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have been formally designated to approve, monitor, and review biomedical and behavioral research involving humans. They often conduct some form of risk-benefit analysis in an attempt to determine whether or not research should be done.
The purpose of the review process is to assure, both in advance and by periodic review, that appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights and welfare of humans participating as subjects in a research study. A key goal of IRBs is to protect human subjects from physical or psychological harm [..]
But once in a while there comes a study that not only violates those rules. And one study that just did that was actually negligently doing that on children. Gabe Zichermann from Gamification.co was equally stunned and felt obliged to write about it (read his take on it here Behavioral Economics Doesn’t Really Work (and is kinda dangerous)).
A paper titled Unintended Negative Consequences of Rewards for Student Attendance: Results from a Field Experiment in Indian Classrooms had just all ingredients of incompetent scientists who had not done their homework.
The researchers tried to increase class attendance of 9th graders in Indian classrooms in some of the poorest neighborhoods of the city of Ahmedabad. On certain days up to a quarter of the students do not show up at school. To motivate the pupils to come to class they could earn rewards in form of erasers.
Parenting is one of the most challenging tasks that humans can experience. Sleepless nights with a crying child, not understanding its needs, dealing with tantrums and puberty, while making sure that the child doesn't kill itself in its quest of discovering and exploring the world, is amongst the most stressful but at the same time most pleasurable experiences that one can have. But then we are pretty much left alone with understanding our kids and helping them - and helping and us.
As it turns out, we are never really taught how to 'read' children and what appropriate ways are or raising and empowering them. How can we make them ready for a world that becomes more and more demanding and where change is happening faster than ever before?
Many parenting approaches are more the 'learn as you go' kind of type. Some are well meant, but are achieveing the total opposite. Praising your child for being smart could actually harm the child. Rewarding him with stickers for doing tasks can turn him hating those very tasks. Not having the right tools like using empathy, understanding child growth stages, or even as a parent being too stuck in what society allows may limit your child's future potential. It may make him or her too scared, not flexible enough, not able to function in society. And no parent wants that.
Even most of the available literature is doing a rather bad job. Anecdotal experiences, outdated parenting paradigms, sometimes based on religious, strictly moralistic, or at least questionable frameworks do quite some harm. As much as "Little house on the prairie" is a beloved TV series, it's not a training tool for learning about parenting. Or would you consult a doctor who got trained in surgery by watching "House?" As great as those TV shows are, they are nothing else than stories. They make us feel good, teach us lessons, but we are not becoming specialists in parenting or surgery.
In our newest analyst report on gamified sales platforms, we learned some interesting facts about the sales gamification industry. In this report we evaluated 12 sales gamification and 12 universal platforms, plus a couple of more platforms, to make your decision of which platform to choose easier.
Why you should consider a gamified sales platform? Certainly because times are changing. With Millennial sales reps - those born between 1980 und 2000 - sales managers have found themselves at a loss of how to engage them. Many traditional sales management techniques fall short with them. They want to know a higher purpose, may tell you that they are "not coin-operated," want constant feedback, and use social media and their network, which often perplexes sales managers.
Truth is that in order to get the best out of their young sales reps, sales managers have to take a step back and learn about them. Did you know that when young sales reps enter the workforce they have already 10,000 hours of video game playing experience? While your first reaction may be disbelief and "what a waste of time," we rather look at what video games do so well that they kept playing them 10,000 hours. They give them instant and constant feedback, show them learning paths, alllow them to socialize with other players, lead them to mastery, give them epic meaning, and not to forget let them fail a lot. But failing is learning a well.
If you can build on those components and use them in your sales process, then you will be able to engage them. But you don't have to reinvent the wheel all yourself. That's what the sales gamification platforms did for you. And you should check them and our report out, because the results will surprise and convince you.
In our second industry report on gamification platforms we evaluated and interviewed, analyzed, and compared twelve sales gamification platforms and twelve universal platforms and their vendors. These platforms address engagement challenges that many companies face in regards to younger sales reps - aka Millennials or Generation Y.
As gamification moves from a novelty to a mainstream technology, and shifts from a customer to an employee engagement program, organizations need to consider gamification strategies. Sales Gamification Platforms provide solutions for the sales process, while universal, enterprise grade gamification platforms can be deployed beyond sales throughout an organization and integrate gamification experiences, engage players, and collect data across processes.
This report is for organizations and sales managers that want to increase sales and sales reps engagement. If your sales force is composed of many Millennial sales reps, then this report is perfect for you. This report is also for gamification platform vendors and gamification practitioners.
To help organizations make an informed decision, we queried all vendors and other contact about the product and service offerings on a variety of categories. Readers will learn about
The sales gamification platforms that we evaluated for this industry report are:
The universal gamification platforms that we evaluated for this industry report are:
Gamification Industry Report 2015 - Sales Gamification Platforms
Evaluation, Comparison, and Predictions
Publishing Date: May 2015
File Size: 10.4MB
Note: after successful payment you will immediately see a download link on the screen.
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5– Center Back (or Sweeper, if used) 6– Defending/Holding Midfielder. 7– Right Midfielder/Winger. 8– Central/Box-to-Box Midfielder. 9– Striker.
What is a 6 in soccer?
The number 6 in soccer is the defensive midfielder on a team. They play just in front of the defenders, and their role is to protect the defense, link up the play between the defense and midfield, and tackle and intercept the ball as necessary to disrupt any attacks from the opposition.
What do numbers mean in soccer?
Soccer numbers were originally created to identify certain positions in a tactical formation. The player holding that position was assigned the corresponding jersey with the correct number. … Numbers 6 and 8 are used to describe holding midfielder positions, regardless what number is on the back of a player’s shirt.
What is No 9 in football?
Number 9 shirt
The No. 9 is usually given to a football team’s centre forward or main striker, a prolific goalscorer in any given formation, especially the likes of 4-3-3, 4-2-2 or 4-2-3-1.
What is a number 7 in soccer?
The #7 is known worldwide as an attacking number usually worn by a player with flare. Usually playing out wide, in particular on the right wing. 7 started on the right wing and pretty much stayed there.
What is the hardest position in soccer?
Goalkeeper is the hardest position in soccer. Not only does a goalkeeper have to perform under more pressure than any other player, but they must also possess a unique skill set, as well as facing a higher level of competition than any other player.
What’s the easiest position in soccer?
The easiest position in soccer is the position of full-back.
What position is 11 in soccer?
In England, in a now traditional 4–4–2 formation, the standard numbering is usually: 2 (right fullback), 5, 6, 3 (left fullback); 4 (defensive midfielder), 7 (right midfielder), 8 (central/attacking midfielder), 11 (left midfielder); 10 (second/support striker), 9 (striker).
Can you wear 0 in soccer?
The Laws of the Game (“rules of soccer”) do not dictate number requirements for players—the numbers are dictated by the sanctioning body (“league”). Leagues do have specific number requirements, so it is possible that whatever league(s) you follow may disallow zero as a number.
What position is 10 in soccer?
10 – Attacking Midfielder (AM): The attacking midfielder sits between the midfield and the offensive line. They must know how to score goals and dribble well to avoid the opponent’s defenders. They should attack the ball when the other team is in possession and not hang back like other positions on the field.
What is a false 9?
The false 9, in some ways similar to a more advanced attacking midfielder/playmaker role, is an unconventional lone striker or centre-forward, who drops deep into midfield. … A false 9 was also utilized by Hungary during the beginning of the 1950s, with striker Nándor Hidegkuti acting in the role.
Who is the best number 9 in football?
Goal takes a look at some of the best Number 9 strikers in football…
- Alan Shearer | England. …
- Ronaldo | Brazil. …
- Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina. …
- Robert Lewandowski | Poland. …
- George Weah | Liberia. …
- Harry Kane | England. …
- Marco van Basten | Netherlands. …
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden.
28 февр. 2021 г.
Who is best attacker in the world?
Here are the 15 best strikers in the world right now based on performances over the past couple of seasons.
- Luis Suarez.
- Jamie Vardy. …
- Mauro Icardi. …
- Roberto Firmino. Embed from Getty Images. …
- Edison Cavani. Embed from Getty Images. …
- Alexandre Lacazette. Embed from Getty Images. …
- Lautaro Martinez. Embed from Getty Images. …
10 нояб. 2020 г.
What position is 8 in soccer?
|1||Goalkeeper Technically proficient Solid technical passing abilities Strong distribution decisions Gifted athlete|
|8||Center Midfielder Endless work rate – speed and endurance Good leadership and organization Creative playmaker Good in air Long range finishing ability Ability to provide defensive pressure|
Who is the best number 7 in soccer?
The No. 7 shirt has been synonymous with Ronaldo, the number following him during later moves to Real Madrid and Juventus. He is also famously known as ‘CR7’.
Who is the best number 7 in the world?
Football’s 7 Greatest Number 7’s
- Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Stanley Matthews. …
- George Best.
- Kenny Dalglish. …
- Luis Figo.
- Andriy Shevchenko. So, seventh place in a list of the seven greatest number sevens in football history. …
27 сент. 2018 г.


A name is a word or set of words that a person is known by.
- "What's your name?" "My name is Hussain."
- His first name is Donald and his last name is Hill.
- James is a common first name in the USA.
- The president Ronald W. Reagan's middle name was "Wilson".
- Please state your full name and address.
- She decided to take back her maiden name.
- Susan White, née Clark.
- Jake is a nickname for Jacob.
Phrases related to namecall someone by their first name/full name
- Please call me by my first name.
- I only know him by name [I only know his name].
- a young man by the name of Steve
bear a name
have a particular name:
- He bore the name Alfred.


Cheryl Ziola posted an articleSome boating tips to protect seabird breeding habitats from invasive, non-native rodents. see more
Boating in British Columbia can be an exhilarating experience. The abundance of sea life, rugged and rocky coastlines, and soaring mountain backdrops set the stage for memories that last a lifetime.
Many of our islands are recognized globally as important seabird breeding habitat. The Scott Islands are an example, which hosts 90% of Canada’s Tufted Puffins and 74% of Canada’s Cassin’s Auklets, which equates to 55% of the global population of this bird species.
Yet despite the seemingly endless numbers of marine birds on our coast, these numbers are not infinite. There is a pressing need to protect some of the largest breeding colonies from the greatest threat to their persistence – that of invasive, non-native rodents such as rats.
When rats are accidentally introduced to islands, they feed on the eggs and chicks of seabirds, and have been found to eat adult birds as well. The result of these rodent introductions is often the catastrophic loss of seabirds, and potentially complete bird extinctions as has been found in New Zealand and other oceanic islands.
Offshore islands contain a large amount of the world’s biodiversity. Sadly, most bird extinctions worldwide have occurred on such islands. Seabirds habitually concentrate in large numbers to breed on certain islands and so the effect of rodent introductions can be devastating to the species overall.
However, there is hope! We can all do our part to protect seabirds in BC from the accidental introduction of invasive rodents – by practicing sound biosecurity on your boat.
Fortunately, biosecurity methods are simple and reliable, if they are followed consistently:
- Firstly, check your boat for signs of rodents.
- Set snap-traps on board your boat several days before departing land.
- Start by placing baited, yet unset traps for 24 hours, followed by actually setting the traps and leaving them for an additional 24 hours. This will let the rodents become accustomed to the raps before they are set, thus reducing trap inhibition and making them more effective.
- If you find a live rodent on your boat, never throw it overboard. Rats can swim upwards of 800m, so even if you don’t land on an island, a rat can get ashore on its own when you least expect it.
- Without being aware, rats could have boarded your boat by scurrying up a line or jumping from the dock or another boat. Prevent this by installing rodent guards on your tie-up lines when you dock your boat.
You can collect FREE biosecurity rodent prevention kits at the FrontCounter BC office in Port McNeill, or contact BC Parks (email@example.com) or Environment and Climate Change Canada (firstname.lastname@example.org) for more information about this important biosecurity project.
ArticleKnowing how to make a ‘Mayday’ call is as important as any other safety training or skill. see more
Taking the Stress Out of Distress Calls
Knowing how to make a ‘Mayday’ call is as important as any other safety training or skill - says Norm Dyck - it’s critical to make sure you keep a cool head, and to make sure you, or someone else, is rescued as quickly as possible.
And Norm should know. Active in the boating industry for decades and a recipient of the Queen´s Golden Jubilee Medal, he’s held leadership positions with Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (now known as the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM – SAR), Transport Canada's Pacific Regional Recreational Boating Advisory Council, and Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS). Currently, he’s the CPA’s Chair, Maritime Radio course, and he talked us through the steps of how to be safe, and to make the call.
An ounce of prevention
“I’m fortunate. I’ve never had to make a distress call in over 70 years on the water,” says Norm. “If you make vessel maintenance a high priority, and take safety courses and precautions, it’s unlikely to find yourself in a serious situation.”
With that preventive approach in mind, we asked Norm to help us take the ‘stress out of distress’ – just in case the need does arise.
Before you leave the dock
- Review safety and emergency procedures with everyone on board
- Show passengers where to find flares and life jackets. Stow them where they are easily accessible and labeled – not hidden in a corner of the hold. Ideally everyone should wear a life jacket while on board, particularly in adverse weather
- Instruct guests on how to make a radio distress call, and tape instructions near the radio for what to do and say (see below)
- Check your supply of flares to ensure you have the correct number, that they are current, with both red and smoke (visible in daylight) options.
In case of emergency
- Stay calm
- Make sure everyone on board is wearing a life jacket
- Assess the situation to determine the nature of the distress (and the type of call you need to make)
- Pump or bail if you are taking on water.
Making the call
Distress calls go out to all vessels in the area, including the Coast Guard, who will respond, and rebroadcast the call to dispatch others to help.
On VHF DSC radios (Very High Frequency Digital Select Calling) push the automatic red “DISTRESS” button, or manually transmit the call on channel 16, while you have power. If your radio is hooked up to GPS, the button will automatically transmit the position of the vessel. All boats with a VHF DSC radio will receive an alarm signal.
- MAYDAY If you are faced with serious distress: fire or explosion, immediate or imminent life-threatening injury, illness or danger of losing your vessel; people overboard, or threat from pirates,
- Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
- This is (Name of boat three times) and Ship Station License call sign
- Mayday (name of the vessel)!
- My position is (Latitude and Longitude), or distance/bearing from landmark
- We are (describe the emergency)
- We require (describe nature of assistance needed)
- We have (number of people aboard, and age and condition if relevant)
- 'Vessel Name' is (length, sail/power, design type, hull color, trim color)
- Repeat if there is no response after a few moments.
- Say ‘Mayday Relay’ if you are calling for another vessel in distress, giving the name of vessel, and its position.
- Pan Pan! Pan Pan! Pan Pan! for urgent, non life-threatening situations such as illness or injury, or damage to your vessel.
- Pan-Pan! Pan-Pan! Pan-Pan!
- Steps as above
- Sécurité (Say-cure-i-TAY three times) when you have a safety or hazard message for other vessels, such as a navigation or extreme weather warning. Format as above.
- Seelonce Feenee (Silence Fini) by vessel in distress, to cancel a Mayday call. You must cancel a Mayday if you no longer need help:
- All Stations, All Stations, All Stations
- This is 'Vessel Name' and call sign
- The time is __
- “Seelonce Feenee” to cancel May Day call
- Do not rely on your cell phone to make a distress call. Mobile phones are limited in range (vs. 30+ km. for VHF radios), and their calls cannot be heard by other vessels.
- When you hear a distress call, keep Channel 16 clear until the incident is resolved.
- Radio Operator’s Certificate (ROC-M) - available after taking an Industry Canada-designated course from Canadian Power and Sails Squadron - is mandatory to operate a marine radio.
If you hear a Mayday call
A distress call triggers an alarm on your DSC radio, and it automatically switches to Channel 16, and displays the calling station’s MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity number), latitude, longitude and time of call.
- Write down all the information so that you don’t have to rely on your memory
- Call the Coast Guard with a ‘Mayday Relay’ only if you don’t hear a response from Coast Guard within two minutes
- Stand by to follow any Coast Guard instructions, and assist, if possible
- Keep Channel 16 free of routine calls.
Did you know?
- ‘Mayday’ - used internationally to signal life-threatening distress – comes from the French term "venez m'aider", which means, "come help me".
- ‘Pan’ comes from the French ‘panne’ which means a mechanical breakdown, and is a backronym for ‘possible assistance needed’ or ‘pay attention now’.
- The Canadian Power Squadron and Sails Squadron and the Coast Guard offer free, voluntary boat safety inspections that take as little as 15 minutes.
Lisa Geddes posted an articleSafe and green refueling tips for boaters. see more
GAS UP. GREEN UP. REFUELING TIPS FOR BOATERS
Almost 700,000 people in BC enjoy recreational boating today. With more joining in every year, it becomes even more important to minimize our marine footprint, and to protect the sensitive creatures that call water home. It starts with safe and careful refueling.
We talked to Mike Short, CMM, owner of Vancouver based False Creek Fuels, Marina Manager at Clean Marine BC Certified Vancouver Marina, and Boating BC Board member – about what every boater can do be safe and green when refueling. Marinas certified by the Georgia Strait Alliance's Clean Marine BC Program are committed to adopting environmentally sound management principles and operating practices like eliminating the release of contaminants into the ocean, minimizing pollutants and adopting waste reduction and recycling strategies.
“Just a half litre of spilled oil can cover an acre of surface water,” says Mike. “Owners are responsible for fueling their own boats, so it’s important to know how to refuel properly, and to follow all the regulations posted at marinas.”
According to Mike the most common mistakes boaters make - especially new ones - include not knowing which is the right port for fuel. their fuel tank capacity, and the flow rate their boat can accept. Most pumps accommodate the faster flow rates required to fill commercial vessels, and “kickback” or “burping” is a major source of fuel spills - so it’s important to go slowly. If it’s your first time refueling, review the rules, and ask the attendant for help.
He also emphasizes the importance of closing all doors and hatches to keep explosive fumes from blowing into the bilge, and making sure you get the correct type of fuel - to double verify - before you put it into your boat.
When you do have a spill - even a dribble - clean up it immediately and thoroughly. Most marinas have containment equipment such as hydrocarbon absorbing spill pads handy. Just make sure you dispose of any used spill materials as hazardous waste. And never use soap to clean up a spill: it is illegal, doesn’t work and is toxic to marine life.
Mike’s final word? Mistakes happen so pay attention, don’t rush through the process – and keep yourself and your marine environment safe.
For more tips on being a green boater, click here.
Safe Refueling Tips
- Tie your boat securely to the fuel dock, and ask all passengers to go ashore
- Turn off your engine, and close all hatches, doors and windows
- Turn off all electrical equipment, and extinguish all flames (propane equipment, diesel furnaces, etc.)
- Keep an absorbent rag, spill pad or fuel collar ready to catch any drips
- Locate and select your fuel fill port (versus others like water and waste)
- Double check: the type of fuel you need, and the capacity of your boat.
- Start fueling slowly - fuel can dispense at rates too fast for your boat
- Keep the fuel nozzle in contact with the fill port (or risk a static spark)
- Listen: Once your fuel is near capacity, you will hear a change in sound, or a gurgling
- Do not “top off” the tank, or risk a spill
- Clean up any drops or spills immediately.
- Start your blower, open the engine hatch to sniff for fumes, and check the bilge
- Once the boat is safe and free of any explosive fumes, ask your passengers to reboard.
Note: Make sure you are on the shore when filling portable tanks, and when transferring fuel between tanks. Carry reserve fuel in a container that connects to your engine.
Did you know?
- If every one of the 200,000 boats on the coast spilled just a half litre, the oil slick would cover over 800 square kilometres!
- There have been studies in recent years suggesting that the small spills at marine fuel pumps result in as much - if not more - fuel residue in the waters than the commercial boating sector.
- Chemicals present in fuel react with sunlight to become up to 50,000 times more toxic.
- Source: The Georgia Strait Alliance


In the past, there had been issues with providing basic accessible transportation throughout the United States. Today, transit facilities, intermodal centers, rail stations, and platforms are increasingly becoming accessible especially here in Chicago. However, even with this impressive collection of services, there are still underlying issues. These challenges are not exclusive to the US – they happen around the world and serve as further proof that full accessibility takes constant effort to achieve.
So, what exactly are the ups and downs of accessible transportation? Let us find out in today’s blog.
Taking a cab is one of the simplest ways to get around while using a wheelchair. When taking a cab, there is no need to look at a map and figure out which route you need to take to get from point A to point B. Simply hail a cab and get in.
Given that taxis are the most preferred way for wheelchair users to get around the area, it also bears multiple risks and challenges. The first and most crucial one is driver training/preparedness. Not all taxicab drivers went through proper training to handle passengers with accessibility challenges. While most of them may mean well, they may not be familiar with certain disabilities, which can result in safety issues.
Secondly, not all taxis are wheelchair-friendly. In fact, you’d be surprised to know how often wheelchair users get stranded in their location just because of the lack of wheelchair-accessible cabs. There are constant efforts to change this, but the costs of accessible taxicabs are often high. Hence, as long as the budget is tight, the situation will likely stay the same for a very long time.
On the bright side, however, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has made several successful attempts to compensate for the para-transit challenges. Title III of the ADA requires that all taxi services:
- Cannot refuse to serve a person with a disability who can use taxi vehicles
- Cannot charge higher fares or fees for carrying people with disabilities and their equipment than are charged to other people
- Must provide help stowing mobility devices (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.)
2. Priority Seating
There is a constant debate around this issue, particularly about whether baby strollers have priority over wheelchair users in those spots. Advocates say the primary problem with accessible public transportation is that those with baby strollers usually refuse to give way for wheelchair users. Moreover, they also argue that wheelchairs have priority over strollers in those spaces.
However, when this issue was brought up, it was ruled that neither strollers nor wheelchairs had priority over the other. This means that there would be no rule to enforce.
Thus, the situation adds fuel to the idea that attitudes shape the experience of disability more than physical ability. This is an ongoing battle in our society and clear evidence of how accessibility features need to have cooperation by both its operators and users for them to be useful.
3. Accessible Bus Stops
One of the biggest challenges to implementing a fully accessible system is ensuring that all bus stops are accessible. Even though the buses themselves may have ramps and other accessibility features, not all bus stops are created equal.
Every sidewalk is different. Some bus stops are concrete and smooth enough for wheelchair users to navigate. On the other hand, some bus stops are rough and too narrow for individuals in wheelchairs to access.
An accessible bus stop needs more than space for a ramp – it also needs space for a wheelchair or person to be able to maneuver at the end of the ramp. This is why two meters of sidewalk space is often recommended. This prevents the situation wherein a wheelchair user finds himself stuck and immobilized simply because of poor planning and construction.
4. Paratransit Services
In the US, there are paratransit services for disabled individuals who are otherwise unable to take public transit without assistance. These services usually have staff specially trained to handle people with accessibility challenges and can pick up and drop off directly at residences.
Still, even as a transportation for people with special needs, this “door to door” service has its drawbacks.
One of the biggest concerns involves scheduling. Because this service has to be as financially sustainable as possible, routes are planned to pick up and service as many people in one trip as possible. This requires trips to be arranged well ahead of time – in many cases, at least 24 hours ahead.
Of course, this is not ideal for individuals who have emergency trips or last-minute travels. Consequently, this places constraints on what the passenger is able to do. For example, if you had to take paratransit to work but was invited to a post-work dinner, you may not be able to attend. Paratransit scheduling does not allow for spontaneous events. In the event that these situations occur, you may have to find an alternative non-para-transit ride home.
Furthermore, paratransit costs more per ride to operate than convention buses or trains. The vehicles may cost a bit more due to their specialized nature and may experience additional maintenance costs as well. It can prevent many public transit agencies from expanding their paratransit programs. Likewise, it is a big reason why the paratransit service and passenger ratio is troublesome.
Are there solutions to these matters?
Thankfully, yes! While having a system that is accessible for all disabilities and conditions is an extreme challenge, we can always try to improve.
Having regulations for sidewalk width can help with bus stop accessibility. Due to the vast scope of this, it would not happen overnight and may require years and even decades for every place to be compliant. Still, we have come a long way and have made significant changes for the disabled community, so anything can happen!
Automotive companies can help find ways of building cheaper accessible vehicles, reducing the massive costs associated with today’s accessible car and van models. This means not only cheaper paratransit vehicles but also cheaper private vehicles. This type of system not only benefits those who are able to drive but could not afford to buy cars, but also the para-transit systems in general.
Cheaper car manufacturing costs can also help a taxicab industry that is intimidated by the costs of accessible vehicles. In addition, having well-trained drivers can improve safety; with more accessible taxicabs, there may be more passengers with accessibility needs, which can give drivers some valuable experience in this field.


What is Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)?
Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is a rare disease that causes tumors and cysts to grow in your body. They can grow in your brain and spinal cord, kidneys, pancreas, adrenal glands, and reproductive tract. The tumors are usually benign (non-cancerous). But some tumors, such as those in the kidney and pancreas, can become cancerous.
What causes Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)?
Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is a genetic disease. It is inherited, which means that it is passed down from parent to child.
What are the symptoms of Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)?
Symptoms of VHL depend on the size and location of the tumors. They may include
- Problems with balance and walking
- Weakness of the limbs
- Vision problems
- High blood pressure
How is Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) diagnosed?
Detecting and treating VHL early is important. Your health care provider may suspect that you have VHL if you have certain patterns of cysts and tumors. There is a genetic test for VHL. If you have it, you will need other tests, including imaging tests, to look for tumors and cysts.
What are the treatments for Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)?
Treatment can vary, depending on the location and size of the tumors and cysts. It usually involves surgery. Certain tumors may be treated with radiation therapy. The goal is to treat growths while they are small and before they do permanent damage. You will need to have careful monitoring by a doctor and/or medical team familiar with the disorder.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Genetics Home Reference: von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: von Hippel-Lindau Disease (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Multicystic Pancreas on Endoscopic Ultrasound Imaging: Worth Thinking Outside the...
- Article: Von Hippel-Lindau Disease With Multi-Organ Involvement: A Case Report and...
- Article: Perioperative outcomes of syndromic paraganglioma and pheochromocytoma resection in patients...
- Von Hippel-Lindau Disease -- see more articles


Key Stage 5
Drama & Theatre Studies
Exam Board: Eduqas
Entry Requirements: GCSE Grade 5 in Drama
Students will learn how to use their knowledge and understanding of theatrical forms to explore and perform plays. They will learn how plays relate to the contexts in which they are created and performed. Students will study the ways in which plays are interpreted by different directors, designers, performers and audiences. They will need to acknowledge that drama and theatre texts have a range of intentions and meanings.
Units Studied in Year 12 & 13:
Component 1 - Theatre Workshop: internally assessed, externally moderated. 20% of qualification.
Learners will be assessed on their acting and will participate in the creation, development and performance of a piece of theatre based on a reinterpretation of an extract from a text chosen from a list supplied by the exam board.
Component 2 - Text in Action: Externally assessed by a visiting examiner. 40% of qualification.
Learners will be assessed on their acting and will participate in the creation, development and performance of two pieces of theatre based on a stimulus supplied by the exam board.
Component 3: Text in Performance written examination: 2 hours 30 minutes. 40% of qualification. Sections A and B Open book: Clean copies (no annotation) of the two complete texts chosen must be taken into the examination. Two questions, based on two different texts, one written pre-1956 and one written post-1956. Section C Closed book:
Skills gained and enrichment opportunities:
The Eduqas course allows us to put an emphasis on Drama as a practical, intellectual and artistic subject with practical exploration of social, cultural and historical context. The construction of Drama as a means of enquiry and communication is a focal point and to encourage critical analysis through the making of informed judgments as part of the drama process.
The course is designed to provide a stepping-stone towards any career in the theatre industry. As well as teaching key skills in acting, devising and designing, the course also provides an excellent theatrical grounding for a degree in Drama and English and English Literature. Knowledge and understanding developed during the course can, however, be usefully applied to a diverse range of higher education courses including Law, Communications, Teaching and Journalism to name a few. The skills developed in A-level Drama and Theatre enable students to develop vital skills for all degrees and career prospects. These include becoming confident individuals, excellent problem solvers, team workers, public speakers, creative, analytical and critical thinkers.


PhD. in Mathematics
Norm was 4th at the 2004 USA Weightlifting Nationals! He still trains and competes occasionally, despite his busy schedule.
Let’s talk about another trig equation, this time a secant equation. Now a secant equation involves the reciprocal function secant. Anytime you see a reciprocal function, you want to turn this into a trig equation involving sine cosine or tangent.
So the first thing I’m going to do is call this 1 over cosine of 3x equals 2, because secant equals 1 over cosine. And then I can take the reciprocal of both sides and I get cosine of 3 equals a half. And so you see that I’m in two steps I know that I no longer have to deal with the secant function and this is always true you never have to deal with the reciprocal trig functions when you are solving trig equations. You can go back to one of the familiar ones.
So we have cosine of 3x equals one half, let me make a little substitution here. This is what I usually do when I have something other than just the variable inside my trig function, I’ll call this theta. And so my equation becomes cosine of theta equals a half. And I can find the solutions to this equation on the unit circle. So here is the unit circle, I need to find angles that make the first coordinate of this point one half, because that’s how cosine is defined.
So if you recall pi over 3 does that. Of course this problem asks us to solve for x in the interval from 0 degrees to 360 degrees. This tells us two things, first of all that we are not going to want infinitely many solutions and second that we are working in degrees and not radian. So let me immediately switch to 60 degrees, pi over 3 is 60 degrees, that gives me 1 solution.
How to get another? Remember that sine and cosine each have two solutions usually per period. There’s going to be another solution and with cosine the other solutions due to the fact that cosines are even function, opposite inputs have the same output. You can see that on the unit circle by thinking what are the points on the units circle has an x coordinate of one half? There’s one down here and it's going to be the mirror image of this point. So you are going to have one half common negative y whatever the y coordinate is and see you are going to have the second solution being -60 degrees by symmetry. So for -60 degrees.
Now to get the remainder of the solution we have to use periodicity so we’ve got theta equals plus or minus 60 degrees and when you are dealing with degrees, periodicity means you can add an integer multiple of 360 degrees. Normally we add integer multiple of 2 pi, because 2 pi is one radian but then degrees are one revolution rather. In degrees one revolution is 360 degrees.
So we are about ready to re-substitute, remember that I substituted theta for 3x. So we are going back to 3x and that’s what we get. All we have to do is divide by 3. So dividing by 3 gives me plus or minus 20 degrees plus n times 120.
Now the problem asked me to find only solutions between 0 and 360, so I don’t want to give this as my final answer because I'm not exactly reading the instructions here, so let me start with 20 degrees. Plus 20 degrees plus 0 times 120 that’s the smallest solution I’m going to get. And then let me start with the 20 degrees and keep adding integer multiples until I leave the interval from 0 to 360. So I’m going to add 120 and get 140.
That one is good. I add 120 again and get 260, also good. Add 120 again and get 380 not the interval, so I wouldn’t include that. Now I know that -20 is not a solution but when I add multiples of 120 degrees I will get solutions, so let me add 120 and get 100 degrees that’s the solution, that one will be. Add another 120, 220, add another, 340 and you can see that if you add another 120 you’ll be outside of the interval. So these are your solutions. 20 ,140, 260, 100, 220 and 340.
And notice the way I worked this out I started with the positive 20 and I added multiples of 120. Here I started with -20 and I added multiples of -120 and I'll just chose this as my final answer so the values actually fall in the intervals 0 and 360, that’s your final answer.


LIVING under communism makes countries poorer and less healthy for decades, according to scientists publishing a landmark new study.
Researchers testing historical connections between cultures found that whether a country had been under communism was the biggest factor for those with lower health, income and educational levels.
In the first undertaking of its kind, they analysed the fortunes of 44 countries across Europe and Asia and looked at geography, faith, systems of government and a more intangible quality called “deep cultural ancestry”
Writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science they matched these factors against where they ranked on the United Nations Human Development Index, which measures per capita income, life expectancy at birth and the number of years its citizens spend in education.
Most of the issues they looked at appeared to have little or no effect on the disparities between the countries, except for Islamic countries scoring a little worse on education.
Instead, the single strongest predictor for a country’s health, and the second strongest for its wealth turned out to be whether its rulers had embraced communism.
MOST READ IN POLITICS:
The study said after World War Two economic growth in communist Eastern Europe was slower than in the West, but despite the Soviet Union’s collapse almost 30 years ago the effects are still being felt.
It said communism was also behind the stagnation of life expectancy behind the Iron Curtain during the 1970s and 1980s, which has set those countries back even today.
The researchers say: “The proximate causes for this low life expectancy are complex, but high alcohol consumption, smoking and poor workplace safety, as well as low quality diet and living conditions associated with lower income levels are implicated.”


Depression is a problem for so many of us, both young and old, especially during the winter months we’re just now leaving (or just entering, depending on your location on the planet). It’s a whole-body illness that takes a toll on our bodies, nervous system, moods, thoughts, and behavior. It affects the way you sleep and eat, how you feel about yourself, and how you react to and think about the people and things around you. These symptoms can last for weeks, months, or even years.
Although the causes of depression are not fully understood, they are most definitely many and varied. Depression can be triggered by tension, stress, a traumatic life event, a hyper-stimulated immune system, chemical imbalances in the brain, thyroid disorders, nutritional deficiencies, poor diet, the consumption of sugar, lack of exercise, any serious physical disorder, or even severe allergies. Whatever the factors that trigger it though, depression begins with a disturbance in the part of the brain that governs moods. Most people can handle everyday stresses. However, when stress is too great for a person and his or her adjustment mechanism is unresponsive, depression can be triggered.
The winter months can cause us to become more depressed as the days are shorter and darker. This type of disorder is known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). People who suffer from it lose their energy, suffer anxiety attacks, grain weight as a result of craving the wrong foods, sleep too much, and have a reduced sex drive.
Foods greatly influence our brain’s behavior. A poor diet, especially one with a ton of junk food, is a common cause of depression. The levels of neurotransmitters, brain chemicals that regulate our behavior, are controlled by what we eat. And the neurotransmitters most commonly associated with mood are dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. When the brain produces serotonin, tension is eased. When it produces dopamine or norepinephrine, we tend to think and act more quickly and are generally more alert.
Here are some of my holistic recommendations for those looking to elevate their mood:
1. Eat a diet that includes plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds, brown rice, millet, and legumes. Yes, that means a Sunwarrior protein smoothie is an excellent choice!
2. Eat protein meals containing essential fatty acids. Seeds are wonderful sources: chia, hemp, or flax. Seaweed, beans, winter squash, leafy greens, berries, and wild rice are also great options.
3. Omit wheat products from your diet if you have a legitimate gluten sensitivity. Wheat gluten has been linked to depressive disorders in those who do not tolerate gluten protein.
4. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods.
5. Avoid sugar, as it will lead to fatigue and depression once you crash. I recommend stevia as a sweetener, as it does not have the same effect on the body as sugar or the side effects of artificial sugar substitutes.
6. Avoid foods high in saturated fats, such as French fries or hamburgers, which lead to sluggishness, slow thinking, and fatigue.
7. Avoid diet sodas and other products containing the artificial sweetener aspartame. This additive can possibly block the formation of serotonin and cause headaches, insomnia, and depression.
8. Meditate. Learn to re-route negative thinking patterns. Try daily positive affirmations. Developing a better way of thinking is crucial.
9. Get plenty of rest.
10. Exercise! Studies show that exercise, even just walking, is most important for all types of depression. It alters the brain chemicals norepinephrine and serotonin.
11. Listen to music. It has powerful effects on our mood. Do not underestimate it.
12. Consider taking an herbal supplement. St. John’s wort has been used for medicinal purposes in other parts of the world for thousands of years. You may take it in liquid or capsule form. The dried form may also be used as a tea. Kava kava helps to induce calm and relieve depression.
13. Investigate the possibility that food allergies are causing or contributing to your depression.
14. B Vitamins, especially folate and B6, can be helpful in mild depression.
15. Light therapy can be one way to ease symptoms during the shorter days. It includes sitting near a brightly lit box that mimics outdoor light. The therapy generally starts with daily sessions of about 15 minutes and increases to up to two hours daily.
16. Seek professional help. Find a psychotherapist, mental health professional, or grief counselor who can help you explore what is contributing to your depressed state and facilitate recovery.
17. Try acupuncture as an alternative therapy.
18. Go to a support group. These groups provide education on depression, a community of support, and the opportunity to learn from others dealing with similar issues. If opposed, I suggest finding another group that shares your interest, such as joining a book club or taking a cooking class. If you are religious, go to your place of worship.
19. Keep a mood diary. This will allow for you to keep track of positive things happening in your life and keeps negative events in perspective.
20. Try yoga. It has been known to reduce stress, hostility, and anxiety.
While following these suggestions are not guaranteed to cure your depression, they will definitely ease symptoms.
Depression, like most physical and mental illnesses, is multifactorial. A holistic approach is necessary, so do not rely on any one remedy. Not just your mind and body, but your relationships, work, finances, how you express yourself creatively, how you satisfy yourself sexually, your environment, and whether you are letting your inner self shine all play a part in your wellbeing.
However, if all else fails and you need anti-depressants, do not beat yourself up! Sometimes you can do everything right, and if your imbalance is biochemical, you may need the drugs. Remember, tears are healthy. Let it out. Talk it out. This too shall pass.


The structure and principle of the shredder
The structure and working principle of the shredder: shredder has two main components "paper cutting knife" and "electric motor", between the belt and gear closely linked together, the motor drive belt, gear, energy transmitted to the paper cutting knife, and paper cutting knife by turning, chop the paper with a sharp metal angles.
On the market some shredder can choose two or more shredding ways. Different ways of scraps is suitable for different occasions, if is general office occasions select section shape, granular, filiform, strip is ok. But if it is used in some higher occasion to confidential requirement must use foam shaped. Currently adopts the way of four knife shredding is the most advanced way of working, scraps of paper, neat and agile, can achieve the result of a secret.
Shredder cutting principle are dislocation placed blade or cutting tool, under the action of power source, tear the paper. If the knife or blade set point, effect of section shape or granular, shredding, if there is no point, knife or blade set effect as strips.


NoDo is a coffee table made out of old wine container and concrete surface. The defining feature of NoDo is the main pattern embedded within the top plane that has been abstracted from decorative islamic patterns. the combined shapes used to articulate the overall ornamentation are called ‘gereh’, which means ‘nodes’ in the farsi language. their formation is determined by a mathematical organization from which an array of points generate lines that radiate and intersect. this allows for an infinite amount of compositions, all based on precise calculations that have historically been used on a large scale to dress architectonic elements such as entrances, arcs, window, and door frames. for more intricate details, the process has been used to ornament brickwork, ceramics, plaster, and mirrors.
Following a quote by Paul Arden in which he states, ‘whatever you think, think the opposite,’ the collective’s main philosophy strives to use materials that form unexpected combinations. Thus, each of the elements within NoDo are taken out of their ordinary context.The common use of these decorations includes application to architectonic elements such as entrances, arcs, window and door frames. In the smaller scale, it would be normally used in order to form decorative bricks, ceramics, plaster and mirrors. In NoDo we have made a fusion between tradition (pattern) and modernity (concrete).
Design Credit: Asia Samimi, Nima Fardi


During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Monday October 15th. At this time the moon is located near the sun and is invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but will not interfere with meteor observing. The estimated total hourly meteor rates for evening observers this week is near four for observers located at mid-northern latitudes and three for observers in mid-southern latitudes. For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near twenty from the mid-northern hemisphere and thirteen from the mid-southern hemisphere. The actual rates will also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness and experience in watching meteor activity.
The radiant (the area of the sky where meteors appear to shoot from) positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning October 13/14. These positions do not change greatly day to day so the listed coordinates may be used during this entire period. Most star atlases (available at science stores and planetariums) will provide maps with grid lines of the celestial coordinates so that you may find out exactly where these positions are located in the sky. A planisphere or computer planetarium program is also useful in showing the sky at any time of night on any date of the year. Activity from each radiant is best seen when it is positioned highest in the sky, either due north or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. It must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen at the radiant position. Rather they shoot outwards from the radiant so it is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies at the edge and not the center. Viewing there will allow you to easily trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it is a shower member) or in another direction if it is a sporadic. Meteor activity is not seen from radiants that are located below the horizon. The positions below are listed in a west to east manner in order of right ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed first are located further west therefore are accessible earlier in the night while those listed further down the list rise later in the night.
The following radiants are expected to be active this week:
The center of the large Southern Taurid (STA) radiant is currently located at 02:24 (036) +10. This position lies near on the Cetus/Aries border. The fourth magnitude star Xi 2 Ceti lies two degrees southeast from the center of the radiant. The radiant is so large that Southern Taurid activity may also appear from eastern Pisces, Aries, northern Cetus, northern Eridanus, and western Taurus. This radiant is best placed near 0200 local daylight time (LDT), when it lies on the meridian and is located highest in the sky. Maximum occurred on October 9th, but rates remain near maximum levels of three per hour for a week after this date. With an entry velocity of 29 km/sec., the average Southern Taurid meteor would be of slow velocity.
The Orionids (ORI) are producing 3-5 shower members per hour during the last few hours before dawn, when the radiant lies highest in the sky. The radiant is currently located at 06:00 (090) +16, which is in the northeastern Orion, eight degrees northwest of the brilliant first magnitude orange star Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis). Orionid meteors are equally well seen either side of the equator. With an entry velocity of 67 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be swift. Maximum activity is predicted to occur on the 22nd when hourly rates should be near twenty.
The Epsilon Geminids (EGE) are active all month long with low hourly rates. Even at maximum activity only three shower members per hour are expected. Recent research by the IMO has indicated an earlier maximum of October 15th, rather than October 19th. The radiant position is currently located at 06:27 (097) +29. This position actually lies within the borders of Auriga, just east of the faint star Kappa Aurigae. The radiant is also best placed during the last dark hour before dawn, when it lies highest above the horizon in a dark sky. Rates would be near two per hour as seen from the northern hemisphere and less than one per hour as seen south of the equator. With an entry velocity of 70 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be swift.
Studies of the IMO’s video database by Sirko Molau and Juergen Rendtel has revealed a radiant active in Lynx this time of year. Earlier visual observations of this activity placed the radiant in eastern Auriga. Therefore the radiant is known as the Psi Aurigids (PSA). This radiant is active from October 8-18, with maximum activity occurring on the 12th. The radiant drift is not well established as positions jump around quite a bit during its ten day activity period. At maximum the radiant is located at 07:36 (113) +47. This position lies in a remote area of central Lynx. The nearest bright star is second magnitude Castor (Alpha Geminorum), which lies fifteen degrees to the south. This is a weak display and even at maximum activity rates would most likely be less than one shower member per hour, no matter you location. With an entry velocity of 68 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be swift.
Studies of the IMO’s video database by Sirko Molau and Juergen Rendtel has also revealed a radiant active in Ursa Major this time of year. The October Ursae Majorids (OCU). are active from October 15-20, with maximum activity occurring on the 16th. At maximum the radiant is located at 09:36 (144) +65. This position lies in western Ursa Major, near the faint star 23 Ursae Majoris. This area of the sky is best placed during the last hour before morning twilight, when it lies highest above the horizon in a dark sky. At maximum activity rates would most likely be 1-2 per hour. Due to the high northern location of this radiant, these meteors are not well seen from the southern hemisphere. With an entry velocity of 54km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be medium-swift.
The Leonis Minorids (LMI) are active from October 16-27 with maximum activity occurring on October 23rd. Hourly rates would be less than one this week. This radiant is currently located at 10:16 (154) +38, which places it in northern Leo Minor, two degrees northwest of the fourth magnitude star Beta Leonis Minoris . The radiant is best placed just before dawn when it lies highest in a dark sky. This shower is better situated for observers situated in the northern hemisphere where the radiant rises far higher into the sky before the start of morning twilight. At 60km/sec., the average Leonis Minorid is swift.
As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45N) one would expect to see approximately ten sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn as seen from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near three per hour. As seen from the mid-southern hemisphere (45S), morning rates would be near five per hour as seen from rural observing sites and two per hour during the evening hours. Locations between these two extremes would see activity between the listed figures.
The table below presents a condensed version of the expected activity this week. Rates and positions are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning .
|SHOWER||DATE OF MAXIMUM ACTIVITY||CELESTIAL POSITION||ENTRY VELOCITY||CULMINATION||HOURLY RATE||CLASS|
|RA (RA in Deg.) DEC||Km/Sec||Local Daylight Time||North-South|
|Southern Taurids (STA)||Oct 09||02:24 (036) +10||29||02:00||3 – 3||II|
|Orionids (ORI)||Oct 22||06:00 (090) +16||67||06:00||4 – 4||I|
|Epsilon Geminids (EGE)||Oct 15||06:27 (097) +29||70||07:00||2 – <1||II|
|Psi Aurigids (PSA)||Oct 12||07:36 (114) +47||68||08:00||<1 – <1||IV|
|October Ursae Majorids (OCU)||Oct 16||09:36 (144) +65||54||10:00||1 – <1||IV|
|Leonis Minorids (LMI)||Oct 23||10:16 (154) +38||60||11:00||<1 – <1||II|


|Home » Activities » Radio astronomy - http://laeff.inta.es/radio/?Section=Radioastronomy|
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X Ray Binaries Monitoring
Quasar Radio Emission Variability Study
Jupiter Magnetosphere Study
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. These sources of radio emission include stars and galaxies, as well as entirely new classes of objects, such as radio galaxies, quasars, pulsars, and masers. Radio astronomy is conducted using large radio antennas referred to as radio telescopes, that are either used singularly, or with multiple linked telescopes utilizing the techniques of radio interferometry and aperture synthesis. The use of interferometry allows radio astronomy to achieve high angular resolution, as the resolving power of an interferometer is set by the distance between its components, rather than the size of its components.


Cardiac surgeons require a great deal of imagery before they operate on a child’s heart. They need to be able to visualize the arrangement of the heart’s components and defects they want to correct before they embark on surgery. For decades, visualization imagery was provided by MRIs and CT scans. Now those imaging technologies are starting points for fully rendered 3D models of the heart, models the surgeons can touch and analyze from all angles before they enter the operating suite.
In a process jointly developed with the Images Processing Applications Lab at Arizona State University, the nationally recognized Cardiac 3D Print Lab at Heart Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital uses the images produced by MRIs and CT scans to print accurate 3D models of patients’ hearts. In addition to providing crucial information to surgeons, the accuracy of the models improves communication with families, who may be struggling to understand their child’s condition.
Leading-edge activities, however, aren’t always free of workplace hazards. Production processes in the Cardiac 3D Print Lab entail the use of enamels, epoxies, and adhesives. Proper safeguards for these processes include adequate ventilation.
Testimonial from a Team Member at the Cardiac 3D Print Lab
Justin Ryan, a team member from the Cardiac 3D Print Lab, reviewed our ductless spray hood and python portable fume extractor after using it in the lab. He is very satisfied with the safety protection our products provide and supplied the following review.
Ductless Fume Hood/Spray Hood
The lab uses a 650 zPrinter (Z Corporation), a full-color printer, that prints a gypsum powder with ink binding agents. Printer models are coated in the fume hood to make them stronger. They also use the fume hood to mix epoxies and silicones for other medical applications.
Phoenix Children’s Hospital houses the Cardiac 3D Print Lab which produces 3D printed models for surgical planning, family consultation, and medical education in addition to innovating research. Some research applications require epoxies, enamels, plastics, silicones, and dissolving agents. In order to achieve a safe environment without slowing down momentum in research, we purchased the SS-330-DSH. The ductless fume hood was quickly integrated into the laboratory without significant infrastructure change, which would have been very challenging in a hospital. The hood allows us to effortlessly move models from the 3D printer to coating or casting processes that need ventilation.
Portable Fume Extractor
The facility also purchased a Model 400 Python Portable Fume Extractor (SS-400-PYT) for various fume extraction uses in the lab. The Cardiac 3D Print Lab uses a Model 400 Floor Sentry with a python hose like the unit shown in this photo to capture 3D printing particles. Like the Model 330 spray hood discussed above, the Model 400 traps respiratory hazards without expensive facility updates. Heavy-duty casters and use of standard 115 electrical outlets make the Model 400 a productive asset in innovative workplaces.
In addition, we recognized the capabilities of the ductless technology and purchased the SS-400-PYT. The Portable Floor Sentry is able to be pushed to the area in the lab that needs it the most. It is easy to utilize the Floor Sentry for ventilating our vacuum chambers one moment then to the modified printer with experimental materials.
Overall Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Cardiac 3D Print Lab is very satisfied with our product due to the easy integration into the workflow. To close out the review Justin Ryan added:
Both Sentry units have been integrated into our lab and have been critical to its workflow.
About Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Phoenix Children’s Hospital is one of the largest pediatric hospitals in the US. The staff provides world-class care in over 70 specialty fields of pediatric medicine. Phoenix Children’s Heart Center provides pediatric cardiac care to infants, children and teens with congenital heart defects, rhythm disturbances, heart failure and other cardiac-related problems.
3D Print Labs and Maker Spaces Benefit from Fume Extraction
Sentry Air is very pleased to know that our products are performing well in the Cardiac 3D Print Lab. To read more about our ductless fume extractors and 3D printing, check out earlier blogs about counting particles and 3D printing at the Children’s Museum of Houston and our recent installation of an ambient air cleaner there.
If you’re seeking appropriate ventilation for your lab processes without disruption to the physical facility, please give our applications specialists a call at 800.799.4609, Email us at email@example.com or contact us through our contact form
Cardiac 3-D Print Lab
Image Processing Lab, University of Arizona
3D printing fume extraction for the medical and surgical industry
Video: Biomedical engineers create 3-D model of heart
Ultraﬁne particle emissions from desktop 3D printers, by Brent Stephens, Parham Azimi, Zeineb El Orcha, Tiffanie Ramos Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA, National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA de Lyon), Lyon, France
Nanotoxicology: An Emerging Discipline Evolving from Studies of Ultrafine Particles, Environ Health Perspect. 2005 July; 113(7): 823–839, by Günter Oberdörster, Eva Oberdörster, and Jan Oberdörster


This program uses fun elements that help children learn different skills. This program can be extended to include language, literacy and social science skills addition to sciences. LEGO® WeDo™ Construction kit will be used to design interactive machines with two sensors. The students will learn how to program them on the computers using the drag and drop coding software like Scratch (An open source MIT developed software for children for animation, games and storytelling). The program will give the students an opportunity to explore their creativity and let them put to practice the engineering rules that they have learnt. Robotics with LEGO® WeDo™ helps children create real life models in a simple to make way. LEGO® WeDo™ construction kit is an excellent platform to teach children engineering knowledge and skills. We use this platform to make their learning experiential.
The program provides experiential learning through a series of cross curricular and theme based activities. The categories of models created are Amazing Mechanisms, Wild Animals, Play Soccer and Adventure Stories. In the robotics program we cover 18 unique models. More than 150 elements like motor, tilt sensor, motion sensor, LEGO USB Hub etc, are used to demonstrate every aspects of model construction.
In this program, which is aligned with State and national common core standards, students will learn a basic software language that will enable them to program the models on the computer and download the program to the models. The students will experience, for the first time, how to cause the models to execute certain reactions and movements by utilizing the tilt and motion sensors.


Friday, December 4, 2015
California farmers now see drought as rule, not exception
By Robert Rodriguez
FRESNO, CALIFORNIA – Farmers are no strangers to struggle or drought. But this four-year drought is different than others, they say. It’s more widespread, touching nearly everyone who turns on the tap or starts an irrigation pump.
This past summer, wells dried up and farmland sat idle. The drought also came to mean that life on the farm has likely changed forever.
“In the early years when we went through a drought, we tended to say that this too shall pass,” said Richard Waycott, president of the Almond Board of California in Modesto. “But there is a different consciousness now. People are looking at the future very differently.”
California farmers talk of a new reality – one in which droughts are more of the rule than the exception, and water availability, both above and below ground, becomes less certain.
Third-generation Fresno County farmer George Goshgarian smiles when he thinks about what his grandfather would say about all the gadgets now on the farm: soil moisture sensors, miles of drip irrigation hose, a weather station and a device that measures the uptake of water in an almond tree.
Goshgarian isn’t entirely sure if any of this technology will ultimately help keep him in business. But he needs to try.
“This won’t be the last drought we will have,” he said.
Goshgarian is also taking part in a groundwater recharge project involving the Almond Board of California, University of California scientists and a San Francisco-based group called Sustainable Conservation. Goshgarian is one of several farmers in the San Joaquin Valley whose lands are being used as test sites. Other trials will be done in pistachio orchards and alfalfa fields. Researchers say recharge could reduce overdrafting – when more water gets pumped from an underground basin than gets replenished – by 12 percent to 20 percent.
This winter, if El Niño delivers as expected, water from the Kings River will be applied on Goshgarian’s 62-acre block of almonds to see how well it recharges the aquifer below. Scientists have identified specific areas in the state that could lend themselves to groundwater recharge.
After four dry winters, Fresno and California’s San Joaquin Valley could see above-average rain and snowfall this winter from an El Niño ocean pattern in the eastern Pacific Ocean. But while chances for a wet winter are increased, meteorologists stress that there’s no guarantee; it will take more than one good year to make up for the effects of the region’s severe drought.
University of California, Davis, soil scientist Toby O’Geen said researchers looked at the type of soil in the area – the more porous the better – and what crop is being grown. What scientists want to find out is if standing water in an orchard or field will damage a plant or tree’s root system.
Goshgarian realizes there is a risk to his orchard, but that’s what farming is about, he says.
“We are in a different paradigm now,” Goshgarian said. “There is a real fear out there about how much water we may have to farm. And that’s why we are doing everything we can think of to keep going.”
Don Cameron, a Fresno County grower who has been working on groundwater recharge for nearly two decades, said one of his vineyards was in standing water for nearly two months in 2011, with no ill effects.
“We have proven we can do it,” he said. “We just need to convince other growers to apply water during wintertime and flood periods. The fact is, we can’t continue to pump and not replace the groundwater.”
The 2015 drought also delivered a gut check for farmers, who long assumed that California consumers were on their side in the fight for water.
During the 2009 drought, when farmers shouldered the brunt of that drought, the public wasn’t asked to reduce water usage. The situation is more dire now. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency that included a requirement for urban residents to reduce their consumption by 25 percent.
People ripped out lawns, trees died and most homeowners conserved as much water as they could. For the most part, people complied. Then came media reports taking farmers to task for how much water it takes to grow certain crops. The public fumed and almond growers, in particular, were roasted for farming one of the most water-intensive crops.
“Farmers thought that because people ate what they grow, that they understood and supported them,” said Aubrey Bettencourt, executive director of the California Water Alliance in Hanford. “But that wasn’t the case at all.”
Farmers admit feeling blindsided by the reaction. Grassroots organizations defending farmers began to sprout, including My Job Depends on Ag, FarmFacts.org and the California Water for Food and People Movement.
Kristi Diener of Clovis, the wife of a farmer, helped launch the food and people group out of frustration over the public’s perception of farmers as water hogs. Her goals are to educate the public about why water is vital to agriculture and to push for changes in water policy. Her group supports the effort to build more dams and reservoirs, including the proposed Temperance Flat Dam, near Auberry in the foothills of eastern Fresno County.
“It seems like a lot of people have been in this water battle for a long time, but you go and march, or hold a rally, and then the rains come and everyone goes about their business,” Diener said. “I felt it was time to stand up and do something because things are not going back to the way they used to be.”
Land goes unplanted
No one understands that more than Cannon Michael, president of Bowles Farming Co., a diversified, 10,500-acre family farm in Los Banos.
Michael fallowed about 2,300 acres, or roughly one-quarter of Bowles’ total acreage, because of a lack of water. The land could have produced alfalfa, tomatoes or melons. On its existing acreage of processing tomatoes, melons, corn and cotton, the farm spent nearly $2 million on a solar installation to reduce the rising cost of operating its electricity-powered irrigation system.
“Any capital expense is going to cut into your profitability, but if we don’t do it, we are risking not being here in the future,” Michael said.
No farm has been immune from the drought’s reach. Small farmers have suffered, too. The Masumotos in Del Rey, growers of organic tree fruit including the famed Sun Crest peach, fallowed about 20 percent of their farm. It was the first time in nearly 70 years that the farm was unable to get water to all of its tree fruit and grape acres.
“My dad would have had a hard time seeing that land fallowed,” said David Mas Masumoto. “We always planted every acre. But this time, we had no choice.”
This year, the Masumotos became students again, learning new things about their water table, how deep it was and where it was under their trees and vines.
Masumoto’s daughter Nikiko also began experimenting with drought-tolerant crops. She planted several olive trees, a fig tree and lentil plants, and is looking into several plants native to South Africa.
“I want to develop as vast a tool chest as I can, assuming that drought will be part of my life,” she said. “I have to accept that and respond.”
The Masumotos have even talked about more dire possibilities, such as how much water it will take just to keep things alive. Nikiko says that in a strange way she feels gratified that this is happening early in her farming career. She is developing the skills and knowledge to farm in this new reality.
She worries that there may still be some who haven’t accepted that California agriculture is changing.
“The global population will be 9 billion in 2050, and California is an essential part of the food system,” she said. “So if we haven’t learned any lessons from this drought, we are going to be in big trouble.”
Robert Rodriguez: 559-441-6327, @FresnoBeeBob, email@example.com
Don’t expect a brawny El Niño to bust California’s historic drought
By Tim Sheehan
FRESNO, CALIF. – Scientists say a vast swath of warmer-than-normal water known as El Niño circulating in the eastern Pacific Ocean is poised to be one of the strongest of the past seven decades. It has the potential to play a key role in the formation of storms that could bring much-needed rain and snow to California and at least ease the effects of the state’s severe four-year drought.
But there’s that one word – “potential” – that commands attention for the state’s residents, farmers and water regulators, according to weather experts. They add that it will take more than one good winter for the region to escape the grasp of a sustained drought.
“A strong El Niño refers to how much warmer than average the equatorial Pacific Ocean is,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center in Maryland. “The one we’re seeing now is currently strong. … It’s among the top two or three events we’ve seen going back to 1950.”
The warmest versions of El Niño to develop in the past seven decades occurred in 1997-98 and in 1982-83.
“In both of those events, California saw a lot of rain and snow,” Halpert said. “The hope is that this one delivers a similar type of pattern.”
Even with an El Niño that last month had sea surface temperatures warmer than normal and on the rise, there’s no such thing as “a sure thing” that California will get above-normal rain and snow this winter and spring.
“The conditions are what we’d call ‘favored,’ but you can’t guarantee anything about climate. There are an awful lot of things that go on in climate,” Halpert said. “A strong El Niño shifts the odds in our favor. But even if you go to Las Vegas and play craps with your own loaded dice, you’re not going to roll a seven every time.”
Forecasters anticipate that this El Niño will bring a wet year for California, “especially in Southern California, but that’s not necessarily where we want it to be,” Halpert said, noting that most of the state’s water storage falls as mountain snow in Northern California.
“You can get too much, too fast sometimes, and that creates flooding and mudslides. And you got a taste of that recently,” he added, referring to October mudslides that trapped trucks and cars on Interstate 5 over Tejon Pass south of Bakersfield and on Highway 58 over the Tehachapi Pass between Bakersfield and Mojave.
History shows that El Niño tends to be about an even-money proposition when it comes to dropping substantially more rain and snow on the Central Valley and the central Sierra Nevada. Both of the previous “very strong” El Niño events, in 1982-83 and 1997-98, packed a wet punch across the entire state. But other El Niño events have been duds.
“There have been prior strong El Niño events that did not bring the Valley above-average precipitation,” said Brian Ochs, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Hanford. “Back in around 1965-66 (considered a strong El Niño), Fresno got below-average rainfall and there was snowpack in the Sierra that was average to below average.”
Since 1950, El Niño patterns have occurred 24 times. In 12 of those years, annual rainfall in Fresno has been below the 30-year norm of 11.5 inches. In the other 12, Fresno saw more rainfall than the long-term average. And in the Sierra, at Kaiser Pass in eastern Fresno County, the precious water content of the benchmark April 1 snowpack was actually below normal in 13 of the 24 El Niño years, and above normal 11 times.
That historical context is important for people to remember this year. But forecasters are getting more comfortable with the odds of more rain and snow this winter as the equatorial Pacific keeps warming up.
“A 50 percent chance of above-average rainfall around here is usually pretty confident,” Ochs said. “We’re pretty confident that we’ll see more precipitation than recent seasons, especially the past four years.”
What the future holds
Kevin Werner, a Seattle-based Western region climate services director for the National Centers for Environmental Information, said history can be instructive for people’s expectations for winter weather, with or without an El Niño.
“Historically, we characterize the climate in the Southwest and California as long periods of dry punctuated by much shorter periods of wet, and sometimes extreme wet,” Werner said. “Regardless of El Niño or climate change or anything else, that climate tends to be one that’s highly variable and tends to see a lot of dry days, dry months or even dry years. That’s the normal.”
“There are many other four- or five-year droughts in the paleo-climate data that go back to 1000 AD,” he added.
A scientific evaluation of tree rings, produced last year for the state Department of Water Resources, reinforces that historic climatic perspective. The width of trees’ annual growth rings tends to correspond to wet and dry years as indicated by river flows.
In the San Joaquin River watershed, an analysis of tree rings indicates that over the past 1,100 years, the region has endured 35 sustained droughts of at least four years in length before the current drought began. Five of those periods have occurred since 1900. The average length of those extended droughts was more than six years, and the two longest drought periods reflected in tree rings were 12 years, from 1450 through 1461, and 13 years, from 1471 through 1483.
Weather experts say that even a gully washer of a winter cannot fully heal California’s drought wounds. That’s because breaking a drought of this magnitude requires more than just rain falling by the bucket-load and snow burying the mountains.
“It’s possible in one year do a pretty good job of filling your reservoirs,” said Halpert. “But when you look at drought, you’re looking at time scales of short-term drought and long-term drought. … A long-term drought goes more into the groundwater. Over the last few years, your area has survived by draining the groundwater – and that’s not going to recharge in one year.”
The underground water table takes years to recharge, “and it doesn’t take nearly as long to drain it,” Halpert added. “That’s a challenge that folks in California are going to be dealing with for a long time.”
Inches of rainfall in Fresno in 1982-83, a very strong El Niño year
Inches of rainfall in Fresno in 1997-98, a very strong El Niño year
Inches of rainfall in Fresno in 2015-16, expected to be a very strong El Niño year
Tim Sheehan: 559-441-6319, @TimSheehanNews
Los Angeles Times
Pesticides as bad for kids’ lungs as cigarette smoke, study says
By Geoffrey Mohan
Chronic exposure to pesticides can damage children’s lung function by about as much as secondhand cigarette smoke does, according to a study of farmworker children in the Salinas Valley.
The long-term study of 279 children from farmworker families is the first to suggest that even being one step removed from pesticides can bring harm to children’s lungs. Previous studies examined effects on adults who spray the chemicals or work in fields where the pesticides are applied.
“This is really the first time that it’s a residential population, and a residential population of children,” said study coauthor Brenda Eskenazi, an epidemiologist at UC Berkeley.
The children have been followed since birth as part of a broader study that began about 15 years ago with 601 pregnant women in the Salinas Valley, conducted by the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas, CHAMACOS.
Previous studies from that group have turned up correlations between organophosphate exposure to pregnant women and shorter-duration pregnancies, diminished reflexes in their babies, and lower cognitive function in older children.
In the current study, published online Thursday in the journal Thorax, pregnant women were tested for chemicals in their urine that come from metabolizing organophosphates. Their children were tested at five intervals, from six months of age to five years, then were given a series of exhalation-measuring tests at age seven.
The researchers found a significant correlation between lower exhalation rates — roughly equivalent to about 8% less air — and higher levels of organophosphate metabolites. The decrease in lung function was similar to the declines chronicled in a well-known study of prolonged exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke, conducted in 1983.
No correlation was found between prenatal exposure and the diminished lung capacity.
Half of the women in the study had worked in agricultural fields, while about 84% of the families included at least one adult agricultural worker, Eskenazi said.
How the children may have been exposed is unclear. “It’s likely that some of the exposure is coming through the air, and a lot of the exposure is coming from food or other hand-to-mouth behavior, through ingestion,” Eskenazi said.
Researchers controlled for factors such as asthma incidence, smoking, exposure to particulate matter and a variety of demographic indicators.
“Of course, one study doesn’t ever say everything,” Eskenazi said. “You always have to confirm it with other studies.”
Organophosphates are a class of chemicals found in about three dozen pesticides registered for agricultural use in the U.S., according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which has banned them from home products. Several formerly approved chemicals, including chlorpyrifos, later were banned from food crops after concerns were raised about nerve damage to humans.
The agency is reviewing its registration of the chemicals, and in September issued a draft reassessment of risks the pesticides pose to humans.
The American Farm Bureau Federation, an industry advocacy group, supports continued use of organophosphates, including chlorpyrifos, as a crucial tool in managing dozens of food and fiber crops.
Charlotte Fadipe, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, said agency scientists would review the new study, but would not publicly comment on it.
Follow me on Twitter: @LATgeoffmohan
Appeals court throws out pesticide program
By Chelcey Adami
An appeals court has thrown out California’s light brown apple moth pesticide program aerially sprayed in Monterey County on the grounds that it violates state environmental laws, according to an environmental advocacy group.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s statewide pesticide campaign for the light brown apple moth included plans to aerially spray the San Francisco Bay Area for seven years. The program began by spraying in populated areas of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties in 2007 and resulted in hundreds of complaints of harm to human health and wildlife, according to EarthJustice.
The ruling by the Third District Court of Appeals was based on the state’s shift in the program’s goal from “eradication” to ongoing “control” of the apple moth without analyzing health and environmental impacts of an indefinite control program.
“This ruling vindicates our claim that a state agency cannot engage in bait and switch, presenting one program to the public but approving a significantly different program after the public review period ends. The court’s decision affirms the California Environmental Quality Act’s fundamental requirements for informing the public and decision makers,” said Summer Wynn of Cooley LLP, the petitioners’ attorney, in a prepared statement.
The department also failed to study feasible alternatives to its pesticide-based strategy, the court concluded.
The program cost $6 million in federal funds over two years and targets an insect that has done no documented damage to crops or wild plants in California, according to EarthJustice.
“This case is about looking before you leap,” said EarthJustice attorney Greg Loarie, who assisted with the case, in a prepared statement. “The Department of Food and Agriculture tried to impose this spraying program on the public without real environmental review, and the court has rightly called foul.”
California Supreme Court OKs organic labeling lawsuits
By Sudhin Thanawala
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Consumers have a right to file lawsuits under California law alleging food products are falsely labeled “organic,” the state Supreme Court ruled.
Thursday’s ruling overturned a lower court decision that barred such suits on the grounds that they were superseded and not allowed by federal law.
Congress wanted only state and federal officials to police organic food violations in order to create a national standard for organic foods, a division of the 2nd District Court of Appeal decided in 2013.
But the state Supreme Court said allowing consumer lawsuits would further congressional goals of curtailing fraud and ensuring consumers can rely on organic labels.
“Accordingly, state lawsuits alleging intentional organic mislabeling promote, rather than hinder, Congress’s purposes and objectives,” Associate Justice Kathryn Werdegar wrote for the unanimous court.
The ruling will have an impact beyond California’s borders, said Marsha Cohen, a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
“Nothing in here is irrelevant to a parallel case in another state,” she said. “The court is simply saying federal law does not supersede our consumer protection functions.”
At issue were allegations in a lawsuit by consumer Michelle Quesada that Herb Thyme Farms Inc. — one of the nation’s largest herb producers — mixed organic and non-organic herbs then falsely labeled the product “100 % organic.” The term “organic” means the food was produced using sustainable practices and without synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, or genetic engineering, according to the California Department of Public Health. The department says products labeled “100% organic” must consist of only organic ingredients.
A call to Cliff Neimeth, an attorney for Herb Thyme Farms, was not immediately returned.
The company said in court documents it had been authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use the organic label.
Allowing individual lawsuits challenging that designation would open it up to interpretation by a “lay jury,” creating a patchwork of standards for the term “organic” that would defeat the goal of a national organic foods marketplace, the company said.
“If a lone consumer can second-guess the USDA’s certification, and a grower cannot rely on its federal authorization to use the term, the already high cost of production of such products will skyrocket, or more likely, there will be no organic products to enjoy,” Mark Kemple, an attorney for Herb Thyme Farms, wrote in a 2014 brief to the California Supreme Court.
Werdegar said judges — not juries — would decide such lawsuits using the federal organic labeling standard.
Raymond Boucher, an attorney for Quesada, said the ruling was a big victory for consumers.
“When Ms. Quesada goes in to buy a product that’s stamped as organic, she wants to know this truly is organic, and she can feel good about it,” he said.
The state Supreme Court’s ruling reinstates Quesada’s lawsuit. The suit seeks to represent thousands of consumers who “fell victim to Herb Thyme’s scheme to mislead consumers into paying premium prices for impostor products,” her attorneys wrote in a court filing.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
North Coast wineries see opportunities, challenges ahead in 2016
By Bill Swindell
The North Coast wine industry remains in a relatively strong position going into 2016 despite a much lighter grape harvest this year and persistent environmental concerns, especially as its water use comes under greater scrutiny in a drought era, industry analysts said Thursday.
They are optimistic that the healthy state of the region’s wine industry will continue into the new year as sales remain strong for the premium wines — those priced at $10 and more per bottle — that are the hallmark of Napa and Sonoma counties.
But speakers at the North Coast Wine Industry Expo held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds also noted that for every likely positive, there was a potential negative that could impact the fortunes of the multibillion-dollar industry in the coming year, whether from the environment or the fickle nature of consumers.
“California domestic (sales) and exports are up, but growth has slowed down,” said Damien Wilson, chair of wine business education at Sonoma State University.
While the number of global wine drinkers has doubled since 1980, Wilson noted consumption levels have not kept pace. For example, the U.S. wine market grew 0.4 percent in 2014, the smallest increase in years, he said.
“Global consumption failed to move the volume for an entire generation,” Wilson said.
Much of the focus Thursday was on the 2015 grape harvest, which was much smaller than the three previous bumper crops. Glenn Proctor, a partner at San Rafael wine and grape broker Ciatti Co., said he estimates this year’s crop could be down as much as 24 percent from 2014 when the final numbers are announced early next year.
The short crop has brought the wine market back into balance. There are now 17 million gallons of wine available on the bulk market, half the amount at the beginning of the year, Proctor noted. Many wineries pulled their products off the market, given the smaller harvest this year.
“What the short crop has done in 2015 has changed the marketplace,” he said. “We see buyers becoming buyers again … the sellers have gotten a little more coy.”
Strong demand will remain for local pinot noir and cabernet grapes, growers noted, continuing a trend of recent years, especially after this year’s light crop.
Bill Pauli, president of Pauli Ranch and Yokayo Wine Co., said he estimated the pinot noir crop in Sonoma County was down this year by 1.1 million cases over the average of the previous three years, while the Mendocino County pinot crop decreased by 175,000 cases this year over the same time period.
Smaller wineries will be hurt more by the shortage than large companies, which can source grapes from throughout the state as well as Oregon and Washington, Pauli said.
“If you are a small winery with one or two or three different products, the impact will be far more than if you are a very large winery with supply in multiple locations,” he said.
Although it is not expected to end the drought this year, many farmers are optimistic the El Niñ o weather pattern will bring much-needed rain this winter to keep the soil moist through bud break. But even if the rains come, they will not negate the moves toward greater water conservation. Wineries in areas that do not have ready access to water, such as Paso Robles, are expected to suffer the most as the drought continues.


Asian carp were first introduced to southern states of the US from China in the 1970s to help clean tanks in fish farms. They escaped and for more than 30 years have steadily worked their way up the Mississippi river system, devouring food and devastating native fish populations along the way. Last December, DNA of the carp was found just a few miles from the Great Lakes outside Chicago, a discovery that Ullrich described as “a major shock to everyone”.
Will the US government invoice the fish factory farmers for the environmental cost? “Earlier this month the Obama administration put forward a $78.5m plan for blocking the fish,” states the article published in The Guardian. Then, there’s the cruelty issue.
Its focus lies in an electronic barrier that has been built by the US army corps of engineers across a canal through which the fish would have to swim to reach the lakes. The barrier, opened last year, has been designed to allow ships to pass while deterring fish. It works by shooting a high-voltage current through the water strong enough to stun, but not kill, the carp


The Massive Flood That Triggered an Ice Age
The megaflood affected all animal life, including human, and could be repeated today.
Did you know that a massive flood triggered an ice age over 13,000 years ago? Neither did we but luckily SciShow is here to bring us that interesting fact.
"13,000 years ago, North America seemed to be thawing from a 2.6 million-year ice age. Then, a huge swath of Earth was suddenly plunged back into the cold for 1,000 years. To understand why we need to talk about megafloods," reads the video description.
What is most interesting is that it happened right when it looked like things were looking as if they were getting warmer. Then, all of a sudden, due to a massive flood several areas were covered in ice.
The flood affected all animal life, including human. However, what is scarier is that we still have today much smaller versions of these phenomena especially in Iceland.
Now, scientists are worried that current ice melting might even trigger another such flood. As such, they are quite concerned with these megafloods from the past.
"Studying these megafloods from the past could be critical to understanding the future global effects of climate change,' says the video's host.


In promoting the sanctity of human life, the Qur'an-e Shariff says that good health, like knowledge, is a divine gift. The family unit nurtures the lives of its members, assisting them in their physical and spiritual endeavours. The wellbeing of individuals, in-turn, contributes to the overall health of the family, and that of society at large.
Feeri (blueberries) are found naturally in the cooler climates of North America and Europe. Ripe feeri have a deep blue thin skin, with a green fleshy middle and a sweet taste.
Elaichi is a spice used in Arabic, South Asian and even Chinese traditions to add a sweet aromatic flavour to desserts, chai, curries and rice dishes. In both Ayruvedic and traditional Chinese medicine, it has been used to treat digestion and oral health issues.
Daraam is a fruit with a reddish, leathery outer skin that houses edible seeds that are divided by white membranes. It is thought to be beneficial to your health.
Chuqander are usually a deep red colour but there are varieties ranging from white, orange and even striped. Both the beets and their greens can be eaten as they are tasty and full of unique nutritious properties.
You may have memories of your grandma telling you to eat “saath (seven) badaam a day.” Well, as explained in this latest Nutrition Centre A to Z article, research suggests that she was giving you good advice!