U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
News.bytes Extra, issue 336
Advisory Council sees challenges of population growth near public lands
Members of the Central California Resource Advisory Council got a first-hand look at the challenges facing the Bureau of Land Management due to population growth in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
The council met Friday and Saturday in El Dorado Hills and toured the Pine Hill Preserve. Located in western El Dorado County, Pine Hill Preserve is home to a collection of eight rare plant species. The entire preserve encompasses 4,122 acres under federal, state and county ownership, and 3,276 of these acres are included in an area designated for the recovery of five federally listed plants. Three of the plant species that grow in the Pine Hill Preserve grow nowhere else in the world. Two more species have only a few plants found elsewhere. (story continues below)
Brian Mulhollen, fuels management specialist, discusses construction of a firebreak at the edge of the Pine Hill Preserve:
Council members viewed plant recovery in an area burned last summer and firebreaks being created to protect homes. BLM is using machines and hand crews to create the fire breaks. Council members discussed how BLM, other agencies and homeowners could partner on fuels management projects.
Council members also discussed land acquisition with Alan Ehrgott of the American River Conservancy.
The next Central California Resource Advisory Council meeting is tentatively set for Nov. 21-22, to be hosted by the Bishop Field Office.
Graciela Hinshaw, Pine Hill Preserve manager, discusses rare plants at the Pine Hill Preserve:
Lauren Fety, BLM intern at Pine Hill Preserve, discusses recovery after a fire last year.
Resource Advisory Council members viewing a large Pine Hill Flannelbush (Fremontodendron decumbenson) on Del Astle's property.
- D. Christy, 6/08
|Last updated: 06-18-2008|


I’m starting National Poetry Month with a picture book biography written in free-verse by Margarita Engle, the Young People’s Poet Laureate, as she shines a light on a little-known first woman of flight and inspires us all to soar.
Title: The Flying Girl: How Aída de Acosta Learned to Soar
Written By: Margarita Engle
Illustrated By: Sara Palacios
Publisher/date: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster)/March 2018
Suitable for Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: flying; first female pilot; biography; courage
One day, a girl named Aída was strolling on a lively street in a lovely city when she glanced up and was dazzled by the sight of a huge balloon that glided as gracefully as a whale-shaped moon.
Brief Synopsis: The Flying Girl recounts the story of how young Aída de Acosta became the first female to pilot a motorized aircraft.
Links to Resources:
- Make and fly a paper airplane;
- Learn about flying and the history of flight;
- Aída flew a dirigible; learn about blimps, zeppelins, and dirigibles;
- Discover other female aviators and their flying firsts.
Why I Like this Book:
As Engle recounts in this inspiring, lyrical biography, all Aída needed to pilot a motorized dirigible was “courage and a chance to try”. We learn in the Afterword that Aída did so despite her parents’ disapproval and months before the Wright Brothers undertook the much better-known first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk. I think children will enjoy learning about this brave young Cuban-Spanish-American woman, who followed her dream to soar in the skies. And perhaps they’ll be inspired to soar towards their dreams, too.
Palacios’ bright, mixed media illustrations capture the excitement of this aviation first. I especially like that she set many of the illustrations against a sky-blue background. Many also include bright red birds – a detail younger children especially will enjoy following.
A Note about Craft:
In The Flying Girl, Engle focuses on one event in the life of Aída de Acosta, the short time she spent in Paris where she discovered Alberto Santos-Dumont’s dirigible, convinced him to teach her to fly, and then flew the dirigible by herself. In the Afterword, we learn the rest of her story, but I believe Engle keeps unnecessary details out of the text so the reader better experiences Aída’s journey from dream to soaring.
Although Aída is a teen in the story, well above the normal picture book main character age range, Engle focuses on her interactions with her mother when she discovers Aída’s aspirations, she renders Santos-Dumont childlike by referring to him only by his first name in the text, and she includes “excited children” and “giggling children” as onlookers. Perhaps most importantly, Engle addresses children in the last lines of the story, as Alberto declares Aída “a brave inspiration for all the girls of the world!”
Read a wonderful guest post on “poetry that crosses borders” by Engle on the Grog and her reasons for hope for #OwnVoices poetry in a Nerdy Book Club post, both last fall. To read a recent poem building a bridge of peace by Engle and to post your own poem about “choices”, visit René LaTulippe’s No Water River. See my reviews of a few of Engle’s other works: All the Way to Havana, Bravo!: Poems about Amazing Hispanics, and Miguel’s Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quixote.
This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Books list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!


On Sunday night, millions of Americans watched the start of a new season of the PBS series “Downton Abbey,” dedicated in part to the struggles of Lady Mary, one of the show’s main characters, to assert control of her inheritance. And now, 91 years after the period depicted in the show, Lady Mary would be pleased to see women’s aspirations being recognized in the British Parliament’s House of Lords.
Under a system that dates back to the Middle Ages, female members of the nobility are legally unable to inherit their family’s titles, even if they are the eldest children. Instead, the inheritance goes to the eldest son, or next-closest male relative. If there are no male heirs, then the line goes extinct — a worrying prospect if you can trace your family name back 700 years.
Striking a blow for gender equality, members of the House of Lords have proposed a law — already nicknamed the “Downton Abbey law” — that would allow the eldest daughters of Britain’s various dukes, earls, and viscounts to inherit their family titles. The bill must be approved by the House of Commons before it becomes law, but it deserves broad support. While it’s easy for Americans to scoff at the idea of a landed gentry, it’s important to remember that an inequality is an inequality — even if it only affects the upper classes.
And every “Downton” fan knows that Lady Mary is far more capable than any of the men in the family.


Once upon a time, wild strawberries flourished throughout the woodlands of the northeast. French explorer Jacques Cartier observed in 1534 "vast patches of strawberries along the great river (St. Lawrence) and in the woods." One of the first Englishmen to visit North America wrote, "Wee can not sett downe foote but tred on strawberries."
Wild strawberries are indigenous to most of Europe as well. In 1712, amateur botanist and French naval officer Amedee- François Frezier found large, tasty wild strawberries in Chili and Peru. Frezier collected a large cargo of plants and took them back to France where the South American berries were crossed with plants collected from our colonies to produce what food historian Waverly Root calls "the world's leading strawberry." It was named for the French sailor and plant enthusiast: fraise de bois.
This tiny and not-so-wild berry is still treasured in France and Europe, but rarely seen in our markets. And it is easy to understand why. Garden strawberries, as the hybridized types are called, are delectable and much larger and firmer (easier to market) than the treasured fraise de bois.
Here in the U.S., strawberry production really took off in the early 19th century, when strawberries and ice cream became a favorite dessert. Plantsmen continued to hybridize the berry, aiming for larger fruits, a longer season, and disease resistance. "Hudson" was the first American hybrid and New York was actually the berry hub at the time, shipping them to Florida and throughout the eastern half of the nation.
Obviously, things have changed dramatically. These days, strawberries are now shipped up here from Florida and California year 'round. But America hardly corners the market. Growers around the globe claim their berries are best. Wepion, Belgium has declared itself "World Capital of Strawberries" while Plant City, Fla., claims the title "Winter Strawberry Capital of the World." There is a Strawberry, Ariz., Strawberry Mountain in Oregon, and in Finland, the town of Mansikkala literally translates to "the place of the strawberry." After all, in a country where summer comes late but the sun never sets, the treasured fruits do ripen quickly and over a relatively long season.
When it comes to choosing berries for your garden, there are three basic types of garden strawberries: June bearing, Everbearing, and Day Neutral. June bearing are the most common. These plants send out runners and individual cultivars will set fruit for approximately two weeks. However, there are early-season, mid-season, and late- season varieties within this group. Consequently, it's possible to harvest June bearing strawberries for an entire month.
The name "everbearing" is misleading. These strawberries don't actually produce fruit all summer long. They can be expected to produce a spring crop then another in late summer or fall. Generally speaking, these types do not grow runners.
Unlike the other two, Day Neutral strawberries will produce fruit the first year they are planted and keep bearing as long as the temperatures remain between 35 and 85 degrees. The fruits are the smallest of the Garden type, but flavorful.
Given their enormous popularity, selective breeding of strawberries is an on-going, intensive business for commercial growers. And "Short-Day" varieties, a subset of June bearing types, were developed. Short-day plants produce flower buds in cool weather and earlier in the growing season, when daylight hours are shorter -- which, of course, translates to an earlier harvest.
So, which is the best strawberry for the home gardener? Consult your favorite plant source and you'll find dozens of all three types to choose from. According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, Earliglow, Guardian, Northeaster, Redchief, Sparkle, Tribute, and Tristar are suited to our climate. Earliglow set the standard for June bearing types -- and sets fruit early, as its name suggests. Sparkle is a beloved old-fashioned berry famous for its flavor. Tribute is the original day neutral introduction.
Given my small garden, and lack of space where the sun shines all day, I continue to grow the tiny "wild" types just so I can enjoy an occasional snack of intense berry luciousness. If I wanted a large berry patch of my own, I would ask to speak with one of our local strawberry farmers -- and choose my favorite based on my own taste testing of their crop.
Strawberries love lots of sun, rich earth, and regular rain. Strawberry plants are very susceptible to disease so it's important that you chose a site carefully. Heed this advice from the website StrawberryPlants.org: "If other Verticillium-susceptible crops have been grown in the same area during the last three years, it is best to choose a different site. The most common of these plants are tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and strawberries. If these plants (or melons, okra, mint, bush or bramble fruits, stone fruits, chrysanthemums, and roses) have been grown in the same spot recently (within 5 years), it is best to grow your strawberry plants elsewhere."
And, they absolutely hate competing with weeds. It's best to do your taste-testing now, prepare a new bed this fall, and then plant next spring. A very good how-to article can be found at www.johnnyseeds.com.
Complicated and fussy? Yes. But oh, so worth it!
Vicki Johnson is a gardening columnist for the New Jersey Herald. She can be reached at email@example.com or athomeinsussexcounty.com.


How to identify the signs of PTSD
We all know that life can throw us curveballs. Unfortunately, sometimes those curveballs involve traumatic experiences that end up affecting us deeply. Many of us, at one point or another, have faced these types of situations.
When it comes to understanding the true meaning of “traumatic,” it’s important to separate the term from its more casual, conversational uses. Case in point: have you ever heard someone proclaim, “I was so traumatized!” when talking about finding a spider in the bathtub? While we’re not discounting spider phobias by any means (we’ll save that topic for another day), a true traumatic experience involves a very frightening or life-threatening occurrence, like violent crime, a severe health crisis or a major accident – whether you encounter it yourself, witness someone else in the situation or sometimes even just learn about it.
Feelings of shock, apprehension and fear following a traumatic event are absolutely normal, but they tend to fade away after some time. Occasionally, these feelings are much harder to shake – and if they seem to have settled in for the long haul, it’s important to start considering the possibility of post-traumatic stress disorder, otherwise known as PTSD.
Think only veterans are affected? Think again. While there’s no doubt that PTSD is a serious post-combat issue, it can also arise from a vast array of other situations that have nothing to do with war. And worth noting, studies show that women are more than twice as likely to develop PTSD as men.
How do you know if you or someone you know is suffering from PTSD? Here are 10 early signs to watch out for.
- Uncontrolled and extreme emotions and reactions to otherwise normal, everyday occurrences.
- Feeling angry, depressed and apprehensive
- Difficulty concentrating on tasks
- Not being able to remember certain parts of the traumatic event
- Showing intense anguish when faced with reminders of the trauma, however slight they may be
- Avoidance of anything involving or relating to the event (for example, not talking about the topic, avoiding a certain road after being in a car accident or not driving at all).
- Flashbacks, nightmares and hallucinations.
- Issues with family and friends.
- Violent behavior, either verbal, physical or both.
Sadly, children can experience PTSD too, and it often stems from distressing situations such as major childhood illnesses and hospitalization, witnessing a death or sexual abuse. With very young children, PTSD can develop far before verbal skills are established, making it more challenging to discern and diagnose the condition. The key when dealing with children of any age is to acknowledge that they have faced a traumatic situation, be open to the possibility of PTSD and vigilantly look for signs through their behaviors. Even older children can lack the more advanced vocabulary needed to effectively articulate their feelings, so tracking their actions is especially critical.
Identifying PTSD is key, but it’s only half the battle. It’s important to seek professional treatment from a licensed clinician, who will likely recommend several available interventions that are focused on cognitive behavioral therapy. The good news is that there are options for sufferers.
More than anything, having a solid network of support is fundamental when it comes to dealing with PTSD: never face it alone. While a clinician or other health professional can and should be part of a network, the support of friends and family is paramount. With studies showing that men are less likely than women to seek help following a traumatic occurrence, encouragement from a trusted circle can be significantly valuable.
In honor of National PTSD Awareness Day, we encourage you to take a moment to share this article with your friends and family. You never know who might need a helping hand.


Don’t employ quantum computing experts? Just head to the cloud
You may never have direct access to a quantum computer. That doesn't mean you can't use one.
When quantum computers finally arrive, practically no one will run out and buy a quantum computer. Instead, they'll access them via the internet.
Early quantum computers are extremely complicated and extremely expensive, and they'll remain that way for a long time. That's why almost all initial users are going to consume quantum computing as a cloud service, joining the ranks of those who have decided to ditch their own data centers in favor of services from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Google.
And according to quantum computing experts, most early users of quantum computers will use the hardware as just a slice of an overall computing footprint that will rely on classical computing for the vast majority of the work.
"We can't really talk about modern computing in isolation from networks and from the cloud," says David Rivas, SVP of Systems & Services at Rigetti Computing, a quantum computing startup.
His company signed a deal in November 2019 to provide access to its computers through Amazon Web Services, as part of the Amazon Braket, the cloud provider's planned service for making quantum computers available to its customers. Rival quantum startups D-Wave and IonQ will also host their devices on the platform. But it's not the only one: Microsoft, as well as developing its own quantum computer, last November announced Azure Quantum, a service that lets developers explore how to build quantum applications alongside classical ones. Azure currently trails AWS for market share in the cloud market, but it is growing strongly.
A small piece of a big puzzle
Several industries are already pushing the boundaries of what classical computing can accomplish because they have pressing needs that can't sit idle waiting for quantum computation. Those types of companies — from financial services and logistics, to health care and pharmaceuticals — will need to integrate their quantum computing activity alongside all of their other classical computing work, and the easiest way to do that is on the cloud, says Ben Porter, director of business development for Microsoft Quantum.
Rivas drew an analogy between quantum computing and present-day applications that might use a graphics processing unit, or GPU, on a cloud service. GPUs are particularly well-suited to machine-learning applications, but unsuited to the vast majority of the applications computing needs, which are handled by conventional cloud servers.
"If you're trying to compute the ground state of a medium-sized molecule, and present that to the user, and integrate it with a more general material-science calculation that you're doing, it's that ground-state calculation that needs to be run in the context of the quantum computer," Rivas says. "All the rest of that stuff can be run normally."
Another way to think about using quantum computers is in the context of microservices, a modern software-development technique that many companies are exploring. Microservices allow developers to break their apps into smaller pieces that can be tweaked without having to mess with the entire code base, and quantum computing can be thought of as just one piece of a complicated application puzzle.
"The types of customers that are best suited for exploring this technology and starting to build solutions are customers that already have complex computational problems," Porter says.
Making quantum computation accessible
Quantum computing will require some developers to think very differently about how they build software. But the industry is also trying to make it as easy as possible to get many of them up and running with quantum computation by allowing them to use existing tools that people already know, Rivas says.
Rigetti has developed a way to let developers write quantum algorithms using Python, a widely used programming language, that it translates into Quil, a quantum-specific assembly language used to program its computers. Much of the history of computer science consists of breakthroughs that make complex systems much easier to use — just like the graphical user interface freed early computer users from the command line. And Rivas says that he would "expect you'll see a lot of abstractions" as quantum computing develops, too.
Rigetti also allows developers targeting applications at its quantum computers to package those applications in containers, which allow developers to create applications that can run across several different systems. "There's no reason to reinvent all this stuff," Rivas says.
More work needs to be done in this area, but quantum computing on the cloud should allow customers to access on-demand quantum resources as well as schedule fixed amounts of those resources, much as they currently do with virtual machines on cloud servers. In the early days, on-demand quantum resources are likely to be limited and expensive, given that even quantum hardware makers will expand slowly. But the plumbing needed to make that work is being installed, Porter says.
"This is a journey," Porter says. "The things that we're learning now about how quantum computers work are influencing the quantum solutions we're building today."


Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office in a nation that was bitterly divided on the economy and big business. Although the Democratic-Populist challenge had failed, farm belt discontent was hardly over. Populists would run candidates for several more elections. Meanwhile, a growing socialist movement led by union organizer Eugene Debs was doing even better. Debs had run on a socialist ticket in 1900, receiving a scant 88,000 votes. His total grew in the next three presidential races, however, topping 900,000 votes in 1912, or 6 percent of the electorate. It wasn’t socialism or populism or any third-party challenge that changed the relationship of business to society. It was a new movement captained by mainstream figures such as Theodore Roosevelt. By the end of his first term in office, Roosevelt would define, at a national level, a new relationship between the state and private business. In this movement government would lead, and business would follow, though with numerous opportunities to cooperate across the public and private sectors.
In the decade after 1900, many of the existing ideas about the relationship between business and society were overturned. Defense of corporate autonomy through doctrines such as Social Darwinism and laissez-faire economics fell or were seriously pushed back in the wake of a social reform critique of corporate power. Although labor was still at the center of the social problems associated with industrialization, unions played only one part in this counteraction against corporate autonomy. Middle-class social workers, professionals such as lawyers, and a new breed of professional managers within big firms all were major contributors to the “progressive” corporation. Key political figures included Republican and Democratic presidents and congressmen, as well as a large number of state and local politicians who had a close-up view of the social costs of urban and industrial society. A new, more tamed, corporation with explicitly social goals emerged out of this era by 1920. The once clear lines between the public sector and the private sector blurred as it became harder to separate private decisions made by large-scale corporations from the public issues that those decisions affected. Businessmen, and indeed most Americans, did not choose to abandon markets, but came to see that a healthy market that was open and competitive, yet also promoted a good society, often needed government intervention to protect the public interest from being overwhelmed by private interests.
Email your librarian or administrator to recommend adding this book to your organisation's collection.


The Most Common Cause of Hair Loss Is the Least Suspected, Warns Trichology Expert
Sweating is a generally healthy mechanism in which sweat glands help remove impurities and cool the body down from overheating. “But excessive sweating can be harmful to the hair and scalp because of the lactic acid in our sweat secretions,” explained Harris-Wells. The acid strips away the epithelial sheath, which is the outer protective layer of the hair. As a result, hair loses volume and density, and it becomes porous and dry to the point of brittleness. The excess acid can also cause inflammation of the scalp, and if untreated can produce red, sore pustules that will become infected with bacteria. Harris-Wells has treated both genders, from adults to children, for this condition.
“The most notable form of hyperhydrosis is excessive sweating in the hands, feet, underarms and face,” she said. “For example, people with thyroid problems may not outwardly sweat but still undergo the internal chemical processes that lead to lactic acid being secreted onto the scalp and hair.”
Hyperhydrosis cases range from mild to severe in terms of hair loss. Sufferers can include hair transplant patients, men and women with hormonal imbalances, avid gym-goers, sports figures and athletes, highly stressed individuals, and people with medical conditions that are genetic.
Harris-Wells’ clinic is expanding its line of products formulated to counteract the effects of hyperhydrosis as well as other forms of hair loss conditions. Harris-Wells can diagnose out-of-state individuals who send her hair samples and a copy of their last medical exam. She will also refer them to appropriate medical practitioners as needed.
For more information on circumstances leading to hair loss from hyperhydrosis, visit http://www.miyoharainternational.com/hair_loss_hyperhydrosis.html.
About Miyohara International Trichology Clinic
Photos of microscopic analysis of hair:
Additional photos are available at http://www.miyoharainternational.com/hair_loss.html.
Contact: Erkkie Harris-Wells Founder, Miyohara International Trichology Clinic (714) 210-2488 email@example.com
This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.
SOURCE Miyohara International Trichology Clinic


> I am not suggesting these mutations are suppressed. I am suggesting two
> things: since under the pressures common to that population, that
> will not be selected for. Under some circumstances, given enough time, it
> may gradually take over the entire population, much like diffusion. If
> there is a direction, however..a stressor event, or the effective
> of part of the population in a slightly different enviroment then you will
> see those mutations being selected for. What was once a slow, almost
> still process, will become almost instantaneous in the geologic record.
Mutations are constant, selection is constant, therefore evolution is
constant. That's a simple and reasonable argument. But, supporting PE by
appealing stressor events such as a change in the environment or part of the
population being isolated isn't so clear. I still don't see a mechanism.
It sounds like you're suggesting that mutations are accumulated and kept in
reserve until needed. I believe we already addressed the argument that
environment doesn't affect the rate of evolution, only the group of selected
mutations, so what difference would a different environment make? A monkey
on the way to become a human might instead, if the environment changes, be
on the way to become a bat, but it's still going to change at the same rate.
An isolated population might lose some of the genetic variation of the
parent population, but it's not going to evolve faster, it's just going to
be limited to the genetic variation of the parents of that new isolated
> Without specific pressures selecting for those mutations? A long time.
This is your problem. Pressure is constant (except when the population
changes in size). There isn't going to be stasis while the population waits
for specific pressures. There's always mutation and selection -- ALWAYS.
> When there is a basic equilibrium between the pressure and the species
> original traits. The very great majority of mutations make no difference
> whatsoever. They occur in non-protein coding DNA.
An "equilibrium between the pressure and the species' original traits" never
In fact, I'm having a very difficult time finding any meaning it. Is that
some form of the argument "species that are perfectly fit aren't going to
change"? If they're so fit, how come the population isn't growing
exponentially? If you mean "the population size doesn't change"
that seems to better fit your wording, but I doubt it's what you were trying
As for mutations that are eliminated or that have no effect, we can
disregard them. Unless you have a mechanism that effects which part of the
DNA mutations are most likely to occur, or a mechanism which controls what
amount of mutations will be "good." (this last point is what you seem to be


Rosh Hashanah, Hebrew for "head of the year," is the Jewish New Year and the first day of the High Holy Days. Usually falling in September or October, Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of Man by God and is traditionally signalled by the blowing of the shofar, a ram's horn.
The Holy Days continue for ten days and conclude with the fast of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Jews wish each other a happy new year with the greeting "Shana tova!"
Jews traditionally serve sweet foods for Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a sweet new year. Apple slices dipped in honey are a favorite, as are carrot tzimmes, lekach (honey cake), teiglach (honeyed dough balls) and round loaves of challah bread.
Other traditional foods include dates, leeks, spinach, beets, and pomegranates. Ancient Hebrews would serve a roasted lamb's head to symbolize the "head" of the year.


The Bailey Synergy Tower™ integrates three different renewable electricity generators: a downdraft wind turbine, a solar photovoltaic array and a vertical axis wind turbine. Excess electricity is stored for later use by a gravity-powered “water battery.” Water is pumped up to a storage tank using renewable electricity. The stored energy is converted back to electricity on demand using micro-hydro generators. The system also captures rainfall, stores and pressurizes the community water supply and provides options for drinking water purification.
PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS (top to bottom)
- Vertical Axis Wind Turbine: the uppermost assembly is a state-of-the-art turbine that captures wind energy and converts it to electricity.
- Service Platform: Via an exterior elevator on the north side of the tower, the platform provides access to the wind turbine mechanisms and the downdraft tower’s water spray system.
- Water Storage Tank: Resembles the common towers providing water pressure to rural communities – with one huge difference: the tank has a hollow center, allowing for the downdraft shaft and associated mechanisms.
- Downdraft Shaft: A fine spray of water cools and humidifies the upper air. Cool moist air is heavier than the surrounding air. From the top of the water storage tank to the top of the multi-use building, the +/- 150 ft. shaft channels cool descending air down to the downdraft turbine which converts the resulting “wind” to electricity. [NOTE: System works best in hot, dry climates.]
- Structural Exoskeleton: The weight and torque of the water storage tank and vertical axis wind turbine is supported by a strong, lightweight lattice.
- Vertical Solar PV array: The southeast, south and southwest faces of the tower support an array of solar PV panels angled for optimum exposure to the sun.
- Multi-use building: The lower dome houses the various control mechanisms of the system and provides space for offices, laboratories and gathering places. The south-facing facets of the dome are clad in photovoltaic tiles.
- Sacred Geometry grid: The footprint of the Synergy Tower™ is an ancient sacred geometry grid which is replicated throughout the structure’s horizontal cross-section. Aside from its esthetic beauty, it is also the optimum engineering structure for such a function.


About a month ago, a team of scientists came out with a clearer picture of a story whose rough outlines we already knew. These researchers simply wanted to reconstruct the temperatures that the Earth experienced during the Holocene, the current warm period that started at the end of the last glacial period. Although the new perspective didn't include anything especially surprising, it set off howls of controversy on the Internet, which reached such intensity that the authors of the research felt they needed to publish an FAQ describing their work in more detail.
Why did all of this happen? Because the subject of the paper was the climate and amid their research, the authors found that we're experiencing an unusual warming. We'll take a look at the science behind the controversy, and explain why most of the controversy misses the point.
The paper, which we covered in some detail, focused on the planet's temperature during the Holocene. The glacial cycles are driven by changes in the planet's orbit and axis of rotation, and these effects can be calculated in some detail. These calculations suggest that the peak of the warming caused by orbital changes occurred over 5,000 years ago, and the planet has been slowly cooling since, with the next glacial era over 1,000 years still in our future.
And, largely, that's what the study, authored by Oregon State's Shaun Marcott, showed. Marcott used samples termed proxies that help track global temperatures—things like ice core records and sediment samples—from around the planet to create a reconstruction of global temperatures for the entire Holocene. And, in that reconstruction, the Holocene's temperatures peaked about 7,000 years ago, and have been declining since. Until recently, that is; the instrument record shows that the decline has experienced a dramatic reversal in the last 100 years.
Not only is the Marcott paper consistent with our expectations, but it is also consistent with a variety of reconstructions of climates that focused on the past 1,500 years. These studies of more recent times have used many more proxy measurements, and their methods have a much better temporal resolution, so they'd be expected to be more accurate than Marcott's study for the most recent years. Yet they and the Marcott study got essentially the same answer, which was "indistinguishable within uncertainty" from the other results, as the new paper put it.
So, there'd be plenty of reasons to think that the Marcott study was at least in the right ballpark, and a strong first attempt at this sort of all-Holocene global reconstruction.
Except there is one problem: the studies of the past 1,500 years are what created the so-called "hockey stick" temperature graph, which shows a dramatic uptick in recent temperatures. By replicating that result, the authors waded into what sometimes seems like an entire industry dedicated to convincing everyone that the hockey stick doesn't exist.
I don't want to believe
The response has been about what you'd expect. Steve McIntyre runs the "Climate Audit" website, and has devoted a lot of the material there to arguing against most of the scientific community's proxy reconstructions of historic temperatures. In the last month, he's published 10 blog posts that reference the Marcott paper. The less moderate "Watts Up With That" site has already run 19. Some of those are truly bizarre, such as one in which the global temperatures are compared to a single site in Greenland; the title of another asks, "How long before Science has to retract Marcott et al?"
Unfortunately, almost all of the controversy was completely off-target, and a lot of it displayed a significant misunderstanding of the claims of the Marcott paper.
Most of the ire is focused on the blade of the hockey stick, the sudden rise in temperatures that has occurred over the last century or so. We know it has happened because of the instrument record and a large number of global changes in ice volume, species ranges and migrations, etc. And some of the rise shows up in most proxy records, including the one generated in the Marcott paper.
But the uptick in the Marcott proxy records isn't the main point of the paper. In fact, the authors clearly say that their data there is pretty limited. To begin with, they had to stop their reconstruction in 1950 because the proxies more or less give out then (we'll get to that in more detail below). And, even in the decades before that, they note that the data is very uncertain because of "the [limited] temporal resolution of our data set and the small number of records that cover this interval." In fact, for the figure shown in the paper, the team interpolated some data in order to fill out the sparse records; if they hadn't, the warming would have been over half a degree Celsius higher. In other words, they took steps to underplay the recent warming.
Why is the record so poor? It's a product of the sort of proxies used in longer term studies. To give a specific example, we can look at the ice cores. The layers in the ice form annually, and are relatively easy to distinguish; major events like volcanic eruptions provide clear markers of specific years. So, the temporal resolution of the ice is good. It's just that the temperature record isn't. That's derived from the isotopes in gasses trapped in air bubbles that form in the ice. But these air bubbles can exchange some limited amounts of gas with the atmosphere for over 200 years after they form. So, the record isn't a single sharp point, but rather a somewhat weighted average of decades. And there are essentially no records that are current—the ice simply hasn't sealed off yet.
Similar things apply to other records used in the study, like sediment cores. As a result, if you're looking for a hockey stick, the Marcott record shows a hint of it, but it's not one that we should place high confidence in, as the paper itself makes clear. And yet, oddly, that's precisely the point of the paper that has attracted almost all the controversy.
Missing the forest for the hockey sticks
Even the more scientifically literate criticisms on these sites have included vague hints of conspiracy from Marcott and the scientists who've found results like his. Steve McIntyre at Climate Audit has highlighted how many of the temperature records were re-dated compared to their original values, which he's implied was done in a way that specifically creates an artificial hockey stick. But the re-dating was done based on carbon-14 radioactivity dating, and uses software that's produced by someone else—and that software has been posted online for at least the last two version releases. If there were a conspiracy involved in the re-dating, it's a pretty poorly conceived one. And it doesn't mean that the new paper is right, just that the tools needed to show it's wrong are available to anyone.
In any case, this criticism is also focused on the hockey stick trajectory, which the paper itself said wasn't a very robust result. Nevertheless, it generated so much attention that the authors of the paper felt compelled to respond, posting an FAQ at the RealClimate blog. In this, they go into far more detail about why the 20th century record shouldn't be considered the key point of this work:
(1) the different methods that we tested for generating a reconstruction produce different results in this youngest interval, whereas before this interval, the different methods of calculating the stacks are nearly identical (Figure 1D), (2) the median resolution of the datasets (120 years) is too low to statistically resolve such an event,(3) the smoothing presented in the online supplement results in variations shorter than 300 yrs not being interpretable, and (4) the small number of datasets that extend into the 20th century (Figure 1G) is insufficient to reconstruct a statistically robust global signal...
So, the tail end of the temperature graph (the bit that shows a rise in 20th century temperatures) that came out of this study shouldn't be viewed as especially significant. And the people who are obsessing about it are misdirecting their energies.


How 3-D Printing Will Turn Homes Into Mini Factories
Consumer-grade multi-material printers could hit the market in the next decade. Here's why that matters.
In 1984, inventor Charles Hull built the first rapid-prototyping machine, a massive device that turned digital blueprints into plastic models constructed layer by ultrathin layer. Since then, 3-D printers have shrunk from room-filling behemoths to tabletop boxes just larger than a typical ink jet. They have also dropped in cost from hundreds of thousands of dollars to as little as $500. Home printing has flowered as a result, with amateurs “fabbing” anything in plastic, from cellphone cases to scale models of Rodin’s Walking Man. Yet such tinkering, however nifty, is simply 3-D printing’s first act. Its real promise is much greater: to turn every home into a self-sustaining manufacturing and recycling center.
The changes that will enable this tranformation are happening already. Presently, home printers fab in plastic, as Hull’s machine did. But industrial printers have evolved to print a multitude of materials, from glass to stone. Printer maker Objet has released the Connex500, a $250,000 printer that works in 14 polymers at once.
Researchers at the Cornell University Creative Machines Lab recently developed a machine that they used to print components vital to working electronics, as well as a functioning electromagnet and battery. Home printers are poised to follow a similar development curve. Hod Lipson, the Creative Machines Lab director, says consumer-grade multi-material printers are less than a decade away.
Rather than fab a plastic lamp shade, makers will print the components of the entire lamp.Just as the capability of printers is growing, so is the ecosystem of 3-D designs and design tools, making it easier and easier to print at home. At Thingiverse, makers can scour a database of thousands of downloadable designs. Autodesk design software converts digital snapshots of real-life objects into 3-D patterns. And Adobe is developing a program that evaluates designs for structural flaws before they are printed.
Alone, such advancements will turn home printing from a novelty to a necessity. (Rather than fab a plastic lamp shade, makers will print the components of the entire lamp, wiring, plug, and all.) But truly transformative change will come from another industry: recycling. Beginning in the 1970s, machines at recycling centers have ground discarded plastic into raw material that companies use to make everything from toys to carpeting.
Similar processes exist for metal and glass. In January, Tyler McNaney, a student at Vermont Technical College, debuted the Filabot, a machine that repurposes plastic at home. The tabletop device grinds and melts most recyclable plastic into the raw filament used in 3-D printers. If devices like Filabot succeed, makers will not only produce new objects in their workshops, but also repurpose old ones.


Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a transmissible and fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects cattle. Variant Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease (vCJD), a rare and fatal human neurodegenerative condition, results from exposure to BSE through eating contaminated beef or beef products.
BSE has never been detected in cattle in Australia or New Zealand. The World Organization for Animal Health recognises both countries as having a negligible BSE risk status.
What causes BSE?
Most scientists think that BSE is caused by a protein called a prion. For reasons that are not completely understood, the normal prion changes into an abnormal prion that is harmful.
Both vCJD and BSE are not contagious. A person (or a cow) cannot catch vCJD or BSE from being near a sick person or cow. Milk and milk products do not contain the abnormal prion that causes BSE in cattle.
Most beef-producing countries have control measures in place to prevent BSE contaminated beef from reaching consumers. These measures include:
a ban on feeding mammalian protein to cattle
stringent slaughtering practices that remove high-risk tissues and prevent them from entering the human food chain or stock feed systems
import controls requiring incoming live animals, beef and beef products, and animal feeds to meet strict biosecurity and food safety measures
the introduction of compulsory rapid screening tests that prevent cattle suspected of having BSE from entering the human food chain
surveillance activities to monitor the BSE status of cattle populations.
Protecting our food supply
Since BSE was identified as a major risk to human health in 1996, Australia has had comprehensive arrangements in place to protect consumers from BSE-contaminated food.
Under Standard 2.2.1 of the Food Standards Code, only beef and beef products derived from animals free from BSE can be sold in Australia. New Zealand has its own regulations in place.
In 2009, the Australian Government announced a revised policy on BSE establishing new requirements for import of beef and beef products. Under this policy, countries wishing to export beef to Australia must apply to the Australian BSE Food Safety Assessment Committee for a country BSE food safety assessment. The assessment is conducted by FSANZ and includes, when necessary, an inspection in the exporting country. This in-country inspection examines the effectiveness of BSE preventative measures to ensure the beef and beef products intending to be exported to Australia are safe. Since 2010, FSANZ has completed BSE food safety assessment of 13 countries. These assessment reports can be found here. The Australian Department of Agricultre, Water and the Environment implements import certification requirements at the border.


I should consent to breed under pressure, if I were convinced in any way of the reasonableness of reproducing the species. But my nerves and the nerves of any woman I could live with three months, would produce only a victim... lacking in impulse, a mere bundle of discriminations. If I were wealthy I might subsidize a stud of young peasants, or a tribal group in Tahiti.
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (October 30, 1885 November 1, 1972) was an American expatriate, poet, musician and critic who, along with T. S. Eliot, was a major figure of the modernist movement in early 20th century poetry. He was the driving force behind several modernist movements, notably Imagism and Vorticism. The critic Hugh Kenner said on meeting Pound: "I suddenly knew that I was in the presence of the center of modernism."


How to generate videos of molecules from Mercury
October 20, 2020
The way we communicate science can have a significant impact on the way will be received, and ultimately how it will contribute to advancing knowledge. Videos can often better illustrate the message we want to send across when dealing with molecular structures - and it's simple to make them.
If you never presented a crystal model or its properties in a video, you can start now! It is easy and can be useful to emphasize specific features, whether that is for public outreach, in education, scientific presentation or publication.
1. Load the structure in Mercury
A simple way to produce a video with our freely available structural visualisation program Mercury is to load a structure as cif or type an entry in the Structure Navigator.
2. Create the frames using POV-ray
You can then generate Animation Frames using POV-ray. We recommend 40 frames for a smooth rotation of your model. To begin select Render.
3. Create the video in PowerPoint™
The images can be combined into video using Microsoft PowerPoint™. Choose to Insert Photo Album > New Photo Album. Pick insert picture from file/disk and select all 40 images (choosing fit to slide). Delete title slide and save presentation to disk. Select File > Export > Create a Video. Pick “Full HD” setting for resolution and 0.12 seconds for each slide. Click Create Video to output the final MP4 or WMV file to disk.
The basic workflow to produce a video of any crystal structure using Mercury.
Sample video generated from Mercury
For this video we selected Diazepam crystal structure (ref code DIZPAM10) a well-known drug used typically for calming effect. The image we used for the background was the first mechanical calculator used at CCDC.
Learn more about Mercury here, and get started with the free version straight away.
Science Communication (1)


Psychological effects of Missing Teeth
If we are missing teeth, it can have a huge emotional impact on our lives. Our teeth not only help us eat and speak, but our smiles also have an enormous impact on how we connect with those around us.
As we’ve said before, there are many reasons why a person may be missing teeth: accidents, medical conditions, medications, hygiene, and more. Some are left feeling ashamed, worried, or scared of the social stigmas surrounding the loss of teeth and its impact not just on the ability to eat but also, on how they interact socially.
Appearance, Speech & Self Confidence
Just because an individual is missing teeth, it does not mean that they do not take care of themselves, that they don’t care about how they look, or, that they may not be able to afford dental treatments. These stigmas can be a detriment to one’s self-confidence and cause a lot of anxiety. Our Denturists often hear that patients avoid social gatherings that include food because they are not able to chew or they are embarrassed by their smile.
A person who has no natural teeth or well-fitted dentures can lack facial support and some may even say that they look older. This can occur because as the bone in your mouth resorbs and the jaw disappears, the distance between the nose and chin (vertical dimension) continues to decrease. At the same time, the lips continue to flatten causing little vertical wrinkles and folds to form. This accelerates the appearance of aging. Well-fitting dentures provide the necessary support to your lips and cheeks, giving them a more full appearance.
Missing teeth can make it more difficult to speak. Why? Because, to pronounce and form words, your lips, teeth, and tongues need to position properly. Some words are very difficult to pronounce without touching your tongue to your teeth.
Missing teeth can compromise your health and eating habits. Chewing ability is decreased and over time, deterioration of the jaw structure. An unbalanced diet or consuming less food altogether due to poor chewing abilities can result in nutritional deficiencies, digestive problems, depression, and other psychological impacts. You don’t have to adopt the common “I’ll live with it” attitude!
How we can help
We are located in Winnipeg and have been building trusting relationships since 1977. These relationships start as soon as the phone rings and an appointment is made for a free consultation. We are centrally located here in Winnipeg with ample parking and close to major bus routes, making it easy for you to plan your visit! For first-time denture wearers, making the initial appointment can feel scary. Our Free Consultations are non-invasive; include a brief oral examination and an in-depth treatment plan discussion by the Treatment Coordinator and Denturist.
We have noticed that when people are feeling overwhelmed or nervous, it can be hard to retain information. At the end of the consultation, all clients are given a Treatment Package. This package includes options for suggested treatment with an estimate for cost, consent to treatment (once decided), and a Denture Care Schedule (step-by-step explanation of all appointments).
Once you have consented to treatment, your Denturist will work for hand in hand with all other dental professionals involved in the treatment plan. (If applicable ie: oral surgeon). Then, your smile transformation begins!
Call our office today to schedule your free consultation at 204-589-6329. Your new smile is waiting for you!
Minuk Digital Denture and Implant Clinic Centre is Canada’s largest Denture Clinic located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With over 100,000+ dentures created since 1977, our team is confident that we can help you love your smile again. Minuk has denture solutions for all budgets and are here to help you understand the cost of dentures and the process of getting new dentures. Our team of Denturists and expert staff are here to help you get the smile you’ve always wanted. Check out our Smile Stories and learn more about the Minuk difference by reviewing our website or calling us at 204.589.6329. Book your Free Consultation Today!


I’ve spent much of the past few months reading and thinking about Argyll, in preparation for our new club (subscriptions for which open today!)
Argyll is a very beautiful and distinctive part of Scotland, and a lot of my thinking has been about the coastline of a particular corner of south Argyll, and what that coast has meant. In terms of overall landmass, Argyll is relatively small and yet due to its heavily fissured and indented nature, this part of Scotland’s western seaboard has more miles of coastline than the whole of France. It is a landscape that’s shaped by the sea, riven by lochs (of both the salty and fresh water kind), and which is still defined completely by its waterways. And when you are thinking about how the humans of the past lived and worked here, Argyll is a landscape that often makes most sense from the water.
Last week I found myself thinking a lot about the general watery-ness of Argyll, and the way that human bodies (alive and dead) once got about it when Tom and I spent a few days walking around the loch that, prior to the district and regional division of Scotland in 1975, marked Argyll’s northern boundary.
Loch Shiel is most often seen now from the top of the loch, where a famous monument commemorates the spot where Charles Edward Stuart raised the Jacobite standard . . .
. . . and a just-as-famous viaduct carries folk through the landscape on fictional journeys to Hogwarts, or real ones to Mallaig.
But centuries before the Road to the Isles and the West Highland Line brought coaches, trains, and thousands of visitors from around the world to the top of Loch Shiel, people were moving by land and water around this landscape.
Loch Shiel is a freshwater loch that drains into the sea via a short stretch of river at Acharacle. At over 17 miles long it’s a reasonably extensive loch (the fourth longest in Scotland), and enables easy access (by boat) from the coast into the west highland interior. Ancient attempts to protect, defend, and restrict access to Loch Shiel from the coast are still apparent in the landscape – from Iron Age forts to Medieval castles.
Precisely because of its ease of navigability, this was a landscape of enormous strategic importance, and it held (and indeed still holds) great spiritual significance as well. Landing in Ardnamurchan from Ireland, Saint Finan reputedly saw a small island in Loch Shiel from the high shoulder of land above Kilchoan, and decided to establish his cell there.
The location of St Finan’s hermitage became, in time, the site of a medieval chapel, with ground consecrated for burial. Centuries went by, the chapel fell into ruin, religious differences divided Scotland’s landscape. But the communities of Loch Shiel, Sunart, Moidart, and Ardnamurchan continued to carry their dead on foot and by boat to be buried on St Finan’s isle.
If you spend any time at all in the hills above Loch Shiel, you’ll find cairns that mark the places where coffins (and their carriers) once rested on what were once known as coffin roads. These three are marked on Ornance Survey maps as “Captain Robertson’s Cairn.” When Captain WJ Robertson of Kinlochmoidart died in 1869, his body was carried along this route, taken down to the water, and rowed by boat, to be buried on St Finan’s isle.
These three cairns don’t just represent one human, though, but the countless inhabitants of this landscape who were once carried, mourned, and laid to rest on the burial island in the loch.
Highland parishes once covered huge areas, with relatively few spots consecrated for burial, and bodies were, by necessity, carried long distances over what was (and remains) very difficult terrain. It is no wonder that so many cairns and placenames in this part of the world (for example, Corpach / A’ Chorpaich / field of corpses) commemorate the temporary resting places of mourners and bodies on the coffin roads.
From Polloch, from Ardshealach, from Resipole, from Kinlochmoidart and from Carn Mor na Comhdail (the great cairn of the gathering) near Camuschoire, the coffin roads wind down from all directions through the high hills above Loch Shiel – all meeting at St Finan’s burial island. The island might seem, to a contemporary visitor, to be “remote” or curiously inaccessible, but it was a location at the heart of the community in all senses, a place where all roads led.
Both the Catholics and Protestants of Loch Shiel have used (and still use) St Finan’s isle as a place to lay their dead and for many centuries, the island has remained a place of memory and commemoration without denomination. Burials began on the island in the sixth century, and they still occur today: it is said to be the oldest burial site in continuous use in Western Europe, and remains a place of pilgrimage for many (though clearly not sufficiently respected as such by the thief of the isle’s ancient bell)
This is St Finan’s island as seen from the shore of Loch Shiel, near Dailea, on one of our walks along the old coffin roads on a chilly day last week. It really is a very special spot. Perhaps another day, I’ll swim there.
Loch Shiel is certainly one of those places that has made me think very differently about (false) contemporary perceptions of remoteness or marginality, about centres and peripheries, about Argyll’s living landscape, and its human communities, alive and dead.


Received 25 November 2015; accepted 12 January 2016; published 15 January 2016
In the year 1735, a surgeon named Claudius Amyand performed a right inguinal hernia operation for an 11-year- old male patient named Havil Henderson and found the vermiform appendix in the hernia sac   . He subsequently published his findings in 1736 in the Philosophic Transactions of the Royal Society   . Subsequently, the finding of the vermiform appendix in a hernia sac has been ascribed the eponym Amyand’s hernia. This makes no distinction of whether the appendix is normal, inflamed or ruptured1    . The presence of the vermiform appendix in a femoral hernia sac is however known as Garengeot’s hernia  .
The incidence of Amyand’s hernia is variously reported as ranging from 0.5% to 1% of cases of Appendicectomy while an inflamed appendix is seen in 0.08% to 0.1% of cases.    . Amyand’s hernia is less well known than the much rarer Littre’s hernia (Meckel’s diverticulum in the sac) although Meckel’s diverticulum is rated as being present in 2% of the general population. The age and sex distribution is not known but from reported cases there is a male preponderance. The reported age ranges from a 15-day-old premature neonate to a 92-year-old man   . Our search in English literature found a few recorded left-sided cases of Amyand’s hernia and none from the West African sub-region. This submission is the first report of a case of left-sided Amyand’s Hernia from our practice in Calabar-Nigeria and perhaps the first reported case from West Africa. This case had many peculiarities including a tear in the caecal wall besides being complicated.
2. Case Report
An 18-month-old boy, weighing 8 kg was referred from a private clinic with a 3-day history of sudden onset of abdominal pain maximal over a pre-existing reducible left inguinal swelling. Patient was irritable, vomited once and refused feeds for 2 days. He also developed fever, constipation and abdominal swelling a day before referral.
Clinical evaluation showed an irritable, pale, febrile and dehydrated infant with tachypnoea and tachycardia. The abdomen was moderately distended. Umbilical hernia was present and bowel sounds were hyperactive. He had a hyperaemic, tender, left inguino-scrotal mass but both testes were separately palpable. A working diagnosis of Strangulated Left Inguino-scrotal hernia was made. The patient was rapidly resuscitated and scheduled for an emergency operation. Suddenly, the crying and irritability increased in tempo before the beginning of the operation. It was observed that the scrotum was rapidly increasing in size and tensed with the attendant fear of bursting (Figure 1).
Immediate intervention was done through a left inguinal incision and intra-operative findings were:
1) An obstructed, sliding indirect left inguinal hernia sac with faeculent smell.
2) The contents of the sac shown in Figure 2.
Ø A gush of gas with faeculent odour upon opening the hernia sac.
Ø An inflamed (hyperaemic and turgid) vermiform appendix.
Ø An enclosed part of the circumference of the caecal wall with a 2 cm linear tear (grasped by Babcock’s forceps in Figure 2).
Ø A scanty amount of purulent exudates.
Ø Viable terminal ileum and caecum.
3) Normal left testis and vas deferens
The constricting fascial band at the neck was released. Appendicectomy was done, caecal tear closed extra- abdominally with a single layer of Polyglactin 910 sero-muscular suture. Local toileting was done with saline soaked sponge and contents reduced. The hernia sac was closed by purse-string and redundant part excised. In- guinal anatomy was reconstituted over a drain removed after 48 hours. Antibiotic prophylaxis commenced pre- operatively was continued post-operatively in therapeutic doses.
Figure 1. Pre-operative picture showing tense, shiny, scrotal swelling.
Figure 2. Intraoperative picture showing vermiform appendix held with Allis forceps and the tear in the caecal wall held by Babcock forceps.
The postoperative course was uneventful. Patient commenced oral feeding on second post-operative day. He was discharged home on the 5th postoperative day. Abdominal Ultrasound scan and Chest Radiograph were requested. However, the patient was lost to follow-up and never did the requested investigations.
Amyand’s hernia implies that the vermiform appendix in contained within the inguinal hernia Sac  -  . This usually suggests a right-sided inguinal hernia as the vermiform appendix and caecum are normally found in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. The incidence of Amyand’s hernia ranges from 0.5% to 1% of hernias and almost always an incidental operative finding. Most cases of Amyand’s hernia contain a normal appendix while inflamed appendix is noted in 0.08% to 0.1% of cases    -  , thus making it a rare condition.
We note at this point that Amyand’s hernia is less often mentioned in the medical literature than the rarer eponymous Littre’s hernia. Meckel’s diverticulum is said to occur in about 2% of the general population (post- mortem) but this not confirmed from operative findings. The incidence of finding a ruptured appendix in a hernia sac whether Amyand’s or not, is not known though expected to be rarer than the inflamed variety. The tear in the caecal wall as noted in this case was spontaneous. This a peculiar isolated finding and perhaps precisely occurred at the time of sudden increase in the tempo of crying and rapid expansion of scrotal size. This tear, in the absence of any gangrenous segment of gut or rupture of the appendix, may be due to a rise in intracaecal pressure above its bursting point especially in the presence of a competent ileo-caecal valve.
Left-sided Amyand’s hernia is less reported in literature than the right-sided because the appendix is normally located in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. Our search in English medical literature produced about 20 reported cases of left-sided Amyand’s hernia from all continents and more recently from Africa as well  . This is the first report of a case of Left-sided Amyand’s hernia from the West African region, and a peculiarly complicated one.
An inguinal hernia sac may be empty or contain omentum, small bowel or both. Atypical cases may contain part of the wall of the caecum or urinary bladder (sliding hernia), vermiform appendix (Amyand’s hernia), Meckel’s diverticulum (Littre’s hernia) or part of the circumference of the bowel wall (Richter’s hernia) or even an “arrested testis”. We may someday witness an appendix tumour within the hernia sac. It has been suggested that pre-operative investigations such as ultrasonography, hernioscopy, laparoscopy or computed tomography   may be helpful for diagnosis. These modalities are usually not employed since diagnosis is made intra- operatively, and will amount to waste of resources and lead to delay in treatment. Amyand’s hernia has no typical clinical features. It shares common clinical features with other hernias with the possibility of being complicated by obstruction or strangulation. However, the presence of an inflamed vermiform appendix within a hernia sac will result in accentuated presentation and risk of rupturing or bursting as in our index patient.
Hernia is a surgical disease that requires surgical intervention. In emergency situations like our index case, surgical therapy must be expedited. The proposed management classification by Losanoff and Basson   (Table 1) may be more useful for right-sided Amyand’s hernia diagnosed before operation than for the left-
Table 1. Losanoff and Basson management classification.
sided cases. From our experience herein, we advocate appendicectomy in all left-sided cases irrespective of the clinico-pathological status of the appendix. This is justified in that the appendix in the left may lead to misdiagnosis if left in situ. Diagnosis of hernia is a normal clinical work up not requiring the various radiographic procedures with their attendant hazards, expense and treatment delay. However, in cases like ours, during the postoperative period, various imaging techniques may be employed to resolve other possible diagnostic dilemma such as situs inversus, malrotation or wandering caecum. The selected modality must be justifiable hence we think that the use of computed tomography will add no advantage.
Left-sided Amyand’s hernia is an uncommon surgical entity. It is usually a chance finding at operation. It is more likely to harbour an inflamed appendix than the right side. Immediate appendicectomy should be done routinely in left-sided Amyand’s hernia if only to prevent future diagnostic confusion. The management is incomplete until situs inversus, malrotation or mobile caecum is ruled out.
 Amyand C. (1736) Of an Inguinal Rupture, with a Pin in the appendix Coeci, Incrusted Stone; and Some Observations on Wounds in the Guts. Philosophical Transactions of Royal Society, 39, 329-342.
 Mohamed, A.A., Bhatty, T.A., Mahmoud, A.R. and Abukhater, M. (2010) Amyand: A Forgotten Surgeon and Hernia. Case Presentation and Literature Review. The Internet Journal of Urology, 7.
 Juan, Y.H., Ko, K.H., Chen, Y.L., Liu, C.H., Yu, C.Y., Chang, W.C. and Huang, G.S. (2013) Amyand’s Hernia with Scrotal Abscess Presenting as Acute Scrotum. Journal of the Chinese Medical Association, 76, 57-59.
 Okur, M.H., Arslan, M.S., Zeytun, H. and Otcu, S. (2015) Amyand’s Hernia Complicated with Acute Appendicitis: A Case Report and Literature Review. Pediatric Urology Case Reports, 2, 7-12.
 Yoneyama, F., Tanaka, H., Ono, K., Sasaki, T., Jimbo, T., Gotoh, C., Uesugi, T., Urita, Y., Shinkai, T., Takayasu, H., Imoto, N. and Masumoto, K. (2015) An Incarcerated Appendix and the Ileocaecum within a Left Inguinal Hernia in an Infant. Surgical Case Reports, 1, 61.
 Mongardini, M., Maturo, A., De Anna L, Livadoti, G., D’Orazi, V., Urciuoli, P. and Custureri, F. (2015) Appendicial Abscess in a Giant Left-Sided Inguino-Scrotal Herni: A Case of Amyand’s Hernia. Springerplus, 4, 378.


January 6, 2022
Welcome to the Blended Learning Guide for Parents/Guardians
This guide is intended to help parents and guardians of our PVNCCDSB students who have been learning in school but are now learning virtually as a result of the provincial lockdown. For many of our students and staff, virtual learning is new to us, and we need to develop our skills together. The following is intended to help:
Teaching and Learning
- Daily schedule or timetable that includes 300 minutes of learning opportunities – to be provided to students and parents
- Students will be using Google Classroom as the platform for learning
- Program based on full Ontario curriculum
- Guided instruction, large and small group learning, synchronous check-ins, and asynchronous independent work
- Teachers must be available to students at all times as they would be face-to-face
Synchronous Learning is learning that takes place with the teacher in real time. Students are completing the same task at the same time, and have access to the teacher for help, but do not necessarily need to be in front of the computer. Examples of synchronous learning can include but are not limited to, live online lessons via Google meet, individual conferencing, collaborative writing including Google docs and slides, and small group work via Google chat.
Synchronous Learning Expectations
- Kindergarten: 180 minutes
- Grades 1-3: 225 minutes
- Grades 4-8: 225 minutes
- Grades 9-12: 225 minutes
Parents will be provided with the class schedule so that their child may participate synchronously. It is important that students complete a tech-in/gathering in their class each day at the predetermined time. Otherwise, we ask parents to call the school line to report student absences. Parents who require an exemption from synchronous requirements should contact the school.
Asynchronous learning refers to learning that students undertake when they are not all in the same place with the teacher at the same time. Examples of asynchronous learning include independent learning, video recordings of lessons and activities, and posted assignments that students work on independently.
The Ontario curriculum is the basis for learning in a blended learning environment. Students attending are still expected to demonstrate and achieve the Catholic Graduate Expectations.
Mental Health and Well-being
Whether learning online or in traditional class settings, it is important that students have the strategies that they need to be successful in a holistic way, Mind, Body and Spirit.
Our Mental Health and Well Being Strategy strives to ensure that students are supported in the classroom both in person and virtually. Educators are provided with resources around social emotional learning, resiliency, self regulation and self care to integrate into the curriculum to encourage positive mental health for all students. Additional resources for families for all regions of the board may be found here: Community Resources for families of PVNCCDSB.
We know that some students may need additional support to be successful and we have social work support available to assist students learning virtually. Referrals can be made through your school principal to access these additional supports for your student, if necessary. Our social workers may also make referrals to additional programs in the community should the needs of your student warrant an additional or specialized level of support.
School Mental Health Ontario has resources for families to support positive mental health for their children specifically, the Parent Guide for Return to School. In addition, if you are concerned that your child may be struggling with their mental health, this resource on Noticing Mental Health Concerns for Your Child may assist you in supporting them and determining next steps for accessing support.
Moving to an online learning environment can offer some opportunities to meet the needs of a wide range of learners. The online environment can provide new ways for students to learn because teachers can present content and students can access content in different ways (such as through videos, for example). Online learning can provide multiple ways for students to engage with learning because some students are more motivated and connected when they are using technology.
The online environment may also present some challenges for students, and in particular, it may present challenges for students with special education needs. These students should receive appropriate accommodations and modifications where necessary and be provided with assigned work by teachers as well as feedback or assessment. If your child’s exceptional learning needs cannot be accommodated through remote learning, please contact your school principal.
Individual Education Plans (IEPs) have been developed by teachers and by special education resource teachers in your child’s home school and will continue to be in place during lockdown. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions about their IEP.
Special education support staff (educational assistants) continue to support our students who are learning during the provincial lockdown.
Code of Conduct
A virtual classroom is still a place of community and a safe place to learn. Parents are encouraged to review with their children the Provincial Code of Conduct which applies to all students, staff, and families of PVNCCDSB.
Supporting Your Child Remotely
Parents can help their children in a number of ways. The following represents a number of suggestions to help your child learn remotely.
- Find a space: choose a space free from distractions but is also accessible to you as well. This might be the living room, kitchen, or family room.
- Access to technology: make sure your child has access to technology and wifi necessary to learn. If this is an obstacle, please reach out to your child’s teacher or principal.
- Learning Management System: all PVNCCDSB students use Google Classroom as their learning management system. This is easy to follow and comes with a number of Google applications that help your child learn.
- Readiness to learn: students should approach online learning as they would with getting ready to attend school. They should be suitably dressed for school with their learning materials and laptop ready to begin.
- Breaks: observe the breaks in the schedule to encourage your child to take some physical activity and move away from the computer. Nutrition, hydration, and activity are important for your child’s wellbeing.
- Support learning in age appropriate ways: children need the support of their parents in their learning in ways that reflect their own psychological and social development. In early years, this may mean direct support from parents as their children learn and play at home, but as children grow older and their skills develop, parents may be less directly involved.
- Supervision: parents and caregivers still need to supervise their children online during the school day and support any outdoor learning experiences they may have.
- Responsibilities of the student: students are expected to participate in their learning every day. Parents are asked to call the school if their child is going to be absent.
- Patience and persistence: moving from traditional classroom to online learning can be challenging and come with technical difficulties that can interrupt planning and learning. Patience and communication are key to assisting with working out these inconveniences in collaboration with school staff.
- Students and parents in Grade K to 3 are required to review and sign the Student Acceptable Use Agreement
- Students and parents in Grades 4 to 8 are required to review and sign the Student Acceptable Use Agreement
- Students and parents in Grades 9 to 12 are required to review and sign the Student Acceptable Use Agreement
Students are required to attend the school every day. Tech-ins and gatherings will take place each morning at the time established by the teacher. Please ensure your child is present during this time or contact the school attendance line to report an absence.
Sometimes, electronic communication takes on a 24/7 quality. As your child is learning virtually, please direct questions to the classroom teacher. If further information is required, please leave a message on the school’s general voicemail so that your call can be returned within 24 hours.
Teachers are available to support student learning during the school day through board email or Google classroom. Teachers will also be available to conference with students through Google meet. Conferencing between a teacher and a parent will take place on an agreed upon time and cannot take place during the synchronous portion where a number of students gather.
Help Desk: If you or your child have technical difficulties with technology or wifi that you are unable to resolve, please contact our helpdesk at firstname.lastname@example.org or by calling 705-748-4861 EXT 1218.
Please continue to follow the PVNCCDSB calendar to assist you with planning for the duration of the year.