do not have too much noise or other garbage in our signals. INA118 is a high end instrumental amplifier, with low noise. But maybe cheaper amp might do the trick aswell, such as the LM386
If we want to measure more inputs we can multiplex them. meaning we measure one input at the time using a chip (4051), which got 8 inputs which are then routed to one single input on the arduino. read more about using the 4051 multiplexer/demultiplexer
because every conducting wire, electrode or other parts of a measurement setup are also acting kinda as "antennas", its easy to pick up some artefacts, noise, humms from the electromagnetic environment. typical stuff the measure are the 50Hz humming from all the electric power and lamps or "biipbuupbiiiiip" from mobile phones. to prevent these one can use shielded cables or build a faraday cage around the whole setup.
DIY Glass Pipette Electrodes
Micro Electrode Arrays (MEA)
To be able to observe the pipette we can build our own hacked digital microscopes, using cheap webcams, surveillance video cams or the PS3 eye. see more on the hackteria page.
preparation of growth media
Further links to Slimes
Venus Fly Trap
testing the microsphone input from webcam as ADC
slime-recording, but measuring something else
we made it, measuring potentials from venus fly trap
Patches for measuring
Marc Dusseiller, dusjagr labs
- Experiments in manufacturing DIY electrodes
- intro into DIY microscopy
- using audio and pd for data measurement
- using arduino and pd the measure/visualize data
- start fungi cultures and preparations of plants
- Setup of measurement setup
- Preparation of amplifiers and multiplexers
- Setup of measurement setup
- Experiments with plant recordings
- Wrap-up Workshop: Introduction into all techniques developed
- Preparations of individual pages for a publication using the diffusion layout.
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Soil moisture measurements are needed to improve our understanding of water availability in rural and urban areas.
72-foot meteorological flux tower in the west Phoenix neighborhood of Maryvale with COSMOS sensor installed at the base of the tower. Photo by: Adam Schreiner-McGraw
Adam Schreiner-McGraw, an Arizona State University graduate student studying hydrology, has installed a new type of soil moisture sensor in four different ecosystems in the southwestern U.S. and northwest Mexico. Currently in the second year of measurements, these probes have tracked remarkably well the moderate drought conditions in Arizona and the aid provided by the wetter-than-average conditions during last summer’s monsoon.
Many parts of the hydrologic cycle are difficult to measure (such as groundwater movement or evapotranspiration), so mathematical models are used to help estimate these fluxes and understand how the hydrologic cycle might be changing. Schreiner-McGraw hopes that the data obtained by these soil moisture sensors can be used to improve watershed hydrology models used commonly for assessing impacts of land cover or climate change.
About the size of a person and shaped like a space shuttle, these novel probes are called cosmic-ray soil moisture sensors. They are affiliated with the COSMOS (cosmic-ray soil moisture observing system) project, a National Science Foundation-supported project to measure soil moisture based upon cosmic-ray neutrons. An off-the-shelf device, these solar-powered sensors have remote data capture and can be installed in two days with a single field calibration.
The technology uses "fast neutrons" generated when cosmic-rays hit the atmosphere, cascade onto the land surface and are captured by hydrogen atoms. Intermediate scale measurements are possible, meaning that soil moisture is averaged over several hundred square meters. This allows observations that are in between traditional soil sensors and satellite estimates, the two most common ways to measure soil moisture. The sensor itself measures the density of fast neutrons above the soil surface. This density is inversely proportional to the amount of hydrogen bound in water within and above the soil surface. The higher number of neutrons measured by the sensor, the drier the soil is, providing a means to track water availability in rural or urban areas.
“We are currently obtaining real-time soil moisture data at three rural sites – southern Arizona, southern New Mexico and Sonora, Mexico – that have each been affected by human-induced land cover change,” explains Schreiner-McGraw, who is pursuing a doctorate in ecohydrology within the School of Earth and Space Exploration under the supervision of ASU associate professor Enrique R. Vivoni.
The two rural sites in the United States are undergoing woody plant encroachment, a process in which woody shrubs have occupied historical desert grasslands, while the site in Mexico had woody trees cleared away for the establishment of a pasture for cattle grazing. Both of these land cover changes are widespread throughout the world in arid and semiarid regions. Schreiner-McGraw is investigating the effects of these land cover changes on the water cycle, and the implications on ecosystem functioning, runoff generation and soil erosion.
“Recently, I installed another sensor in west Phoenix within the Maryvale community. To my knowledge, this is the first time one of these sensors has been installed in an urban setting. It is difficult to obtain an accurate measurement for soil moisture in urban settings because these sensors measure all sources of water in the footprint, so if somebody fills up their bathtub, it will likely affect the measurement,” says Schreiner-McGraw. “What we have found so far is that the neutron count rate in an urban setting is much lower and more stable than in the various rural areas that we are sampling. This indicates that soil moisture is likely higher and less variable in our urban setting, probably due to the large amount of urban irrigation occurring in Phoenix.”
According to Schreiner-McGraw, these sensors are useful because they provide a single value for soil moisture over a large region that is being sampled, thus averaging the amount of water available at scales relevant for management purposes. A network of such sensors in a metropolitan area, such as Phoenix, could aid in quantifying outdoor water use at an intermediate scale, a highly elusive measurement due to the large variations among individual homeowners.
“Hopefully, integrating this type of soil moisture data into hydrologic models of rural and urban areas will improve our ability to predict the changing hydrologic cycle,” says Schreiner-McGraw, who after graduation would like to continue doing research, perhaps with the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture or at a university as a professor. | <urn:uuid:21090277-3361-4738-8363-b982c8f15d4e> | {
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While the Green Party nominates a presidential candidate every four years as a publicity stunt, other politicians—Democrats and Republicans alike—have been steadily pursuing a green agenda in California. California cities are better off for it.
The 2016 election presents a contest between two campaigns with fundamentally different views of fair housing in the United States—at a time when fair housing is a growing challenge with deep ramifications for the nation.
<p>Forget slogans and fancy trains. If transit agencies just focused on getting people where they need to go in a consistent, reliable (and preferably quicker) way, more people would abandon their cars.</p>
<p>Hot technologies like blogs, mashups, YouTube, Flickr, and social networking are among the most notable of new Internet technologies that are collectively known as Web 2.0. These technologies offer great possibilities for planners.</p>
<p>Officials in the California city of Sebastopol have gone back on an agreement with an Internet provider that was planning to create a municipal Wi-Fi network for the city. They cited health concerns in their decision.</p>
<p>Technological issues with the handheld computers to be used in the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 Census have frustrated officials and have them considering a plan to return to the traditional paper and pencil counting method of years past.</p>
<p>By utilizing virtual reality software, students at UC Berkeley are recreating a historic stretch of Oakland, California's 7th Street, a historic hotbed of jazz and blues clubs during the 1940s and '50s.</p>
<p>By using telephone and voice over IP calling data, a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has created detailed maps of calls between New York and other major world cities, painting a vivid picture of globalization.</p> | <urn:uuid:0f5b678c-7107-4a29-82d1-bf87a45cb8ed> | {
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Aim: How can we multiply positive and negative fractions and decimals?
Homework: Multiplying Fractions and Decimals worksheet, both sides (found below)
1. Based on what we did on Tuesday, can you describe the algorithm for multiplying two integers?
2. What does 8 x (-6) mean?
3. What value will a negative divided by a negative divided by a negative have? Explain.
Classwork: As a reminder:
positive x positive = positive
positive x negative = negative
negative x positive = negative
negative x negative = positive
We expanded our rational numbers computational understanding to include multiplying positive and negative fractions. We then applied our understanding to multiply positive and negative decimals. As we discovered, the previous algorithms applied to all rational numbers. | <urn:uuid:e78c771f-2fac-4c96-a830-db8f516635f2> | {
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In an essay for The Guardian, Aslihan Agaoglu wrote about one of the first pieces of advice she received from her dissertation advisor when she went to him seeking dissertation help: “He told me that using ‘I’ or ‘we’ is a big no-no.” Agaoglu goes on to explain her dissertation advisor’s rationale: “The reason for not using the first person, according to my supervisor, was that this wasn’t fiction but academia – and ‘there are no ‘I’s in academic writing’.”
But is it really true that there should be no I’s in academic writing? Agaoglu makes a compelling case that use of the first person shouldn’t be forbidden. She says:
“When you remove the distinctive self (or voice) from your writing, it can become unbearable to read. When you alienate the ‘I’ from your dissertation, you are taking a big risk: turning your writing into a mere juxtaposition of facts and figures.”
Agaoglu is right: when dissertation writers avoid the first person, their prose can become stilted. They often end up using awkward sentence structures. While the resulting writing may seem more “professional” in tone, it can also be difficult to read, and often, difficult to write. In avoiding the first person, dissertation writers also mask the fact that their writing is shaped by their ideas and perspectives. It’s your dissertation – why not own up to it?
However, the question of whether or not dissertation writers can and should use “I” and first-person-singular point of view is complicated. There are very compelling arguments for using the first person in your dissertation, but there are also concrete reasons why you might want to avoid it. A dissertation editor or consultant can help you determine what would be appropriate for your dissertation.
Advantages of Using “I” in Your Dissertation: Clearer Prose Style
The APA Publication Manual recommends that writers use the first person to avoid awkward sentences. As Timothy McAdoo of the APA Style Blog explains, avoiding the first person can lead to sentences that are confusing, and to “anthropomorphism.” McAdoo says:
“Attempts to avoid first person can also lead to anthropomorphism. As the [APA Publication] Manual notes, an experiment cannot “attempt to demonstrate,” but I or we can.”
Using a sentence such as “I will demonstrate” not only sounds more organic than “this research will demonstrate” or “this experiment will attempt to demonstrate,” but it’s also more accurate! Your research or your experiment isn’t demonstrating something; rather, it’s you, the dissertation writer, who is demonstrating something!
Advantages of Using “I” in Your Dissertation: Accessibility
Don’t be afraid to use I if you can: in addition to helping stylistically, it lets you lay claim to your work! In Inside Higher Ed, David Jamul argues that if scholars want the wider public to pay attention to their research and writing, they need to embrace “I.” The temptation to avoid the first person, he says, comes from a desire to seem like an expert. “Academic articles. . . eschew the use of ‘I’ or ‘me.’ Their authors learn in graduate school to rely on the power of their data and the brilliance of their arguments. ” The result, Jamul argues, is that scholars’ writing seems impersonal, making it difficult to persuade the public that scholarship is relevant.
But What Will My Dissertation Advisor Think?
Of course, there is often a disconnect between how we want to approach our dissertations, and how we must approach our dissertations. Even if you want to write in the first person, you may not be able to write in the first person. Some dissertation committees may have no problem with the use of the first person. Others may deem it completely inappropriate. In some academic fields, writing in the first person is a common practice. In other fields, it may be seen as unprofessional. My dissertation committee let me be very creative with my prose, and encouraged me to use “I” whenever it seemed suitable. But other departments, other institutions, and other fields will have different expectations.
In addition, overuse of “I” risks making your prose sound too casual, if you are aiming for a scholarly tone. While you are the writer and researcher behind your dissertation, the dissertation isn’t about you; it’s about your sources and argument. If you do elect to use a first person point of view, be sure to use “I” judiciously.
So . . . Should I Use “I” in My Dissertation?
If you’re in a position where you can use the first person, do so with thoughtfulness and care. In addition to improving the style of your writing, it allows you to lay claim to your work.
A dissertation editor or dissertation consultant can help you determine if use of “I” is appropriate for your circumstances and can help you navigate the practices that are specific to your field or institution. If, on the other hand, you can’t or don’t want to use the first person, a dissertation editor can help you avoid awkward sentences and refine your prose. | <urn:uuid:d27a80d8-27c8-403c-bc00-15c75c9591b4> | {
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posted by Chloe .
I'm a bit confused as to when I should use an alpha particle and when to use a beta particle in a nuclear equation. For instance, the nuclear equation for carbon-14 is nitrogen-14 and a beta particle. Could I also say the equation is Berylium-13 and an alpha particle since an alpha particle has atomic mass 4 and 2 protons? Thank you for your help!
I'm not exactly sure of your confusion. Elements that are above the band of stability (too many neutrons) generally emit beta particles. C14 is in the category. Be 13 is a radioactive isotope of the usual Be we see and of course it has a neutron:proton ratio that is too high also. It does decay by beta emission, too. Here is a site that shows the transitions. It would not normally be expected to decay by alpha emission.
I understand now. Thank you. | <urn:uuid:903ab167-0b5e-493a-b047-4f50e52e9298> | {
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Today is Wednesday, Oct. 27, the 300th day of 2010. There are 65 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Oct. 27, 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the United States Constitution, was published in New York.
On this date:
In 1795, the United States and Spain signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo (also known as "Pinckney's Treaty"), which provided for free navigation of the Mississippi River.
In 1858, the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was born in New York City.
In 1880, Theodore Roosevelt married his first wife, Alice Lee.
In 1904, the first rapid transit subway, the IRT, was inaugurated in New York City.
In 1922, the first annual celebration of Navy Day took place.
In 1938, Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: "nylon."
In 1947, "You Bet Your Life," starring Groucho Marx, premiered on ABC Radio. (It later became a television show on NBC.)
In 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (men-AH'-kem BAY'-gihn) were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.
In 1990, death claimed bandleader Xavier Cugat at age 90, author Elliott Roosevelt at age 80 and French movie director Jacques Demy ("The Umbrellas of Cherbourg") at age 59.
In 1995, a sniper killed one soldier and wounded 18 others at Fort Bragg, N.C. (Paratrooper William J. Kreutzer was convicted in the shootings, and condemned to death; however, the sentence was later commuted to life in prison.)
Ten years ago: Canadian authorities arrested two men they said masterminded the 1985 bombing of an Air India jumbo jet near Ireland that claimed the lives of all 329 people aboard. (However, the men were acquitted at trial in March 2005.)
Five years ago: White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court after three weeks of brutal criticism from fellow conservatives. As many Floridians continued to struggle to find food, water and fuel in the wake of Hurricane Wilma, President George W. Bush visited the state to inspect the damage. Tropical Storm Beta formed in the Caribbean Sea.
One year ago: Eight American troops were killed in two separate bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan. Michael Jackson's last work, the documentary "Michael Jackson: This Is It," opened.
Today's Birthdays: Actress Nanette Fabray is 90. Baseball Hall-of-Famer and sportscaster Ralph Kiner is 88. Actress Ruby Dee is 86. Former Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher is 85. Actor-comedian John Cleese is 71. Author Maxine Hong Kingston is 70. Country singer Lee Greenwood is 68. Producer-director Ivan Reitman is 64. Country singer-musician Jack Daniels is 61. Rock musician Garry Tallent (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) is 61. Author Fran Lebowitz is 60. Rock musician K.K. Downing (Judas Priest) is 59. TV personality Jayne Kennedy is 59. Actor-director Roberto Benigni is 58. Actor Peter Firth is 57. Actor Robert Picardo is 57. World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan is 54. Singer Simon Le Bon is 52. Musician J.D. McFadden is 46. Rock musician Jason Finn (Presidents of the United States of America) is 43. Rock singer Scott Weiland is 43. Actor Sean Holland is 42. Actress Sheeri Rappaport is 33. Violinist Vanessa-Mae is 32. Actress-singer Kelly Osbourne is 26.
Thought for Today: "He who seeks rest finds boredom. He who seeks work finds rest." - Dylan Thomas, Welsh author and poet (born this date in 1914, died 1953.)
(Above Advance for Use Wednesday, Oct. 27)
Copyright 2010, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:c29d57dc-fad4-4a55-b2e0-9d94348a8c81> | {
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Class I antiarrhythmics
The drugs preventing or treating cardiac arythmias are called antiarrhythmics. Antiarrythmic drugs are classified according to their mode of action in four groups: group I includes the drugs which decrease the rate of conduction and whose essential impact point is the sodium channel, group II includes the beta-blockers, group III, the drugs which prolong the duration of the action potential mainly by slowing potassium efflux and group IV, calcium-channel inhibitors.
The duration of the action potential can be prolonged by inhibition of potassium efflux but also by prolongation of the sodium influx by the slow sodium channels. Anomalies of these two mechanisms can be at the origin of a long-QT syndrome.
Class I antiarrythmics inhibit the influx of sodium by the voltage-gated channels, slow the speed of fast depolarization called phase 0, which leads to a decrease of the rate of conduction. According to their effects on the rate of repolarization linked to potassium efflux, one subdivides them in three subclasses Ia, Ib, Ic.
Class Ia antiarrythmics, in addition to their effect on the voltage-gated sodium channels, slow repolarization by inhibiting potassium efflux. They are quinidine, hydroquinidine, disopyramide.
Quinidine, isomer of quinine, has directly and indirectly acting cardiac effects:
Directly acting, related to its action on voltage-dependant sodium channels: quinidine decreases the rate of conduction and slows down slow diastolic depolarization. Moreover, it prolongs the action potential by inhibiting the repolarization by potassium efflux, which lengthens the QT interval. It has a negative inotropic effect.
- Indirectly acting: quinidine has an antimuscarinic effect and, by inhibiting the effects of acetylcholine, it tends to accelerate heart rate and to facilitate the atrioventricular conduction.
Quinidine decreases peripheral resistances by arteriolar vasodilation, probably by an alpha-adrenolytic effect. It tends to lower blood pressure by vasodilation and negative inotropic effect.
In addition quinidine has an antimalarial effect like quinine, antipyretic, oxytocic, and can have a curarizing effect.
The therapeutic plasma concentrations of quinidine considered as effective for the treatment of arrhythmias, lie between 1 and 3 mg/L. There is interaction between quinidine and digoxin, quinidine raising the concentrations of digoxin.
Quinidine is a broad spectrum antiarrhythmic used on a curative and preventive basis. Its essential therapeutic uses are the treatment of the supra-ventricular tachycardias. Its use for the treatment of muscular cramps must be avoided because of the risk of severe adverse effects which it sometimes induces.
Hydroquinidine has properties similar to those of quinidine.
Disopyramide has pharmacological properties quite similar to those of quinidine. It has also antimuscarinic effects.
The drugs of the Ib class, in addition to their effect on the sodium voltage-gated channels, accelerate cellular repolarization by increasing potassium efflux, and decrease the duration of the action potential and the refractory period. They are lidocaine, phenytoin and mexiletine.
Lidocaine and mexiletine
Lidocaine and mexiletine, Mexitil*, act on the action potential: they slow, especially at high-dose, fast diastolic depolarization (phase 0) and shorten the duration of the action potential by accelerating the repolarization.
They have a negative inotropic effect and peripheral vasodilator effect. Their action is immediate and of short duration.
The therapeutic concentration of lidocaine in plasma is about 5 mg/L, that of mexiletine ranges between 0.75 and 1.5 mg/L.
Phenytoin has schematically the same properties as the other products of the Ib. class. It was used as an antiarrhythmic in an injectable form called DILANTIN * but this form is gradually replaced by phenytoin phosphate or fosphenytoine, marketed as PRODILANTIN *, which is hydrolyzed in the body into phenytoin, the active product.
Class Ic antiarrythmics inhibit the voltage-dependant sodium channels and prolong the depolarisation phase, have little effect on the repolarization phase. They are flecainide, propafenone and aprindine.
Flecainide,Tambocor*, decreases the rate of depolarization (phase 0), but does not modify he duration of the action potential because it is without effect on potassium channels.
Propafenone, Rythmol*, decreases the rate of depolarization (phase 0) and the slow diastolic depolarization. It has a low beta-blocking activity which appears only with overdoses.
Aprindine has effects close to those of flecainide and propafenone, but it has particular adverse effects: leukopenia, even agranulocytosis, cholestatic hepatitis reversible with the interruption of the treatment.
Cibenzoline is usually attached to group Ic antiarrhythmics but has certain properties of class III and IV antiarrhythmics.
Ibutilide, Corvert*, by increasing the time during which the voltage-dependant slow sodium channels are open, prolongs the duration of the cardiac action potential. The influx of sodium which is prolonged slows the repolarization due to the potassium efflux, resulting in its classification in the group III antiarrhythmics. It is used for the treatment of atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation.
Its principal danger is arrythmias, including torsades de pointes, by prolongation of QT interval. Hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia increase this risk and must be corrected before the administration of ibutilide.
Class I antiarrythmics have common adverse effects, primarily related to the inhibition of sodium channels. These effects are more or less marked according to the drug and according to the state of the patient, in particular of his hydro-electrolytic equilibrium.
- They can induce conduction disorders at all levels: sinus, atrioventricular and intra-ventricular.
The pro-arrhythmic or arrhythmogenic effect of antiarrhythmics, appears especially in patients with hydro-electrolytic disorders, in particular hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia.
Class Ia antiarrythmics which lengthen the duration of the action potential can induce torsades de pointes and fatal ventricular fibrillation. In certain clinical studies, mortality was higher in the group of patients treated by antiarrythmics than in the control group under placebo.
- They have a negative inotropic effect and the decrease of cardiac output can sometimes induce a hemodynamic decompensation.
- The inhibition of sodium channels, responsible of a local anesthetic action, can cause digestive disorders (gastralgia, nausea, vomiting) with sometimes diarrhea or constipation.
- Antiarythmic drugs of the Ia group are likely to give headache, dizziness, visual disorders (photophobia, diplopia, blurried sight), auditive disorders (tinnitus, hypoacusia), tremors, myoclonus. Extrapyramidal syndromes and cerebellar syndromes were described, sleep disorders. With certain products, especially at high dose, delusions and convulsive attacks were sometimes observed.
- Antiarythmic drugs of the Ia group and cibenzoline which is sometimes classified in Ia because it can slow repolarization, can induce in certain patients hypoglycemias which could result from a stimulation of insulin secretion by inhibition of potassium efflux from pancreatic B cells.
- Quinidine and disopyramide have an antimuscarinic effect and the corresponding adverse effects. | <urn:uuid:7b00e492-86a8-4078-97f5-af6b91d3c201> | {
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|Aphodius conspurcatus (Linnaeus, 1758) Notable B|
|Widely distributed but very local throughout Britain, rarer in
southern England and Scotland. Occurs in various types of dung and habitats but perhaps more especially in
horse dung in woodland. Rarely in exposed situations. Adults occur from Feb-May and again from August to
October, also occasionally during the winter. These need to be carefully searched for as they may occur among large numbers
of superficially similar (at least in the field) species e.g. A.prodromus and
A.sphacelatus, see Dung sampling techniques.
4-5mm. Clypeus bordered and punctate, without setae, obtusely produced in front of eyes, black with reddish borders, at least laterally. Male with three tubercles on posterior edge. Pronotum with sparse large punctures becoming more dense laterally, between these with much smaller punctures, obvious at X20. Black with lateral margin broadly yellow, front margin often narrowly yellow. Basal margin distinctly bordered. Scutellum equilateral, black or dark brown. Elytra glabrous, light yellow in life fading to light brown in set specimens, with obvious and well defined dark marks to interstices 3,4,5 and 7. Apices somewhat shining. Antennae and palpi dark, almost black. Legs dark brown, tarsi lighter.
Description from 1 Watford specimen at X20 | <urn:uuid:ae6a1ec9-6ba4-4105-ab17-416c3ef48dd3> | {
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You've made it through the holidays, through excessive sugar and rich food, the stress of parking, shopping and spending. Then there's the office parties, drinking, more drinking, more spending, not enough time to exercise and…all of the above brings us to a lack of quality sleep.
What does all this mean to your body? The short answer is that your immune system has taken a hit. Whether or not you have suffered a cold or flu, it's time to give something back to the body that has worked so hard to protect you.
The cold virus is our country's leading infectious disease. The average American suffers from two to four colds each year. There are myriad flu-like symptoms (chills, fever, cough, runny nose) that we like to blame on influenza, but a CBS News study tells us that 83-97% of the time, these flu-like symptoms are brought on by other viruses or bacteria.
Before the virus triggers the big symptoms — you know, the ones that send you to bed sneezing and moaning — be on the lookout for warning signs. When your immune system is struggling, there will be very clear signs. But if you're not paying attention, you might miss the early warning and end up flat on your back. Watch for hoarseness or a scratchy throat, a mild continual cough, tired and lifeless eyes, excessive throat-clearing, fatigue or unusual aches and pains, especially in the joints. This is your body speaking clearly in its own language, telling you it needs some help.
Your first plan of action is to ensure that you are getting enough vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is a primary cause of a weakened immune system. The best way to make sure you're getting enough vitamin D is to get a little sunshine, 10 to 15 minutes every day. If going outside is not an option, you can use vitamin D supplements.
For flu prevention, children and adults need 35 IU of vitamin D per pound of body weight. So, for example, a child weighing 100 pounds could take 3,500 IU a day of vitamin D. But surprisingly, research shows that even 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day gets rid of seasonal influenza. Each of us absorbs and processes vitamin D differently, so it is a good idea to have your blood checked if you plan to take supplements.
Get regular exercise and enough sleep. Exercise keeps nutrients circulating throughout the body and sleep provides the recovery time necessary for tissue repair and system function. Together, they keep your body's rhythms in balance.
Drink plenty of fresh juice. Fruits and vegetables are the building blocks of life, responsible for strong, healthy muscles, tissues, glands and organs. When you drink them in the form of fresh, unpasteurized juice, all the nutrients and minerals act as purifiers and are quickly and easily absorbed by the body.
Go sugar-free. Sugar feeds and multiplies the bacteria that make you sick. By removing it from your diet, you give your body a chance to catch up and recover.
Take a good quality probiotic daily. Quality probiotics are sold in the refrigerator section and contain a minimum of 5 billion CFU's. They build up your internal defenses.
Sip herbal tea throughout the day. My favorite for this time of year is Echinacea Immune Support tea made by Yogi. A combination of elderflower, ginger, yarrow and peppermint is also good. One or two cups a day is another great way to use herbs to heal and protect your body.
Stay hydrated. Your body needs water to keep all its systems functioning optimally.
Give yourself a fighting chance. It is possible to stay healthy and energetic all year long, and that's nothing to sneeze at.
I'll see you in two weeks.
Love & health, | <urn:uuid:2067f59c-9a93-4c5b-ba87-233bc04cd6ff> | {
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Every year over a million women worldwide are diagnosed with a gynecological cancer. September is Worldwide Gynecological Awareness Month, which incorporates the awareness of the following five major cancers: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar.
Women in all parts of the world are at risk of gynecological cancers, but this risk is exacerbated in areas of the world where access to prevention and treatment is low. Over 80% of cervical cancer cases occur in the developing world, and lack of regular pap smears and other interventional measures may contribute to this statistic. This series will explore these types of Gynecological cancers, compare western treatments to those in the developing world, as well as highlight resources for women. An interview with Dr. George Sawaya, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California San Francisco will also be included.
The ovaries are the organ that release an egg so that a woman can get pregnant. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than other gynecological cancer. Older women are at highest risk of developing ovarian cancer. The causes of Ovarian cancer are not clear cut. Symptoms are not always easily discernible and are generally defined by bloating or pelvic and abdominal pain. Digestive symptoms can sometimes be felt as well as appetite and nausea problems. Vaginal bleeding, excessive hair growth, and increased urinary frequency can also be symptoms.
If diagnosed early and treatment is received, rate is very high. The most common treatment is removal of the uterus through hysterectomy or removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
This cancer is most common in post menopausal women and is associated with changes in the endometrium lining of the uterus. When women have their periods, the uterus sheds the built up lining when an egg has not been fertilized. It is the lining of the uterus that this cancer affects. Like Ovarian cancer, the causes of Endometrial cancer are not clear cut.
Symptoms include abnormal bleeding from the uterus. In women who have not had menopause this can include, excessive or heavy bleeding between normal periods. Post menopause symptoms can include vaginal bleeding that are long or heavy and white or clear discharge after menopause. Endomestrial cancer is most prevalent in North America, Europe, and other Westernized countries.
This is the third most common type of cancer in women worldwide. This cancer starts in the cervix, a structure that is at the top of the vagina and the lower part of the uterus. Almost all cervical cancers are caused by the sexually transmitted virus HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). Some strains of HPV also cause genital warts but these are not cancerous. Often these viruses travel in packs so women may contract both the cancer strains and the genital strains.
The early stages of cervical cancer often have no symptoms. Those that do occur are similar to that of ovarian and endometrial cancers such as vaginal bleeding between periods, after intercourse or between periods, heavy periods or bleeding from the vagina, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Treatment and prevention of cervical cancer is well researched and easy to administer in countries that have the resources. Before cervical cancer develops changes can be seen on the cervix (dysplasia) and these can be spotted using a pap smear. A pap smear simply involves a health professional removing come cells using a swab or cotton bud from your cervix and putting them on a slide. Regular tests can show any precancerous changes in the cells and treatment is available to delay or prevent the onset of cancer. The recent introduction of vaccines against HPV will lower the risk cervical cancer.
In many countries regular Pap smears and the vaccine are not readily available, the same goes for treatment of dysplasia. However researchers are working around the globe to deliver more effective and affordable means to women around the globe.
Vaginal and Vulvar Cancers
These are rare and symptoms are usually skin related and can include, itching, change in skin color of the vulvar, bumps or wart-like structures growing, burning, or bleeding not related to the menstrual cycle. It is thought that HIV and HPV transmission increases your risk of developing vaginal and vulvar cancers.
If women have concerns about gynecological changes and cancer they should seek attention from a health professional. In areas where access to Health Professionals is difficult, women are encouraged to seek advice from the nearest low cost clinic. | <urn:uuid:bd7f6544-620c-4e86-b5fc-cddcab0d808a> | {
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Killing wolves may not protect livestock efficiently
Lethal measures to control wolf attacks on cattle and sheep are ineffective in the long-term, new study findsCostly and time-consuming efforts to eliminate wolves that prey on sheep, cattle and other domestic animals are ineffective on a long-term, regional scale, according to an examination of wolf control methods in Alberta and several U.S. states by University of Calgary researchers.
Results of the study were presented today at an annual meeting of wolf scientists, ranchers and wildlife managers near Yellowstone National Park.
Lead author Dr. Marco Musiani, an assistant professor in the U of C's Faculty of Environmental Design, said the findings could lead to changes in how ranchers and government wildlife authorities deal with problems relating to depredation of livestock by wolves.
Musiani said using lethal control to limit wolf numbers, and therefore curb depredation, requires 30 to 50 per cent of an area's wolf population to be destroyed year after year. Instead, programs to compensate ranchers and shepherds for stock lost to wolves can be used to offset costs to producers. Such programs convey funds from numerous citizens concerned with nature conservation to the ranchers affected by livestock losses.
"Killing that many wolves would be difficult," Musiani said. "If society wants to co-exist with wolves, it has to accept that there will be losses and address the real issue, which is that if ranchers lose some of their animals, or if animals are injured, it costs them money. There are also significant labour costs for increasing livestock surveillance to prevent attacks."
In addition, livestock producers and wildlife officials could plan activities to prevent wolf attacks during the high-depredation seasons, which are described in the study.
Musiani and colleagues analyzed wolf attack information from Alberta from 1982-1996 and in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming from 1987-2003. The data showed that the common practice of tracking down and killing wolves that prey on livestock did not result in decreased depredation rates regionally, or over the long-term. The study also found that wolf attacks appear to follow seasonal patterns that reflect the food needs of wolf packs and livestock calving and grazing cycles.
"This study shows that wolves are being killed as a corrective, punitive measure – not a preventative one," Musiani said. "People hope that killing individual wolves that attack livestock will rid the population from offenders but this isn't happening. It seems other wolves simply take their place and you have the same problem over and over again," Musiani said. "To use a human analogy – by putting criminals in jail we are going to obtain a decrease in crime? In many cases, probably not."
The paper "Seasonality and reoccurrence of depredation and wolf control in western North America" is published in the current issue of the Wildlife Society Bulletin and presented by Musiani at the18th Annual North American Wolf Conference at Chico Hot Springs Resort in Pray, Montana. The April 4-6 conference is sponsored by the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Wolf Recovery Foundation, Yellowstone National Park and the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife. The study comes as several U.S. states consider removing the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list after populations that were once extirpated have been re-established.
Musiani has worked on the problem of wolves killing livestock in Canada, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, and the U.S, and has served as a United Nations consultant on the issue.
The study can be downloaded from Dr. Musiani's website: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~mmusiani/profile.html
Media interview opportunities:
Dr. Marco Musiani will be available for telephone interviews from the Chico Hot Springs Resort in Pray, Montana on Wednesday, April 5 from 10 am until 12 pm (MST). Call (858) 736-7202 or cell: (250) 442-7969.
For more information, contact:
Media Relations Advisor - Research
University of Calgary
Phone: (403) 220-7722 Cell: (403) 651-2515
Email: [email protected]
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 30 Apr 2016
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:bdfaadd5-488e-458b-8afc-e75a2df788e4> | {
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Noun(1) a living organism characterized by voluntary movement(2) a human being; `wight' is an archaic term(3) a person who is controlled by others and is used to perform unpleasant or dishonest tasks for someone else
(1) The girl was a pretty feminine creature with hatred toward men.(2) a creature from outer space(3) If you've ever looked into the eyes of a chimp or gorilla there's no denying that lurch of recognition for a fellow creature obviously capable of complex thoughts and feelings.(4) Spin fantasies in your head, she's probably the most charming and intelligent creature on earth.(5) Both movies have a big-name comedian dressed up as a fictional creature .(6) Rachel moved her eyes down to this charming creature 's face.(7) She was as much a creature of the control freaks as any of the weaker members of the front bench.(8) the village teacher was expected to be the creature of his employer(9) What wretched creature would give up the fight before he's truly lost?(10) He said: ÔÇÿI just thought she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen in my life and I had to find out about her.ÔÇÖ(11) you heartless creature!(12) And Irma, that vain, wretched creature , would never take such an unnecessary risk to herself as that.(13) The most natural privilege of man, next to the right of acting for himself, is that of combining his exertions with those of his fellow creatures and of acting in common with them.(14) Observe how it interacts with its fellow creatures , and the vast variety of food it consumes every hour.(15) Popular art images are flowers and imaginary creatures .(16) Cows are innocent herbivores that would never knowingly consume the rendered remains of their fellow creatures .
(1) living creature :: زندہ جانور
1. animal ::
2. person ::
3. lackey ::
4. wight ::
5. fauna ::
6. tool ::
Different Formscreature, creatures
English to Urdu Dictionary: creature
Meaning and definitions of creature, translation in Urdu language for creature with similar and opposite words. Also find spoken pronunciation of creature in Urdu and in English language.
Tags for the entry "creature"
What creature means in Urdu, creature meaning in Urdu, creature definition, examples and pronunciation of creature in Urdu language. | <urn:uuid:69a1b079-4041-481d-a899-97ef8f03df67> | {
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It’s that time of year again and although you may be all ready to face this year’s winter weather, follow these tips to make sure your pet is safe and happy this winter too.
Most people think that pets can stay out in the cold much longer than us humans, but for the majority of breeds this is not true. Only a small amount of dogs, such as the long-haired breed like huskies and malamutes have undercoats designed for the cold temperatures. The rest of dogs and cats are just as cold outdoors as we are. If you think you are ready to go inside, your pet is probably ready too! While coats are a great way to make sure your dog/cat is warm enough outside, it is important to note that most animals lose body heat through their ears, the pads of their feet and through their breath, so jackets are not enough to make sure your pet doesn’t get hypothermia or frostbite.
Certain ages and health conditions make pets unable to control their body temperature, making them especially vulnerable in the cold outside. Illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and hormonal illnesses (ex. Hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease) are other causes for animals to get too cold outside. Puppies and kittens lack the insulation to handle any cold so their time outside should be kept to only short periods. Old animals often also have a lack of insulation left as well as thinned hair cold and arthritis. Arthritis in pets, just like people, is aggravated by cold temperatures. Also, as their older animals are not as mobile as they once were, they can easily slip and injure themselves on ice and snow.
Salt is very irritating to pets’ paws. You may notice your dog or cat lick their paws excessively after being outside. To prevent salt from becoming a problem, make sure to wipe your pet’s paws when they are coming in from outside. In addition to salt, animals will often get a buildup of snow or ice in between their paws. This can be avoided by making sure the fur in between their pads is trimmed routinely.
Other than the cold, owners should also be sure to have their pets on a leash around all waterways to prevent them from falling through the ice. It also doesn’t hurt to give a small honk or knock the hood of your car before you start it to make sure a cat isn’t taking advantage of the warmth under the car.
Winter can be a great time to have some fun outside with your pet. Making sure they are as safe and warm as you will make sure that you both have a great season.
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Illustrating the power of play for helping children overcome a wide variety of worries, fears, and phobias, this book provides a toolkit of play therapy approaches and techniques. Coverage encompasses everyday fears and worries in 3- to 12-year-olds as well as anxiety disorders and posttraumatic problems. Leading practitioners describe their approaches step by step and share vivid illustrative case material. Each chapter also summarizes the research base for the interventions discussed. Key topics include adapting therapy to each child’s developmental level, engaging reluctant or less communicative clients, and involving parents in treatment.
By Athena A. Drewes and Charles E. Schaefer, Eds.. 2018. 276 pages. ISBN 978-1-46253-470-8. #S6292 | <urn:uuid:5a296833-c24d-4de8-b340-7e2b325ff667> | {
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When it comes to assessing a dementia patient’s cognitive status, there are many different tests that can help determine the patient’s level of impairment. The purpose of these assessments and scales is to help reduce subjectivity in clinical situations. An ideal assessment should have face validity, construct validity, concurrent validity, and inter-rater reliability. Face validity means that clinicians, family members, and patients can agree that the questions are relevant and meaningful. Construct validity means that the assessment accurately tests what it was designed to measure. Concurrent validity means that the assessment can be validated by another gold standard assessment. Inter-rater reliability is when two or more raters can use the same assessment scale and get the same answers.
When it comes to dementia patients, assessments are available to test specifically for function, behavior, and quality of life, but cognition is the coveted characteristic that is attempted to be measured. The most popular cognitive screening test administered is the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). This test is designed to test cognition in areas such as memory, attention, and orientation. It is limited to a low sensitivity to change and it has floor and ceiling effects. Due to copyright enforcement issues surrounding the MMSE, it has started to fall out of favor due to fear of litigation and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) is gaining in popularity due to their promotion of open permission to clinicians to use their assessment without paying for licensing fees or worrying about copyright litigation. The MOCA is a 30 point based assessment and it is more sensitive than the MMSE. It is also useful to assess patients with vascular dementia. It assesses executive function, memory, language, abstraction, orientation, and delayed recall.
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) recommends the Functional Assessment Staging Test (FAST). The FAST scale is designed to evaluate patients when the MMSE cannot reflect changes in a clinically meaningful way and it identifies progressive steps of functional decline. FAST stage 7a is the minimum staging level for hospice enrollment. An assessment used to determine overall dementia severity is the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). It is a comprehensive interview based test that assesses memory, orientation, judgement, function, and caregiver burden. Despite being a very useful assessment, one major downside of this assessment is the amount of time it takes to administer.
With many different types of assessments available to clinicians, it is important to select and use a test properly. Many standardized assessments with demonstrated reliability for screening of dementia are available. Clinicians should understand the specifics of an assessment before administering a test. Most tests have training guides to help ensure the correct usage of the assessment. Clinicians should implement the training guides and familiarize themselves with proper administration technique to ensure the validity and reliability of the assessment.
1. Fast Fact #150. (n.d.).
2. MoCA Montreal - Cognitive Assessment. (n.d.).
3. Sheehan, B. (2012). Assessment scales in dementia. Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders, 5(6), 349–358.http://doi.org/10.1177/1756285612455733
4. Tsoi KF, Chan JC, Hirai HW, Wong SS, Kwok TY. Cognitive Tests to Detect Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(9):1450-1458. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.2152. | <urn:uuid:b36ae64e-7ef5-4b7e-865c-c6494af267f9> | {
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It’s getting close to semester finals and in my ELL Geography class, I usually have this read this short piece, 9 Reasons to Study Geography, from Brainscape. Then, they watch the first video in this collection and, lastly, answer this writing prompt:
According to the writers and/or the video, what are reasons why it is important to study geography (you only have to pick four of them)? Do you agree with what they are saying? To support your opinion you may use examples from your own experiences (including what has taken place in our class this year), your observations of others, and any of your reading.
This year, though, I took some time to search for other related videos that they might watch, also. I wasn’t too impressed with what I found, but I think they’re serviceable…
Geography Writing Frames For ELLs (They Can Be Used In Other Subjects, Too) has the write frame for the actual essay that students write in response to the prompt.
Here’s what I found: | <urn:uuid:6b5a6a88-839a-4e58-b4e6-cca8cb8383ea> | {
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"url": "http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2018/01/13/the-best-videos-for-learning-why-its-important-to-study-geography/"
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The Falling Slinky model approximates a slinky using twenty masses connected with light springs. The slinky is suspended from one end and released. Two actions will occur simultaneously when it is released hanging at rest from its equilibrium position - it will fall and it will collapse. What happens to the bottom when it begins its fall?
The bottom end will move up initially.
The bottom end will move down initially.
The bottom end will remain at the same point for a short time before it begins to move.
The Falling Slinky model was created using the Easy Java Simulations (Ejs) modeling tool. It is distributed as a ready-to-run (compiled) Java archive. Double click the ejs_mech_newton_FallingSlinky.jar file to run the program if Java is installed.
Please note that this resource requires
at least version 1.5 of
Falling Slinky Model Source Code
The source code zip archive contains an XML representation of the Falling Slinky model. Unzip this archive in your EJS workspace to compile and run this… more... download 8kb .zip
Last Modified: September 1, 2009
%0 Computer Program %A Christian, Wolfgang %D September 1, 2009 %T Falling Slinky Model %7 1.0 %8 September 1, 2009 %U http://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9399&DocID=1303
Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications. | <urn:uuid:dbdd70a9-2cbc-4875-912d-583b318d80c6> | {
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