Datasets:

fumiyau

/

data_final_0.5_continual_chunked

like 0

Transgenic plants will eventually be adopted as manufacturing vehicles for biopharmaceutical products. The timing is dictated by the need to overcome several hurdles. The promise of PMPs, like most new technologies, precedes the practical reality. The two common arguments in favor of PMPs are reduction in manufactured costs and lack of human-infectious viral contaminants. Novel mammalian-cell expression systems and improved processes are pushing cell-culture productivity into the gram per liter range on a consistent basis. A ten-fold increase in expression level effectively turns a 1,000 L bioreactor into a 10,000 L bioreactor.Freedom from viral contaminants is a potentially powerful advantage. However, for PMPs to be accepted by the market, industry needs to focus on the hurdles and not the advantages. The first and foremost hurdle, at least among experienced biomanufacturers, is the regulatory unknown (also known as the fear of "being first"). There are draft FDA/USDA and EMEA documents focused on PMPs, and dozens of products in development. The major achievement for transgenic systems, whether animal or plant, that paves the regulatory pathway for all will be approval of the first product. This could happen as early as March 2005, with EMEA approval of GTC Biotherapeutics' ATryn, a recombinant human thrombin expressed in the milk of goats. Secondly, it is not clear that total manufacturing costs will be reduced multi-fold, as often claimed. Capital requirements for the upstream part of a kilogram-level biomanufacturing facility will be reduced from the $100+ million range to perhaps the $10+ million range. A significant portion of the manufacturing costs, though, ranging from 30-60% depending upon the product, resides in downstream purification — a part of the biomanufacturing process not likely to be greatly influenced by the type of feed stream. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, there are issues regarding the public's (and industry's) perception of growing transgenic plants in open, unconfined spaces. Concern with the likelihood for gene flow among transgenic plants and their non-transgenic neighbors, along with the potential for transgenic "contaminants" appearing in the food chain, have led to strict recommendations from the USDA on buffer zones between transgenic and neighboring crops and, in some instances, moving them to locations far removed from traditional growing areas. Perhaps elimination of the gene flow issue will only be achieved by isolation in totally confined spaces such as greenhouses or underground mines. Mines, if comparable in capital and operational costs to greenhouses, might offer the best bet, since this involves a completely controlled environment — free of environmental pests and weather and seasonal issues — that can actually increase the annual amount of biomass generated per acre. Turning the issues into advantages will really drive adoption of PMPs into the mainstream of biomanufacturing. Someone will be "first" with a regulatory approval. Underground growth chambers will achieve economic parity. One remarkable potential advantage remains to be fully exploited; namely, the ability to genetically manipulate plants to perform post-translational modifications and, so, to control important structures such as glycans. Already, offending sugar residues (xylose and fucose) can be removed in planta. Terminal galactose residues on glycans, typical of Mabs (not natively produced in plants) have been engineered into a variety of plant species. The ability to produce a protein with structures that more closely mimic the human molecule or, perhaps, improve upon the human molecule, will be what ultimately gives PMPs their place in the biomanufacturing sun. Brandon J. Price, Ph.D. is vice president, Biotechnology Services at Cardinal Health, P.O. Box 13341, Research Triangle Park, NC, 919.465.8149, Fax: 919.481.4908. [email protected]

<urn:uuid:5177ab55-62f0-4d04-b8bd-cc7be9ba1681>

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear "dolphin"? Would you say Flipper? Or maybe you'd go with SeaWorld? These are about the closest interactions most of us have had to these amazing marine mammals. But they are so much more than trick performing and problem solving beauties. With over 43 species of dolphins living in all parts of the world these creatures are full of surprises. Check out this list of the most fun dolphin facts and learn why these animals are kings and queens of the ocean. This list of the most random dolphin facts will make you want to play with these sea creatures immediately. They are extremely smart and excellent communicators. Their list of unique traits goes on and on, no surprise as they're one of the smartest and most agile mammals in the world. Did you know they communicate with clicks and even give themselves names? They also have 100 teeth and two stomachs, but swallow all their food whole. In addition, these animals are very similar to humans. Did you know that they even cry and can differentiate between sweet and sour? This is only the beginning in the long list of interesting dolphin facts.Take a look at all the dolphin information below and vote up the most awesome and cool dolphin facts. And remember: be careful of the blowhole! It can shoot air at 100 miles per hour. Dolphins Are Born with Hair Dolphins are born with a patch of hair on the top of their rostrum (that's the mouth). This hair is what designates them as mammals, even though it falls out within two weeks of birth.Source: Dolphin Research Center Dolphins Give Birth Differently Than Other Mammals Dolphins are actually the only mammal that gives birth tail first. All others birth the head of their little bundle of joy first.Source: Dolphins World Dolphins Have Midwifes During Labor During birth, another female dolphin in the pod will assist the mother. They have been seen going as far as helping to pull the baby out.Source: Random History Dolphins Have Unique Dorsal Fins All dolphins have dorsal fins, but each has a unique and individual one, kind of like a human fingerprint.Source: Dolphins World

<urn:uuid:9dde4238-920e-4152-aff5-a160c93724b7>

Vioxx is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Vioxx is also called rofecoxib, and it is manufactured and developed by Merck, and is used to treat a few different painful medical conditions such as: - Menstrual Pain - Acute Joint Pain The FDA approved Vioxx in 1999 as a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. Vioxx reduces pain and inflammation by inhibiting the COX-2 enzyme within the body that causes swelling and inflammation. At first, Vioxx was a preferred choice over other NSAIDs because it didn’t cause gastro intestinal side effects. Unfortunately, as Vioxx use began spreading, it was found that it caused other more serious side effects, including: - Heart Attack - Sudden Cardiac Death - Abdominal Pain - Blood in Vomit - Flu-like Symptoms - Yellowing of Skin or Eyes Vioxx is a dangerous drug, and after an increasing number of reports showing that consumers were suffering from the above side effects, Merck pulled Vioxx off the shelves in 2004.

<urn:uuid:a23c3092-a3e8-4039-8943-f90b40284958>

Clostridium difficile is one of the most common pathogens that cause pseudomembranous colitis in hospitalized patients, and C difficile–associated disease (CDAD) is one of the most common nosocomial infections. The bacterium secretes a large amount of toxins A and B, which cause inflammation of the colonic mucosa. The inflammation results in severe watery diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and leukocytosis. Vancomycin was the first drug FDA approved for CDAD, but its cost and the threat of selective bacterial resistance limit its use.1-5 In May 2011, Fidaxomicin was approved for the treatment of C difficile in adults.6 Since there is limited experience with its use, the drug will not be discussed in this article. Metronidazole has been a first-line treatment following the early studies showing a result comparable to that of vancomycin7,8; however, recent studies have shown an increased relapse in patients treated with metronidazole and vancomycin.1,9 The purpose of this article is to review the literature for approaches to manage recurrent CDAD (RCDAD) and to examine the management efforts of this infection at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. A new strategy will be implemented based on this evaluation to improve the current treatment methods at this institution. Evaluation of Practice Guidelines Treatment guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the CDC, and the American Gastroenterology Association have suggested metronidazole as the first-line agent, followed by oral vancomycin.4,10,11 Reports from Pepin et al (2005), Aslam et al (2005), McMaster-Baxter et al (2007), and Kuijper et al (2008) suggested that the recurrent rates of CDAD treated with metronidazole and vancomycin were 29% and 28%, respectively.2,9,12,13 Signs, symptoms, and diagnostic methods for RCDAD are shown in FIGURE 1,14-16 with its complications reviewed in FIGURE 2.17-19 Evaluation of Strategies to Improve the Treatment of RCDAD Many studies have been conducted regarding the treatment of RCDAD. Although there have been no controlled studies using probiotics for the primary prevention of CDAD, there have been trials that have used Saccharomyces boulardii in patients with RCDAD.20,21 The hypothesis was that the residual C difficile spores grew after the antibiotic treatment was completed, causing RCDAD. S boulardii produced protease that inactivated C difficile toxin receptors in the lumen cells so that the newly grown C difficile toxin could not bind to these receptors to cause pseudomembranous colitis. The following section and TABLE 1 review this research in detail.3,20-26 McFarland et al (1994) conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel trial in a group of 124 patients with CDAD.20 About half of the subjects (n = 60) had experienced at least one recurrent C difficile infection prior to the study. Patients were treated with standard doses of metronidazole or vancomycin. After 4 days of continuous antibiotic treatment, patients were randomized to the probiotic S boulardii 500 mg twice daily or to placebo, then followed for 4 weeks. The study suggested that S boulardii might benefit patients with RCDAD.20 Surawicz et al (2000) conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial for the treatment of RCDAD by using high-dose vancomycin combined with S boulardii.21 The inclusion criteria consisted of patients aged 18 to 100 years with diarrhea who tested positive for C difficile by either positivity for toxin A/B or positive culture. In addition, patients must have had at least one RCDAD within 1 year. All patients were stratified by their history of exposure, tolerance, and severity of RCDAD to receive oral vancomycin either 2 g/day or 500 mg/day, or metronidazole 1 g/day for 10 days. All patients were randomized to S boulardii 1 g/day or placebo on day 7 of the 10-day course of antibiotic, and continued on it until day 28. Patients were required to keep a standardized daily diary to record bowel characteristics. This study suggested that short-course, high-dose vancomycin combined with S boulardii reduced the recurrence of RCDAD.21 McFarland et al (2002) investigated vancomycin taper and vancomycin pulsing methods to manage RCDAD.22 The inclusion criteria consisted of patients who had been treated for C difficile with standard antibiotic vancomycin or metronidazole. Patients ranged from 18 to 100 years, with positive C difficile assay by the presence of A/B toxins or positive culture. Additionally, they also had one or more episodes of RCDAD within 1 year. Patients were excluded if they were immunosuppressed, had negative C difficile assays, were on antifungal drugs, or were pregnant. Patients were observed for 2 months after they finished the standard treatments with metronidazole or vancomycin. If infection recurred, they were retreated with the same regimen for 10 to 16 days or with a tapered regimen to doses of 125 to 750 mg/day for 10 to 14 days, or were pulsed with vancomycin 125 to 500 mg every 2 to 3 days for 3 weeks. The vancomycin pulsed regimen resulted in 14.3% recurrence (P = .02). With tapering, the best response was seen with tapering doses from 500 mg to 1 g/day down to 125 mg/day over 19 to 25 days (P = .01). In the metronidazole group, there was no significant difference in the rate of recurrence in any regimen given. The authors suggested that pulsing and/or tapering vancomycin provided an effective strategy.22 Besides metronidazole and vancomycin, rifaximin and nitazoxanide have been studied in patients who developed RCDAD. In an observational study, Johnson et al (2007) used sequential therapy with vancomycin and rifaximin to treat RCDAD.23 Rifaximin treatment was initiated when patients had completed the standard drug treatments, but before they had any recurrence symptoms. The treatment population included a total of 8 women, age ranging from 43 to 88 years. All patients had experienced at least four RCDAD episodes and had been treated with multiple approaches. Patients were administered rifaximin 400 to 800 mg per day in 2 to 3 divided doses for 2 weeks. Patients responded to the treatment, although resistance emerged.23 Musher et al (2007) conducted an open-label study of nitazoxanide in patients who developed RCDAD after treatment with metronidazole.3 This trial was based on a hypothesis that nitazoxanide was at least as effective as metronidazole and might be used as an alternate treatment when metronidazole failed.24 A total of 35 patients with average an age of 67.5 years who had failed conventional treatment with metronidazole were enrolled in this study. The dosage was 500 mg oral twice daily for 10 days. The study concluded that nitazoxanide seemed to be effective in patients who failed metronidazole.3 A head-to-head study by Musher et al (2009) compared the efficacy of nitazoxanide to vancomycin in the primary treatment of CDAD.25 In this randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, 50 patients were randomized to the nitazoxanide or the vancomycin group. Patients received either oral nitazoxanide 500 mg q12h or vancomycin 125 mg q6h for 10 days. The authors suggested the noninferiority of nitazoxanide to vancomycin, which requires further investigation.25 There are a limited number of studies examining the role of IV immune globulin (IVIG) in RCDAD. Wilcox (2004) reported 5 patients, aged 66 to 97 years, with protracted and/or RCDAD and significant morbidity.26 IVIG was administered at 300 to 500 mg/kg. The case report suggested that an immediate response to IVIG should not be expected. Further study is needed to assess the benefit of IVIG in the elderly population, whose response to RCDAD is partly attributable to their immune status. The American Gastroenterology Association recommends discontinuance of the offending antibiotic and administration of supportive treatment for 2 to 3 days.2,4,12 In practice, the patient may be unpredictably clear of C difficile spontaneously, and sometimes it is impossible to discontinue the drug. More important, discontinuation of the antibiotic does not improve the symptoms. As a standard of care at UT Southwestern Medical Center, a patient with mild-to-moderate symptoms is tested for C difficile toxins with immunoassay (TABLE 2).27-30 A thorough medical history and physical examination, including stool quality and frequency, abdominal tenderness, rigidity, bowel sounds, location of pain, fever, unexplained leukocytosis, and elevated serum creatinine (CrSr), are necessary to make a diagnosis. Other manifestations include protein-losing syndromes, such as ascites, peripheral edema, and low albumin. First-line treatment usually starts with oral metronidazole 500 mg 3 times a day for 10 days for mild-to-moderate cases. In patients with more severe symptoms, oral vancomycin 125 mg 4 times a day for 10 to 14 days is indicated. For severe, complicated C difficile infection, the therapeutic options are vancomycin 500 mg via oral, nasogastric tube, or rectal enema administration 4 times a day and/or metronidazole 500 mg to 750 mg every 8 hours.31 Fluid and electrolytes are assessed and corrected, if necessary. Many times issues arise regarding the assessment of severity of C difficile infection. The diagnosis of “mild, moderate, or severe” is varied among the treating physicians. Since the treatment is different based on the severity, a definition of severity must be established. A mild-to-moderate case is characterized by symptoms of 2 to 3 loose or watery stools per day, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. A severe case includes diarrhea up to 10 to 15 times a day accompanied by fever with temperature ³37.6°C, leukocytosis ³15,000, and CrSr ³1.5 times baseline. A severe, complicated case presents with a need for intensive care unit (ICU), colectomy, toxic megacolon, ileus, hypotension, or colonic perforation. The decision to discontinue C difficile treatment is also varied among physicians. The rationale differs in terms of improvement of symptoms, stool assay result, and length of treatment. Treatment is stopped if the patient responds with resolution of diarrhea to £2 watery or loose stools a day or hard or formed stools for 2 consecutive days, no abdominal pain and tenderness, and fever and leukocytosis resolved. Treatment failure is suspected if patients have persistent fevers, diarrhea ³3 episodes of loose to watery stools per day, abdominal pain, unresolved leukocytosis, and positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for C difficile toxins after ³14 days of treatment. Failure may also include an initial response to metronidazole ³1.5 g/day and/or vancomycin oral 500 mg/day, but relapse on at least two occasions after initial response to such treatment within 2 months. A repeat course of the previous antibiotic and dosage for C difficile is often given. The antibiotic is tapered over 2 to 3 days, then pulsed at the same dosage for 2 to 3 weeks. Treatment strategies with pulse vancomycin and S boulardii have shown benefit in patients with RCDAD and may be considered. Sequential treatment with vancomycin and rifaximin can be considered as an alternate therapy for recurrent cases.23 Nitazoxanide can be used as an alternate to metronidazole.3,24,25 Even with some success, IVIG therapy is still largely investigational. Further studies are needed to assess its role in treating RCDAD.28,32,33 The option to give probiotics to an immunocompromised patient is often overlooked. Bacteremia has occurred in this patient population when probiotics were given.34-37 A low request for gastroenterology consultation indicates the emphasis on clinical diagnosis. Endoscopy provides a definitive diagnosis of CDAD and should be encouraged.15,16 Diagnosis of CDAD in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be difficult because of the similarity of presenting symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and low-grade fever. A misdiagnosis in the patient with IBD can lead to inappropriate use of glucocorticoids or immunosuppressants. Endoscopy does not provide useful evidence because patients with IBD do not develop pseudomembrane formation. The diagnosis of CDAD in this patient population should be based on the laboratory results (TABLE 2).27-30 Repeating stool toxin assays should be discouraged. Up to 50% of patients continue to have positive stool assays for as long as 6 weeks after treatment.38 A better understanding of C difficile’s mode of transmission helps the development of new treatment strategies for RCDAD. Literature reviews have shown promising results with vancomycin and S boulardii, vancomycin and rifaximin, and tapered and pulsed vancomycin. Alternative therapy with nitazoxanide has also achieved some initial success. The current practice of treating C difficile infection at UT Southwestern Medical Center was reviewed, and practice implementations were made to improve patient outcomes. 1. Musher DM, Aslam S, Logan N, et al. Relatively poor outcome after treatment of Clostridium difficile colitis with metronidazole. Clin Infect Dis. 2005;40:1586-1590. 2. Aslam S, Hamill RJ, Musher DM. Treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated disease: old therapies and new strategies. Lancet Infect Dis. 2005;5:549-557. 3. Musher DM, Logan N, Mehendiratta V, et al. Clostridium difficile colitis that fails conventional metronidazole therapy: response to nitazoxanide. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2007;59:705-710. 4. Fekety R. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and colitis. American College of Gastroenterology, Practice Parameters Committee. Am J Gastroenterol. 1997;92:739-750. 5. Bartlett JG. New drugs for Clostridium difficile infection. Clin Infect Dis 2006;43:428-431. 6. Fidaxomicin approved for C. difficile infections. Pharmacy news. American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists. May 31, 2011. id=3549. Accessed November 11, 2011. 7. Teasley DG, Gerding DN, Olson MM, et al. Prospective randomised trial of metronidazole versus vancomycin for Clostridium-difficile- associated diarrhea and colitis. Lancet. 1993;2:1043-1046. 8. Olson MM, Shanholtzer CJ, Lee JT Jr, Gerding DM. Ten years of prospective Clostridium difficile-associated disease surveillance and treatment at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, 1982-1991. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1994;15:371-381. 9. Pepin J, Alary ME, Valiquette L, et al. Increasing risk of relapse after treatment of Clostridium difficile colitis in Quebec, Canada. Clin Infect Dis. 2005;40:1591-1597. 10. Gerding DN, Muto CA, Owens RC Jr. Treatment of Clostridium difficile infection. Clin Infec Dis. 2008;46(suppl 1):S32-S42. 11. Cohen SH, Gerding DN, Johnson S, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for Clostridium difficile infection in adults: 2010 update by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2010;31:431-455. 12. McMaster-Baxter NL, Musher DM. Clostridium difficile: recent epidemiologic findings and advances in therapy. Pharmacotherapy. 2007;27:1029-1039. 13. Kuijper EJ, Wilcox MH. Decreased effectiveness of metronidazole for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection? Clin Infect Dis. 2008;47:63-65. 14. Wanahita A, Goldsmith EA, Musher DM. Conditions associated with leukocytosis in a tertiary care hospital, with particular attention to the role of infection caused by Clostridium difficile. Clin Infect Dis. 2002;34:1585-1592. 15. Seppälä K, Hjelt L, Sipponen P. Colonoscopy in the diagnosis of antibiotic-associated colitis. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1991;16:465-468. 16. Tedesco FJ. Antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis with negative proctosigmoidoscopy examination. Gastroenterology. 1979;77:295-297. 17. Wanahita A, Goldsmith EA, Marino BJ, Musher DM. Clostridium difficile infection in patients with unexplained leukocytosis. Am J Med. 2003;115:543-546. 18. Rubin MS, Bodenstein LE, Kent KC. Severe Clostridium difficile colitis. Dis Colon Rectum. 1995;38:350-354. 19. Rybolt AH, Bennett RG, Laughon BE, et al. Protein-losing enteropathy associated with Clostridium difficile infection. Lancet. 1989;1:1353-1355. 20. McFarland LV, Surawicz CM, Greenberg RN, et al. A randomized placebo-controlled trial of Saccharomyces boulardii in combination with standard antibiotics for Clostridium difficile disease. JAMA. 1994;271:1913-1918. 21. Surawicz CM, McFarland LV, Greenberg RN, et al. The search for a better treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile disease: use of high-dose vancomycin combined with Saccharomyces boulardii. Clin Infect Dis. 2000;31:1012-1017. 22. McFarland LV, Elmer GW, Surawicz CM. Breaking the cycle: treatment strategies for 163 cases of recurrent Clostridium difficile disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2002;97:1769-1775. 23. Johnson S, Schriever C, Galang M, et al. Interruption of recurrent Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea episodes by serial therapy with vancomycin and rifaximin. Clin Infect Dis. 2007;44:846-848. 24. Musher DM, Logan N, Hamill RJ, et al. Nitazoxanide for the treatment of Clostridium difficile colitis. Clin Infect Dis. 2006;43:421-427. 25. Musher DM, Logan N, Bressler AM, et al. Nitazoxanide versus vancomycin in Clostridium difficile infection: a randomized, double-blind study. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;48:e41-e46. 26. Wilcox MH. Descriptive study of intravenous immunoglobulin for the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile diarrhea. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2004;53:882-884. 27. Fenner L, Widmer AF, Goy G, et al. Rapid and reliable diagnostic algorithm for detection of Clostridium difficile. J Clin Microbiol. 2008;46:328-330. 28. O’Connor D, Hynes P, Cormican M, et al. Evaluation of methods for detection of toxins in specimens of feces submitted for diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea. J Clin Microbiol. 2001;39:2846-2849. 29. Peterson LR, Manson RU, Paule SM, et al. Detection of toxigenic Clostridium difficile in stool samples by real-time polymerase chain reaction for the diagnosis of C. difficile-associated diarrhea. Clin Infect Dis. 2007;45:1152-1160. 30. Hookman P, Barkin J. Clostridium difficile associated infection, diarrhea, and colitis. World J Gastroenterol. 2009;15:1554-1580. 31. Cohen SH, Gerding DN, Johnson S, et al. Presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in San Diego; 2007. Clinical practice guidelines for Clostridium difficile infection in adults: 2010 update by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the IDSA. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2010;31:431-455. 32. Leung DY, Kelly CP, Boguniewicz M, et al. Treatment with intravenously administered gamma globulin of chronic relapsing colitis induced by Clostridium difficile toxin. J Pediatr. 1991;118:163-167. 33. McPherson S, Rees CJ, Ellis R, et al. Intravenous immunoglobulin for the treatment of severe, refractory, and recurrent Clostridium difficile diarrhea. Dis Colon Rectum. 2006;19:640-645. 34. Cassone M, Serra P, Mondello F, et al. Outbreak of Saccharomyces cerevisiae subtype boulardii fungemia in patients neighboring those treated with a probiotic preparation of the organism. J Clin Microbiol. 2003;41:5340-5343. 35. Salminen MK, Rautelin H, Tynkkynen S, et al. Lactobacillus bacteremia, clinical significance, and patient outcome, with special focus on probiotic L. rhamnosus GG. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;38:62-69. 36. Borriello SP, Hammes, SP, Holzapfel P, et al. Safety of probiotics that contain Lactobacilli or Bifidobacteria. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36:775-780. 37. Muñoz P, Bouza E, Cuenca-Estrella M, et al. Saccharomyces cerevisiae fungemia: an emerging infectious disease. Clin Infect Dis. 2005;40:1625-1634. 38. Fekety R, Silva J, Kauffman C, et al. Treatment of antibiotic-associated Clostridium difficile colitis with oral vancomycin: comparison of two dosage regimens. Am J Med. 1989;86:15-19. To comment on this article, contact

<urn:uuid:4d8849c9-ad1f-4943-8630-67126bead410>

Learn about the expansions of the commerce power under modern-day Commerce Clause doctrine, including Congress’s power to regulate channels, instrumentalities, and activities with substantial effects on interstate commerce. Welcome to the video on the modern doctrine of Commerce Power! I. The years following the New Deal In the years following the New Deal, there was an ideological shift on the Supreme Court away from the direct effect and stream of commerce theories of Commerce Power and toward the substantial effects doctrine that forms the basis of Commerce Clause jurisprudence. In this era it becomes clear that under the Commerce Clause Congress may (1) regulate any activity that has a substantial effect on...

<urn:uuid:2641c797-5db6-4d50-a385-28cfbb0445a1>

|The DTREE Procedure| The production manager of a manufacturing company is planning to bid on a project to manufacture a new type of machine. He has the choice of bidding low or high. The evaluation of the bid will more likely be favorable if the bidder has built a prototype of the machine and includes it with the bid. However, he is uncertain about the cost of building the prototype. His technical staff has provided him a probability distribution on the cost of the prototype.Table 3.33: Probability on the Cost of Building Prototype There is also uncertainty in whether he will win the contract or not. He has estimated the probability distribution of winning the contract as shown in Table 3.34.Table 3.34: Probability of Winning the Contract |Givens||Win the Contract||Lose the Contract| |Build Prototype||High Bid||0.4||0.6| |Build Prototype||Low Bid||0.8||0.2| |No Prototype||High Bid||0.2||0.8| |No Prototype||Low Bid||0.7||0.3| In addition, the payoffs of this bidding venture are affected by the cost of building the prototype. Table 3.35 shows his payoffs. The first row of the table shows the payoff is 0 if he loses the contract, regardless of whether or not he builds the prototype and whether he bids low or high. The remainder of the entries in the table give the payoff under the various scenarios.Table 3.35: The Payoffs of the Contract Bidding Decision |Result||Cost||Bid low||Bid high| |Loss the Contract||0||0| |Win the Contract||$35,000||$75,000| |Win the Contract||Expensive||$25,000||$65,000| |Win the Contract||Moderate||$35,000||$75,000| |Win the Contract||Inexpensive||$45,000||$85,000| The production manager must decide whether to build the prototype and how to bid. He uses PROC DTREE to help him to make these decisions. The structure of the model is stored in the STAGEIN= data set There are two decision stages, ` Choose' and ` Bid', and two chance stages, ` Cost_Prototype' and ` Choose' stage represents the decision whether or not to build a prototype. The chance stage Cost_Prototype' represents the uncertain cost for building a prototype. It can be ` Expensive', which costs $4,500, or Moderate', which costs $2,500, or ` Inexpensive', which costs $1,000. The ` Bid' stage represents the decision whether to bid high or bid low. The last stage, ` the result, either win the contract or lose the contract. /* -- create the STAGEIN= data set -- */ data Stage3; input _STNAME_ $16. _STTYPE_ $4. _OUTCOM_ $16. _SUCCES_ $16. _REWARD_ dollar8.0; datalines; Choose D Build_Prototype Cost_Prototype . . . No_Prototype Bid . Cost_Prototype C Expensive Bid -$4,500 . . Moderate Bid -$2,500 . . Inexpensive Bid -$1,000 Bid D High_Bid Contract . . . Low_Bid Contract . Contract C Win_Contract . . . . Lose_Contract . . ; The PROBIN= data set, named Prob3, contains the probability information as in Table 3.33 and Table 3.34. /* -- create the PROBIN= data set -- */ data Prob3; input (_GIVEN1_ _GIVEN2_ _EVENT_) ($16.) _PROB_; datalines; . . Expensive 0.4 . . Moderate 0.5 . . Inexpensive 0.1 Build_Prototype High_Bid Win_Contract 0.4 Build_Prototype High_Bid Lose_Contract 0.6 Build_Prototype Low_Bid Win_Contract 0.8 Build_Prototype Low_Bid Lose_Contract 0.2 No_Prototype High_Bid Win_Contract 0.2 No_Prototype High_Bid Lose_Contract 0.8 No_Prototype Low_Bid Win_Contract 0.7 No_Prototype Low_Bid Lose_Contract 0.3 ; The PAYOFFS= data set named Payoff3 contains the payoff information as in Table 3.35. Notice that the payoff to outcome ` is not in the data set Payoff3. Since PROC DTREE assigns the default value 0 to all scenarios that are not in the PAYOFFS= data set, it is not necessary to include it. /* -- create the PAYOFFS= data set -- */ data Payoff3; input (_STATE1_ _STATE2_ _ACTION_) ($16.) _VALUE_ dollar8.0; datalines; Win_Contract . Low_Bid $35,000 Win_Contract . High_Bid $75,000 Win_Contract Expensive Low_Bid $25,000 Win_Contract Expensive High_Bid $65,000 Win_Contract Moderate Low_Bid $35,000 Win_Contract Moderate High_Bid $75,000 Win_Contract Inexpensive Low_Bid $45,000 Win_Contract Inexpensive High_Bid $85,000 ; The solution, as in Output 3.3.1, is displayed on a graphics device with the following code. Notice that the title is specified before invoking PROC DTREE. The GRAPHICS option is given on the PROC DTREE statement. Specifying the COMPRESS option in the causes the decision tree diagram to be drawn completely on one page. The vertical distance between two successive end nodes is 1 character cell ( All text, except that in the first title line is drawn with font SWISS and height 1 character cell. The height for all nodes is 3 character cells, which is specified by the HSYMBOL= option. The thickness for all links in the diagram, except those that represent optimal decisions, is specified by the LWIDTH= option as 8. The thickness of the links that represent optimal decisions is specified as and the type of those links is 3 ( lstyleb=3), the dash line. Colors for the text, links and nodes, and symbols to be used for nodes are not specified and hence defaults are used. /* -- define title -- */ title1 font=swissb h=2 "Contract Bidding Example" ; /* -- define graphics options -- */ goptions colors=(black red blue green); goptions hsize=8 in vsize=8.4 in; /* -- PROC DTREE statements -- */ proc dtree stagein=Stage3 probin=Prob3 payoffs=Payoff3 graphics nowarning ; evaluate; treeplot / name="dt3" compress ybetween=1 cell ftext=swiss htext=1 hsymbol=3 lstyleb=3 lwidth=8 lwidthb=10; quit; Output 3.3.1: Decision Tree for the Contract Bidding Problem With the information on this decision tree, The production manager can select the optimal bidding strategy: Copyright © 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.

<urn:uuid:93c6dd16-5052-4a2c-bd68-04383a6e400e>

Many of the air quality analyses can be performed with standard laboratory consumables, such as traditional filter papers. However, some analyses require materials with specific features, for example filters with low metal levels. Common air monitoring applications include: Chemical purity of water is assessed for a wide variety of different chemicals depending on the type of water and applicable local legislation. Chemical analysis of water can include testing for nitrogen compounds, dissolved heavy metals, and total and dissolved organic carbon. Common water monitoring applications include: Soil monitoring is used to facilitate the selection of fertilizer composition and dosage for land employed in agricultural as well as horticultural industries.

<urn:uuid:fec827e0-af5b-4577-bc7a-ce0aed9be335>

In January 1649 the commons resolved: ‘that the commons of England, in Parliament assembled, do declare, that the people are, under God, the original of all just power’ and indeed that the commons ‘being chosen by, and representing the people, have the supreme power in this Nation’ and again ‘that whatever is enacted or declared for law, by the commons, in Parliament assembled, hath the force of law; and all the people of this Nation are concluded thereby although the consent and concurrence of King, or house of peers be not therein to. The primacy of law-making in the United Kingdom has been held with the legislature and in particular Parliament for over 460 years. It is founded in the twin doctrines of Parliamentary supremacy and separation of powers. Although today there are many scholars and other authorities which have questioned the clear distinction in the roles of the executive, the legislative and the judiciary, and their roles in law making with regards to their primacy and function; despite all the criticisms, changes and amendments, it can be argued that the Parliament still bears the primary responsibility to make laws with the contribution of the other arms of Government. If you can spare a few dollars for the creators of this website to continue their research to bring you more great content, any amount, no matter how great or small, would be greatly appreciated.

<urn:uuid:b7e02b4a-9dff-478d-8061-081351512caa>

Sealaska Corp. wants Native subsistence rights to Glacier Bay put into federal law. Toward that end, the regional Native corporation for Southeast Alaska has released a report called ``A National Treasure or a Stolen Heritage.'' It outlined the history of area Tlingits in the park and the often rocky relationship they have had with the National Park Service. The 72-page report has drawn fast and damning reaction from administrators of the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and the Hoonah Indian Association, who have been working to restore traditional Native subsistence uses of the nearly 75-year-old park. For Bob Loescher, president and CEO of Sealaska, the issue is personal. At the corporation's headquarters hangs a Tlingit blanket belonging to his clan. The beads sewn into it represent a story that sews his clan to the bay spiritually, he said. Rather than the park being a playground for tourists, he said, the top management priority should be subsistence use and commercial fishing by Hoonah Tlingits. ``When tourists on ships and others have more access to the Glacier Bay and its resources than the original Tlingits ... that is a sad commentary on national public policy,'' Loescher said. ``Only Congress can make this right.'' Sealaska has sent copies of the report to all members of Congress and the state Legislature, Loescher said. He wants to get Congress to apply a federal rural preference subsistence to the park. He also wants to assure that commercial fishing in waters surrounding the park, a 100-year tradition for Hoonah Natives, is protected. Tomie Lee, superintendent of the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, said the report is a political vehicle rather than a scholarly document. Much of its contents were lifted - sometimes word-for-word - from a report paid for by the National Park Service. That document, and a subsequent dissertation by anthropologist Theodore Catton, served as the foundation for the Sealaska report, Loescher said. Catton, in his 1995 report, found that the Tlingits living in and around Hoonah had - despite what some had asserted - significant historical and cultural subsistence ties to Glacier Bay, said Lee. That finding is no secret, she said. Hoonah sits across Icy Strait from the bay. The rest of the Sealaska report, she said, is more rhetorical and emotive than scholarly. ``It's very confrontational,'' Lee said. ``It's inflammatory rhetoric. A pretty shoddy job was done on it.'' Lee said the document was ``disheartening,'' and she hopes it doesn't undermine a relatively new but growing relationship between park managers and Hoonah Natives. ``We have been working so hard,'' she said. ``We are honestly working with them in good faith.'' Norman Staton, the Juneau consultant who wrote the position paper for Sealaska, said there was a lot of material on the subject and he never intended to produce a comprehensive work. He said he sifted through a lot of information and based the paper on what he learned. ``It wasn't meant to be a scholarly report,'' he said of the paper. He came to the conclusion that there was no good reason to exclude Glacier Bay from subsistence laws that govern other parks in Alaska. The history is pretty clear, he said, that Hoonah Natives have not been treated fairly given their history in Glacier Bay. By law, the park was excluded from the rural preference for subsistence that is required on practically all other federal land in the state by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Park superintendent Lee said if the law was changed to allow for such hunting and fishing, the door would be open to non-Native rural residents as well as Tlingits from Hoonah. Following federal guidelines, she said, the park has been working with Hoonah Natives through the village's tribal government, the Hoonah Indian Association. That's the way federal agencies are supposed to work, she said, and that method is better for Hoonah Tlingits than for the park service to deal with for-profit Native corporations such as Sealaska. The Indian association has been working with the park service for the last few years to regain traditional subsistence uses of the parkland. To Johanna Dybdahl, tribal administrator of the Hoonah Indian Association, the report is ``shoddy workmanship.'' She said it is unfortunate that Sealaska, ``with all that money,'' has decided to release the report. She agrees with Lee that ANILCA-style subsistence isn't appropriate for Glacier Bay. The 600-member association, she said, is the best representative of Natives living in Hoonah, and certainly better than Sealaska, which has some 16,000 shareholders with Southeast ties. Not everyone in every clan agrees, but the association does represent the interests of the village's four clans, she said. ``We believe Glacier Bay belongs to Hoonah,'' Dybdahl said. ``We've made progress, and we are going to move forward in that direction.'' Agreements worked out between the association and the National Park Service since 1995 have led to berry-picking rights for Hoonah Natives and the restoration of the traditional gathering of seagull eggs from park lands. A study is in the works that will likely lead to the return of subsistence seal hunting in park waters as well. Historic use of the bay for commercial fishing, she said, is being addressed as ``tribal cultural fishing,'' and will be the subject of continuing talks. ``We have begun these talks,'' Dybdahl said. ``We consider ourselves on even footing (with the park service).'' Loescher said such talks after nearly 75 years of what he and the report conclude are oppressive park service policies start at the wrong place. ``There are many paths to success,'' he said. ``The approach I advocate is dealing with the governing laws and regulations first. ``I believe we should start with Congress.'' Juneau Empire ©2014. All Rights Reserved.

<urn:uuid:835d9b8c-b778-469c-a997-4c096e1203e4>

Often, when conducting a research a project, your teacher will provide you with a topic. But what do you do when you are left to create your own? These resources can help! 1. Choose a general topic. 2. Do some preliminary research or pull on your background knowledge of this topic. 3. Write down some questions that you or someone else might have about your topic. Consider the who, what, when, where, why and how. 4. Pick one question from your list. The how and why questions are usually the best ones. 5. Finally, make your question clear and specific. You want to make sure that it is not so small of a question that you can answer it in one sentence, but not so large that it is impossible to do during the time frame your teacher has given you.

<urn:uuid:3a0c472c-f7c3-4556-bfa5-b8e1fda988e3>

Learning basic food preparation and presentation skills will help achieve success in the food service industry. What skills are necessary for success in the food service industry? Time Management Skills Basic Food Preparation Techniques Food Presentation Techniques How does a well planned kitchen assist in time management? How are weighing and measuring skills used in food preparation? How are knife skills used in food preparation? How are cooking techniques used in food preparation? How does the ability to select, store and prepare foods aid in food presentation? How will a variety of flavors, colors, textures, shapes, sizes and temperature make a menu more pleasing? What are ways you can demonstrate creative skills for serving pleasing foods? Dovetailing, Production Schedule, Time Management, Work Triangle Aesthetically pleasing, Food Selection, garnishing, Texture, Variety of flavors, Garde Manger Etiquette, Formal , Casual, Cover, Flatware Extending Thinking Lesson:

<urn:uuid:56d38d70-6f3e-4a75-8b0e-954a615bbf9f>

Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Business plans can help decision makers see how specific projects relate to the organization's strategic plan. It also needs to be written in formal format and style. You have to remember that a business plan is something that you may have to present to your business partners, financial firms and banks. So if you can, refrain from using slang in any part of your plan. The business goals may be defined both for non-profit or for-profit organizations. For-profit business plans typically focus on financial goals, such as profit or creation of wealth. Non-profit, as well as government agency business plans tend to focus on the "organizational mission" which is the basis for their governmental status or their non-profit, tax-exempt status, respectively—although non-profits may also focus on optimizing revenue. Business plans may be internally or externally focused. Externally focused plans target goals that are important to external stakeholders, particularly financial stakeholders. They typically have detailed information about the organization or team attempting to reach the goals. With for-profit entities, external stakeholders include investors and customers. free business plan business plan for student business plan letter

<urn:uuid:30bb71ab-fa8a-4cff-a3b9-b1d52b4348b2>

The growing quality of cryptocurrencies has aroused thought interest in blockchain technologies and their possibilities. Increasingly, blockchain is employed as a generic term that the majority of individuals keep company with Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency created mistreatment of the technology. The potential and scope of the appliance of suburbanized protocols have already become a lot broader. The Bitcoin blockchain may be a word-distributed ledger consisting of data} blocks consecutive connected in an exceeding chain. every block contains information regarding the preceding block. the information of blocks is derived and kept on totally different Bitcoin mining nodes while not being certain to one specific server, creating the substitution of records impossible. How does blockchain work? - Users Viewpoint: Users broadcast dealings onto the Bitcoin (BSV) network. the published will store any kind of knowledge onto the blockchain. once the request arrives on the Bitcoin (BSV) network, it’s valid and then added to a pool of unfinished transactions. The digital signature authenticates its security and authenticity, creating it tough to examine a state of affairs whereby a foul actor could cause fraud and introduce problems. you may technically send/sign a transaction that’s a fraud, however, the proof that you just did it is the signature itself. The signature would deter those from committing fraud in the initial place. teams of individual transactions from the pool kind of a scenically protected block. Miners vie for the correct feature of new blocks (on average, every ten minutes) to the blockchain. - Miners Viewpoint: Blockchain protocols work by organizing knowledge into a block, that is timestamped and secured by strict cryptographic rules. Blocks are then enchained along and organized chronologically, forming a consecutive blockchain. every new block stores a listing of the previous block’s confirmed transactions. every node on the network maintains a duplicate of the blockchain’s data. Miners give the process investment to take care of and secure the network through a proof-of-work accord mechanism. The laborers vie with one another to collect as several transactions as potential then show each other miner the solution. They don’t essentially work along ab initio – however, find yourself doing so since as before long as a block is found it’s OK. Miners wish to simply accept it and progress to the subsequent one quickly in hopes of finding the next reward. Common knowledge history is out there for all the network participants to assist avoid duplicate entries and ensure all participants have the newest version. - Economic Incentive Model: Proof-of-work (PoW) is the protocol employed by a laborer who desires to validate transactions and keep the network secure. Miners ought to waste energy by breakdown complicated process issues to validate new blocks. the primary miner to resolve the maths drawback and gets the block bent on the opposite miner win. this can be however the double disbursement problem is prevented. Miners won’t settle for a block containing double spends, so the miner who won the block would have it rejected and thus not get the reward. A completed block gets a singular timestamp and hash. Updates on existing copies of the blockchain exit to any or all the nodes on the network. If there’s an effort to change an earlier created block, the hash encoded within the next block will now not match up. All nodes have a duplicate of the complete blockchain in order that they can notice any tampering. once the hashes match up across the chain, all parties recognize that they will trust their records. - Practical Use Cases: Data receives saved publicly and is signed. The signing of the transaction demonstrates ownership even as thorough encryption satisfies the accessibility requirement. The packages of the blockchain era expand a long way past cryptocurrency and cash switch and are beneficial for a number of different packages, throughout many specific industries. Cryptographic keys even permit the switch of recent manipulate rights and a foundation to shape new virtual relationships. The blockchain era gives new strategies for authentication and authorization. Smart contracts on the blockchain outline the guidelines and consequences around a selected settlement withinside the identical way to a conventional contract. Smart contracts mechanically put in force the obligations. The set of rules for the automated achievement of exact situations is tremendous for fixing criminal troubles in any field, from trade to manufacturing. - Value Proposition: The loss of necessity for a government makes Bitcoin (BSV) blockchain an excellent ledger and peer-to-peer (P2P) agreement solution. It eliminates the want for clearinghouses and different agreement agents, even as commonly lowering expenses and enhancing the rate at which transactions may be made, verified, settled, and recorded. Because the Bitcoin (BSV) blockchain era isn’t centralized, if one part of it went down, the entire community could now no longer collapse. Another gain of the Bitcoin (BSV) blockchain is that it’s miles tamper-proof. Each block delivered onto the chain consists of a firm, cryptographic connection with the preceding block. Overall, the Bitcoin (BSV) blockchain’s decentralized, open, and cryptographic nature permits customers to believe every different and transact peer-to-peer, making the want for intermediaries obsolete. Advantages of blockchain. In centralized systems, there exists one entity, sort of a ruler, who has predominant management over all matters on the platform. If the ruler is manipulated or corrupted, there’s very little recourse however to go away from that platform entirely. The Bitcoin Blockchain is distributed and maintained by multiple interconnected parties, thus participants within the network don’t ought to trust only 1 person or company to possess a correct copy of the ledger. The framework is permanent and driven by an agreement mechanism so there is no single supply for creating decisions. The Bitcoin Blockchain was designed to scale to carry high volumes of payment transactions and different kinds of information to support enterprise applications. The Bitcoin Blockchain’s distinctive characteristics stem from merging cryptography and transparency at intervals in a distributed technological framework. Bitcoin transactions between 2 parties occur within a world peer-to-peer network while not having to suppose third-party authentication. Blockchain technology tackles the matter of digital trust by firmly recording necessary data in an exceedingly public space. information held on the blockchain exists in a shared and frequently reconciled state. information is decentralized, may be encrypted, and timestamped. information cannot be tampered with or modified retrospectively. The Blockchain Process. The fundamentals of the ways blockchain works are incredibly simple. An essential part of this technique is the peer-to-peer community that helps the advent and preservation of the blockchain. - A transaction is made: This may be any transaction: paying off debt, creating a purchase, giving donations, or maybe gratifying a contract. A pocket generates a transaction and sends it to a vacation spot pocket’s address. - Transaction facts are logged and compiled right into a block: Data which includes the date, time, and transaction quantity are recorded right into a block, along with facts from different transactions. Unless brought, names and further figuring out records aren’t recorded. Instead, maximum transactions best use a completely unique virtual signature in order to seem withinside the ledger. - The completed block is sent to each person withinside the blockchain community: In centralized systems, there’s commonly someone or organization chargeable for processing and verifying transactions. Bitcoin and different virtual currencies use a decentralized device that calls for the dispensed operators of the community to confirm the facts saved withinside the block. Valid blocks are then dispensed to the nodes in the community. - All nodes withinside the community paintings to confirm the block: Once the block is transmitted to the nodes, their gadgets compete to solve the complicated computational issues had to confirm the block. Once a node— frequently known as a miner—is capable of doing so, the relaxation of the nodes paintings to clear up the subsequent block withinside the chain. This is how replica blocks are avoided. - After verification, the block is brought to the chain: The finished block gets a completely unique timestamp and figures out code known as a “hash.” It is likewise given the hash of the preceding block brought to the chain. This interconnectivity offers the blockchain its immutable quality. - The transaction is entire and is a part of the virtual ledger: Once the success node provides the most modern block to the blockchain, the ensuing replacement is transmitted to all customers in the community. Attempts to regulate in advance blocks will bring about a mismatch with the hash encoded into the later blocks. If the hashes fit up, all events can verify the accuracy of the ledger. Why Is Blockchain Important? Blockchain is a specially promising and wide-ranging technology as a result it helps scale back security risks, end fraud and convey transparency in a scalable way. Originally popularized by its association with cryptocurrency and NFTs, blockchain technology has since evolved to become a management resolution for every type of world industry. Today, you’ll be able to realize blockchain technology provides transparency for the food offer chain, securing aid information, innovating gaming, and overall ever-changing however we have a tendency to handle data and possession on an outsized scale.

<urn:uuid:a751755b-cbe8-4bfd-b697-7157ed0b5f17>

Is it a pimple or cold sore? Getting a spot on or near the lips, inside the nostril, or even on the chin can get people searching the internet to find out the answer! Since both types of blemish affect the face it is quite easy to confuse a spot with a cold sore or the other way around. However to treat either of them appropriately, find out below how to tell what that red spot that has just appeared actually is! What is a Pimple? A spot or zit is another name for a pimple. As mentioned, small lesions that develop on the skin and might even feel inflamed or painful, are known as pimples, a type of acne, and look quite similar to the early stages of a cold sore when they appear around the lips. The cause of pimples is a bacterial infection or excess oil in the facial oil glands, which inflame the glands and as a result they get filled with pus. Identifying the symptoms of pimples is one way people can determine which they are actually suffering from. One of the best ways people can telling the difference, is to recall if there was any forewarning sign before the lesion occurred. In the case of spots, these pus-filled bumps can occur simply out of the blue. Pimples can be present anywhere on the body and usually are more likely on the T zone of the face and are associated with oily skin as well as acne prone skin. What is a Cold Sore? Those trying to figure out if they really have a cold sore or whether it is just a pimple after all, should know that these are a manifestation of a viral skin condition that occurs because of the herpes simplex virus type-1 infection. Due to being similar to zits when they first appear, i.e. existing in the form red lesions, there is often confusion about this. While pimples are not infectious and cannot be passed from one individual to another, the the herpes simplex virus can be passed from one person to the other from oral contact. This can be from a kiss, or the use of infected personal items like a towel or a utensil. The image on the left is from the NHS website in the UK, which has some very helpful information about cold sores The signs and symptoms that are experienced before a cold sore appears are often the best way of telling the difference as people will feel a burning and tingling feeling, which might even be painful. Other tell-tale signs are painful, spontaneous rupturing and the fact that these sores mostly occur on or around the lips. Treatments are widely available and can vary from a machine that will zap the cold sore to simple creams or gels to apply. How to Treat a Cold Sore vs Pimple One people have determined which they have, they can begin treating it accordingly. Cold sores might not go away on their own therefore medications need to be used to treat the condition, while zits generally vanish on their own. Treating zits can normally be done without any medical help and there are many creams, drying products, vitamin supplements and natural remedies that can be used to treat them. Find out more about treating a pimples on lips in this article. As similar as these two types of blemish might be in appearance, there are still a lot of differences between these two skin conditions. The only way to treat either of them is to find out what the lesion actually is. While spots can be a nuisance, cold sores on the other hand can turn painfully severe in certain cases and visiting the doctor might become necessary to relieve pain and reduce the symptoms. Therefore, to treat either, people need to be certain which skin condition they are suffering from.

<urn:uuid:867cafbf-7bd5-405a-a8ba-f84f817a4676>

One of the great things about “multiculturalism” and globalism is that for the first time, many of us have had the opportunity to experience cultures which are different to the one we were born into. We get to enjoy a variety of cuisine – Italian, Indian, Korean, Thai, Chilean, Ethiopian etc etc, as well as to experience different music, art and traditional folklore amongst other things. There is, however, a difference between sharing and experiencing each others cultural heritages and what is known as “cultural appropriation”. Cultural appropriation is basically the adoption of some specific forms of a culture – music, dress, dance, language, art, foods, folklore, social behaviour, religious iconography -by a different cultural group with the cultural form assimilated by the later group. This adoption and assimilation is usually done without permission and sees the cultural artefact removed from their original indigenous cultural context, stripped of its history and cultural meaning and often take on a meaning devoid of the original cultural expression. In many cases, the artefact is misrepresented, commodified and even sexualised. As such it becomes an expression of colonialism, Orientalism, racism and “othering”. Cultural appropriation reflects, in most instances an imbalance of power – often between a colonising and imperialist force and those being colonised and oppressed or exploited. This imbalance of power relations and structures under capitalism is why cultural appropriation matters. Recently, an Israeli dance company engaged in just such cultural appropriation with their production of “Israeli dabke”. Dabke is a traditional Arab folk dance, which is common in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. The world “dabke” means “stomping the ground” and is said to originate from the communal compacting of dirt floors in traditional Arabic houses. In the promotional material around his production of “Israeli dabke”, Zvi Gotheiner of ZviDance states: “As a child and teenager growing up in a Kibbutz in northern Israel, Friday nights were folk dance nights, This tradition continues today. One of the most beloved of these dances is a Debka, albeit an Israeli rendition of the Arab Dabke. The Israeli Debka and the Arab Dabke are linked historically. During the first decades of the 20th Century, Jews migrated from Europe to Palestine in large waves. The leaders and intellectuals of this movement made a deliberate effort to create an authentic Israeli culture that differed from the old world image of European Judaism. No longer the meek, the victim, the wanderer, these Jews were viral, masculine, and rooted to the land. Although forever in territorial conflict with their neighbors, the Israelis borrowed elements from Arabic culture that captured the sound, color, taste and rhythm of the Levant. Dabke is a case in point”. While Gotheiner’s promotional material accurately reflect the appropriation of Palestinian culture by early Zionists, it also whitewashes the settler-colonial nature of Zionist immigration to Palestine. During the British mandate period, while many Zionist settler-colonialists adopted Palestinian dress, food and dance, they also were active in displacing Palestinians and ethnically cleansing them from their homeland. During the Nakba in 1948, when more than 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed and more than 500 Palestinian villages destroyed by Zionist forces, this cultural appropriation and erasing of Palestinian culture took on new dimensions. As hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were being ethnically cleansed from their land, Zionist militias such as the Haganah and later the newly formed Israeli military, either systematically “collected” and/or destroyed tens of thousands of volumes of priceless works of Palestinian literature, including poetry, fiction and works of history. Today, these volumes are designated “absentee property” and held within Israeli libraries and universities. In the decades since the creation of the Israeli state, Palestinians have witnessed the Zionist cultural appropriation of both their dress, cuisine and folklore. Traditional Palestinian and Arabic food, such as olive oil, falafel and maftoul, have become “Israeli”, with such items being promoted and sold internationally as such. In all such cases Israeli cultural appropriation of Palestinian cultural artefacts has involved the whitewashing of Zionist settler-colonialism, occupation, war crimes and oppression of the Palestinian people. In response to ZviDances latest cultural appropriation of Dabke, Palestinian dancers in New York have made a video explaining how Gotheiner’s production whitewashes Israeli apartheid and occupation. While recognising that “culture is fluid”, the Palestinian dancers point out that “so long as there is inequality, there can be no cultural exchange” stating: “While you [ZviDance], and other Israelis have appropriated Dabke for your own purposes, and no one restricts your free cultural expression, Palestinians have been arrested for dancing Dabke by the Israeli military. Their right to free expression is limited by the Israeli military occupation that governs their lives”. They go onto note: “We all know that under Israeli law, Israelis and Palestinians do not have equal rights. Like it or not, by appropriating dabke, and labeling it Israeli, you further the power imbalance”.

<urn:uuid:9ff7cf0d-c19b-45b8-8252-66d2e01bab47>

This is a collection of high quality research studies in nutrition, about some of the topics we cover on this website. All of these studies are published in respected, peer-reviewed journals. All of the studies on this page are randomized controlled trials in humans, unless otherwise noted. A low carb diet is based on foods that contain a low amount of carbohydrate. Foods that are high in sugars and starches are replaced with foods that are high in protein and fat. A low fat diet, is based on foods that contain a low amount of fat, typically under 30% of total calories. Foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are emphasized. The studies below are controlled trials where people are randomized to either a low-carb or a low-fat diet. The outcomes measured are usually body weight and risk factors for disease. - Krebs NF, et al. Efficacy and safety of a high protein, low carbohydrate diet for weight loss in severely obese adolescents. J Pediatr. 2010 Aug;157(2):252-8. - Hernandez, et al. Lack of suppression of circulating free fatty acids and hypercholesterolemia during weight loss on a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. Am J Clin Nutr March 2010 vol. 91 no. 3 578-585. - Brinkworth GD, et al. Long-term effects of a very-low-carbohydrate weight loss diet compared with an isocaloric low-fat diet after 12 mo. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jul;90(1):23-32. - Volek JS, et al. Carbohydrate restriction has a more favorable impact on the metabolic syndrome than a low fat diet. Lipids. 2009 Apr;44(4):297-309. - Tay J, et al. Metabolic effects of weight loss on a very-low-carbohydrate diet compared with an isocaloric high-carbohydrate diet in abdominally obese subjects. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008 Jan 1;51(1):59-67. - Keogh JB, et al. Effects of weight loss from a very-low-carbohydrate diet on endothelial function and markers of cardiovascular disease risk in subjects with abdominal obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Mar;87(3):567-76. - Shai I, et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet. N Engl J Med. 2008 Jul 17;359(3):229-41. - Dyson PA, et al. A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective in reducing body weight than healthy eating in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Diabet Med. 2007 Dec;24(12):1430-5. - Halyburton AK, et al. Low- and high-carbohydrate weight-loss diets have similar effects on mood but not cognitive performance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Sep;86(3):580-7. - Gardner CD, et al. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2007 Mar 7;297(9):969-77. - McClernon FJ, et al. The effects of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet and a low-fat diet on mood, hunger, and other self-reported symptoms. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jan;15(1):182-7. - Nickols-Richardson SM, et al. Perceived hunger is lower and weight loss is greater in overweight premenopausal women consuming a low-carbohydrate/high-protein vs high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005 Sep;105(9):1433-7. - Meckling KA, et al. Comparison of a low-fat diet to a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss, body composition, and risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease in free-living, overweight men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Jun;89(6):2717-23. - JS Volek, et al. Comparison of energy-restricted very low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on weight loss and body composition in overweight men and women. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2004; 1: 13. - Yancy WS Jr, et al. A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-fat diet to treat obesity and hyperlipidemia: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004 May 18;140(10):769-77. - Aude YW, et al. The national cholesterol education program diet vs a diet lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein and monounsaturated fat: a randomized trial. Arch Intern Med. 2004 Oct 25;164(19):2141-6. - Brehm BJ, et al. A randomized trial comparing a very low carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted low fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Apr;88(4):1617-23. - Sondike SB, et al. Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor in overweight adolescents. J Pediatr. 2003 Mar;142(3):253-8. - Samaha FF, et al. A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity. N Engl J Med. 2003 May 22;348(21):2074-81. - Foster GD, et al. A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. N Engl J Med. 2003 May 22;348(21):2082-90. - Guldbrand, et al. In type 2 diabetes, randomization to advice to follow a low-carbohydrate diet transiently improves glycaemic control compared with advice to follow a low-fat diet producing a similar weight loss. Diabetologia. 2012 Aug;55(8):2118-27. - Westman EC, et al. The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2008 Dec 19;5:36. - Daly ME, et al. Short-term effects of severe dietary carbohydrate-restriction advice in Type 2 diabetes - a randomized controlled trial. Diabet Med. 2006 Jan;23(1):15-20. Low-carb diets usually lead to more weight loss than low-fat diets, even when the low-fat groups are calorie restricted while the low-carb groups are not. Low-carbohydrate diets also significantly improve major risk factors for diseases like cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. These studies are meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials of low-carbohydrate diets. - Santos F, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials of the effects of low carbohydrate diets on cardiovascular risk factors. Obesity Reviews, 13: 1048–1066. - Hession M, et al. Systematic review of randomized controlled trials of low-carbohydrate vs. low-fat/low-calorie diets in the management of obesity and its comorbidities. Obesity Reviews, 10: 36–50. - Westman EC, et al. Low-carbohydrate nutrition and metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr August 2007 86: 2 276-284 Same as above. Low-carb diets lead to more weight loss and further improvements in metabolic health compared to low-fat diets. Randomized controlled trials of the paleolithic diet (commonly known as the paleo diet or caveman diet). - Jönsson T, et al. Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study. Cardiovascular Diabetology 2009, 8:35. - Lindeberg S, et al. A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease. Diabetologia. 2007 Sep;50(9):1795-807. The paleo diet has favorable effects on body weight and major risk factors. However, the studies available are very small so the results must be taken with a grain of salt. A deficiency in vitamin D is very common today, especially in countries where there is little sun throughout most of the year. - Lappe JM, et al. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1586-91. - Meta-analysis: Bischoff-Ferrari HA, et al. Fracture prevention with vitamin D supplementation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. JAMA. 2005 May 11;293(18):2257-64. - Trivedi DP, et al. Effect of four monthly oral vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplementation on fractures and mortality in men and women living in the community: randomised double blind controlled trial. BMJ 2003;326:469. - Broe KE, et al. A higher dose of vitamin d reduces the risk of falls in nursing home residents: a randomized, multiple-dose study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007 Feb;55(2):234-9. - Urashima M, et al. Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren. Am J Clin Nutr May 2010. Vitamin D supplementation reduces risk of falls and fractures in the elderly at higher doses. Vitamin D may reduce risk of cancer and respiratory infections.

<urn:uuid:7d44398f-2e98-423e-8edd-2732bdc93437>

The U.S.G.S. recently reported that an earthquake struck the Washington, D.C. area with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 (later updated to 5.9). Initial reports of damage are minor however the National Cathedral’s central tower sustained some damage. “It looks like three of the pinnacles have broken off the central tower,” spokesman Richard Weinberg said of the tower, the highest point in Washington, D.C. Update: The Cathedral has sustained some substantial damage due to the earthquake, and experts are currently assessing the structural and aesthetic damage. For a video of the Cathedral damage, or to help join the efforts of preserving the Cathedral click here. Update: You can also see the effects of the earthquake on a building in Virginia here. Felt in Philadelphia, North Carolina, Boston, New York City, Martha’s Vineyard, and even Wheeling, West Virginia, the tremor raises questions of the importance of seismic considerations particularly in New York City. Although earthquakes are not something a typical New Yorker would have cross their mind in comparison to other parts of the world such as Japan (8.9 magnitude in 2011) and Chile (8.8 magnitude in 2010), the overal size and density of NYC puts it at a high risk for extensive damage. More photographs of the Washington National Cathedral and discussion regarding seismic considerations following the break. “The issue with earthquakes in this region is that they tend to be shallow and close to the surface,” explains Leonardo Seeber, a coauthor of a 2008 report by leading seismologists associated with Columbia University regarding earthquakes in NYC area. “That means objects at the surface are closer to the source. And that means even small earthquakes can be damaging.” The area has seen an increase in discussions about earthquakes that have included the adoption of new codes for the city, along with retrofitting buildings such as the Port Authority, and debates about nearby Indian Point nuclear power plan 30-miles north of the Bronx. Seismic construction considerations are a must in countries such as Japan and Chile. An ongoing challenge, Japan is continually designing for and sensitive to its earthquake prone location, which is reflected in their earthquake engineering and architecture research can be viewed here. A video was taken from the inside of the Sendai Mediatheque, sharing a first hand experience of Japan’s 8.9 earthquake. The interior was heavily damaged, however the structure appears to hold up quite well. Chile’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake in 2010 provided a look simultaneously at their impressive seismic design code, recognized as one of the best in the world, and some devastatingly bad construction resulting in the collapse of a 15-story residential building.

<urn:uuid:ad30767f-8098-4dac-8680-adf12068e799>

Understand and master body proportions Can you draw bodies freely from your head? For a long time this seemed impossible to me. However, if we study the basic structure of a body and master the rules of body proportions, it is indeed possible. Moreover, this knowledge will be especially helpful if we draw from a reference rather than from our head. After all, if we understand our reference well, we will automatically be able to draw it better. People have always tried to define beauty and it is no secret that symmetry is mentioned again and again in this context. Whoever deals with art in a historical setting will therefore sooner or later come across the theory of proportions. Here the attempt is made to define the human anatomy by rules, e.g. sizes, lengths or distances of and between body parts are clearly defined. It is unimaginable how many people must have drawn studies of body proportions throughout history. One of the most famous studies on this subject is probably the work of Leonardo da Vinci. Here da Vinci placed the human body in relation to the circle and square, following the concept of Vitruvius (a Roman engineer, architect and architectural theorist), in which the entire body is divided into 8 head lengths. This representation of idealized proportions is therefore called Vitruvian man. Vitruvian proportions have long prevailed, yet for our first exercise we will be rebellious and use 7.5 head lengths instead of 8. For our exercise, we will first draw only the outline of a simple body without any details, standing straight and facing us. We draw a vertical line that we divide into 7.5 units. Each unit provides space for certain parts of the body. The units are (from top to bottom): This very simple representation of a body will be a helpful tool for the next step of our exercise. For later drawings, we don’t always have to stick strictly to 7.5 head lengths, because people are different and variations are normal. But for the beginning it is still good to practice and be able to apply these basics. One day we will have internalized the proportions so well that we will no longer need such help. For this step, we need our simple representation we just drew and a reference of a body. This can be ourselves, a volunteer model (rather rare to find), or a photograph. We again draw markings for 7.5 units on our paper and then work our way from one unit to the next as we draw the sketch. The great thing about this is that we can always focus on exactly one area of our model while maintaining proportion. The sketch includes outlines as well as markings for shadows, folds, or other noticeable features. Once the sketch is complete, we can turn our attention to shading / hatching. No matter what body shape we want to draw, they can all be drawn proportionally correctly using this approach. I would recommend practicing with different references. We will find that even the most diverse bodies are drawn similarly, because in general one always follows the same rules: Capture outlines, understand shape, add shading.

<urn:uuid:9cc6a2f4-f7b6-42c1-94fd-65652e742de9>

Preparing Students For Single-Pilot IFROne of the most popular Safety Seminars the AOPA Air Safety Foundation conducts is Single-Pilot IFR. We really pack the room with this one. Following are some of the highlights from the seminar that you can pass on to your students to help them cope with the challenges of flying IFR by themselves. A flight in solid IMC is not the safest place to be, but it is probably safer than your local interstate on a dark, rainy night. Weather is responsible for more than 25 percent of general aviation accidents, and 30 percent of these accidents are fatal. Forty-three percent of pilots involved in weather accidents are instrument-rated. How safe it is depends on how well your students are trained to cope with the workload they will face. Let's look at the difference between GA and the airlines. In the airlines, dispatchers make go/no-go decisions, although the captain can override the decision if warranted. Flight crews don't have to worry about developing flight plans - this is done by someone else. In the airlines, two or more pilots share the workload, and they usually have state-of-the-art equipment. The GA pilot gets to do all of these things by him- or herself. It's a real juggling act. Not only is the pilot the PIC, navigator, and communicator, but he or she sometimes gets to be a cabin attendant and tour guide as well. It's important to teach instrument students to set priorities. When things get tense, flying the airplane is at the top of the list. We like to say that GA is on the cutting edge of low technology. Equipment is getting better for GA aircraft, especially in the area of panel-mounted IFR GPS units and other enhancements such as the FAA Capstone concept, which employs avionics from UPS Aviation Technologies. Equipment promises to get even better as envisioned by NASA's AGATE and SATS programs. But make certain that students understand that more and better equipment alone will not necessarily make them safer. If they are not proficient with the new whiz-bang avionics boxes, they would be better off without them. A pilot still needs to still have basic "stick and rudder" flying skills. Successful single-pilot IFR begins on the ground before the flight. Five major areas are addressed in the seminar to prepare for these flights. Basically, the pilot must be well-trained, proficient, healthy, happy, and organized. Let's take these one at a time: 1. Well-trained: Whether or not these pilots are well-trained is up to us as flight instructors. All of us want to provide the best instrument training possible, so we need to make an inventory of which special skills we can offer the student. First of all, we should be an experienced IFR pilot with substantial time flying in actual conditions. We should be a dedicated educator who likes to teach and impart knowledge to others. But being a proficient IFR pilot is not enough. We should be willing to train in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) during part of the training. We should use an organized syllabus and have access to a simulator to integrate with the training. If we offer all of these elements, chances are our students will become outstanding IFR pilots. 2. Proficient: Students should be taught that they must fly IFR regularly, particularly in actual IMC, to maintain their skills. I worry about IFR pilots who never fly IFR except during their instrument proficiency checks. The IPC tests basic skills, but it is no substitute for flying IFR regularly. Staying proficient is hard. An instrument pilot must budget both the time and resources to guarantee regular IFR flying. 3. Healthy: We should make our students aware that single-pilot IFR is physically demanding. Maintaining our health is important to safe flying, particularly as we get older. Illness or fatigue must raise a flag not to fly. We should emphasize the need for proper rest and suggest a regular exercise program. 4. Happy: Pilots who take their personal problems with them to the cockpit are not going to be able to concentrate completely on flying. Personal problems such as debt, domestic issues, and other weighty concerns compromise our ability to think. We should convince our students that if they are suffering this type of stress, they should postpone their flying or take another qualified pilot with them. 5. Organized: One of the most effective things that a pilot can do to make an IFR flight trouble-free is to be organized in the cockpit. Being organized reduces the workload and the stress of challenging IFR flying. We should make our students aware of the many helpful devices available to help pilots with cockpit organization. Chart folders, approach chart holders, kneeboards, reliable timers, and other convenience devices make IFR flying easier. A headset with a mike boom is essential. Other items that will provide a further margin of safety are suction cups to cover the attitude and heading indicators in the event of a vacuum failure, a handheld transceiver and GPS, a cell phone, a couple of flashlights, and an E6B flight computer. Another way to reduce the workload in IFR flying is to learn to work effectively with ATC. New instrument-rated pilots are often intimidated by the radio, and they accept without question anything they hear from ATC. Working with ATC is a two-way street, and the controllers can provide a lot of information if you know which questions to ask. If you ask, ATC can give you information about precipitation levels ahead of you, where aircraft are successfully deviating, and degrees of turbulence experienced by other pilots. Pilots are often able to negotiate route and altitude changes and pick up a lot of valuable information simply by actively listening to the frequency. We should stress to students that they should never be afraid to declare an emergency if the situation warrants. That gives ATC a lot of leeway in helping the pilot get safely on the ground. About the worst that can happen is that the pilot will have to answer some questions and complete some paperwork. Not much of a penalty when you consider the alternative. We find that one of the greatest challenges in teaching IFR flying is getting the student to think ahead - to stay ahead of the airplane. I have achieved some success by continually asking the student, "What are the two most important things in instrument flying?" The answer, "The next two things that are going to happen." The two things could be going to the VOR and flying outbound on the 293-degree radial, or flying to the IAF and intercepting the localizer. Having this question continually in their mind forces the students to think ahead of the airplane. Another part of this technique is to convince students that they must be in a constant state of inquiry during the flight - always thinking about what's going to happen next and be ready for change. If their mind begins to wander toward that next business meeting or whether rental cars will be available at the destination, one of the links in the famous accident chain is beginning to develop. Much of the information presented here is contained in the Air Safety Foundation's Single-Pilot IFR Safety Advisor, available online ( www.aopa.org/asf/ publications/sa05.pdf ). The live seminar and a "do it yourself" Seminar-in-a-Box will be offered again in early 2002. By Richard Hiner

<urn:uuid:50dbcc9c-833b-436c-aefe-f44aabe1613c>

Correlation Between Weather Conditions and Rhododendron Flower Bud Formation Flower bud set on rhododendrons in the garden depends on a number of factors. Among them are rainfall, temperature, light, nutrition, plant age and health, and bud set and bloom the preceding season. It is the contribution and interaction of these factors and undoubtedly others, e.g., timing, that govern the formation of the flower and/ or growth buds. Observations of flower bud set and weather conditions over a period of 17 years indicated that an increase in flower buds occurred when (1) the previous year's buds were blasted by cold weather; (2) bud set the previous year was poor; (3) the plants were fertilized, after blooming, with slow release fertilizer; (4) summer rainfall was lower and (5) temperatures higher than normal and (6) there were fewer cloudy summer days. The magnitude of the effect on flower bud set seemed to decrease from (1) to (6). The difficulty of a satisfactory explanation for the change (increase or decrease) in flower bud set for certain years in the span of 17 years points out the complexity of the process. The fact that the number of flower buds on my rhododendrons has varied so much from year to year has intrigued me for some time, but inertia kept me from trying to find out why. Then at one of our Southeastern Chapter meetings, in the fall of 1992, Augie Kehr asked what kind of bud set the attendees had that year. Everyone reported a poor bud set. The next question was why. The subject was kicked around, but there was no overall agreement. Augie then suggested that someone should determine the bud set experience of rhododendron growers in the area and see if it could be correlated with weather conditions. That was the impetus I needed to take advantage of my propensity for a record keeping. |TABLE 1: Rhododendron Flower Bud Count| |Year||Total No. Buds||No. Plants Counted||No. Plants Whose Buds||Change in No. of Buds From Previous Year| |* 757 buds from 11 plants that were winter killed were not included in change from 1984. There were 104 buds from 12 plants that started blooming in 1985. There was therefore a gain of 557 buds on living 1984 plants. There was a bud loss of 96 (757-661) on total count.| Over the years a record has been kept by me of the number of flower buds on every rhododendron in the yard. The following year, the number that bloomed were counted as the faded trusses were deadheaded. This also served as a check on bud count. If there was a discrepancy, it usually was that more blooms were counted than flower buds. If that was the case, bloom count was used. Bud counting was started in 1973 but wasn't reliably done for every plant until 1977. The bud counting data is presented in Table I and shown graphically in Figures 1 and 2. There is an uptrend in the total number of buds since more rhododendrons were planted every year. The meaningful data is the increase or decrease in the number of buds from year to year. You may notice that there is a discrepancy in the total number of buds for a given year and the value you should get by bud increase or decrease from the previous year. This is because of the plants that are listed as "no change." A change of two buds for a plant with 20 buds doesn't qualify as a significant change. Also if there were less than 5-10% (depending on number of buds) change in number of buds, the plant was listed as "no change." Try counting 300 buds and you can understand why. The only way I have discovered to count hundreds of buds on a plant is to start with the lowest branch and work out that branch one branch at a time to the end. Then proceed to the next branch up the trunk and so on to the topmost branch. It can get tedious. The bud counting was done on several fairly warm days in late December or January when other outdoor chores were no longer necessary. The variables that were considered as possibly affecting flower bud set of my garden rhododendrons were light, moisture, nutrition, temperature and previous blooming behavior. Deadheading was not a variable since all the plants were deadheaded every year. Disease (dieback, e.g.) and branches sheared off by falling tree limbs would affect the bud count but were judged to be minor enough not to have a significant effect on the total count. One exception would be 1985 when several plants were killed by a January freeze (-21 °F), and a fair amount of dead wood was pruned out of others. It should be noted that in spite of this the bud count of living plants increased. |Figure 1 Change in Rhododendron Flower Bud Count from Previous Year| |Figure 2. Total Number of Rhododendron Flower Buds Counted Each Year| The next step was to collect data on weather conditions for the years 1977-1994. Rainfall data was available from my records, using a Tru-Chek rain gauge, of rainfall in the yard. In 1986 an irrigation system consisting of garden hoses, sprinkler heads and Y valves was installed. From the gallons of water used (city water bills 1984-1994) in the June, July, August period, the inches of irrigation water could be calculated for the area being watered. This amount, added to the rainfall, presents a somewhat more accurate account of the moisture available to the plants. However, in hot, dry months, the plants were still somewhat stressed. The trees on my two lots also love w ater. A trip to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office at the Tri-City Airport yielded a publication titled "1992 Local Climatological Data Annual Summary With Comparative Data." Included in this publication were monthly average temperatures for 1963-1992 and monthly cooling degree days for 1969-1992. Another form from NOAA listed monthly clear, partly cloudy and cloudy days for 1971-1992. The missing data for 1993 and 1994 was obtained by phone call. The Tri-City Airport is about 8 miles from my house as the crow flies. Weather conditions at my house should therefore approximate those at the airport. |TABLE II: Comparison of Change in Rhododendron Bud Count With Variation in Weather Conditions Deviation Each Year From Average for All Years| |Change in No. of Buds From Previous Year||June, July, August Rainfall||June, July, August Irrigation Plus Rainfall||June, July, August Cooling Degree Days||June, July, August Clear Plus Partly Cloudy Days||Average May Temp.| |Year||(+) Increased or (-) Decreased| |Average for '77-'94||11.43 in||12.89 in.||823||58 days||63.7°F| * Severe winter flower bud blast occurred in these years. # Slow-release fertilizer was applied in these years. Instead of tabulating the weather condition data per se, each set of data was averaged over the period 1977-1994 and the deviation (+ or -) from average of that condition for each year is listed in Table II. The flower bud count increase or decrease is shown for comparison. This data was picked because it showed the best correlation between weather conditions and flower bud set. The months of June, July and August were chosen because that's mainly when flower bud initiation and development would occur. Including May, using any one month or trying various combinations of May, June, July and August did not improve the correlation over the entire span of years. Extra fertilization and heavy winter bud blast are also shown in Table II. My fertilization record leaves something to be desired. Miracid was used in June most years but wasn't written down every time. However, starting in 1990, after reading an article in the Journal (44:2, 84-87, 1990) by George Ryan, "Phosphorus and Nitrogen Nutrition of Rhododendrons," a solid mixture of 4/1 by volume of Agrinite (composted sewage sludge, 7% N)/ triple phosphate (45% P) was sprinkled around each rhododendron. From 1-8 tablespoons of the mixture was used depending on the size of the plant. The tendency was to increase the amount each year within that range. Dates of application were 5-24, 6-14, 7-23, 5-7 and 5-28 for 1990-1994, respectively. My feeling is that the one shot Miracid fertilization is not as effective in promoting flower bud formation as the slow release type. Application in late July in 1992 may have been too late to do much good. Flower bud blast due to severe winter weather was approximately 65%, 70%, 98% and 50% for 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1994, respectively. Some bud blast occurred in other years on borderline hardy varieties but not to an extent to significantly affect the potential flower bud development and total bud count. Is there a correlation between flower bud set and any of these items? Before attempting to address this question, a prediction must be made concerning the expected change (increase or decrease) in bud set with a change (+ or - from average) in condition. An increase in flower bud set is predicted for a decrease in rainfall, an increase in cooling degree days (hot weather), an increase in May temperature, an increase in clear plus partly cloudy days, timely application of fertilizer, severe winter kill of prior year's flower buds and for the year following a year with poor flower bud set. A decrease in flower bud set is predicted for the opposite change in these conditions. A possible explanation could be proposed for each prediction. For instance, a decrease in rainfall would stress the plant and flower bud set might increase because of the plant's struggle for survival by means of flowering and seed production to reproduce itself. Since many of the predictions would likewise be based on supposition rather than experimental evidence, no further attempt will be made to justify the predictions. These predictions can be tested by comparing the data in Table II. A change (+ or -) from average for rainfall is in agreement with an increase or decrease in flower bud set in 10 out of 17 years. For rainfall plus irrigation the agreement is 8 out of 11 years. For cooling degree days the agreement is 10 out of 17 years. For May temperature the agreement is 13 out of 17 years. For clear plus partly cloudy days the agreement is 8 out of 16 years. If the bud-blast years of 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1994 are excluded and only the largest deviations from average are used, agreement with increase or decrease in bud count for the preceding conditions would be 7 out of 8, 2 out of 2, 4 out of 6, 6 out of 6 and 5 out of 7 years, respectively. The test for winter bud blast correlates with increase in flower bud count in 4 out of 4 years and for slow-release fertilization in 4 out of 5 years. An alternate year blooming cycle occurs in 11 out of 16 years. Whether the cycle is every other year or every third year is an interesting question for which I have no answer. The one exception with slow-release fertilization is not a true test since the fertilizer was not applied until July in 1992. Another indication that fertilizer application is increasing the number of flower buds is that there was an increase of about 4,900 buds from 1988 to 1994. Plants starting to bloom after 1988 accounted for only 2,300 of these increased buds. Has a good correlation between weather conditions and flower bud formation in the garden been established? The answer is no, but some correlation certainly can't be ruled out. The trouble is there are many years that weather condition deviation from average doesn't seem great enough to have the observed effect on bud count. There are also non-conforming years (e.g., 1991) that are hard to explain. You have to assume that May temperature and fertilization outweigh all the negative factors. What is apparent is that many complicating factors are involved. There are undoubtedly interactions and some variables that are either unknown or haven't been considered. Take, for instance, length of dry spell or heat wave, and several moderate rains vs. a frog strangler. Timing could be a critical factor in determining how, where and when plant hormones are triggered. However, based on observations and the magnitude of bud set change for the entire period, the factors presented here, in order of greatest to least effect on flower bud formation, would be ranked: bud blast, alternate year blooming, fertilization, May temperature, rainfall, hot weather and number of clear and partly cloudy days. It should be pointed out that all plants did not follow the pattern of bud increase or decrease shown in Table I. There were always some that didn't keep in step and tended to march to a different drummer. All this may be food for thought, but what home gardeners are really interested in is what they can do to increase flower buds on their rhododendrons. Applying slow-release fertilizer after they bloom (late May in my area) is a good bet. You already know that more light, short of damage to foliage, works. If you want to have a consistent but average bud set from year to year, after October pinch out a number of flower buds in years with a heavy bud set. Withholding water in periods of summer stress is not recommended. Stress also leads to disease. There is not much you can do about May temperature. Anyway, that could very well be just a coincidence. Finally, keep your rhododendrons healthy. Some of these suggestions are not guaranteed since they haven't been proven by experimentation, so try them on a few plants before going whole hog. Russell Gilkey is a member of the Southeastern Chapter.

<urn:uuid:a33428c5-c92e-407d-b2e2-d3a58c164a2b>

AKA William Robinson, Jr. Birthplace: Detroit, MI Race or Ethnicity: Black Sexual orientation: Straight Nationality: United States Executive summary: Motown singer, A Quiet Storm One of the principal architects behind the Motown phenomenon of the 1960s, Smokey Robinson would help to shape the subsequent development of vocal pop music as both a composer and a performer. Although raised amongst the rust and clutter of the Brewster ghetto in Detroit, Michigan, his enthusiasm as a child was directed towards the cinema of the Wild West, and it was because of this that he earned the nickname "Smokey Joe" from his uncle Claude. He also found inspiration in his mother's record collection, which introduced him to black performers such as Billy Eckstine, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Sarah Vaughan. During his tenth year, however, the death of his mother would place him in the care of his older sister Geraldine, as Robinson's father's employment as a truck driver kept him away from home for extended periods of time; it was not long afterwards that the young prodigy began performing doo-wop on the street corners with neighborhood friends, his skills as a songwriter already in evidence. In 1955 Robinson formed a high school vocal group called The Five Chimes, which initially also included classmates Ronnie White, Pete Moore, James Grice and Clarence Dawson. The following year Dawson was replaced by Emerson Rogers and the group's name was changed to The Matadors, although by 1957 both Rogers and Grice had been replaced by Rogers' sister Claudette and his cousin Bobby. It was at this time that the group (now using the name The Miracles to accommodate their female member) came to the attention of young songwriter Berry Gordy through a failed audition for the manager handling Jackie Wilson; Gordy offered them a song he had co-written called Got A Job, and arranged to have it released as a single by End Records in early 1958. The label issued a second single Money later in the year, but for their third attempt Gordy and Robinson moved over to Chess Records with their co-written track Bad Girl (1959). It was with this song that the Miracles would finally crack the national top 100. Inspired by this tentative brush with success, Gordy allowed himself to be talked into starting his own record label by Robinson, and after securing a loan for $800 he established Tamla Records in 1959 (expanded to include the associated Motown label in 1960). The Miracle's first offering for the label Way Over There failed to receive much attention, and the band spent most of the subsequent year away from the studio developing their stage act in venues around Detroit and along the East Coast. With his next recording, however, Robinson brought about a dramatic change in both the label's and his own fortunes -- the self-penned track Shop Around entering both the pop and R&B charts upon it's release in October 1960, and ultimately climbing to #2 and #1 (repectively) by February 1961. As a result, the young songwriter had successfully established both himself and the Motown label as significant forces in the record industry. In addition to his work with the Miracles, Robinson contributed extensively as a writer and producer to the output of other Motown acts, and his obvious talents in these areas prompted Gordy to promote him to label vice-president in 1961. Over the next several years Robinson continued to generate hit songs for the Miracles (What's So Good About Good-Bye (1962), I'll Try Something New (1962), You Really Got A Hold On Me (1962, an R&B #1 and pop #8), Mickey's Monkey (1963, another R&B #1 and pop #8)), while also crafting successful material for Mary Wells (including You Beat Me To The Punch (1962), Two Lovers (1962), My Guy (1962) -- all R&B #1's) and The Temptations (including The Way You Do the Things You Do (1964), My Girl (1964, a pop #1), Since I Lost My Baby (1965)), as well as several other of the label's leading names. By 1964 Claudette Rogers -- who had married Robinson in 1959 -- had retired from live performance to focus instead on raising a family, although she continued to participate in the group's recording sessions. Not long afterwards, the decision was made to change the name to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles -- initially just for the albums, but extended to include the single releases in 1967. Despite the drop in interest that many other performers experienced as a result of the "British Invasion" phenomenon of 1964/65, the Miracles' flow of hit singles remained unchecked throughout these years, and songs such as Ooo Baby Baby, The Tracks Of My Tears, My Girl Has Gone and Going to a Go-Go (all 1965) still reliably charted in the mainstream top 20. 1967's I Second That Emotion became the Miracles' most successful track after their breakthrough single Shop Around, but as the end of the 1960s approached the popularity of Motown began to wane; this, combined with the strain of constant touring and recording while juggling his duties as a producer and vice-president, prompted Robinson to announce his resignation from the group in 1969. This decision would be undermined, however, by the unexpected climb of the re-issued single The Tears of a Clown to the top of the UK charts in September of 1970, followed by a corresponding jump to the top of the US charts a few weeks later. Robinson subsequently postponed his departure for a couple more years, but as the group's fortunes failed to maintain any permanent change he once again chose to resign in 1971. A six-month farewell tour was launched in early 1972, concluding with a performance in Washington, D.C. with a line-up that once again included Claudette and established Billy Griffin as the Miracles' new lead singer. In the wake of his departure from The Miracles, for a short time Robinson abandoned his role as a performer and devoted himself to his obligations as Motown's vice-president. In 1973 he launched his solo career with the album Smokey and the R&B top 40 single Sweet Harmony, followed by a return to the R&B top 10 by way of his second single Baby Come Close. Throughout the next decade he continued to release at least one album every year, while the majority of his singles still consistently found their way into the R&B top 40 (the 1975 track Baby That's Backatcha earning him his first solo R&B #1). The mellow tone of his solo material did not have as much impact on the mainstream as had his earlier output with the Miracles, but on two occasions Robinson managed a return to the pop top 10: in 1979 with Cruisin' (#4) and in 1981 with Being With You (#2). In 1977 he also expanded his recording credits to include a film soundtrack by providing a funk-inflected score for the blaxploitation comedy Big Time. In the mid-1980s Robinson's solo career experienced a temporary lull when his decade-long struggle with cocaine addition reached a crisis point; the singer managed to overcome the problem, but the strain it had created on his marriage to Claudette ultimately led to their divorce in 1986. This slump was brought to and end the following year by the back-to-back top ten singles Just To See Her and One Heartbeat, which concurrently positioned him in the upper reaches of the US R&B, US pop and UK pop charts. These two songs would prove to be Robinson's last significant impact (to date) on the mainstream music industry, although his popularity as a live performer remained undiminished. Upon the sale of Motown to MCA, a nearly three-decade long tenure as the label's vice-president was concluded in 1988 -- as was his status as a Motown artist two years later, his contract to the label being fulfilled by 1990's Love, Smokey, and his next album Double Good Everything (1991) being issued through SBK. Smokey Robinson would remain absent from the music scene for most of the 1990's, returning only at the very end of the decade with the album Intimate (1999) on the now Universal-controlled Motown. In the interim Robinson pursued his non-musical business interests, as well as collaborating with Ron Milner on the score to a Broadway musical called Hoops! based on the history of the Harlem Globetrotters (this project, apparently later renamed Hoopz, continued to be developed without Robinson's involvement). The 00's found him taking a on variety of television guest appearances, including a brief stint as a judge on American Idol and a pair of acting appearances on the network sitcom One on One. In 2004 Robinson branched out into the frozen food business through his company SFGL, which manufactured a brand of gumbo, pot roast and red beans & rice bearing the singer's name and likeness. His music output resumed through different small labels in the mid-00s with Food For The Spirit (2004) and Timeless Love (2006), the former being his first foray into the contemporary gospel genre and the latter a collection of jazz standards. Father: William Robinson (truck driver) Sister: Geraldine Burston Sister: Rose Ella Jones (songwriter, "Aunt Woody", b. circa 1928, d. 26-Apr-2010) Wife: Claudette Rogers (singer, m. 7-Nov-1959, div. 1986) Son: Berry Williams Daughter: Tamla Claudette Girlfriend: Diana Ross (singer) Wife: Frances Gladney Robinson (interior designer, m. May-2002) High School: Northern High School, Detroit, MI (1957) The Miracles 1955-65 Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 1965-72 National Medal of Arts 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1987 Songwriters Hall of Fame 1990 Grammy Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, for Just To See Her (1987) Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1990) Grammy Hall of Fame Award, for Tears Of A Clown (with Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) (2002) Risk Factors: Cocaine, Marijuana FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR Rejoice and Shout (30-May-2011) · Himself Last Holiday (13-Jan-2006) Hollywood Homicide (10-Jun-2003) · Cabbie The Temptations (1-Nov-1998) · Himself Knights of the City (14-Feb-1986) · Himself We Are the World (28-Jan-1985) · Himself The T.A.M.I. Show (29-Dec-1964) · Himself Author of books: Smokey: Inside My Life (1988, autobiography) Do you know something we don't? Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile Copyright ©2015 Soylent Communications

<urn:uuid:503abe4c-c374-46c2-96ab-ae184fbd2082>

Botox refers to a drug toxin this is produced by the help of a bacterium “CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM”. The fundamental use of Botox is to dam any nerve activity within the muscle groups. It is the same toxin that leads to a life threatening food poisoning sickness known as botulism. It is utilized by medical doctors in small quantities to treat many fitness problems. These can also include smoothing of facial wrinkles, severe underarm sweating, neck spasms, misaligned eyes, and uncontrollable blinking. Moreover, Botox injections work paralyzing certain muscle tissues, or blocking off sure nerves. A character the usage of Botox injections need to make certain that the effects can last up to twelve months, depending at the disease you’re treating. The commonplace facet results are swelling, and ache on the injected component. Moreover, you can also suffer from headache and an disillusioned belly. Botox injections are not endorsed for pregnant ladies. How is Botox carried out? Botox is some of the maximum risky and poisonous gases people have get admission to to. It is anticipated with the aid of scientists that approximately 1 million people can be killed by a unmarried gram of it. Moreover, it must be taken in ordinary portions, otherwise it could lead to botulism. Botulism is a lifestyles-threatening and intense sickness that can bring about respiration illnesses if left uncured. This can also lead to dying. Although it is so risky, nevertheless it is in quite high demand. Despite of that, the toxin has proved to be treasured and a success in its operation. It is injected in people in small quantities to make certain that it does no longer damage any body component. It works in a manner that it prevents signals from the nerve cells, ensuing in paralysis. For muscular tissues to agreement, nerves release a chemical messenger, on the point where nerves meet muscle tissue. Therefore, this makes the muscular tissues to contract and shorten. This facilitates the muscle mass to reduce strange contraction, and does no longer permit the muscle groups to turn out to be stiff. Amazing Benefits of Botox Treatment The Botox toxin injections stop some alerts from the nerves, which motive those to settlement. The important purpose why these injections are used is that they loosen up the facial muscle tissue that motive wrinkles. Botox injections also are used to make the frame features ordinary. The most not unusual examples include: Lazy Eye: One of the diseases cured by means of Botox injections can be a lazy eye. This refers to the imbalance inside the muscle tissues that role the attention. Muscle Contractions: Some neurological situations can purpose you limbs to tug in the direction of the center. In such instances, Botox injections are used in order that the muscular tissues can be secure. Migraine: There might be many of you who having migraine or headache issues. Therefore, to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, these injections are used. It can lessen the issues even if you are attacked by way of migraine every 2-3 days.

<urn:uuid:f55518cc-4533-4825-8b1f-dcf82a356373>

This week’s episode is the sixth of seven events Distant Friends and Intimate Enemies: The US and Russia, the Fall 2020 Speakers Series at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was not just a battle between ideologies. It was also a technological race. The state that could produce the most advanced tech affirmed the superiority of its respective system. By the 1960s, cybernetics, and soon, the creation of national information network, became a key theater in the science race. As we know, the United States was successful. The American military developed the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) which became the technological foundation for today’s Internet. But cybernetics had broader application and influenced economics, psychology, biology, and other human sciences. What vision did Soviet and American scientists have for cybernetics? And what role did cybernetics play in the Cold War contest? Ekaterina Babintseva is a Hixon-Riggs Early Career fellow in Science and Technologies Studies at Harvey Mudd College. Her book project “Cyberdreams of the Information Age: Learning with Machines in the Cold War United States and Soviet Union” examines how American and Soviet engineers, computer scientists, psychologists, and educators worked to develop computational methods to educate American and Soviet citizens during the Cold War. Slava Gerovitch is a Lecturer in the History of Mathematics at MIT. He’s the author of several books including From Newspeak to Cyberspeak: A History of Soviet Cybernetics, Voices of the Soviet Space Program: Cosmonauts, Soldiers, and Engineers Who Took the USSR into Space and Soviet Space Mythologies: Public Images, Private Memories, and the Making of a Cultural Identity. Rhesus Factor feat. Leæther Strip, “Stomp the Cybers,” Mann Der Arbeit, 2015,

<urn:uuid:8da2e7ca-0c1c-47a2-8694-ba9133bc4eb7>

US 4352497 A The invention provides mobile game play goals in form of tether balls with various types of tether anchors, depending on types of playing surface and game field pattern. The mobile goals are employed in various field patterns for novel football (soccer) play whereby competing teams try to kick a free football (soccer ball) against their mobile goal for a score. The invention describes four different field patterns for mobile goals and associated game play. Tether ropes can range from 1 to 5 yds (mts) in length. Tether anchors can be in form of stake or inverted "U" pin for soft playing surface, and in form of a weighted disc for impenetrable playing surface such as concrete, asphalt, or wood. An optional form of mobile goals uses two tether balls connected by a tether from 2 to 10 yds (mts) in length, thus providing a free-to-move (non-anchored) pair of goals which can be used in novel game play. Subject goals are portable, economical, vandal-proof, versatile in set-up on various playing surfaces, suitable for small playing areas, require no field markings, and provide ideal means for football (soccer) competition or practice. 1. Football (soccer) game with mobile goals comprising two footballs (soccer balls), one of which includes indicia designating the team "A" goal and one of which includes different indicia designating the team "B" goal, with a 2 to 10 yds (mts) tether therebetween, a free football (soccer ball), a playing surface, and a playing area, whereby competing teams can play a modified version of conventional football (soccer) game. 2. Game and apparatus comprising a fairly smooth and level playing surface with frictional characteristics such as those of grass, dirt and sand, two inflated spherical goal balls, one of which includes indicia designating a team "A" goal and one of which includes different indicia designating a team "B" goal, with a 2 to 10 yds (mts) tether therebetween, each of said tethered balls resting on said surface and adapted to move freely within the constraint of said tether in response to being kicked by the players, and a third inflated spherical free ball normally resting on said surface, whereby two competing teams can play a modified version of conventional football (soccer) game by kicking said tethered balls into advantageous positions and by attempting to kick the said free ball against an appropriate said tethered ball goal for a goal score. 3. Game and apparatus of claim 2 wherein said tether includes at least one swivel therein. 4. Game and apparatus of claim of claim 2 wherein all said inflated balls are comparable to conventional footballs (soccer balls). The invention relates to football (soccer) games with mobile goals; footballs (soccer balls) having 1 to 5 yds (mts) long tethers with various anchor means are used as mobile goals against which competing team players attempt to kick a free football (soccer ball) for a score. Various field patterns are used for disposition of 2, 3, or 4 mobile goals. Another mobile goal variation uses a non-anchored pair of balls with a 2 to 10 yds (mts) long tether therebetween. No related patents or other documents have been noted. Standard football (soccer) game play and standard tether balls might be mentioned as general background art of invention. Reference is made to 1978 catalogue, page 37, of General Sportcraft Inc. of Bergenfield, N.J., USA, which shows two official size tether balls, one with a built-in external loop attachment for tether, and one with a recessed hanger for tether. Both balls approximate size of standard football (soccer ball). Nylon ropes are used as tether medium. Cited tether balls are usually attached to an upright pole and hit with hand or fist in game play. Some variations of tether ball use include football (soccer) practice with long tether medium of rope or rubber band or rubber tubing, with ball being kicked while tether is attached to stake in earth. However, in no instance has it been noted that tether ball was used as a mobile goal in game play. The invention as claimed is intended to provide simple, effective, challenging, and economical mobile goals for use in a variety of novel football (soccer) type games that can be played by competing teams on a variety of playing surfaces, both indoors and outdoors, especially where size of playing area is limited. The invention solves the problem of how to design: (a) simple tethered mobile goals using tether balls with anchoring means for various types of playing surfaces: (b) simple set of paired tether balls connected together which is used as mobile goals for two competing teams but without anchor means; and (c) various football (soccer) games using field patterns and playing rules in conjunction with 2, 3, or 4 mobile goals. The advantages offered by subject mobile goals as compared to conventional goals in football (soccer) game play are: subject goals are portable, economical, vandal-proof, versatile in set-up on various playing surfaces, suitable for use in small playing area, and require no field markings. Another advantage offered by subject goals is additional novel element of game play which allows players to kick mobile goal balls in both offensive and defensive maneuvers for game play advantage. Also, the smallness of the mobile goals require challenging skill, strategy, and teamwork of players to make free ball contact mobile goal for a score. In general, the use of mobile goals in subject novel games is ideal for formal and informal game play with minimum set-up requirements and allows a wide range of players per team to participate. In addition, one type of game play involves three teams competing at one time, a novel variation in football (soccer). The invention is described in detail with reference to drawings which illustrate several embodiments of tether ball systems and game play patterns, in which: FIG. 1 is a side view of ball, tether, swivel, and exposed anchor stake, with three different team mobile goal ball designations indicated; FIG. 2 is a side view of exposed optional tether anchor pin having inverted "U" shape; FIG. 3 is a side view of optional disc-shaped weighted tether anchor with exposed impenetrable playing surface; FIG. 4 is a top view of weighted tether anchor of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a view of a free standard football (soccer ball); FIG. 6 is a side view of two non-anchored tether balls connected together which serve as mobile goals for teams "A" and "B"; FIG. 7 is a plan view of a square field pattern for two team game using four mobile goals, two for each team; FIG. 8 is a plan view of a linear field pattern for two team game using two mobile goals, one for each team; FIG. 9 is a plan view of triangular field pattern for a three team game using three mobile goals; and FIG. 10 is a plan view of a field pattern using a pair of tether balls connected together to form two free-to-move non-anchored mobile goals for two team play. FIG. 1 shows components of a typical tether ball system which is generally indicated by numeral 1, in which standard tether ball 2 has a diameter of about 8 to 9 inches (20.3 to 22.9 cms). Circle 3 on ball 2 indicates team designation marker for teams "A", "B", and "C" as shown above and to right of ball 2. Attachment loop 4 on ball 2 receives short tether rope 5 which in turn connects to eyelet of swivel 6, with other eyelet of swivel 6 connecting long tether rope 5, which in turn connects to stake 7 driven in playing surface 8 and underlying material 9. FIG. 2 shows portion of tether system using inverted "U" pin 10 as tether anchor. In general, anchor stake 7 is preferred for use in extremely hard but penetrable playing surfaces and underlying materials. Stake can be driven with hammer or mallet. Inverted "U" pin 10 is better for soft playing surface and underlying material and can be pushed in place by hand or foot. FIGS. 3 and 4 show optional weighted tether anchor 11 with tether attachment loop 12 on top. An impenetrable playing surface 14 with underlying material (concrete) 13 shows why a weighted anchor is desirable to secure tether ball. FIG. 5 shows standard football (soccer ball) generally indicated by numeral 20 which is used as the free ball in all subject game play. FIG. 6 shows a two tether ball system 30 comprising two of the one ball systems 1 connected (tied) together but with no anchor means, with tie knot indicated by number 31. Mobile team goals of system 30 are designated by solid black circle and blank circle on balls for teams "A" and "B" respectively. These mobile goals are free to be kicked in game play for any team advantage, with the basic idea of having the free football (soccer ball) strike a mobile team goal ball for point score. Swivels on all tether ball systems tend to reduce twisting and tangling of tether ropes. Tethers can have a wide range of lengths, from 1 to 5 yds (mts) for one ball systems, and double that length range for two ball systems. FIGS. 7 and 10 show various field patterns for game play. Common items for most patterns include one ball tether system 1, with anchor stake 7, penetrable playing surface 8, playing area 15 (restricted in drafting size due to sheet limitations), free football (soccer ball) 20, an "X" mark which indicates start point for game play, and an "L" designation which indicates tether ball anchor spacing distance. FIG. 7 shows square field pattern for two team game using four mobile goals, two for team "A" and two for team "B", with "L" distance ranging from 8 to 20 yds (mts), with like goals anchored individually at diagonally opposite corners of square. Playing surface can be fairly smooth and level grass, dirt, or sand. Overall playing area 15 should be at least 30 yds (mts) square. No field markings or boundary lines are required. Assumed or marked outer boundary lines can be used if so desired. Start point "X" is assumed or marked in center of square. Imaginary lines (dashed) connect anchor means at corner of square. A referee and score keeping means should be available for formal game play. Team players can number from 5 to 10 per side for game pattern in FIG. 7. To start game play using pattern in FIG. 7, place all mobile goal balls radially outward from center of square with tether ropes taut. Next, select two opposing players and have them stand at point "X" in center of square, with all other players beyond imaginary square pattern lines. Referee than drops football (soccer ball) between starting players and game is underway. Team players attempt to gain ball possession and score goal by kicking free ball against either of their team's mobile goal balls for a one point score. Only conventional football (soccer) play is permitted. But in addition to kicking the free ball, players can kick any goal ball to gain play advantage in an attempt to score a goal or prevent a score by opponent. However, players must not purposely kick or hinder movement of tether rope. Major or minor penalties or both can result from such prohibited play. In general, minor penalties are assessed for minor fouls or violation, and major penalties are assessed for dangerous fouls or major violations. Where foul is committed by opposing team in obvious scoring situation and goal is missed, score can be awarded and major or minor penalty also assessed, depending on judgement by referee. Foul by ball possession team always results in loss of ball. In general, foul of minor type by opposing team (without ball) can result in loss of future ball possession at any time in restart of play for any reason. Details related to major penalties and resulting penalty kicks are discussed at end of description of the various field patterns of play. Restart of play after score is made by player of scored-on team at point 3 yds (mts) from behind outstretched scored-on goal ball in radial pattern, with all other players at least 3 yds (mts) back from starter. Restart of play after foul is from point of foul with all players and any goal ball at least 3 yds (mts) back from starter. If free ball goes out-of-bounds, it is brought in as in conventional football (soccer). To prevent intentional game delay, free ball must touch ground within square pattern in time period of 20 seconds if in continuous possession by one team or ball possession is lost. Game play using linear field pattern of FIG. 8 is essentially the same as for the square field pattern linear pattern is more suitable for smaller playing area and smaller team size. Only total of two mobile goals is used. Game is started with two opposing players at point "X" with all other players behind imaginary lines through the tether anchor points and perpendicular to dashed line between tether anchor points. Anti-game delay rule requires that free ball cross between anchor means at ground level in 20 second time period while ball is in possession of one team or ball possession is lost. Game play using triangular field pattern of FIG. 9 is essentially the same as that of square pattern of FIG. 7, except that three teams are competing in game using three mobile goals designated as goals "A", "B", and "C". The tether anchor distance spacing "L" is same as in FIG. 7, ranging from 8 to 20 yds (mts). To start play, three opposing players stand at "X" mark at center of triangle and referee drops ball, with all other players beyond triangle pattern. Game play using a non-anchored tether ball pair of mobile goals of FIG. 10 is quite different from the other field patterns described. Play is suitable on practically any type of smooth and level surface with the minimum of equipment and set-up effort, indoors or outdoors, since no tether anchors are required and since the paired tether balls will not roll too freely even on a smooth surface. Play can be in a small area and with a minimum number of players using a short tether. With a longer tether, more players can readily participate. To score a goal, play requires close-up skill, strategy, and teamwork. Power has no advantage in this type of play. Also, play must be directed at all three balls at same time, thus requiring some new strategy in the game of football (soccer). To start play, two opposing players stand at "X" mark with all other players beyond outstretched tether as shown in FIG. 10. In game play, if tethered pair of balls is dislocated too far from center of playing area, referee can stop play and reset pair, with ball possession being retained by same team. Anti-game delay rule requires that free ball cross between mobile goals at ground level in 20 second time period while in possession of one team or ball possession is lost. The "D" distance shown in FIG. 10 is set-back of "X" mark from tether for start of play should be at least 5 yds (mts). In most sports and games, major fouls and violations and resulting major penalties are very important and can have a significant impact on safety and score of game. Subject games are no exception. In general, a major penalty is assessed in game play for dangerous play or for illegal play that prevents an obvious goal score. In the latter case, the score can be awarded with some additional minor penalty such as loss of ball possession or a future ball possession. If appropriate, a penalty kick can be awarded to give deserving team a reasonable change to make a score. The specific maneuver in a penalty kick should be designed to give at least a 75% chance of scoring, comparable to that of conventional football (soccer). One type of penalty kick used in square field pattern as in FIG. 7 is as follows: (a) position all goal balls as at start of game; (b) place selected penalty kicker and free ball next to one of his goal balls; (c) all defending players must be stationed in triangle nearer to kicker formed by center diagonal line across square connecting anchors of defending team goals; (d) all players of kicking team must be on far side of same center diagonal (remote from kicker) but not necessarily in triangle; (e) after proper wait and when referee signals; free ball must be kicked by penalty kicker and all other players are free to move; (f) kicking team tries to score goal before defending team gains good field positions; (g) kicking team can score at either goal after free ball crosses center diagonal, but defending team can not score on penalty try; (h) if defending team makes any kind of foul on try, a goal is awarded to kicking team; (i) after 10 seconds, try period is over and normal play starts if no goal is scored; (j) if score is made, one point is awarded and game is restarted as previously described. Modified versions of above penalty try can be used with other field pattern games. Another form of penalty that might be used is that of removing offending player from game of a definite time period as in ice hockey. The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, references should be made to the attached claims, rather than to the foregoing description as indicating the scope of the invention.

<urn:uuid:ff81c1bb-4278-4f35-b0dd-0aa9d162b6c7>

Herniated Disk And Back Pain The disk at the back spinal column divides the skeletal structures. Disk does not compose blood vessels or nerves like other elements of the skeletal structure. Instead, disks are made up of fat, water, and tissues that connect to the skeletal structure and most likely to suffer being a herniated disk. During all hours of the day, the disks leak water, which is caused from forces of gravity. For instance, when we sit it is a gravity force in action, which one might think that it takes little effort to sit, but contrary to the notion, it is adding a lot of weight to the spine and disk. The disk restores water that has leaked out during the day, yet the water is restored at slower paces. Fat and water is balanced in the disk, yet when it is not it causes a person to shrink height. Fat and water inside disks are thick, yet when a person starts aging, the substances begin to thin. When fat and water begins to thin, it can lead to osteoarthritis. Thinning water and fat of the disk is also the leading cause of back pain, especially at the lower region. Using ease cream may help with some of the pain. Disks exterior are covered by “Annulus Fibrosis.” Sometimes the connective tissues lead to abnormal thickening, which scars the tissue. Usually injury follows, then infection, and moves to restrained oxygen intake. Surgery is often the result. The inner area of the disk is shielded by “Nucleus Pulposis.” The pulp makes up the hub of the disk, which is polished and soft. The disks make up the primary supporting force that regulates the spinal column, bones, muscles, etc. When the disk is not protecting the spinal structures it is often dehydrated, pressured, or deformed. The disk has strength that combines with flexibility to withstand high loads of pressure, yet when that flexibility and strength is interrupted, it can result to herniated disk slips, or other injuries. Slipped disks in medical terms are known as HNP. (Herniated Nucleus Pulposa) As outlined the intervertebral disks are ruptured, which interrupts the nucleus pulposa. In medical terms, slipped disks can include L4, L5, which is Lumbrosacral and C5-7, which is Cervical. L4 is a single area of the spinal column and disks, which defines the numerical disk ruptured. Slipped disks are caused from accidents, trauma, strain of the back and neck, lifting heavy objects, disk degeneration, weak ligaments, and congenital deformity of the bones. Disk degeneration is outlined in this article. Symptoms Of Disk Problems Lumbrosacral will show apparent symptoms, such as acute lower back pain, which radiates to the buttocks and down to the leg. The person will feel weak, numb, or tingling that stretches to the leg and foot. Ambulation also causes pain. If cervical disk problems are present, the patient will feel stiffness around the neck. As well, the symptoms will make the patient feel weak, numb, and he/she will feel tingling around the hands. Neck pain often generates pain, extending it to the arms and onto the hands, which cause weakness to the upper region of the body. The weakness often targets the triceps and biceps, which become atrophy. The lumbar is affected also, which the patient will find it difficult to straighten the back. What Happens With A Slipped Disk What happens when a disk is slipped and/or broken the annulus fibrosis reacts by pushing its substance into the hollow spacing between the spinal column. The spinal column is made up of nerves, which travel to various parts of the body, including the brain. These nerves are affected when the disk is slipped. Learn more about the Central Nerve System (CNS) to relate to slipped disks. First, understand how the joints and connective tissues can cause back pain.

<urn:uuid:94152d76-693e-473b-abd7-7c8ee47f3983>

“Touching colors” is the concept behind OMMO baby crayon. We use an educational approach for recognizing the colors and shapes of objects by associating touch and sight. For example, children can learn the shape of apples with their fingers and eyes and then associate apples with the color red. From 13 to 24 months, children are still developing their fine motor skills and learning how to hold various items. Let OMMO baby crayon be your child’s first crayons. They are easy to hold and helpful for developing fine motor skills.

<urn:uuid:da25e54f-fc1e-4071-a5e0-ba5a7ecad9d6>

Coast Salish Territory – First Nations people continue to face a bigger impact from the opioid crisis than the rest of the population of British Columbia, although preliminary data from 2019 shows this gap is beginning to narrow. The BC Coroners Service reported there were 981 suspected illicit drug toxicity deaths in BC in 2019. Although this figure represents a 36 per cent decrease overall from 2018, it still means three people a day in the province continue to fall victim to the poisoned supply. “We know one thing for certain – the impact of this crisis on Indigenous peoples is disproportionately greater than for the rest of the provincial population,” said Dr. Nel Wieman, Senior Medical Officer for Mental Health and Wellness at the FNHA. The FNHA will release detailed figures on toxic drug mortality rates this spring. These will show that despite a narrowing of the gap, specific populations such as First Nations women living in urban areas continue to make up a disproportionate part of the casualties. FNHA Response ($8 million a year) • Intensive case management teams • Indigenous peer coordinators • Naloxone training in all 203 First Nations communities in BC • Support for First Nations men and women transitioning out of correctional facilities • Partnering with community organizations in major urban centres to provide front-line supports • Engaging more than 13,000 people in community-based harm reduction trainingQuick Facts from Provincial-Level Data • The number of illicit drug toxicity deaths in 2019 equates to about 2.7 deaths per day for the year • There was at least one illicit drug toxicity death in 330 of the 365 days in 2019 • Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria and Abbotsford experienced the highest number of illicit drug toxicity deaths in 2019 • Vancouver Coastal Health Authority had the highest rate of illicit drug toxicity deaths (23 deaths per 100,000 individuals), followed by Northern Health Authority (22.5 deaths per 100,000 individuals) in 2019 • Overall, the rate in BC was 19 deaths per 100,000 individuals in 2019 • By local health area, the rates of illicit drug toxicity deaths were highest in Princeton, Grand Forks, Hope, Keremeos, and Merritt, from 2017 to 2010Learn more Read the BC Health Minister’s statement on the illicit drug toxicity death report. Media contact First Nations Health Authority: 604-831-4898

<urn:uuid:56469698-152c-43f1-9ec5-51e7b7e06ca4>

One of New Zealand's epic stands on the Gallipoli peninsula was in the heat of August 1915 at Chunuk Bair, one of the three high points on the Sari Bair range. These were the main objectives of the Anzacs' offensive of early August 1915 when they tried to break out of the stalemate with the Turks in the Anzac sector. The New Zealand Infantry Brigade advanced up Chailak Dere and Sazli Beit Dere during the night of 6-7 August to capture Chunuk Bair. Earlier, their way had been opened by the New Zealand mounted rifles units and the Maori Contingent, which had captured key points (including Old No 3 Outpost and Table Top) guarding the valleys in daring night assaults. The attack had fallen behind schedule and the New Zealanders were still a kilometre short of the summit when dawn broke on 7 August, sheltering at a position below Rhododendron Ridge that would become known as The Apex. In a mid-morning attack the Auckland Battalion suffered heavy casualties to reach the Pinnacle, 200 m from the summit. When ordered to follow suit, the Wellington Battalion's commander Lieutenant-Colonel William Malone refused to sacrifice his men in a futile attempt, insisting that the attack be mounted that night. In the pre-dawn darkness of 8 August the Wellington swiftly moved up Rhododendron Ridge on to the summit, which almost inexplicably had been abandoned by its Turkish defenders. When the sun rose, Malone and his men, assisted by some Auckland mounted riflemen and British troops who also reached the summit, engaged in a desperate struggle to hold off the Turks. The Otago Battalion and Wellington Mounted Rifles relieved the Wellingtons during the night of 8-9 August only to endure a similar ordeal all through the long summer day. They, too, were relieved during the night of 9-10 August by two British battalions, which almost immediately succumbed to a massive counterattack launched by the Turkish commander, Mustafa Kemal. The summit was lost, but the New Zealanders stemmed the Turkish flood down the seaward slopes of the hill. The Apex was held until the end of the campaign.

<urn:uuid:4439bc2b-de80-443a-bead-da571411d9b0>

Guru Nanak Jayanti, the most sacred festival of Sikhism celebrates the birth of Guru Nanak; the first Sikh Guru. The Nanakpanti Hindus and the other followers of Guru Nanak’s philosophy apart from the Sikhs also observe this sacred festival. Guru Nanak or Guru Nanak Dev Ji regarded as the founder of Sikhism were born on 15th April 1469 in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi in the present Shekhupura District ofPakistan, which is now known as Nankana Sahib. Guru Nanak’s birthday is celebrated in the month of Kartik on the day of full moon known as Kartik Purnima. The Sikhs celebrate the birth of all their 10 Guru’s; the celebrations are similar but the hymns uttered on each of the occasions are completely different. The morning of Guru Nanak Jayanti starts with Prabhat Feris in the Gurudwara followed by processions in localities singing hymns. The Sikh Flag known as Nishan Sahib and the Palki or palanquin of Guru Nanak Dev Ji is carried by the head of the processions followed by hymns sung by teams of singers. Mock battles and Marshal Arts using traditional weapons are also conducted on the streets of a city or a town. On this auspicious occasion, the messengers of Guru Nanak spread his special message. Asa- Di- Var or morning hymns are sung during the Amrit Vela i.e. early morning at 4 or 5 a.m. These hymns are followed by Kathas and Kirtans in the praise of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. A Langar arrangement follows where everyone is invited to have a full meal and this Langar is hosted by the volunteers. The real idea behind hosting this Langar is that each and every one despite their cast, creed, sex, religion are free to eat together without any social, communal or political restraints. This Langar as a matter of fact displays the Bhakti and Seva of the Sikh volunteers towards their Guru. Rehars or evening prayers are also conducted in some Gurudwaras followed by late night Kirtans. Gurbani is sung by the congregation at 1.20 am at midnight which is the actual birth time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. At around 2 a.m. the celebrations end. Guru Nanak Jayanti or Guru Nanak Guruparb is celebrated by the Sikhs all over the world and is considered as the most sacred day of the year by the followers of Sikhism. Chandigarh, Harayana and Punjab celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti on a large scale and a number of Sindhi’s also celebrate this festival. The Sikh kids wait for this festival throughout the year and Guru Nanak Jayanti has been marked as a holiday on the Indian calendar by the government of India. All the Gurudwaras are lit up and decorated like a bride on this auspicious occasion which is remarkably the most celebrated festival in Sikh culture.

<urn:uuid:998d2103-2f1f-4b69-8b58-e22baab6b2ae>

( – promoted by navajo) The policies of the United States regarding American Indians have generally been based on two interlocked approaches: ideological and theological. During the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century, Indian affairs were guided by an ideology based on the concept of private property and a theology based on Christianity. Thus the formation of Indian policies required no actual understanding of American Indians. Multimillionaire steel baron Andrew Carnegie cheerfully pronounced that “Individualism, Private Property, the Law of Accumulation of Wealth, and the Law of Competition” were the very height of human achievement. Politicians and Indian reformers simply sought to apply these to the Indian tribes with no real understanding of tribal cultures. Privatizing Indian land through the Allotment Act of 1887 was done through adherence to this ideology. It was felt that this would force Indians into the modern world and enable them and their children to have a future. The more practical realized that this would simply separate the Indians from their land and allow large corporate interests to prosper. By the 1920s it was obvious to the most casual observer that there were major economic, social, and health problems on the reservations. America’s prosperity was not reaching Indian people. The poverty on the reservations was undeniable to any who had even a casual relationship with them. The Secretary of the Interior thus authorized an economic and social study of Indian conditions. Lewis Meriam led the study for the Institute for Government Research, a privately endowed foundation. To conduct the research, Meriam put together a team of social scientists, including some Native Americans. In 1928, Meriam’s study entitled The Problem of Indian Administration (more commonly called the Meriam Report) was published. This was the most comprehensive study of Indian reservations ever done. The report strongly repudiated the philosophy of Indian policy which had prevailed since 1871. While there were, and still are, many people who feel that poverty is a condition which Indian people have brought upon themselves, and that government policies can neither ameliorate nor create poverty, the report states: “Several past policies adopted by the government in dealing with the Indians have been of a type which, if long continued, would tend to pauperize any race.” Beginning in 1871, Indian policy in the United States had been guided by the ideology of private property, that only through private property could Indians (and all other people) prosper and that economic development should be based on small, privately owned family farms. According to the report: “It almost seems as if the government assumed that some magic in individual ownership of property would in itself prove an educational civilizing factor, but unfortunately this policy has for the most part operated in the opposite direction” The report also states: “In justice to the Indians it should be said that many of them are living on lands from which a trained and experienced white man could scarcely wrest a reasonable living. In some instances the land originally set apart for the Indians was of little value for agricultural operations other than grazing” The Meriam Report recognized the economic potential of Indian arts and crafts. The report recommended that the Indian Office coordinate the marketing of Indian arts and crafts so that genuineness, quality, and fair prices can be maintained. Indian arts and crafts were seen as a way of improving the social and economic conditions on the reservations. The report also recommended that tribes be incorporated and that the tribal councils be given some decision-making powers. The goals of Indian education during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were to convert Indian children to Christianity, to give them Christian names, particularly surnames, so that the inheritance of property could be easily traced, to provide them with the concept of greed, and to train them as laborers and household workers. Education was often carried out through boarding schools in which Indian children were forcibly removed from their homes and the influences of their cultures. With the Meriam Report the non-Indian public is made aware of kidnapping, child labor, emotional and physical abuse, and lack of health care in Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. While the report draws attention to abuses, the assimilationist po¬licies of Indian education continues for another 40 years. The report is particu¬larly critical of the boarding schools: “The survey staff finds itself obligated to say frankly and unequivocally that the provisions for the care of the Indian children in boarding schools are grossly inadequate.” While Indian education has often assumed that Indians are to be trained for manual labor, the report states: “The Indian Service should encourage promising Indian youths to continue their education beyond the boarding schools and to fit themselves for professional, scientific, and technical callings. Not only should the educational facilities of the boarding schools provide definitely for fitting them for college entrance, but the Service should aid them in meeting the costs.” With regard to religion, the report urges the continuation of cooperation with Christian missionaries, but cautions: “The missionaries need to have a better understanding of the Indian point of view of the Indian’s religion and ethics, in order to start from what is good in them as a foundation. Too frequently, they have made the mistake of attempting to destroy the existing structure and to substitute something else without apparently realizing that much in the old has its place in the new.” With regard to Indian health, the report simply stated: “The health of the Indians compared with that of the general population is bad.” According to the report, the general death rate and the infant mortality rate were high. Tuberculosis and trachoma (a disease that produces blindness) were very prevalent. With regard to the health care services provided to Indians by the government, the report states: “The hospitals, sanatoria, and sanatorium schools maintained by the Service, despite a few exceptions, must generally be characterized as lacking in personnel, equipment, management, and design” According to the report, the government run health care institutions do not provide adequate care for their patients. Overall, the Meriam Report set the stage for a new era in Indian policy, an era in which policy could be based on actual data rather than ideological or theological fantasies.

<urn:uuid:0010e932-c3ed-4ec7-8691-4c5e6d627e63>

by Marion Simon, Ph.D., State Specialist for Small Farm and Part-Time Farmers Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program The SWOT analysis identifies the farm’s internal strengths and weaknesses and examines the external opportunities and threats that the farm business faces. The SWOT analysis helps to provide direction for the farm business and serves as a basis for the farm’s business plans. Once all of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the farming operation have been listed, the information should be combined and strategies developed. Draw up plans to take advantage of the strengths and opportunities, counter the threats if possible, and minimize or reduce the weaknesses. Pay close attention to strengths that can help the farming operation achieve its goals and objectives, and use the SWOT analysis to give an overall look at the current position of the operation. Then use the analysis to plan future strategies and to manage the farming operation. Develop strategies that will strengthen the weak areas or take advantage of the strengths and opportunities. Give close attention to developing strategies that focus or capitalize on the strengths of the operation. Here are some sample questions and examples that fit each category: 1. What does the operation do well? (marketing weaned kids, producing commercial breeding stock)? 2. What do other people (neighboring farmers, goat farmers, and county Extension agents) see as your strengths? (producing healthy weaned market kids, marketing show animals, excellent pasture) 3. What are the major sources of the farm’s revenue and profit? (show kids, weaned kids, commercial breeding goats) 4. What is the major focus of the farm operation? (weaned kids for sale at the auction or livestock sale, purebred breeding stock) 5. What is the market share of the farm? Of the organization (if you belong to, or market through, a producer association or cooperative)? 6. Is the farm’s marketing and advertising effective? (buyers indicate that they saw your farm on the Internet) 7. What made you start the goat operation? (kid prices at the stockyards) 8. Why do your customers buy from your farm? (consistent quality, petting zoo, advertising, show winnings) 9. What differentiates the operation in the market? (purebred Boers, processed products, show winnings, grades of the market kids) 10. What have been the most notable achievements? (weaning weights improved) 11. What relevant resources does the farm have? (forages, water resources, buildings) 12. Is the morale of the employees high? Are there incentives in place to reward employees for good work? (bonuses, extra paid leave, share of the profits) 13. What is the farm’s greatest asset? (forage base) 1. What does the farming operation not do well? (direct marketing of show stock) 2. What do other farmers and Extension agents see as the farm’s weaknesses? (credit card debts, mixed and inconsistent weaned kids) 3. Are the weaning weights low? 4. Are the kidding rates low? 5. What should the farm avoid? (credit card debt) 6. What are the farm’s least profitable enterprises? 7. Is the operation “wandering”? (no direct focus or objective) 8. What is the biggest expense of the operation? (feed, veterinary supplies and fees) 9. Is the farm’s marketing/advertising effective? (buyers are only at the sale barn) 10. Will the farming operation be able to withstand price decreases or cycles? 11. Why do customers not buy from the farm? (disease was a problem two years ago) 12. What relevant resources does the farm need? (consistent water supply, rural water line) 13. Does the farm operate its inventories efficiently? (the farm’s goats in pasture number 1 have more foot rot/scald problems than the farm’s other pastures, family labor has off-farm jobs which caused problems during kidding season, family labor can only harvest hay on the weekends, 95% of the breeding does are aged) 14. Do the farm’s employees perform at their best? Are there reward incentives for good work? (bonuses, family incentives if only family labor) 15. Is labor short during kidding season? 1. What new technologies are available that the farm operation can use to lower costs or improve marketing? (improved forage varieties to extend seasons, tele-auctions) 2. What market trends are you observing? (prices and sales related to religious holidays) 3. What new relationships can the farm develop? (join an Internet marketing association) 4. Can the quality of products, operations, and inventory management be improved without incurring serious costs? (improved weaning weights through internal parasite control and hoof care) 5. Can a competitive edge be created over the farm’s competitors? (add a value-added product, add a performance-tested buck) 6. Is there an opportunity to demand better prices from suppliers? (allow the supplier to use the farm name in its advertising, put its name on the farm’s handling facility during a field day) 7. Is there an opportunity to receive higher prices for production? (improved weaning weights through better genetics) 8. Can the profitability be improved by reducing parasite loads and disease control through vaccinations? 9. Can the farming operation have more predictable cash flows? (diversify into selling excess hay to spread the sales periods, add a frozen value-added product) 10. What can the farm do that it is not currently doing to improve the operation? (add guard animals, do rotational grazing, add a performance-tested buck) 11. What new government policies and programs are available? (cost-share for watering systems, ponds, or fencing; rental of goats for grazing invasive plant species) 12. What interesting social patterns, population profiles, and lifestyle changes are occurring that could benefit the farming operation? (migration/immigration from traditional goat-consuming populations which increases the potential for local sales, increased use of goat sausages and cheeses in recipes, local Hispanic stores in the area) 13. What interesting local events might benefit the farming operation? (county fairs, “cook-offs,” farm field days, barbeques) 14. Availability of rental land to expand the enterprise? 1. Have there been any significant changes in the industry in which the farm operates? (U.S. Animal Identification Program, loss of a local USDA processing facility, new vaccination or testing programs) 2. What obstacles does the farming operation face? (lack of rural water system, drought, lack of state approval for goat milk processing and distribution, rural roads and bridges that create problems for trucks, the local creek annually floods a part of the farm) 3. What is the farm’s competition doing? (marketing breeding and show stock over the Internet) 4. Are there any, or do you anticipate any, new competitors in the farm’s market? (you estimate that 25 new breeders of show Boers will be located within 10 miles) 5. Are there any, including new, regulations in the industry that make it difficult to be profitable? (state approval for processing, collection, and sale of fresh goat milk or cheese does not exist, and the state regulatory system does not plan to implement one) 6. Are international or distant competitors taking/reducing the farm’s market share? (shipped imported frozen goat meat is now available in my town; it is much cheaper, and the local consumers of goat meat have switched from buying my kids to buying the imported product) 7. Is the farming operation keeping up with technological changes? (updated computers, software, and Internet) 8. Have margins been under pressure? (i.e., as in the beef cattle market at the bottom or low point of the price cycle; i.e., fuel prices have driven up the shipping costs to the market, but the sales price is the same; fuel costs forced hay costs to be higher) 9. Is changing technology threatening the farm’s profitability? (my buyers now purchase frozen products over the Internet) 10. Are there governmental (or farmer cooperative) decisions that affect the farm’s production or markets? (not repairing or widening local roads and bridges, environmental restrictions/regulations, free-trade agreements that allow frozen products to be shipped into your market) 11. Does the farm have bad debt or cash-flow problems? (credit card debts) 12. Are the employees adequately trained and motivated? (employees physically work harder but make less than their friends at the local fast food restaurant) 13. Could any of the farm’s weaknesses seriously threaten the operation? (the dairy cooperative decides to drop the milk route because the roads are inaccessible during bad weather and the farm has 200 producing does) 14. Do state health regulations limit the direct sales of goat meat or milk? “Risk-Assessed Business Planning for Small Producers” curriculum developed by a joint project of 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, USDA-CSREES, and the SRRMEC (funded project collaborators: Marion Simon, Daniel Lyons, and Nelson Daniels), authors of the manual: Stan Bevers, Brenda Duckworth, Blake Bennett, Rob Borchardt, Nelson Daniels, and Allen Malone (Texas A&M University and Prairie View A&M University). Marion Simon, Farm Business Planning chapter, Meat Goat Production Handbook, Langston University, OK, ISBN 1-880667-04-5, pp. 313-326. Marion Simon, Farm Business Planning section, Web-Based Training and Certification Program for Meat Goat Producers, Langston University, OK.

<urn:uuid:e0dcd508-4dfe-403a-8690-a9e1ec09c050>

Even if you don't pursue a career in web design, you'll need to know enough about CSS to apply the correct classes to your code to integrate a designer's CSS. You'll also need to know how to make small changes to CSS as required by your project. This is why it's so important for both web developers and designers to understand CSS basics. Additionally, you might want to create a website that looks nice without spending a lot of time designing the user interface. In that instance, front-end frameworks are very useful. In this lesson we'll learn what a front-end framework is, how they work, and we'll begin familiarizing ourselves with one of the most popular front-end frameworks, Bootstrap. When we use the term front-end in web development, we're referring to the portion of a website or application that the user actively interacts with. Things like the menus, navbars, links, and CSS designs. The term framework refers to a foundation of pre-built tools, software, code, and other resources we can use to create a project more easily than if we created it from scratch. Therefore, front-end frameworks are pre-built code that assists us in creating the front-end of our website. That is, the CSS, designs, layouts, and portions the user interacts with. Bootstrap is one of the most popular, widely used front-end frameworks. It allows developers to quickly set up professional looking websites with minimal effort. It was originally built at Twitter to address inconsistencies in front-end design. It was later released to the public in 2011. By 2013 approximately 1.6% of the million most popular websites were using Bootstrap. In 2016 15.7% of the top one million sites are powered by Bootstrap. Bootstrap is essentially a big package containing all the code and CSS necessary to make a wide variety of commonly-used front-end components like navigation bars, forms, headers, tables, buttons, and more. It's even responsive! It has media queries built right in, so any Bootstrap elements we use in our own site will automatically re-style and resize themselves to best fit the user's viewport. Pretty cool, right? You can read more about Bootstrap on their website, here. But doesn't this mean all these websites look the same if they're all using the same framework? That's rather boring, right? Well, this isn't necessarily the case. Check out the following link to see some example sites built with Bootstrap: We're going to start integrating Bootstrap into our sites, too. This will both further our knowledge of CSS, allow us to quickly create polished, professional-looking sites with far less effort. In the next lesson, we'll walk through how to download and install Bootstrap into a project. Front-End: The portion of a website or application that the user actively interacts with. Things like the menus, navbars, links, and CSS designs. Framework: A foundation of pre-built tools, software, code, and other resources we can use to create a project more easily than if we created it from scratch. Front-End Frameworks: Pre-built code that assists us in creating the front-end of our website. That is, the CSS, designs, layouts, and portions the user interacts with. Bootstrap: One of the most widely-used free front-end frameworks.

<urn:uuid:d344492f-94a4-4edf-9dff-e9fa4621e290>

Definition of objectionable a. - Liable to objection; likely to be objected to or disapproved of; offensive; as, objectionable words. 2 The word "objectionable" uses 13 letters: A B B C E E I J L N O O T. No direct anagrams for objectionable found in this word list. Adding one letter to objectionable does not form any other word in this word list.Words within objectionable not shown as it has more than seven letters. All words formed from objectionable by changing one letter Browse words starting with objectionable by next letter

<urn:uuid:33340c14-40ae-44ba-93fb-39d2a761abb9>

- Scientists used high sound waves to levitate water droplets to identify impurities in water. - This technique helped them to detect small scale heavy elements like cadmium and barium, within few minutes. - It could be used by pharmaceutical, agricultural and other industries for water analysis. Researchers at the Instituto de Ciencias Físicas UNAM, Mexico have levitated water droplets in midair using sound waves to detect harmful contaminants present in the water. Since these contaminants are injurious to both human and environment, it’s crucial to identify tiny amounts of metals (like mercury and lead) in water. We already have several water monitoring systems, but they require sending samples to a lab for in-depth analysis, which is a time consuming process. On the other hand, this new technique of levitating water droplets can help scientists to carry out on-site contaminant analysis in real time to prevent future lead contamination issues or detect wastewater impurities from industrial areas. It could be used by pharmaceutical, agricultural and other industries for water analysis. How This Technique Works? Levitating droplets of water makes it easier to perform laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) –a sensitive technique that analyzes heavy elements in the drops — because the water drop in air can be evaporated in a controlled manner, increasing the contaminant mass concentration. The laser induced breakdown spectroscopy provides a simple and quick way to detect different elements in droplets concurrently. It vaporizes the substance and produces a plasma by projecting a high-power laser pulse onto a sample. Since the light beam ejected by plasma consists of atomic fingerprints of the substance, the sample’s chemical composition can be detected by observing this beam of light. Image credit: Jairo Peralta and Victor Contreras, Instituto de Ciencias Físicas UNAM This new technique combined with LIBS can help researchers identify small-scale heavy elements such as cadmium and barium, within few minutes. For instance, in this experiment, researchers detected 200 microgram per liter of barium and 700 microgram per liter of cadmium. Advantages Over Other Existing Techniques There are already dozens of commercial handheld devices available for LIBS analysis. But it isn’t easy to monitor liquid samples because the plasma generated in these samples lasts for a very short period – it cools down rapidly. Also, because plasma rests on splashes of water, it slightly changes the spectroscopy reading. In order to provide a better signal to detect contaminants in liquid, one needs to have high-powered laser equipment to produce a plasma, which are generally heavy and non-portable. Schematic representation of the setup on the xz and xy plane | Courtesy of researchers That’s why liquid drops are placed on a substrate, which gradually dries, leaving contaminants present in the sample. The process is simple, but involves 2 major problems – - High-powered laser excites atoms present in the sample as well as in the substrate. - Liquid evaporation results in nonuniform distribution of contaminants on the substrate, damaging signal quality. Therefore, researchers came up with a new, inexpensive technique [acoustic levitation] that involves levitating single droplet of water using high sound waves, which generates enough [stable] force to counterbalance gravity and hover a droplet in the air without any support. The best thing is, unlike other levitation mechanisms, the sample doesn’t need to have any magnetic or electric response to be levitated in the air. Scientists plan to further enhance their technology – they will improve the design of acoustic trap to levitate samples more stably. This will refine the readings of LIBS. Also, they will try to make samples more sensitive by stably hovering tinier drops in the air. Overall, the technology will enable compact and less sensitive detector to find impurities in water in real time.

<urn:uuid:0848b8ae-21e9-4cd6-b595-034f19c2738e>

PAUL BORDONI, IRMGARD HOESCHLE-ZELEDON GFU (Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species), Italy The role of agricultural biodiversity and, in particular, the one played by many underutilised plant species as easily accessible assets of the poor to improve livelihoods, has not been fully recognised and capitalized upon by development organisations, policy- and decision-makers. Traditional plant species, today often fallen into disuse due to various reasons, offer solutions at hand and of key importance for resource"=poor people to move out of hunger and poverty. Underutilised species represent an enormous range of different plants with different attributes and potential to contribute to poverty alleviation. While some are more important for food security, others will have a greater potential for income generation, environmental services and/or provide cultural benefits. Besides still being an essential part as food and fodder in rural communities, these species play a role as risk buffers for human and animal food security during times of environmental and social disasters. Their adaptation to varying environmental conditions and often marginal areas based on a long selection process by farmers, enables them to produce reliable yields when most introduced and modern crops fail. Often rich in vitamins and micronutrients, they provide resource"=poor people with a balanced diet that is socially and culturally acceptable. If strategically marketed, they generate additional income and contribute to the conservation of biodiversity, thus expanding the options available for the poor farmers to respond to environmental and on climatic changes. Making more use of underutilised traditional plant species will contribute towards the achievement of several MDG, namely MDG one (hunger and poverty), MDG three (gender equality and empowerment of women), MDG four (child mortality), MDG five (maternal health) and MDG seven (environmental sustainability). The paper will provide examples on how enhanced uses of these species have contributed at local level to meet rural communities' needs. Keywords: Environmental services, food security, income generation, non-material benefits, nutrition, underutilised species

<urn:uuid:3750a068-bf82-4dd1-9b6d-32ffd2c41c09>

You don’t have to get very far into an evolution textbook before you bump into Darwin’s finches, the birds descended from South American finches that colonized the Galapagos Islands and “radiated” into an array of different species, each with a beak adapted to different food sources across the archipelago. Another, equally interesting case of avian adaptation is found in North America, on a different sort of archipelago. It’s found in patches of lodgepole pine forest that cloak the slopes and foothills of the Rocky Mountains, in the hooked beaks of red crossbills. In the Rockies, crossbills feed on lodgepole pine seeds, using the tips of those hooked beaks to prise open the scales of seed cones. You might think that the trees would object to this, and they do, so to speak — but across most of the area where lodgepole pines face off with crossbills, they’re also under attack by an even more pernicious threat, red squirrels. Unlike crossbills, which get into pine cones while they’re attached to the tree, squirrels gnaw whole cones free from the branches, and they target larger cones, which contain more seeds. The result is that most lodgepole pine populations have evolved small, squat cones with thickened bases that protect against harvesting squirrels. However, in the South Hills of Idaho, some patches of lodgepole pine are free of squirrels — and in those sites, the pines’ cones are longer and narrower, with thickened scales at the tip, where crossbills prefer to start their prying. Those differences make an effective defense against the birds, and South Hills crossbills have evolved deeper beaks to cope. This situation is a classic “geographic mosaic of coevolution”, a landscape of populations in which crossbills and lodgepole pine have the potential to shape each others’ evolution, but only do so in the right kind of (squirrel-free) environment. The details of the crossbill-lodgepole mosaic have been studied extensively, but it’s not been clear whether South Hills crossbills are genetically isolated by coevolution with pine in that one tile of the mosaic. If they are, the birds’ adaptation to the tree’s defenses might be setting the South Hills crossbills on the road to the origin of a new species. Previous studies with relatively simple genetic markers haven’t found much genetic differentiation, and crossbills migrate long distances to follow seed crops, giving them lots of opportunities for interbreeding to break down local genetic differentiation. A paper published late last year in Molecular Ecology, however, has applied modern genetic data to that question — and it finds that there is, in fact, something different going on in the South Hills. Collaborators at the Universities of Nevada Reno, Sheffield, and Wyoming, including crossbill specialists Craig Beckman and Thomas Parchman, used genotyping-by-sequencing to genotype more than 18,000 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers in a sample of 219 red crossbills from a number of populations distinguished by their calls and their association with different conifer species, including the South Hills birds. This much bigger, DNA sequence-based dataset replicated the prior result that there’s relatively little genetic differentiation among most of the crossbill populations, except in one case: the South Hills crossbills. The South Hills birds form a monophyletic group within the tree of relationships among the sampled birds — that is, they’re all each other’s closest relatives. In a principal components analysis that summarizes the data from all those markers into two main axes of variation, the first axis, which accounts for the largest independent portion of the data, splits the South Hills crossbills from all the others. And in a clustering analysis, the South Hills birds break out from the rest of the dataset first, and most cleanly. Even with 18,000 markers, the data presented is probably not enough to reliably find individual genes that underlie differences between the South Hills crossbills and other populations, but this confirms that they’re effectively isolated, in spite of crossbills’ nomadic lifestyle. The authors explain that the South Hills crossbills are themselves non-nomadic, and maintain a population density as high as the local, crossbill-adapted lodgepole pines will support. That puts immigrants from other crossbill populations at a particular disadvantage of intense competition for pine seeds locked up in cones that are specifically evolved to thwart them. Using species distribution modeling for lodgepole pine and historical climate reconstructions, the authors also demonstrated that the patch of lodgepole forest in the South Hills probably wasn’t present as recently as 6,000 years ago. That means the South Hills crossbills started their evolutionary path away from the rest of the species very recently by geological standards, adapting on the same time-scale as classic cases of rapid evolutionary change like the lizards of White Sands, New Mexico — and quite a bit faster than Darwin’s finches. Benkman CW. 2003. Divergent selection drives the adaptive radiation of crossbills. Evolution. 57(5): 1176-1181. doi: 10.1554/0014-3820(2003)057[1176:DSDTAR]2.0.CO;2 Benkman CW, TL Parchman, A Favis, and AM Siepielski. 2003. Reciprocal selection causes a coevolutionary arms race between crossbills and lodgepole pine. The American Naturalist 162(2): 182-194. doi: 10.1086/376580 Edelaar, P and CW Benkman. 2006. Replicated population divergence caused by localized coevolution? A test of three hypotheses in the red crossbill-lodgepole pine system. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 19: 1651–1659. doi: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01113.x Parchman, TL, CW Benkman, and SC Britch. 2006. Patterns of genetic variation in the adaptive radiation of New World crossbills (Aves: Loxia). Molecular Ecology, 15: 1873–1887. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.02895.x Parchman, TL, CA Buerkle, V Soria-Carrasco, and CW Benkman. 2016. Genome divergence and diversification within a geographic mosaic of coevolution. Molecular Ecology, 25: 5705–5718. doi: 10.1111/mec.13825 Thompson, JN. 2016. Coevolution, local adaptation and ecological speciation. Molecular Ecology, 25: 5608–5610. doi: 10.1111/mec.13873

<urn:uuid:880da5bc-eab8-40e5-96f8-0693ccd469b6>

Exponential Growth and Carrying Capacity Exponential growth happens when the species in a population duplicate at a steady rate. At a steady rate of reproduction, the growth rate increases in increasingly large increments due to the increase in breeders until it approaches an infinitely vast size. Of course, this infinite population does not actually occur due to a variety of limiting factors. Populations just starting out in a new region may experience a quick exponential increment in numbers to create a J formed curve, but this curve can't maintain its shape in that environment. The new population will eventually face one or more scarcities due to it's increased size, and the rate of growth will slow, stop, or even fall into decline. When this happens, either a partial or full migration may occur, in which either the entire population moves or a small group of the population goes to colonize another area. The growth rate and size of population can be related through the following equation: dN /dt = rN where N = number of individuals, r = biotic potential and t = time - Biotic Potential This is the extreme reproduction limit of a living being under ideal natural scenario. It is frequently communicated as a corresponding rate, or shown in terms of percentage increment every year. Full articulation of the biotic capacity of a specific species is confined by ecological resistance, or any element that represses the expansion in population size. These elements incorporate unfavorable seasonal scenarios such as absence of space, light, or a reasonable substitute, mineral insufficiency, and the repressing impacts of predators. The exponential growth model can also be presented as: Using this particular formula b represents a constant. In this case, If b > 0, the function presents the span of a growing establishment. If b < 0, the function presents the span of a decaying establishment. The a is the size of the establishment at initial time when t = 0 and y demonstrates the size at any later time t. Carrying capacity represents the manageable extreme limit of population from a specific group of species under given circumstances of the residing area, considering unlimited resources introduced in that environment. For exponential increase in population, development begins gradually, enters a quick incremental stage and after that settles down when the carrying capacity for that species has been achieved. The population span then varies above or below that limit. Reproductive lag time is the period for the birth rate to fall and the death rate to rise corresponding to the resource limits. This time span may also lead the population to pass beyond the carrying capacity for the time being. Understanding Carrying Capacity and it's Effect on Exponential Growth To understand the concept of carrying capacity, suppose for pond that the carrying capacity for fish is 800. In this scenario, we can say that the pond can support 800 fish indefinitely with present resources. Now consider that the fish population starts at 600 fish. These 600 fish have everything they need to maintain their population. Imagine now that another 500 fish migrate from another pond connected by a stream, but the other factors that determine carrying capacity do not change. This is a carrying capacity of only 800, but an actual population of 1,100. The entire fish population would immediately begin suffering the limiting factor of scarcity. Scarcity of food, space, and potentially even mates would drive reproduction down while eliminating adults through starvation and young through increased predation by starving adults.

<urn:uuid:d092b4ce-25fa-4b9c-b378-da5bbf488a91>