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I imagine the newly enlisted man-child, Pvt. William Greene Dodson, sitting on a train to Petersburg, in the company of his uncle, Sgt. Benjamin F. Dodson and other Mecklenburg County farmers. The sights, smells and sounds of battle were yet but words from others’ mouths. Would this young man have been excited? Scared? Resolute? Company B, 34th Virginia Infantry arrived in Petersburg May 1864 as part of Wise’s Brigade, under the command of P.G.T. Beauregard, and were charged with the protection of the railroad hub. Greene and Ben would have welcomed the local Citizen’s Militia who helped swell the troops’ numbers to a scant 2,200 bodies. Perhaps Greene wondered what kind of hell he had entered, as he stared at this landscape, stripped of trees, riddled with tunnels, rifle pits and bombproofs. A bleak reality must have confronted the young soldier, even before the first bullets whistled in his ears.
Eye tracking is a process that identifies a specific point in both space and time that is being looked at by the observer. This information can also be used in real-time to control applications using the eyes. Recent innovations in the video game industry include alternative input modalities to provide an enhanced, more immersive user experience. In particular, eye gaze control has recently been explored as an input modality in video games. This book is an introduction for those interested in using eye tracking to control or analyze video games and virtual environments. Key concepts are illustrated through three case studies in which gaze control and voice recognition have been used in combination to control virtual characters and applications. The lessons learned in the case studies are presented and issues relating to incorporating eye tracking in interactive applications are discussed. The reader will be given an introduction to human visual attention, eye movements and eye tracking technologies. Previous work in the field of studying fixation behavior in games and using eye tracking for video game interaction will also be presented. Collect Fly Buys when you purchase this title The final chapter discusses ideas for how this field can be developed further to create richer interaction for characters and crowds in virtual environments. Alternative means of interaction in video games are especially important for disabled users for whom traditional techniques, such as mouse and keyboard, may be far from ideal. This book is also relevant for those wishing to use gaze control in applications other than games. Table of Contents: Introduction / The Human Visual System / Eye Tracking / Eye Tracking in Video Games / Gaze and Voice Controlled Video Games: Case Study I and II / Gaze and Voice Controlled Drawing: Case Study III / Conclusion
Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. Alzheimer's disease (AD), is one form of dementia that gradually gets worse over time. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Senile dementia - Alzheimer's type (SDAT); SDAT Causes, incidence, and risk factors You are more likely to get Alzheimer's disease (AD) if you: - Are older. However, developing AD is not a part of normal aging. - Have a close blood relative, such as a brother, sister, or parent with AD. - Have certain genes linked to AD, such as APOE epsilon4 allele The following may also increase your risk, although this is not well proven: - Being female - Having high blood pressure for a long time - History of head trauma There are two types of AD: - Early onset AD: Symptoms appear before age 60. This type is much less common than late onset. However, it tends to get worse quickly. Early onset disease can run in families. Several genes have been identified. - Late onset AD: This is the most common type. It occurs in people age 60 and older. It may run in some families, but the role of genes is less clear. The cause of AD is not clear. Your genes and environmental factors seem to play a role. Aluminum, lead, and mercury in the brain is no longer believed to be a cause of AD. Dementia symptoms include difficulty with many areas of mental function, including: - Emotional behavior or personality - Thinking and judgment (cognitive skills) Dementia usually first appears as forgetfulness. Mild cognitive impairment is the stage between normal forgetfulness due to aging, and the development of AD. People with MCI have mild problems with thinking and memory that do not interfere with everyday activities. They are often aware of the forgetfulness. Not everyone with MCI develops AD. Symptoms of MCI include: - Difficulty performing more than one task at a time - Difficulty solving problems - Forgetting recent events or conversations - Taking longer to perform more difficult activities The early symptoms of AD can include: - Difficulty performing tasks that take some thought, but used to come easily, such as balancing a checkbook, playing complex games (such as bridge), and learning new information or routines - Getting lost on familiar routes - Language problems, such as trouble finding the name of familiar objects - Losing interest in things previously enjoyed, flat mood - Misplacing items - Personality changes and loss of social skills As the AD becomes worse, symptoms are more obvious and interfere with your ability to take care of yourself. Symptoms can include: - Change in sleep patterns, often waking up at night - Delusions, depression, agitation - Difficulty doing basic tasks, such as preparing meals, choosing proper clothing, and driving - Difficulty reading or writing - Forgetting details about current events - Forgetting events in your own life history, losing awareness of who you are - Hallucinations, arguments, striking out, and violent behavior - Poor judgment and loss of ability to recognize danger - Using the wrong word, mispronouncing words, speaking in confusing sentences - Withdrawing from social contact People with severe AD can no longer: - Understand language - Recognize family members - Perform basic activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing, and bathing Other symptoms that may occur with AD: - Swallowing problems Signs and tests A skilled health care provider can often diagnose AD disease with the following steps: - Complete physical exam, including neurological exam - Asking questions about your medical history and symptoms - A mental status examination A diagnosis of AD is made when certain symptoms are present, and by making sure other causes of dementia are not present. Tests may be done to rule out other possible causes of dementia, including: - Brain tumor - Chronic infection - Intoxication from medication - Severe depression - Thyroid disease - Vitamin deficiency - In the early stages of dementia, brain image scans may be normal. In later stages, an MRI may show a decrease in the size of different areas of the brain. - While the scans do not confirm the diagnosis of AD, they do exclude other causes of dementia (such as stroke and tumor). However, the only way to know for certain that someone has AD is to examine a sample of their brain tissue after death. The following changes are more common in the brain tissue of people with AD: - "Neurofibrillary tangles" (twisted fragments of protein within nerve cells that clog up the cell) - "Neuritic plaques" (abnormal clusters of dead and dying nerve cells, other brain cells, and protein) - "Senile plaques" (areas where products of dying nerve cells have accumulated around protein). There is no cure for AD. The goals of treatment are: - Slow the progression of the disease (although this is difficult to do) - Manage symptoms, such as behavior problems, confusion, and sleep problems - Change your home environment so you can better perform daily activities - Support family members and other caregivers Medicines are used to help slow down the rate at which symptoms become worse. The benefit from these drugs is usually small. You and your family may not notice much of a change. Before using these medicines, ask the doctor or nurse: - What are the potential side effects? Is the medicine worth the risk? - When is the best time, if any, to use these medicines? Medicines for AD include: - Donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), and galantamine (Razadyne, formerly called Reminyl). Side effects include stomach upset, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle cramps, and fatigue. - Memantine (Namenda). Possible side effects include agitation or anxiety. Other medicines may be needed to control aggressive, agitated, or dangerous behaviors. Examples include haloperidol, risperidone, and quetiapine. These are usually given in very low doses due to the risk of side effects including an increased risk of death. It may be necessary to stop any medications that make confusion worse. Such medicines may include painkillers, cimetidine, central nervous system depressants, antihistamines, sleeping pills, and others. Never change or stop taking any medicines without first talking to your doctor. Some people believe certain vitamins and herbs may help prevent or slowdown AD. - There is no strong evidence that Folate (vitamin B6), vitamin B12, and vitamin E prevent AD or slows the disease once it occurs. - High-quality studies have not shown that ginkgo biloba lowers the chance of developing dementia. DO NOT use ginkgo if you take blood-thinning medications like warfarin (Coumadin) or a class of antidepressants called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). If you are considering any drugs or supplements, you should talk to your doctor first. Remember that herbs and supplements available over the counter are NOT regulated by the FDA. For additional information and resources for people with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers, see Alzheimer's disease support groups. How quickly AD gets worse is different for each person. If AD develops quickly, it is more likely to worsen quickly. Patients with AD often die earlier than normal, although a patient may live anywhere from 3 - 20 years after diagnosis. The final phase of the disease may last from a few months to several years. During that time, the patient becomes totally disabled. Death usually occurs from an infection or organ failure. - Abuse by an over-stressed caregiver - Loss of muscle function that makes you unable to move your joints - Infection, such as urinary tract infection and pneumonia - Other complications related to immobility - Falls and broken bones - Harmful or violent behavior toward self or others - Loss of ability to function or care for self - Loss of ability to interact - Malnutrition and dehydration Calling your health care provider Call your health care provider if someone close to you has symptoms of dementia. Call your health care provider if a person with AD has sudden change in mental status. A rapid change may be a sign of another illness. Talk to your health care provider if you are caring for a person with AD and you can no longer care for the person in your home. Although there is no proven way to prevent AD, there are some practices that may be worth incorporating into your daily routine, particularly if you have a family history of dementia. Talk to your doctor about any of these approaches, especially those that involve taking a medication or supplement. - Consume a low-fat diet. - Eat cold-water fish (like tuna, salmon, and mackerel) rich in omega-3 fatty acids, at least 2 to 3 times per week. - Reduce your intake of linoleic acid found in margarine, butter, and dairy products. - Increase antioxidants like carotenoids, vitamin E, and vitamin C by eating plenty of darkly colored fruits and vegetables. - Maintain a normal blood pressure. - Stay mentally and socially active throughout your life. - Consider taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), sulindac (Clinoril), or indomethacin (Indocin). Statin drugs, a class of medications normally used for high cholesterol, may help lower your risk of AD. Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of using these medications for prevention. In addition, early testing of a vaccine against AD is underway. Aisen PS, Schneider LS, Sano M, Diaz-Arrastia R, van Dyck CH, et al. High-dose B vitamin supplementation and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008;300:1774-1783. DeKosky ST, Kaufer DI, Hamilton RL, Wolk DA, Lopez OL. The dementias. In: Bradley WG, Daroff RB, Fenichel GM, Jankovic J, eds. Bradley: Neurology in Clinical Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Butterworth-Heinemann Elsevier; 2008:chap 70. DeKosky ST, Williamson JD, Fitzpatrick AL, Kronmal RA, Ives DG, Saxton JA, et al. Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008;300:2253-2262. Knopman DS. Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 409. Mayeux R. Early Alzheimer's disease. N Engl J Med. 2010 Jun 10;362(4):2194-2201. Peterson RC. Clinical practice. Mild cognitive impairment. N Engl J Med 2011 Jun 9;364(23):2227-2234. Qaseem A, et al., American College of Physicians/American Academy of Family Physicians Panel on Dementia. Current pharmacologic treatment of dementia: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Ann Intern Med 2008 Mar 4;148(5):370-8. Querfurth HW, LaFerla FM. Alzheimer's disease. N Engl J Med. 2010 Jan 28;362(4):329-44. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. ©1997-2013 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Sign Up for Free Newsletters Ask Your Doctor the RIGHT Questions! the most from your doctor visit. Emailed right to you! The Ask Your Doctor email series may contain sponsored content. 18+, US residents only please. Explore Original Articles About... Get the MOST from QualityHealth - Top Searches - 1. Arthritis Management: Nature Heals - 2. 5 Digestive To-Dos - 3. Men: Should You Shave It or Leave It? - 4. Today's Top Fitness Trends - 5. Sugar and Osteoarthritis : The Link - 6. Can't Afford Your Hospital Bills? - 7. Stay Energized All Day Long - 8. Phobias: Who Has Them and Why? - 9. What If Your EpiPen Fails? - 10. 5 Costly Medical Billing Mistakes - 1. Ice Falls Can Cause Serious Injuries - 2. Can Inactivity Act Like a Disease? - 3. Kale Snack Recipe for Diabetics - 4. How Running Affects Arthritis - 5. Sugar and Your Immunity System - 6. 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Advanced CT scans and wax modeling have revealed the face of King Richard III Showing a hint of a smile, a prominent chin, and slightly arched nose, the facial reconstruction is based on a skull found along with other bones just 2 feet beneath a car park in Leicester, UK, last September. The reconstruction follows confirmation that the skeleton was that of the king killed in battle more than 500 years ago. According to Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on the project at the University of Leicester, DNA tests had proved “beyond reasonable doubt” that the bones were those of the last Plantagenet king. The model was created by digitizing a three-dimensional image of the complete skull and using the bone structure to estimate the thickness of the various layers of muscle and skin. “When the 3D digital bust was complete it was replicated in plastic using a rapid prototyping system,” Caroline Wilkinson, professor of craniofacial identification at Dundee University, UK, said. The head was painted and textured with prosthetic eyes. Using portraits as reference, the researchers created a realistic and royal appearance by dressing the king with a wig, hat and clothing. According to historian John Ashdown-Hill, the model is so lifelike that it is “almost like being face to face with a real person.” Although the essential features of Richard are quite similar to those shown in various depictions of the king, of whom no contemporary portraits exist, the model reveals a more pleasant and younger face. Indeed, many of the later portraits of Richard showed him with a rather mean face — quite appropriate for the bloodthirsty usurper depicted by Shakespeare. “It doesn’t look like the face of a tyrant… He’s very handsome. It’s like you could just talk to him, have a conversation with him right now,” Philippa Langley, a member of the Richard III Society who instigated the search for the skeleton, told Channel 4′s documentary “King in a Car Park.” Richard III was killed in 1485 in the Battle of Bosworth, which was the last act of the decades-long fight over the throne known as War of the Roses. The king was defeated by Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII. Examinations of the skeleton revealed that Richard III was 5 feet, 8 inches tall and had a slender, almost feminine physique. He suffered from scoliosis, a severe curvature of the spine, in line with the hunchback king described by Shakespeare. The skeleton of England’s last medieval king may be reburied in Leicester Cathedral, which is a just short distance away from the car park where it was found. The Cathedral is expected to approve the re-interring request later this year. Images: The reconstructed face. Credit: Getty; Richard III’s skull. Credit: University of Leicester.
13 July 2006 Excerpts from Roosevelt's Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage, Joseph E. Persico, 2001. On June 19 the President received an excited call from Francis Biddle, his attorney general. Six days before, Biddle told the President, "at 1:30 A.M. an unarmed Coast Guard patrolman near Amagansett, Montauk Point, Long Island, discovered two men placing material in a hole they had dug; one of them covered the patrolman with a gun, gave him $260 and told him to keep his mouth shut. I shall, of course, keep you informed." As J. Edgar Hoover's nominal boss, Biddle later recalled the FBI chief's demeanor while describing the plan to track down the rest of the saboteurs: "His eyes were bright, his jaw set, excitement flickering around the edge of his nostrils," Biddle remembered. The question now was how much to tell the public. Hoover wanted no announcement that might alert the men still at large. The President agreed, and the press was, for the moment, frozen out of the story. FDR's longstanding preoccupation with sabotage now seemed validated. Biddle admitted, "1 had a bad week trying to sleep as I thought of the possibilities. The saboteurs might have other caches hidden, and at any moment an explosion was possible." [Saboteur] Dasch had, in fact, revealed that, along with their transportation and industrial targets, the Pastorius mission was supposed to spread terror by placing firebombs in department stores and delayed-action explosives in hotels and in crowded railroad stations. On June 27, ten days after the Kerling team landed in Florida, the President, then at Hyde Park, took another call from Biddie. Hoover's G-men had seven of the saboteurs in custody and were about to arrest the last one. Nearly $174,000 of their Abwehr stake had been seized. FDR responded with the habitual geniality that Biddle, a stiff Philadelphia Main Liner, envied. "Not enough, Francis," Roosevelt said. "Let's make real money out of them. Sell the rights to Barnum and Bailey for a million and a half --- the rights to take them around the country in lion cages at so much a head." Now the tale could be told, and in the ensuing publicity, Coast Guardsman Cullen became a national hero. Hoover played the capture of the ring as a case solved by the FBI, making no public mention of the fact that Dasch had turned himself in and squealed on his comrades. Three days after all eight saboteurs were in custody, FDR sent Biddle a memo making clear his expectations. "The two Americans are guilty of treason," he told the attorney general. "I do not see how they can offer any adequate defense. . . it seems to me that the death penalty is almost obligatory." As for the six German citizens, "They were apprehended in civilian clothes. This is an absolute parallel of the Case of Major [John] Andre in the Revolution and of Nathan Hale. Both of these men were hanged." The President hammered home his point once more: "The death penalty is called for by usage and by the extreme gravity of the war aim and the very existence of our American govemment." Biddle had never quite overcome his awe in dealing with FDR. Still, the nation's chief law enforcement official was troubled, finding himself trapped between the President's questionable pressure and his own reverence for the law. The Germans had been apprehended so quickly, Biddle recognized, that "they had not committed any act of sabotage. Probably an indictment for attempted sabotage would not have been sustained in a civil court on the grounds that the preparations and landings were not close enough to the planned acts of sabotage to constitute attempt. If a man buys a pistol, intending murder, that is not an attempt at murder." In a civilian court the Germans might at best be convicted of conspiracy, which Biddle estimated would carry a maximum sentence of three years. This outcome, he knew, would never satisfy Roosevelt. FDR essentially took charge of the case. He told Biddle that he wanted the eight agents tried, not in a civilian court, but by a military tribunal, which he himself would appoint. They had forfeited any right to a civilian trial, as Roosevelt put it, because "[t]hese men had penetrated battlelines strung on land along our two coasts and guarded on the sea by our destroyers, and were waging battle within our country." They fell under the Law of War. A military tribunal would be quick, not subject to the protracted appeals procedures of civilian courts. It would not be hog-tied by the criminal courts' exacting rules of evidence. It could impose the death sentence, not as the civil courts required, by a unanimous verdict, but by a two-thirds vote. A military tribunal offered the advantages and the assured outcome that the President wanted. A civilian court was out of the question. FDR told Biddle, "I want one thing clearly understood, Francis: I won't give them up . . . I won't hand them over to any United States Marshall armed with a writ of habeas corpus. Understand!" Averell Harriman, FDR's special envoy to Moscow, had once described Roosevelt's "Dutch jaw -- and when that Dutch jaw was set you couldn't move him." Biddle practically felt the jaw's thrust, and dutifully followed the President's instructions. Conviction should be simple, Biddle promised FDR, since "[t]he major violation of the Law of War is crossing behind the lines of a belligerent to commit hostile acts without being in uniform." The British, early in the war, had imposed the traditional penalty on captured spies and saboteurs, execution. Seven arrested German agents were hanged with numerous others awaiting the gallows within months of the war's outbreak. Then, in 1940, a thirty-year-old Scottish major, energetic, articulate, imaginative Thomas A. "Tar" Robertson, assigned to MIS, proposed a new approach. What use to Britain were German spies moldering in anonymous graves? he asked his superiors. Instead, make an offer to them, turn or die. Thus was born the Double Cross, or XX, operation whereby most captured spies chose turning to dying. Some became double agents and sent false information back to Germany under British control. In other cases, British radiomen mastered "the fist," the distinctive sending style of these agents, and convincingly transmitted Double Cross fabrications to Germany. Double Cross was a rousing success. Only one German spy is believed to have reached Britain during the war without being caught. The alternative of turning the eight captured Germans never entered FDR's head. Their deaths were to serve notice to the Nazis of the certain fate of any other spies and saboteurs sent to America. On July 2 the President announced that the eight accused would stand trial before a military commission composed of seven generals, and they would be charged with violating the eighty-first and eighty-second Articles of War dealing with espionage, sabotage, and conspiracy. Court-appointed lawyers for the defendants made a game effort to move the trial to a civilian court, taking the constitutional issue all the way to the Supreme Court, but the justices backed the legality of a military tribunal. Biddle himself was to prosecute, an unusual move, having a civilian serve as prosecutor in a military proceeding. But FDR was taking no chances. The Army's Judge Advocate General was rusty and had not tried a case for over twenty years. FDR wanted his own man before the bar. On June 8 the prisoners, held in the District of Columbia jail, were shaved by prison barbers, lest they put the razor to their own wrists or throats, and hustled into two armored vans guarded by gun-toting military police. Nine Washington motorcycle patrolmen roared alongside, escorting the vans to the Department of Justice. Enterprising vendors soon were doing a thriving business selling ice cream and hot dogs to the crowds that gathered outside the department's iron gate every day to gawk at the enemy. The trial was held in Assembly Hall # 1 on the fifth floor of the Justice Department, the windows shrouded by black curtains. As the trial opened, Hoover, sitting next to Biddle, fed pages of evidence to the attorney general. During a recess, one of the defendants asked the presiding general for a cigarette. The general responded stuffily that Army regulations made no provision for such a request. A disgusted Hoover took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to the German. In twenty-six days it was over. All eight were sentenced to death. The generals sent their verdict to the President. Roosevelt, acting, in effect, as the court of last resort, confirmed six of the death sentences, but commuted Burger's sentence to life and Dasch's to thirty years for their willingness to betray their comrades. August 8 was set for the executions, which would take place in the electric chair on the third floor of the District of Columbia jail. Eight weeks had elapsed from the night the first saboteurs had landed on Long Island. On execution day, FDR was at Shangri-la [now Camp David] , the presidential hideaway in western Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. The President liked to sit in the small screened porch playing solitaire or gazing by the hour out at the Catoctin Valley, lost in his private thoughts. This evening, he gathered his guests around him in the living room -- Sam Rosenman and his wife, Dorothy, Daisy Suckley, Grace Tully, poet Archibald MacLeish and his wife, Ada. The First Lady was tied up in New York. The President settled into an easy chair and seemed in unusually fine fettle. He commenced his ceremonial role, mixing the cocktails. He was conceded to make a fine martini and an old-fashioned, though lately he had become enamored of a drink made of gin and grapefruit juice, which most guests found vile. As he mixed, he swapped jests with Rosenman and MacLeish while Daisy snapped photos. Once more Rosenman was impressed by FDR's gift for shedding the cares of office after hours, as if flipping a switch somewhere inside himself The President began reminiscing about his days in the governor's office in Albany where Rosenman had served as his legal counsel, recalling stories of appeals for clemency on the eve of executions. Sam marveled at FDR's memory, down to dates, places, offenses, and names of the condemned in a dozen New York capital cases. The President then segued into an Alexandre Dumas story about a barber who, during the 1870 siege of Paris, supplied delicious beef while thousands were starving. Gleefully, FDR related how a number of the barber's clients had turned up missing, and the "veal" was suspected of originating in the barber's chair. What prompted FDR's black humor this evening went unspoken until Dorothy Rosenman raised the subject. The six condemned Nazi saboteurs had been electrocuted beginning at one minute past noon. By 1:04 P.M., the work was completed, an average of ten and a half minutes per man. One witness reported that they had gone to their deaths stunned, as if in a trance. Where, Mrs. Rosenman asked the President, would the bodies be buried? He had not yet decided, FDR answered. His only regret was that they had not been hanged. He then launched into a story about an elderly American woman who died while visiting Moscow and had accidentally been switched in a casket meant for a deceased Russian general who was shipped back to the States. When her family complained, the Russian government cabled back, "Suggest you close the casket and proceed with the funeral. Your grandmother was buried in the Kremlin with full military honors." The saboteurs were subsequently buried in a potter's field near Washington. Was the evening of gallows humor Roosevelt's true mood or intended to mask the hard decisions he had had to make about six human lives? Mrs. Rosenman's firsthand account describes nothing but Roosevelt's humor and relaxed manner, but then, he was a consummate actor. In any case, the country was with him. Telegrams poured into the White House mail room. One read, "It's high time that we wake up here in this country and show the world we are not a bunch of mush hounds." It was signed, "Mother who has three loyal sons in the Army." The Victory Committee of German American Trade Unionists telegraphed the President, "We endorse the imposition of the death penalty on any saboteur or traitor. We know that no loyal German American need have the slightest fear providing he obeys the laws of the country." On Ellis Island, the execution of the six Germans was observed differently. Adolph G. Schickert and Erich Fittkau, Germans interned there, held a meeting of other internees. They announced the death of their countrymen, called for two minutes of silence, and then led the singing of the rousing Nazi anthem, the "Horst Wessel Lied."
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Imperial College London have made the most accurate measurement yet of the shape of the humble electron, finding that it is almost a perfect sphere, in a study published in the journal Nature today. The experiment, which spanned more than a decade, suggests that the electron differs from being perfectly round by less than 0.000000000000000000000000001 cm. This means that if the electron was magnified to the size of the solar system, it would still appear spherical to within the width of a human hair. The physicists from Imperial's Centre for Cold Matter studied the electrons inside molecules called Ytterbium Fluoride. Using a very precise laser, they made careful measurements of the motion of these electrons. If the electrons were not perfectly round then, like an unbalanced spinning-top, their motion would exhibit a distinctive wobble, distorting the overall shape of the molecule. The researchers saw no sign of such a wobble. The researchers are now planning to measure the electron's shape even more closely. The results of this work are important in the study of antimatter, an elusive substance that behaves in the same way as ordinary matter, except that it has an opposite electrical charge. For example, the antimatter version of the negatively charged electron is the positively charged anti-electron (also known as a positron). Understanding the shape of the electron could help researchers understand how positrons behave and how antimatter and matter might differ. Research co-author, Dr Jony Hudson, from the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, said, "We're really pleased that we've been able to improve our knowledge of one of the basic building blocks of matter. It's been a very difficult measurement to make, but this knowledge will let us improve our theories of fundamental physics. People are often surprised to hear that our theories of physics aren't 'finished', but in truth they get constantly refined and improved by making ever more accurate measurements like this one." The currently accepted laws of physics say that the Big Bang created as much antimatter as ordinary matter. However, since antimatter was first envisaged by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Paul Dirac in 1928, it has only been found in minute amounts from sources such as cosmic rays and some radioactive substances. Imperial's Centre for Cold Matter aims to explain this lack of antimatter by searching for tiny differences between the behaviour of matter and antimatter that no-one has yet observed. Had the researchers found that electrons are not round it would have provided proof that the behaviour of antimatter and matter differ more than physicists previously thought. This, they say, could explain how all the antimatter disappeared from the universe, leaving only ordinary matter. Professor Edward Hinds, research co-author and head of the Centre for Cold Matter at Imperial College London, said: "The whole world is made almost entirely of normal matter, with only tiny traces of antimatter. Astronomers have looked right to the edge of the visible universe and even then they see just matter, no great stashes of antimatter. Physicists just do not know what happened to all the antimatter, but this research can help us to confirm or rule out some of the possible explanations." Antimatter is also studied in tiny quantities in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland, where physicists hope to understand what happened in the moments following the Big Bang and to confirm some currently unproven fundamental theories of physics, such as supersymmetry. Knowing whether electrons are round or egg-shaped tests these same fundamental theories, as well as other theories of particle physics that even the Large Hadron Collider cannot test. To help improve their measurements of the electron's shape, the researchers at the Centre for Cold Matter are now developing new methods to cool their molecules to extremely low temperatures, and to control the exact motion of the molecules. This will allow them to study the behaviour of the embedded electrons in far greater detail than ever before. They say the same technology could also be used to control chemical reactions and to understand the behaviour of systems that are too complex to simulate with a computer. Explore further: Error sought & found: State-of-the-art measurement technique optimised More information: Improved measurement of the shape of the electron, Nature 473, 493496 (26 May 2011) doi:10.1038/nature10104 www.nature.com/nature/journal/v473/n7348/full/nature10104.html The electron is predicted to be slightly aspheric, with a distortion characterized by the electric dipole moment (EDM), de. No experiment has ever detected this deviation. The standard model of particle physics predicts that de is far too small to detect, being some eleven orders of magnitude smaller than the current experimental sensitivity. However, many extensions to the standard model naturally predict much larger values of de that should be detectable. This makes the search for the electron EDM a powerful way to search for new physics and constrain the possible extensions. In particular, the popular idea that new supersymmetric particles may exist at masses of a few hundred GeV/c2 (where c is the speed of light) is difficult to reconcile with the absence of an electron EDM at the present limit of sensitivity. The size of the EDM is also intimately related to the question of why the Universe has so little antimatter. If the reason is that some undiscovered particle interaction breaks the symmetry between matter and antimatter, this should result in a measurable EDM in most models of particle physics. Here we use cold polar molecules to measure the electron EDM at the highest level of precision reported so far, providing a constraint on any possible new interactions. We obtain de = (−2.4 ± 5.7stat ± 1.5syst) × 10−28e cm, where e is the charge on the electron, which sets a new upper limit of \|de\| < 10.5 × 10−28e cm with 90 per cent confidence. This result, consistent with zero, indicates that the electron is spherical at this improved level of precision. Our measurement of atto-electronvolt energy shifts in a molecule probes new physics at the tera-electronvolt energy scale.
Several folders kept in the Royal Society of Chemistry contain letters addressed to Sir Henry Enfield Roscoe from academics, including the one I showed you previously (see “A letter written 105 years ago”). The eminent Sir Roscoe actually graduated from UCL and joined his Alma Mater as Lecture Assistant. He then spent most of his life at Owens College, Manchester where he taught Prof Watson Smith. At the age of 51, Sir Roscoe received a knighthood. In his early 60s, he returned to London and was Vice-Chancellor of the University of London for six years. As one of the most notable English chemists, he wrote quite a few popular textbooks. Chemistry in the Science Primer Series, first published in 1872, were widely adopted and translated into nine languages. It covered topics such as air, water, earth, metal and non-metal elements, including phosphorus. At that time, non-phossy-jaw-causing safety matches made from red phosphorus had been invented in Sweden but were not yet introduced to England. In his book, Sir Roscoe explained the mechanism of safety matches. The old matches contained inflammable white or yellow phosphorus and burned themselves whereas the new matches carried no phosphorus and safe red phosphorus was coated on the matchbox. Both Sir Roscoe and Prof Smith promoted red phosphorus matches as they were safe from a chemical point of view. With that, they in effect also helped combat this dreadful disease. Fifteen years after Chemistry (Science Primers) was published, the Salvation Army opened the first red phosphorus match factory in England in 1891 and Prof Smith’s recommendation was found in the advertisement (see “Another link with UCL in history”). In 1906, the use of white or yellow phosphorus in matches was prohibited by the International Berne Convention and this saved match workers from the painful jaw necrosis. I think this case demonstrated beautifully cross-disciplinary efforts in the face of such a complicated problem. In Victorian times, different disciplines worked independently towards phossy jaw and the match industry in different ways but they had still been successful. In the 21st Century, we work much more closely: my project collaborates with experts in genetics, statistics and dentistry from different countries. So, can we solve BONJ quicker than our predecessors? Fingers crossed! - Roscoe, Henry E. 1872. Chemistry. A. Miller. - Anon. International Labour Legislation. Taylor & Francis.
St. Lalibela was an Ethiopian monarch and church builder. The second to last king of the Zagwe dynasty, he was the most renowned, especially for the 11 rock-hewn churches built in his capital. These edifices are among the major medieval monuments of Africa. Lalibela provides a striking example of the union of church and state in Ethiopia and is revered as a saint in the Ethiopian Church. Lalibela, meaning "bees obey him," was a birth-name noting that at his birth a swarm of bees alighted on him without harming him. As a youth, Lalibela claimed to have visions and spent some time as a hermit. In 1180 he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On return, Lalibela only reluctantly took the throne from his half-brother Harba with support from the clergy, who opposed Harba's contacts with the papacy. He took the name Gabra Masqal, Servant of the Cross, and began his reign with a long fast. Lalibela attempted a Christian policy of charity and peace, which was largely successful. He secured his borders with new monasteries and developed good relations with the Sultan Saladin, thus easing pressures on the Christians of Egypt and protecting the Ethiopians in Jerusalem. His greatest feat, however, was creating the amazing network of churches, courtyards, and water systems in his capital. Since the entire complex is carved from natural rock below ground level, it has survived intact. Lalibela's tomb is also located there. Norbert C. Brockman Dictionary of African Biography. Algonac, MI, and New York: Reference Publications, vol. 1, 1977; vol. 2, 1979. Lipschutz, Mark, and R. Kent Rasmussen. Dictionary of African Historical Biography. 2nd edition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986.
Hemorrhoids, often called piles, are swollen and inflamed veins in and around the anus and lower rectum. They are much like varicose veins you might see on a person’s legs. Hemorrhoids are a very common health problem. Hemorrhoids cause serious problems in about 4% (over 10 million) of people in the United States. Prevalence of hemorrhoidal disease increases with age until the seventh decade and then diminishes slightly. Hemorrhoids also increase in pregnancy due to direct pressure on the rectal veins. Causes of hemorrhoidsHemorrhoids are caused by too much pressure in the rectum, forcing blood to stretch and swell the blood vessels. People whose parents had hemorrhoids may be more likely to get them. Most common causes of hemorrhoids: straining with bowel movements (from constipation or hard stools) sitting on the toilet for a long time pressure of the fetus in pregnant women SymptomsSymptoms of hemorrhoids include: pain around the anus and rectum irritation and itching bulge or lump at the anus</ul> Excessive straining, rubbing or cleaning the anus may worsen symptoms. In most cases, the symptoms of hemorrhoids will only last a few days. Not every one with hemorrhoids will experience symptoms. Types of hemorrhoidsThe type of hemorrhoid depends on where it occurs. There are two types of hemorrhoids: internal and external. External hemorrhoids develop around the rim of the anus. External hemorrhoids cause most of the symptoms associated with hemorrhoids (pain, burning, and itching) because the skin around them is very sensitive. If an external hemorrhoid becomes strangulated (cut off from blood supply), a clot can form in it and become an excruciatingly painful thrombosed hemorrhoid. Thrombosis of an external hemorrhoid causes an anal lump that is very painful and often requires medical attention. Internal hemorrhoids develop inside the passageway of the anus. Internal hemorrhoids are often present without causing any discomfort or even awareness of their presence. Internal hemorrhoids are usually painless, although they sometimes cause discomfort and bleeding if a hard stool rubs against them during a bowel movement. Internal hemorrhoids also may prolapse outside the anus, where they appear as small, grape-like masses. These can be painful. A prolapsed hemorrhoid will go back inside the rectum on its own, or you can gently press it back into the anus with your fingertips. Internal hemorrhoids are classified by the degree of tissue prolapse into the anal canal: First-degree – hemorrhoids that bleed but do not prolapse Second-degree – hemorrhoids that prolapse with straining or defecating and retract on their own Third-degree – hemorrhoids that prolapse and require manual reduction Fourth-degree – hemorrhoids that chronically prolapse and, if reducible, fall out again</ul> Mixed hemorrhoids are confluent internal and external hemorrhoids. PreventionYou often can prevent hemorrhoids by preventing constipation and straining to have bowel movements. Some of the following diet and lifestyle changes may help you to soften the stool, and avoid the straining that can lead to hemorrhoids: Include more fiber in your diet – fresh fruits, leafy vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereals are good sources of fiber. Drink adequate amounts of fluids – 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Do not strain or sit on the toilet for long periods of time. Straining for more than 5 minutes can be harmful. Try not to stay on the toilet any longer than necessary. Use a soothing wipe, such as baby wipes or witch hazel pads, to clean after each bowel movement and to ease the pain. If your main job activity is seated, always stand or walk during your breaks. Make it a point to stand and walk at least 5 minutes every hour and try to shift frequently in your chair to avoid direct rectal pressure. Avoid heavy lifting, which puts pressure on the anal opening.</ul> TreatmentA number of surgical methods may be used to remove or reduce the size of hemorrhoids: Rubber band ligation – A rubber band is placed around the base of the hemorrhoid inside the rectum. The band cuts off circulation, and the hemorrhoid withers away within a few days. Sclerotherapy is one of the oldest forms of treatment. A chemical solution is injected directly into the hemorrhoid or the area around it. This solution causes a local reaction that interferes with blood flow inside the hemorrhoid, making the hemorrhoid shrink. Laser or electro-coagulation techniques – Both techniques use special devices to burn hemorrhoidal tissue. Cryotherapy uses cold temperatures to obliterate the veins and cause inflammation and scarring. It is more time consuming, associated with more posttreatment pain, and is less effective than other treatments. Therefore, this procedure is not commonly used. Hemorrhoidectomy – Occasionally, extensive or severe internal or external hemorrhoids may require removal by surgery known as hemorrhoidectomy. This is the best method for permanent removal of hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoidectomy is the treatment for severe third-degree and fourth-degree hemorrhoids.</ul> Sclerotherapy, ligation, and heat coagulation are all good options for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Neo Healar – herbal remedy for hemorrhoid(http://www.originaldrugs.com/neo-healar.shtml-Neo Healar) is a 100% herbal product that is composed on four natural occurring plants: Lupinus Albus, Vateria Indica, Mentha Piperita and Aloe Vera. Neo Healar is available in two forms: 30 g ointment and suppositories (in 10s).
This high quality timeline features 43 key milestones in the development of technology throughout the ages. Each poster features the year date, a brief description of the technology development and a high resolution clip art. These posters are sure to compliment any classroom. Use as posters for display or for discussion on the interactive whiteboard. Let your imagination run wild with this high quality resource. Also included in this bundle are 4 activities to use alongside the Technology and Inventions Timeline. Please see the preview for further details of these activities. Lesson plan instructions are included to aide you in the implementation of these activities. This bundle is designed to save you time! Simply print, laminate where needed and you are ready to go. Each poster is best printed on A4 sized paper. The following technology inventions are included in the timeline (please note information given here is paraphrased and in more detail on the posters): 3500 BC - wheel invented 105 - paper is first made 600 - windmills invented 700-900 - fireworks invented 1000 - eyeglasses invented 1450 - printing press invented 1470s - first parachute sketched 1590 - first microscope invented 1600 - first thermometer invented 1609 - telescope invented 1700s - piano invented 1783 - first hot air balloon invented 1800 - first battery invented 1814 - first practical steam train invented 1827 - first modern photograph taken 1830-1840s - development of telegraph 1860s - fire extinguishers invented 1868 - keyboard invented 1876 - telephone invented 1880 - lightbulbs invented 1885 - first gasoline-powered car invented 1886 - dishwasher invented 1890s - data projector invented and first movie theatre opened 1901 - first vacuum cleaner invented 1903 - first engine-powered airplane invented 1905 - chainsaw invented 1906 - air conditioner invented 1907 - washing machine invented 1920s - electric television invented 1928 - refrigerator invented 1930s - ballpoint pen invented 1930s - first solar powered house 1939 - helicopter invented 1949 - barcodes invented 1950s - microwave invented 1960s - computer mouse invented 1960s - CDs invented 1973 - cellphones invented 1976 - Apple 1 invented 1989 - World Wide Web invented 2001 - iPod invented 2007 - iPhone invented 2010 - iPad invented If you don't need the activities, why not just purchase the Technology and Inventions Timeline Posters separately. Click the link to find the product. If you liked the look of these posters, you may also like these: — Christmas Around the World Poster and Student Workbook MEGA Bundle - Ready to Print and Go! — Synonym Posters - Words to Use Instead of... — History of Toys Timeline Posters Please note: This product is for personal use only. Multiple licences are available for use among more than one person. If you liked the look of this product, please take a look at my other products for sale in my store: To keep up with new products, simple follow me on Pinterest: Ridgy Didge Resources Or better yet, follow my store to receive updates of new product listings right in your inbox!
Birth Control Behavioral Methods (cont.) Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Other Methods of Periodic Abstinence Several other methods of periodic abstinence exist. - Rhythm method: Couples who practice the rhythm method, also called the calendar method, decide when to abstain from intercourse based on calendar calculations of the past 6 menstrual cycles. However, allowances are not made for the normal variations in the menstrual cycle that many women experience. This method is not as reliable as the symptothermal method of NFP or FAM. - Cervical mucus method: Also called the ovulation method, the cervical mucus method involves monitoring cervical mucus only, without also recording basal body temperature or menstrual history. The safe period is considered to be any dry mucus days just after menstruation and the 10 or 11 days at the end of the cycle. Days of menstrual bleeding are deemed infertile; however, pregnancy can occur during menstruation. Vaginal infections, sexual excitement, lubricants, and certain medications can significantly affect the accuracy of cervical mucus assessment. - Basal body temperature method: This method involves monitoring basal body temperature only, without also recording cervical mucus or other signs. Sex is avoided from the end of the menstrual period until 3 days after the increase in temperature. Must Read Articles Related to Birth Control Behavioral Methods Birth Control FAQs The practice of birth control is as old as human existence. Your choice of birth control method involves factors such as how easy it is to use, safety, risks, c...learn more >> Birth Control Overview The practice of birth control is as old as human existence. Today, the voluntary control of fertility is of paramount importance to modern society.learn more >>
Elephants and Ivory An elephant's tusks are really incisor teeth which keep growing throughout the elephant's life, although general wear and occasional breaks can keep their size in check. They are made from layers of dentine (ivory) which is very hard. Male (bull) tusks tend to be larger than female (cow) tusks although it is possible to find tuskless members of both sexes. Jonathan Kingdon's excellent "Field Guide to African Mammals" suggests that the length and versatility of the elephant's trunk enabled the elephant to evolve into a larger mammal, at the same time reducing the requirement of incisors for feeding functions. Their limbs lost functionality as they adapted towards bearing an elephant's great weight, leaving the head as the main focus for dealing with the environment. The trunk is used for retrieving food (drinking water, ripping vegetation, picking berries or rummaging the soil and undergrowth) and some gentler activities such as cleaning themselves. The tusks are used as weapons and general purpose tools. Besides their tusks, elephants have single molars (a series of six which wear away in succession throughout their lifetime) for grinding the rough vegetation they eat. The Ivory Trade Both African and Asian elephants are under threat from poachers who kill them for their ivory tusks. Although early poachers would only kill one or two elephants at a time this would still have had a big impact on the population, mainly because the poachers would kill the older male elephants for their larger tusks. Killing older elephants means that immature elephants are left to grow up without any parents to help them (young orphans may even die). Killing mostly male elephants means that there is a dangerous imbalance between the ratio of male to female elephants. Things are much worse now as modern poachers are more organised and have better weapons so that they can - and do - kill whole families at a time. Fortunately today's world is more aware of the impact of ivory poaching and smuggling. An international five-year moratorium on ivory trading was agreed in 1989, the year when President Moi publically burned a large pile of ivory in Nairobi National Park under the direction of Kenya Wildlife Service's Dr Richard Leakey. More recent methods to track elephants and fight poaching involve 'fingerprinting' their footprints and ear patterns. There is a debate whether ivory trading should be allowed in a controlled way or banned completely. One argument in favour of a controlled trade is lowering the black-market value of ivory. One argument against any trade is whether we should be making money from a scheme which could encourage more poaching. Click here for a photograph of an elephant. Jeremy Youngman 2000 Hosted by www.ivorytrade.com
Its vibrant populace, in a culture that increasingly reveres youth, sometimes makes people feel Vietnam will never grow old. For years the country has cashed in on its so-called “golden demographics," in which the number of dependent citizens is much smaller than the labor pool. This blessing allowed the country some time to rebuild after a destructive war. It molded an impressively large, young workforce to consistently drive the economy from both production and consumption sides. But Vietnam cannot be forever young. While the country's median age is now low — at around 29 compared to China’s 37, for instance —its population growth is no longer driven by births, but by more people living longer. It is only a matter of time before the golden age passes. And the clock is ticking fast. Most of the world has seen its population skew toward the aged, and so the trend is inevitable. The difference is that for Vietnam and some others it will be a very steep climb down the demographic peak. Aging will likely hit Vietnam with full force within a very short span of time, whereas in most developed nations it comes gradually, and often after the dream of prosperity has been realized. The World Bank, in a report released last month, warned that East Asia and the Pacific is “aging faster than any region in history, driven primarily by a rapid decline in fertility, but also increased longevity.” Transitioning from an aging to an aged society, where people of 65 and above account for 14 percent or more of the total population, took the UK 45 years, the US 69 years and France 115 years. For Vietnam, this transition would come in a mere 15 years, and complete well before the 2040s, the report forecast. The projected decline of Vietnam's working-age population is not as dramatic as in Hong Kong, South Korea or Singapore. Unlike these richer economies, though, Vietnam is hardly ready to deal with a lack of workers and the pressures on economic growth that ensue. Steady annual growth of around 6 percent has lifted many Vietnamese out of poverty in recent years, but the country’s annual per capita income is barely past US$2,000. More efforts are required to bring the share of population living below $2 a day from 12.1 percent in 2012 to 5.8 percent in 2017 — the year that policymakers believe will mark the beginning of the aging phase, though some argue it has begun. Speed bumps on the road to affluence will have a stronger impact on older people than other age groups, considering that they have already been left behind when most become better off. A study by the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA, found that between 2010 and 2012 incomes increased for every age group in Vietnam except for the 65-80 category. Ritsu Nacken, acting representative of UNFPA in Vietnam, said around 17 percent of older persons live under the poverty line and the rate could be as high as 22 percent in rural areas. She said there are many factors that lead to bad economic outcomes in old age. “First, changes in family composition and social norms may lead to more old people living alone. “Second, increased life expectancy means old people may exhaust their savings well before dying. “And finally, government policies to ensure income protection for older persons are falling short.” The country has a social security system that doles out allowances regularly to its elderly citizens, but Nacken said the eligibility criteria of the policy is narrow, targeting only people who are poor and without family support. Others have to wait until they are 80 to get the allowance. Data from different agencies vary. The figure provided by UNFPA is notably low: only around 100,000 people aged between 60 to 79, accounting for a mere 1.3 percent of the population in that age group, receive monthly allowances. And the sum is not much to begin with. Increased life expectancy means old people may exhaust their savings well before dying." -- Ritsu Nacken, UNFPA Most provinces rarely pay more than the minimum income support of VND180,000, or $8.45, per month, which Nacken considered "insufficient to bring beneficiaries out of poverty.” For those who have worked long enough and contributed to the state pension fund, the financial situation is only a little better. It is well known that this stipend is not enough to cover necessities either. Many pensioners say they receive less than $25 per month after working for decades. And since 2013 there has been talk that the national pension fund might go broke — a prediction that can only add to the vexations of a graying workforce. Money aside, the increasing number of people entering old age also lays bare the weaknesses in Vietnam’s health and elderly care services that are usually swept under the carpet. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a research note early this year that, with a sub-replacement birth rate of 2.09 and a life expectancy of 73 years and rising, Vietnam would see its population age “extremely rapidly” in the coming decades. One of the biggest challenges, it said, would be seen in the healthcare system, which is not keeping up with changes in the society. "The traditional family structure – three-generation households, with the eldest child caring for aging parents – is weakening, yet institutional structures to care for the elderly remain extremely rare: there are fewer than 3,000 geriatric care beds across the whole of Vietnam,” according to the note, which was meant for UK investors looking for business opportunities in Vietnam. Even officials concede that there are shortcomings in long-term care for the elderly. “We all know that living standards have improved, but a part of the population including many elderly citizens are still facing hardships — they stay in dilapidated houses, have to work to make a living and sometimes do not receive good care when they are sick,” Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said in a speech in Hanoi last week to hundreds of elderly people. At the end of the speech, he urged children across the country to take good care of their aging parents, because “one day we will also have children and grandchildren, will be old, and will want the exact same things that our parents and grandparents want." Vietnamese are required by law to take care of their parents in their own age, but it is not an easy area to police, as evidenced by the many instances of old parents being neglected. After all, putting a virtue — filial piety, in this case — under the purview of the law will not stop the evolution of family dynamics and economic conditions that any aging society is bound to see. Pham Tuyet Nhung, deputy head of the International Relations Department at the Vietnam Association of the Elderly, said a better life for older people has to begin with how society sees and empowers them. Better awareness will allow the country to introduce better policies for the elderly, she said. “For instance, we can’t consider them a burden who are dependent on their children. We need to be able to see their contributions and even potential. If they are supported just like other age groups, they will have a better chance to lift themselves out of poverty.” If they are supported just like other age groups, they will have a better chance to lift themselves out of poverty." -- Pham Tuyet Nhung, Vietnam Association of the Elderly Nhung said in many rural families old parents sometimes have to live alone after their children migrate to big cities to work. “Taking care of aging parents is a beautiful tradition… but in the current context, we need to understand it differently and have a more practical view about it,” she said, calling for more funding for state-run and community-based care services. Dilemma of the age Professor Alfred Chan of the Asia Pacific Institute of Aging Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong said many countries in the region are caught in the dilemma of “becoming old before becoming rich." Some of them, including Vietnam and China, are influenced by centuries-old Confucian values and they still see family and neighbors as the core support for the aging, he said. "This is what most elders from Asia would wish for as well. Children in many ways are still obliged to care for their parents, even though sometimes they may not be capable.” Many older persons live to 90 now, and so having the youngest householder take responsibility for the whole family becomes rather unrealistic and the expenses are a very heavy burden indeed, he said. "Thus falling back to the public safety net for welfare provision is inevitable.” As for Vietnam, he said, a quick drop in labor participation would cause economic growth to slow, while a sudden surge in the older population demands a quick fix to health and social care services. “One of the most probable ways to sustain economic growth is to allow those who can work to carry on working beyond retirement age.” Vietnamese legislators last year voted against raising retirement ages, currently at 60 for men and 55 for women. As the pension system remains strained, discussion of the issue is unlikely to go away. For many, working after the age of 60 is already upon them. Statistics from UNFPA indicate that 35 percent of older women in Vietnam and 45 percent of older men work, mostly self-employed or as unpaid family workers. And yet they cannot make enough money. In its report, the World Bank said since East Asia is graying, many old people may have to "work till they drop" to escape poverty. How many Vietnamese will be in that bleak situation? Only time will tell.
What took Mother Nature thousands of years to create, recent humanity has taken for granted and has selfishly destroyed. In the last 75 years, modern U.S. economic agricultural practices have nearly eradicated all of the naturally occurring organically (carbon containing) complexed trace minerals, poly-electrolytes and metalo-enzymes from our diet. Two-time Nobel prize winner and renowned scientist Linus Pauling categorically stated to the 74th Congress of the U.S. that, "Every ailment, every sickness and every disease can be traced back to an organic trace mineral deficiency." Without a doubt, organic trace minerals are "the gift of life" and cellular function becomes impossible without them. The 74th Congress, 2nd session, of the United States declared that 99 percent of Americans are deficient in 100 percent organically complexed trace minerals. Why? Because our foods no longer contain adequate amounts of critical, essential, and life sustaining organic trace minerals, poly-electrolytes and metalo-enzymes! Dr. Charles Northern in Senate Document 264 indicated that, when an organic soil-based bed is destroyed, plants and crops harvested in that soil lack virtually all of the critical organic trace minerals and more. There is enormous scientific evidence proving organic trace minerals and fulvic acid are both critically necessary to maintain health, promote healing and prevent illnesses and disease. Further, they may be the solution to the world’s health problems and may even be the key to preservation of life on earth for many centuries to come. Lastly, they are proving indispensable to every organ, gland and muscle in the body. Without them, life cannot exist because they are both the stimulus (neuro-electrical catalyst) and the "spark" that single-handedly produces all life functions. What is fulvic acid? Where does it come from and how does it work? Fulvic acid is a humic substance or extract. It is the end product of nature’s humification process, which is the ultimate breakdown and recycling of once-living plant matter. Fulvic acid contains all the phytochemical protective substances, amino acid peptides, nucleic acids, poly-saccharides and muco-polysaccharides from the original living and organic (carbon containing) plant matter. Thus, fulvic acid is highly concentrated, refined, transformed, and enhanced over hundreds of years by the actions of innumerable and microscopic organically complexed plants. This humification process does not break down the original phytochemical protective components and prevents them from turning back into their basic mineral elements and micro-structures. Even the smallest strands of RNA, DNA, and organic plant photosynthetic materials still remain intact. Over time, the original components become organically complexed and enriched with organic and carbonaceous materials. In addition, because fulvic acid is so highly refined and so naturally chelated (i.e., ultra tiny and low molecular weight) by nature itself, it consists of 100 percent organically complexed and ultra tiny molecules which can easily penetrate human tissue and cells. It is highly bio-active on the cellular level, providing innumerable bio-chemical and metabolic detoxification functions. The short term health benefits and long term clinical results are scientifically phenomenal and medically outstanding. Fulvic acid is one of nature’s most precious forms of protection and defense for plants, animals and, possibly, man. Unquestionably, it is tied very closely with immune system functions and has exceptionally powerful antioxidant qualities. What scientific facts do we know about fulvic acid and its vast applications? Because fulvic acid is naturally chelated and organically complexed by nature itself, it has been entirely and perhaps wrongly misunderstood and overlooked by most of medicine and science. We believe nearly every pharmaceutical drug, herbal extract, health supplement and therapeutic substance from nature can, somehow, be traced to the functions and the actual chemical makeup of fulvic acid. We also believe the DNA of every living and extinct species of organism on Earth—be it plant, animal or microbe—has eventually become a component of fulvic acid. The original life-giving, protective, and healing components from plants (phytochemicals) do not disintegrate during nature’s fulvic acid production process; rather, they become highly concentrated. Many species of plants, particularly microscopic plants, seem to be involved in the fulvic acid production process. Fulvic acid production appears to be the end result of nature’s perfect recycling process, and may provide a steady increase in health to subsequent generations of living organisms. Modern agricultural practices appear to have completely broken nature’s recycling process, resulting in progressively deteriorating crops yielding hollow foods and, subsequently, affecting our health. In fact, the use and consumption of a homeostatic balanced amount of fulvic acid on a regular basis could possibly reverse the steady chronic cycle of deteriorating health. Based on medical research, what are the known health benefits of fulvic acid? There are many beneficial therapeutic uses of fulvic acid. Below are findings from some of the latest medical research. 1. Anti-inflammatory agent: Fulvic acid seems to inhibit an enzyme secreted from an infected area, and regulates the level of the trace elements zinc and copper, activating a super-oxide called dismutates. Free radicals generated in the infected area are dismutated, utilized, and eliminated by this agent. 2. Stimulates blood circulation and enhances blood coagulation: Many diseases are caused by circulation malfunction in the capillary blood system. A therapeutic effect of fulvic acid seems to be is its ability to restore and improve blood circulation in the capillary system. Fulvic acid also appears to serve as a blood coagulant when there is bleeding or blood seeping from the vascular bed. 3. Digestive tract ulcers: Another healing effect of fulvic acid is its ability to stimulate blood circulation in the stomach wall and inhibit excessive secretion of acid. It also seems to stimulate the secretion of the glands in the stomach that have the ability to protect the stomach inner wall, thereby potentially preventing and healing stomach ulcers. 4. Immunology: There are indications that, with injection of fulvic acid into the abdominal region, the size of thymus in experimental animals increased, together with indications of macrophage activation. A dosage of 5 mg/kg of fulvic acid when injected into the abdominal cavity appears to be beneficial. 5. Endocrinology: Fulvic acid appears to regulate abnormal thyroid hormone secretion because it is able to regulate cyclic nucleotides at the cellular level. 6. Anti-cancer: In general, fulvic acid does not seem to kill cancer cells directly. However, it serves as a regulating agent in the immune system and can be used therapeutically in conjunction with other anti-cancer medicines. Further research may show that humic acids can also be used to resuscitate some of our soils, and possibly our food sources. Until this can be accomplished, good quality nutritional supplements containing fulvic acid remain our best defense against food devoid of life-sustaining organically complexed minerals and nutrients. Dr. Drucker has a Master’s of Science in Natural Health and a Doctorate in Naturopathy. He is a highly respected doctor in the field of natural health and the CEO of Drucker Labs, which manufactures and distributes health, wellness and nutritional products. These products use a breakthrough technology called intraCELL™ V, which yields unique carbon-bond organic microcomplexed structures that are highly bio-available and extremely effective.
Breastfeeding protects babies - Early breast milk is liquid gold – Known as liquid gold, colostrum (coh-LOSS-trum) is the thick yellow first breast milk that you make during pregnancy and just after birth. This milk is very rich in nutrients and antibodies to protect your baby. Although your baby only gets a small amount of colostrum at each feeding, it matches the amount his or her tiny stomach can hold. (Visit How to know your baby is getting enough milk to see just how small your newborn’s tummy is!) Did you know? While formula-feeding raises health risks in babies, it can also save lives. Very rarely, babies are born unable to tolerate milk of any kind. These babies must have soy formula. Formula may also be needed if the mother has certain health conditions and she does not have access to donor breast milk. To learn more about rare breastfeeding restrictions in the mother, visit the Breastfeeding a baby with health problems section. To learn more about donor milk banks, visit the Breastfeeding and special situations section.For health professionals - Breastfeeding and the Risk of Postneonatal Death in the United States (American Academy of Pediatrics) - Breastfeeding and Health Outcomes (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - A Summary of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Evidence Report on Breastfeeding in Developed Countries - Your breast milk changes as your baby grows – Colostrum changes into what is called mature milk. By the third to fifth day after birth, this mature breast milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein to help your baby continue to grow. It is a thinner type of milk than colostrum, but it provides all of the nutrients and antibodies your baby needs. - Breast milk is easier to digest – For most babies — especially premature babies — breast milk is easier to digest than formula. The proteins in formula are made from cow’s milk and it takes time for babies’ stomachs to adjust to digesting them. - Breast milk fights disease – The cells, hormones, and antibodies in breast milk protect babies from illness. This protection is unique; formula cannot match the chemical makeup of human breast milk. In fact, among formula-fed babies, ear infections and diarrhea are more common. Formula-fed babies also have higher risks of: - Necrotizing (nek-roh-TEYE-zing) enterocolitis (en-TUR-oh-coh-lyt-iss), a disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract in preterm infants. - Lower respiratory infections - Type 2 diabetes - Life can be easier when you breastfeed – Breastfeeding may take a little more effort than formula feeding at first. But it can make life easier once you and your baby settle into a good routine. Plus, when you breastfeed, there are no bottles and nipples to sterilize. You do not have to buy, measure, and mix formula. And there are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night! You can satisfy your baby’s hunger right away when breastfeeding. - Breastfeeding can save money – Formula and feeding supplies can cost well over $1,500 each year, depending on how much your baby eats. Breastfed babies are also sick less often, which can lower health care costs. - Breastfeeding can feel great – Physical contact is important to newborns. It can help them feel more secure, warm, and comforted. Mothers can benefit from this closeness, as well. Breastfeeding requires a mother to take some quiet relaxed time to bond. The skin-to-skin contact can boost the mother’s oxytocin (OKS-ee-TOH-suhn) levels. Oxytocin is a hormone that helps milk flow and can calm the mother. - Breastfeeding can be good for the mother’s health, too – Breastfeeding is linked to a lower risk of these health problems in women: - Mothers miss less work – Breastfeeding mothers miss fewer days from work because their infants are sick less often. The nation benefits overall when mothers breastfeed. Recent research shows that if 90 percent of families breastfed exclusively for 6 months, nearly 1,000 deaths among infants could be prevented. The United States would also save $13 billion per year — medical care costs are lower for fully breastfed infants than never-breastfed infants. Breastfed infants typically need fewer sick care visits, prescriptions, and hospitalizations. Breastfeeding also contributes to a more productive workforce since mothers miss less work to care for sick infants. Employer medical costs are also lower. Breastfeeding is also better for the environment. There is less trash and plastic waste compared to that produced by formula cans and bottle supplies. When an emergency occurs, breastfeeding can save lives: - Breastfeeding protects babies from the risks of a contaminated water supply. - Breastfeeding can help protect against respiratory illnesses and diarrhea. These diseases can be fatal in populations displaced by disaster. - Breast milk is the right temperature for babies and helps to prevent hypothermia, when the body temperature drops too low. - Breast milk is readily available without needing other supplies.
- Electric Fields and Capacitance - Factors Affecting Capacitance - Op-Amp Oscillator Circuits - Positive Feedback If you’ve read the previous article, you know that the essence of capacitive touch sensing is the change in capacitance that occurs when an object (usually a human finger) approaches a capacitor. The presence of a finger increases the capacitance by 1) introducing a substance (i.e., human flesh) with a relatively high dielectric constant and 2) providing a conductive surface that creates additional capacitance in parallel with the existing capacitor. Of course, the mere fact that the capacitance changes is not particularly useful. To actually perform capacitive touch sensing, we need a circuit that can measure capacitance with enough accuracy to consistently identify the increase in capacitance caused by the presence of the finger. There are various ways to do this, some quite straightforward, others more sophisticated. In this article we will look at two general approaches to implementing capacitive-sense functionality; the first is based on an RC (resistor–capacitor) time constant, and the second is based on shifts in frequency. The RC Time Constant—Like an Old Friend If you’re like me, you experience vague feelings of university nostalgia when you see the exponential curve representing the voltage across a charging or discharging capacitor. There’s something about it—maybe that was one of the first times I realized that higher math actually has some relationship to reality, or maybe in this age of grape-harvesting robots there is something appealing about the simplicity of a discharging capacitor. In any event, we know that this exponential curve changes when either resistance or capacitance changes. Let’s say we have an RC circuit composed of a 1 MΩ resistor and a capacitive touch sensor with typical fingerless capacitance of 10 pF. We can use a general-purpose input/output pin (configured as an output) to charge the sensor cap up to the logic-high voltage. Next, we need the capacitor to discharge through the large resistor. It’s important to understand that you cannot simply switch the output state to logic low. An I/O pin configured as an output will drive a logic-low signal, i.e., it will provide the output with a low-impedance connection to the ground node. Thus, the capacitor would discharge rapidly through this low impedance—so rapidly that the microcontroller could not detect the subtle timing variations created by small changes in capacitance. What we need here is a high-impedance pin that will force almost all of the current to discharge through the resistor, and this can be accomplished by configuring the pin as an input. So first you set the pin as a logic-high output, then the discharge phase is initiated by changing the pin to an input. The resulting voltage will look something like this: If someone touches the sensor and thereby creates an additional 3 pF of capacitance, the time constant will increase, as follows: The discharge time is not much different by human standards, but a modern microcontroller could certainly detect this change. Let’s say we have a timer clocked at 25 MHz; we start the timer when we switch the pin to input mode. We can use this timer to track the discharge time by configuring the same pin to function as a trigger that initiates a capture event (“capturing” means storing the timer value in a separate register). The capture event will occur when the discharging voltage crosses the pin’s logic-low threshold, e.g., 0.6 V. As shown in the following plot, the difference in discharge time with a threshold of 0.6 V is ΔT = 5.2 µs. With a timer clock-source period of 1/(25 MHz) = 40 ns, this ΔT corresponds to 130 ticks. Even if the change in capacitance were reduced by a factor of 10, we would still have 13 ticks of difference between an untouched sensor and a touched sensor. So the idea here is to repeatedly charge and discharge the capacitor while monitoring the discharge time; if the discharge time exceeds a predetermined threshold, the microcontroller assumes that a finger has come into “contact” with the touch-sensitive capacitor (I put “contact” in quotation marks because the finger never actually touches the capacitor—as mentioned in the previous article, the capacitor is separated from the external environment by solder mask and the device’s enclosure). However, real life is a little more complicated than the idealized discussion presented here; error sources are discussed below in the “Dealing with Reality” section. Variable Capacitor, Variable Frequency In the frequency-shift-based implementation, the capacitive sensor is used as the “C” portion of an RC oscillator, such that a change in capacitance causes a change in frequency. The output signal is used as the input to a counter module that counts the number of rising or falling edges that occur within a certain measurement period. When an approaching finger causes an increase in the capacitance of the sensor, the frequency of the oscillator’s output signal decreases, and thus the edge count also decreases. The so-called relaxation oscillator is a common circuit that can be used for this purpose. It requires a few resistors and a comparator in addition to the touch-sensitive capacitor; this seems like a lot more trouble than the charge/discharge technique discussed above, but if your microcontroller has an integrated comparator module, it’s not too bad. I’m not going to go into detail on this oscillator circuit because 1) it is discussed elsewhere, including here and here, and 2) it seems unlikely that you would want to use the oscillator approach when there are many microcontrollers and discrete ICs that offer high-performance capacitive-touch-sense functionality. If you have no choice but to create your own capacitive-touch-sensing circuit, I think that the charge/discharge technique discussed above is more straightforward. Otherwise, make your life a little simpler by choosing a microcontroller with dedicated cap-sense hardware. The capacitive-sense peripheral in the EFM32 microcontrollers from Silicon Labs is an example of an integrated module based on the relaxation-oscillator approach: The multiplexer allows the oscillation frequency to be controlled by eight different touch-sensitive capacitors. By quickly cycling through the channels, the chip can effectively monitor eight touch-sensitive buttons simultaneously, because the microcontroller’s operating frequency is so high relative to the speed at which a finger moves. Dealing with Reality A capacitive-touch-sense system will be afflicted by both high-frequency and low-frequency noise. The high-frequency noise causes minor sample-to-sample variations in the measured discharge time or edge count. For example, the fingerless charge/discharge circuit discussed above might have a discharge time of 675 ticks, then 685 ticks, then 665 ticks, then 670 ticks, and so forth. The significance of this noise depends on the expected finger-induced change in discharge time. If the capacitance increases by 30%, the ΔT will be 130 ticks. If our high-frequency variation is only about ±10 ticks, we can easily distinguish signal from noise. However, a 30% increase in capacitance is probably near the maximum amount of change that we could reasonably expect. If we get only a 3% change, the ΔT is 13 ticks, which is too close to the noise floor. One way to reduce the effect of noise is to increase the magnitude of the signal, and you can do this by reducing the physical separation between the PCB capacitor and the finger. Often, though, the mechanical design is constrained by other factors, so you have to make the best of whatever signal magnitude you get. In this case, you need to lower the noise floor, which can be accomplished by averaging. For example, each new discharge time could be compared not to the previous discharge time but to the mean of the last 4 or 8 or 32 discharge times. The frequency-shift technique discussed above automatically incorporates averaging because small variations around the mean frequency will not significantly affect the number of cycles counted within a measurement period that is long relative to the oscillation period. Low-frequency noise refers to long-term variations in the fingerless sensor capacitance; these can be caused by environmental conditions. This sort of noise cannot be averaged out because the variation could persist for a very long period of time. Thus, the only way to effectively deal with low-frequency noise is to be adaptable: The threshold used to identify the presence of a finger can’t be a fixed value. Instead, it should be regularly adjusted based on measured values that do not exhibit significant short-term variations, such as those caused by the approach of a finger. The implementation techniques discussed in this article demonstrate that capacitive touch sensing does not require complex hardware or highly sophisticated firmware. It is nonetheless a versatile, robust technology that can provide major performance improvements over mechanical alternatives.
European Painting before 1900, Johnson Collection Triptych showing scenes from the Martyrdom of Saint Barbara and scenes from the Life of Christ Master of the Laufen High Altarpiece, Austrian (active Salzburg), dated work 1467 Oil and gold on panels EW1993-127-2a--cPurchased with the W. P. Wilstach Fund, the George W. Elkins Fund, and Museum funds, 1993 As described in The Golden Legend, written in about 1267 by Jacopo da Voragine, Saint Barbara converted to Christianity against the wishes of her pagan father. Locked in a tower by him, she ordered workmen to construct a third window inthe building to symbolize the Christian trinity. Enraged, her father turned her over to the Roman authorities for torture, and when her execution was ordered,he himself beheaded her. The left and right panels on the front of this triptychillustrate episodes from Barbara’s gruesome martyrdom. These graphic depictions are intended to help the viewer equate Barbara’s physical torments with those of Christ, whose crucifixion is depicted in the top center composition. The figures at the top left and right, probably the apostles John and Luke, hold sayings taken from the last words of Christ on the cross, which here apply also to Barbara’s death. The bottom center panel shows Barbara enthroned in heaven, wearing a crown and holding a palm frond as symbols of victory over death. A tower and chalice, her identifying attributes, appear nearby. Barbara’s martyrdom is paralleled on the reverse by the resurrected Christ standing in the tomb. The left and right panels of the back, which are movable and can be folded shut to appear on the front, show the angel Gabriel announcing the incarnation of Christ to the Virgin Mary. Social Tags [?]austrian [x] gabriel [x] gold [x] martyr [x] three [x] trinity [x] triptych [x] [Add Your Own Tags] * Works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. Although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit.
Origin Of Species 2E Abridged Pa, by Darwin,Charles - ISBN: 9780393978674 \| 0393978672 - Cover: Textbook Paperback - Copyright: 3/17/2002 $17.67 Save 4%! New Copy: Usually Ships in 3-5 Business Days $17.67 Save 33%! Used Copy: Usually Ships in 3-5 Business Days In The Origin of Species (1859) Darwin challenged many of the most deeply-held beliefs of the Western world. Arguing for a material, not divine, origin of species, he showed that new species are achieved by "natural selection." The Origin communicates the enthusiasm of original thinking in anopen, descriptive style, and Darwin's emphasis on the value of diversity speaks more strongly now than ever. As well as a stimulating introduction and detailed notes, this edition offers a register of the many writers referred to by Darwin in the text.
An Education professor at UMPI recently was in Spain to present at the Global Conference on Inclusive Education, an event organized by Inclusion International, a global federation of organizations advocating for the human rights of people with intellectual disabilities worldwide.Dr. JoAnne Putnam gave a presentation titled Teacher Education Program Models for Inclusion during the conference, which was held in Salamanca, Spain from Oct. 21-23. Inclusive education involves including students with special needs in the same educational arrangements as the majority of children through quality education and support for different styles and rates of learning. The conference was co-sponsored by a number of organizations including: the United Nation Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education; the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España; the Instituto Universitario de Integración en la Comunidad [INICO]; and Confederación Española de Organizaciones en favor de las Personas con Discapacidad Intelectual [FEAPS]. In 1994, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] convened the World Conference on Special Education and 92 governments adopted Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guaranteeing "the right to education...directed to the full development of the human personality and promoting understanding, tolerance, and friendship." Fifteen years later - at the conference Putnam attended in Spain - educators, policy makers, and parents met to evaluate progress toward the goal of inclusion and confront the gap between policy and the reality in schools. Program Chair for the conference was Gordon Porter, Chair of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission and Director of Inclusive Initiatives for the Canadian Association for Community Living, who is also an adjunct professor at UMPI. "Throughout the world, there seems to be a denial of the needs of children with disabilities," Putnam said. UNESCO reports that 77 million children are not in school and 25 million have a disability. According to the 2009 report Better Education for All, systemic barriers to inclusive education include public policy failures, a political vacuum of leadership and accountability, unsupported families, unsupported teachers and, although there is an abundance of knowledge, a lack of knowledge mobilization. Putnam's presentation focused on another barrier: the lack of training for teachers and educational administrators to adapt curriculum and create inclusive school communities. Putnam said she was inspired by the spirit of cooperation and the willingness to confront the "separate and unequal" treatment of people with disabilities throughout the world. She said that the fact that there are greater proportions of children living in poverty or from minorities in special education is further impetus to address education equity issues in Maine and the U.S. "In Maine, we have made great progress, and the majority of teachers are committed to teaching students with disabilities in general classes," Putnam said. "However, we still lack the resources and teacher support to attain equal education for all." She is hopeful that the issues discussed at the Global Conference on Inclusive Education ultimately will help to address such matters.
(En español: Conjuntivitis) Is your eye looking pink and not so pretty? Sounds like conjunctivitis, sometimes called pinkeye. This can happen when the conjunctiva, the covering of your eye and inside your eyelids, gets infected. Your eye may feel itchy and like you have a grain of sand caught in it. Your eye may be teary or gunky, especially when you wake up in the morning. Although sometimes pinkeye will get better on its own, some kids will need special eye drops to make their conjunctivitis disappear.
As an ecologist and biodiversity researcher and recorder, the author visits a wide range of rural and urban habitats mainly close to his home in Sedlescombe near Hastings, East Sussex, UK. The weblog covers the full spectrum of wildlife, from mammals to microbes. As well as details of encounters with England’s flora and fauna, information on where to see species of interest is often given. Note: House Circuit posts are drawn from the many 50 metre walks I make every day around our house. On August 10th 2016 I saw a solitary wasp attacking a solitary bee as big as itself in a flower of Geranium ‘Claridge Druce’. I grabbed both plus flower; one stung me in the palm, but later I managed to identify the wasp as Cerceris rybyensis, the ornate tailed digger wasp. This makes a burrow in the ground which it stocks with paralyzed solitary bees to feed its young. The wasp was named by Linnaeus after a place called Ryby near Stockholm in Sweden which the great taxonomist visited with his friends. The above is an Anthomyiid fly, Anthomyia ? procellaris I think, though there are a number of lookalikes. I once bred several from an old cormorants nest that was kindly donated to me from the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and contained many invertebrates. For a full account see here: I recently found a rather strange and distinctive fly in our garden that turned out to be Stomorhina lunata a member of the Calliphoridae, the bluebottle family, though it does not look anything like a bluebottle and has been compared to some of the hoverflies. (There are many better pictures on line). Widespread in England, especially the south, it is said to be scarce, though Steven Falk has found it in many locations on the South Downs in recent years. Most accounts say that it is probably a migrant from mainland Europe or even further afield. In Africa the species is known to breed in the egg cases of locusts and some suggest that it turns up in Britain when large swarms of locusts are on the march in Africa. This hypothesis has metamorphosed into the idea that since the early stages have only ever been found in locust egg cases, the adults must be migrants in the cooler parts of Europe - a good example of the absence of evidence being taken as the evidence of absence (in this case of the fly breeding in Europe). In this Internet age, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations monitors locust swarms and there does not appear to have been anything exceptional, or close to Europe, in 2015 or 2016 (http://www.fao.org/ag/locusts/en/info/info/index.html). I therefore suggest that Stomorhina lunata can breed in places other than locust egg cases, though maybe in mainland Europe rather than the UK, so our records could still be of migrants. small fruit fly (Diptera: Drosophilidae), Drosophila suzukii, was found by the author of this blog in his garden in Sedlescombe, East Sussex (OS grid ref. TQ782188) on 10 September 2016. It was the first Sussex record submitted to the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre of this species which is spreading globally from its original home in the Far East. It was first recorded in the UK in 2012. general appearance it closely resembles the Drosophila species associated with overripe fruit, vinegar and wine bottles but is distinctive on account of the dark area at the tip of the wings in the male (hence its English name -. this name is often abbreviated to SWD). female lays her eggs within a wide range of ripening fruit and the larvae then develop inside the fruit. Because of this it is regarded as a major pest, or potential pest, of soft and stone fruit both on a commercial scale and in gardens. It can also attack blackberries and other wild fruits so it may have an effect on the wider countryside. research into this newly arrived species is being done by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and East Malling Research (EMR). Details of the fly and its habits are summarised here: http://horticulture.ahdb.org.uk/swd-identifying-pest One of the problems of identification is that it is not featured in any of the European pre-2012 literature dealing with the Drosophilidae. The females in particular are likely to be overlooked or misidentified because they do not have spotted wings. Raffle of AHDB currently works as the industry co-ordinator for much of the SWD work that AHDB fund and says (September 2016) “the pest has been present in the South of England since 2012. It can be found everywhere in the South irrespective of whether the location is near to commercial fruit growing farms.” Accounts of the spread of the species have been published in Dipterists Digest, but few records seem to have got through to the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) and other national and regional wildlife recording agencies. new species may not be very tolerant of winter cold, so its survival here could be of limited duration. Records are however important in showing how far north it might have reached thus indicating areas that are (so far) free of the pest. Martin Drake, C. & Stubbs, A.E. (2014) First record of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera, Drosophilidae) in Great Britain. Dipterists Digest 21 (2) 189-192. Note, pages 192 to 195 contain notes from various authors on the species in London, Suffolk, Kent, Essex, Northamptonshire, Norfolk and Middlesex.
It can be difficult to be a young person struggling with issues of adolescence. Romance, college preparatory work, and impending adulthood are major issues for young people; for some, these normal struggles of adolescence are complicated by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Their social and academic lives are plagued by uncontrollable outbursts and hyperactivity. These young people might benefit from joining an ADHD troubled teen program. One of the main reason that many join ADHD troubled teen programs is that the sufferer’s conduct is impeding their ability to feel normal. The severity of this behavior can vary, but common characteristics include the tendency to act impulsively, the tendency to be easily distracted, and the tendency to act physically restless. This sort of behavior is be seen when a student interrupts a teacher’s lecture with an outburst, constantly shifts in their chair, or is easily distracted by small things which should be relegated to the periphery. This behavior can lead to negative feedback from peers, teachers, and parents. Often the sufferers conduct is misinterpreted. Many in their lives have come to believe that these sufferers are intentionally being rude or hurtful. The fact is that these afflicted adolescents are unable to control their actions due to their disorder. This is why many enroll in an ADHD troubled teen program. Enrollment in an ADHD troubled teen program can benefit a young person in many ways. The most beneficial aspect of the ADHD troubled teen program is that members will interact with peers who are struggling with similar behavioral problems. This will lead to a lessening in their feelings of alienation and could improve self-esteem. It is important that these adolescents know that they are not alone in their struggle; an ADHD troubled teen program can teach them that lesson.
A photograph by Kathy Keatley Garvey captures a honeybee's sting, with its abdominal tissue trailing behind. UC Davis communications specialist Kathy Keatley Garvey in the Department of Entomology said she has taken at least 1 million photos of honeybees in her lifetime, but this snapshot won the first-place gold feature photo award in an Association for Communication Excellence competition...Source (wait for it)... The Sacramento... Bee. Relevant information and additional photos in the sequence at the photographer's post at Bug Squad. The images showed the progression of the sting, but the most interesting part was that the bee's abdominal tissue lingered behind, she said. "As far as I know, nobody's been able to record anything like this," Garvey said. She said the only time she's seen it illustrated was in a textbook. Via BoingBoing, where I found this interesting observation in a comment: Their stingers developed for defending their hives by stinging the rigid bodies of other bees and insects, not for stinging the stretchy skin of mammals. One bee can sting another bee/insect several times.I didn't know that. You learn something every day.
Before a photovoltaic installation may be constructed, engineers calculate, for some selected days in the year, when and where the interfering light reflections occur, especially if airports, highways or larger residential areas are close by. In the future, this will be easier and more comprehensive: with software that creates a three-dimensional depiction of the glare at the touch of a button. The pilot is about to land the plane, when he is suddenly blinded by glaring brightness created by a large-scale photovoltaic installation reflecting the sun. These blinding events create major safety hazards in the vicinity of airports. They also increase the potential for accidents when near highways. For this reason, before a photovoltaic installation may be constructed, engineers calculate, for some selected days in the year, when and where the interfering light reflections occur, especially if airports, highways or larger residential areas are close by. In the future, this will be easier and more comprehensive: with software that creates a three-dimensional depiction of the glare at the touch of a button. It is developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT in Sankt Augustin, Germany together with their colleagues from the State Office for the Environment, Protection of Nature and Geology in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and various solar planners. "The software creates a 3D view from all sides for any time of the day or time of the year," says Alexander Wollert, a scientist at the FIT. "We recreate the entire scene in a three-dimensional room, with a map, elevation profile, sun, three-dimensional buildings and photovoltaic installations." The researchers also simulate the course of the sun and the blinding for each time unit and in any direction. They take into account the elevation of various ground surfaces as well as obstacles, such as trees or noise barrier walls. The planners can randomly move the installation around the monitor screen and immediately determine when and where it will cause problems. They determine at what position of the sun, at what time of the day and during which season the solar modules cause glares, and in which directions the reflections point. For example, do they affect residents, how often and how intense? And what can be done to prevent glares? For example, the planners of the installation can change the orientation and tilt angle of the elements. If that is not enough to mitigate the effects, the software can "simulate" modules with a somewhat more matte surface. They reflect the sun far less than traditional models; however, they are also more expensive. The researchers have set up and tested the software for the region around the Frankfurt airport. Building on that, they are now developing a version that is intended to help the operators of photovoltaic installations throughout Germany. "The software downloads its map material dynamically from the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy," explains Wollert. "It automatically downloads the required map material from there, as well as analogous contour maps. The software combines this information into a three-dimensional view of the respective surroundings, which form the basis for all further calculations." Wollert expects the software to be operational in the coming year. The application is also of interest for private installations, because sometimes lawsuits are filed when neighbors feel bothered by the glare. In the future, the software could help avoid this problem. Used as service for engineers or planning agencies the peace among neighbors could be preserved. Explore further: Cape Wind gets $200M investment from Danish fund
Kermadecs Whales and Dolphins The Kermadec region is an ocean highway for marine mammals making their seasonal journeys between the tropics and cooler waters around New Zealand and other southern islands. Thirty-five of the 55 whale and dolphin species recorded within the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone are thought to migrate through Kermadec waters and some may breed here. The high-productivity Kermadec Trench zone is an attractive habitat for deep-diving species such as sperm whales and beaked whales. These toothed whale species are predominantly squid-eaters that forage in deep-water zones. Sperm whale records are numerous, suggesting it may be a regional hotspot for the species. Whaling logbooks dating from the 1820s–40s, and covering waters to the southeast of the Kermadec Islands, show sperm whales were extensively hunted in the area at that time. In contrast to the more obvious surface behaviour of sperm whales, pygmy and dwarf sperm whales are known to be boat-shy, and so they’re rarely seen at sea. It is highly probably they exist here as they are known from Northern New Zealand and New Caledonia and from other productive trench zones. Beaked whales (belonging to the genus Mesoplodon) are the second most diverse cetacean family after the dolphins, and New Zealand has the most diverse beaked whale fauna of any country. Members of this family of deep-diving animals are likely to take advantage of the Kermadec Trench zone and seamount areas. Species distributions for many are poorly known and are often based solely on records of stranded animals. Cuvier’s beaked whale is the most widespread species, and is known from northern New Zealand, New Caledonia and the Cook Islands. This species, and the more tropical Blainville’s (or dense) beaked whale, are the two most likely members of the family to frequent Kermadec waters. Direct observations have been made of Shepherd’s beaked whales from the Three Kings region in New Zealand. These and southern bottlenose whales, along with various species of mesoplodont whales such as Gray’s beaked whale, Andrew’s beaked whale and strap-toothed whale, have been recorded from whale-stranding incidents from the far north of New Zealand. It is possible that they may also range widely enough to be found here. Dolphin species reported from direct observations in the region are the orca or killer whale, common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin and long-finned pilot whale, with possible sightings of striped dolphin. An observation of Fraser’s dolphin north of New Zealand in 2004 suggests the likely presence of the species in the area. Other more tropical delphinids that venture into New Zealand waters and are known from New Caledonia and Tonga are also very likely to be represented. These include Risso’s dolphin, melon-headed whale, spotted dolphin, spinner dolphin, false-killer whale and short-finned pilot whale. One species likely to occur, but that has not as yet come as far south as New Zealand, is the pygmy killer whale; records of this species in both Tonga and New Caledonia suggests it will also be present in the Kermadec region. SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES Whaling logbooks indicate that the waters southeast of the Kermadec Islands were also an important area for southern right whales, and observed behaviours suggest they may have bred here. Little data is available on modern distributions of the species because it was hunted to near extinction, and recovery rates appear to have been extremely slow. There have been two reports of southern right whales from Raoul Island by DOC staff, but with historic sightings as far north as 27°S, these are among the most northerly reports of this species. HUMPBACK AND OTHER BALEEN WHALES Observations from the 1970s to 2007 show the humpback is the most frequently seen baleen whale in the Kermadec area. This may, however, simply reflect the visibility of their surface behaviour and ease of identification rather than real numbers. Unpublished data from satellite tags show that the Kermadecs may be an important ‘staging post’ for humpback whales in their southerly migration. At least two mother and calf pairs have been observed and photographed here, and another mother and calf pair observed separately at Denham Bay, Raoul Island. The larger southern ocean baleen whale species may well also pass through Kermadec waters, as indicated by a record of a blue whale stranding at Raoul Island, although there are no direct observations of pygmy blue whale, sei whale, Bryde’s whale, fin whale or Omura’s whale. Both Antarctic and dwarf minke whales have been recorded from New Caledonia, Tonga and New Zealand, and are also likely to be present in the Kermadec region. Sperm whales off Raoul Island. Arnold 2004 Richards 2002; Townsend 1935 D. Donnelly, pers. comm. New Zealand Whale Stranding Database A.N. Baker, pers. comm. Richards 2002; Townsend 1935 R. Richards, pers. comm. 2007 Gaskin, Baird & Jenkins, unpublished data K. Baird, pers. comm. M. Francis, pers. comm.; C. Gaskin, pers. comm. Moreton 1957 Moreton 1957
The limits of emergency mechanisms A Response to Tine Hanrieder and Christian Kreuder-Sonnen Emergency mechanisms are essential in addressing and containing crisis situations such as the recent Ebola outbreak. Tine and Christian have drawn our attention to the development of the WHO’s emergency powers, and to how recent changes and adjustments of the organization’s response compared to the 2009 swine flu outbreak had a legitimacy enhancing effect. At the same time, however, thinking and conceptualizing crises within the emergency paradigm is also misleading. Tine’s and Christian’s contribution already points to this misleading potential when noting that the “Ebola case also demonstrates that underlying questions of distribution cannot be resolved by crisis interventions“. In the following post I will focus not so much on the specific emergency powers of the WHO, but sketch out the general shortcomings of this concept. It should be understood as an attempt to broaden our perspective so as to better understand the limited use of emergency powers and the conceptual differences between “crisis” and “emergency”. The ambiguity of emergency The language that is used to describe situations such as the Ebola outbreak is in itself ambiguous. They are referred to as “crises”, “emergencies” or “exceptional situations”. While it is tempting to use them synonymously in order to avoid repetition, each of them carries a slightly different connotation. These differences can be traced to a fundamental disagreement about the nature of emergencies and which role law might play in responses to them. As Stephen Holmes has pointed out in a 2009 article, the concept of emergency could refer to a set of pre-established rules and procedures that limit discretion in times of crisis in order to provide guidance in disorienting times. At the same time, it could also point to the idea of unfettered discretion and flexibility. The latter understanding reflects an extra-legal approach, which is closely connected to an exceptional understanding of emergency. A brief examination of the 2005 International Health Regulations suggests that the WHO adheres to a rule-based concept of emergency, even though there is room for improvement. Article 17 for instance provides a set of criteria that are relevant for making temporary recommendations in case of an emergency. Yet, the soft language of the provision indicates that the Director-General enjoys considerable freedom and flexibility whether or not to take these criteria into account. The rule-based approach is further strengthened by the procedural standards that Articled 12 and 49 provide in connection with the more recent additions of how they are applied. Still, it is important to strengthen and improve this strategy and not just to empower the WHO to act in crises as it sees fit. Emergency measure and their limited impact One of the most characteristic features of emergency measures is their temporary nature: the goal is to provide short-term relief. In that sense, they fulfill the same function as painkillers: they hopefully reduce the pain, but do not provide any solution for what has caused the pain in the first place. Similarly, emergency measures do not address the underlying problems of a crisis, but only deal with certain symptoms in order to prevent the situation from deteriorating even further. As Tine and Christian have pointed out, this is also true with regard to the current Ebola emergency. Keeping the Ebola virus from spreading and causing even more victims does not change the existing inequalities in global health. It is, however, important to note that emergency measures are by definition not meant to address the underlying cause. One should resist the temptation to turn emergency mechanisms into a tool of addressing either these problems or long-term effects of crises. Emergency measures or the emergency powers on which they are based reflect changes in the otherwise existing legal regime: certain actors gain additional competences, rights of other actors are being limited. This shift is justified in light of the temporary nature of the emergency. Applying emergency measures beyond a specific time-line would permanently change the legal framework and implement the emergency regime for good. Conceptual differences between crisis and emergency Turning short-term emergency mechanisms into a form of long-term governance is usually justified when a crisis cannot be resolved. This line of reasoning highlights the necessity to stress and uphold the conceptual differences between crises and emergency measures. The short-term aim of emergency mechanisms corresponds to the urgency that is associated with a crisis. However, this connection between emergency and crisis tells only half the story. The term ‘crisis’ also illustrates a turning point, which implies long-term changes. This long-term dimension is a key-characteristic of every crisis. Thus, equating crisis with emergency powers and mechanisms not only tends to neglect these long-term effects. It also implies that crises can efficiently be dealt with by applying the emergency paradigm. While it is true that emergency mechanisms are essential in addressing the emergency dimension of every crisis, focusing exclusively on this aspect threatens to overlook the long-term challenges. Thus, responding to crises should always follow a two-tier approach: emergency measures in order to address short-term problems, which are accompanied by rules that safeguard the temporary nature of these measures, and a long-term strategy that addresses the underlying problem. With regard to the current Ebola outbreak, it is this second aspect that needs considerably more attention in order not to just contain the present crisis, but to reduce the risk of a future and potentially more severe epidemic. Jasper Finke is ‚Juniorprofessor‘ for public, international and European law at Bucerius Law School Hamburg. Cite as: Jasper Finke, “The limits of emergency mechanisms”, Völkerrechtsblog, 1. September 2014, doi: 10.17176/20170105-180801.
John Millington Synge Synge, John Millington (sĭng) [key], 1871–1909, Irish poet and dramatist, b. near Dublin, of Protestant parents. He was an important figure in the Irish literary renaissance. As a young man he studied music in Germany and later lived in Paris, where he wrote literary criticism. In Paris he met his compatriot W. B. Yeats, who persuaded Synge to live for a while in the Aran Islands and then return to Dublin and devote himself to creative work. All of Synge's plays reflect his experiences in the Aran Islands. Intense and poetic in style, his works depict the bleak and tragic lives of Irish peasants and fisherfolk. His first two one-act plays— In the Shadow of the Glen (1903), a comedy, and Riders to the Sea (1904), a tragedy—were presented by the Irish National Theatre Society. In 1904 this group, with Synge, Yeats, and Lady Augusta Gregory as codirectors, organized the famous Abbey Theatre. Two of Synge's comedies, The Well of the Saints (1905) and The Playboy of the Western World (1907), were presented by the Abbey players. The latter play created a furor of resentment among Irish patriots stung by Synge's spoof of heroic ideals and nationalism. His later works were The Tinker's Wedding, published in 1908 but not produced for fear of further riots, and Deirdre of the Sorrows, a tragedy unfinished at the time of his death but presented by the Abbey players in 1910. The Aran Islands (1907) is Synge's journal of his stay on the islands. See biographies by D. H. Greene and E. M. Stephens (1959) and D. Gerstenberger (1964); studies by D. Corkery (1931, repr. 1965), M. Bourgeois (1913, repr. 1969), W. B. Yeats (1911, repr. 1971), R. Skelton (1971), and M. C. King (1985). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. More on John Millington Synge from Fact Monster: See more Encyclopedia articles on: English Literature, 19th cent.: Biographies
An ideal gas or perfect gas is a hypothetical gas consisting of identical particles of zero volume, with no intermolecular forces, where the constituent atoms or molecules undergo perfectly elastic collisions with the walls of the container and each other and are in constant random motion. Real gases do not behave according to these exact properties, although the approximation is often good enough to describe real gases. These four properties that constitute an ideal gas can be easily remembered by the acronym PRIE, which stands for; - Point masses (molecules occupy no volume) - Random Motion (molecules are in constant random motion) - Intermolecular forces (there are NO intermolecular forces between the particles) - Elastic collisions (the collisions involving the gas molecules are totally elastic) The concept of ideal gas is useful in technology because one mole (6.02214 ×1023 particles) of an ideal gas has a volume of 22.4 liters at the standard conditions for temperature and pressure and many common real gases approach this behaviour in these conditions. The conditions in which a real gas will behave more and more like an ideal gas is either at very high temperatures (as the molecules of the gas have so much energy that the intermolecular forces and energy lost in collisions is negligable) and at very low pressures (as the molecules of the gas rarely collide or come into close enough proximity for intermolecular forces to be significant). Types of ideal gases There are three basic classes of ideal gas: - the classical or Maxwell-Boltzmann ideal gas, - the ideal quantum Bose gas, composed of bosons, and - the ideal quantum Fermi gas, composed of fermions. The classical ideal gas can be separated into two types: The classical thermodynamic ideal gas and the ideal quantum Boltzmann gas. Both are essentially the same, except that the classical thermodynamic ideal gas is based on classical thermodynamics alone, and certain thermodynamic parameters such as the entropy are only specified to within an undetermined additive constant. The ideal quantum Boltzmann gas overcomes this limitation by taking the limit of the quantum Bose gas and quantum Fermi gas in the limit of high temperature to specify these additive constants. The behavior of a quantum Boltzmann gas is the same as that of a classical ideal gas except for the specification of these constants. The results of the quantum Boltzmann gas are used in a number of cases including the Sackur-Tetrode equation for the entropy of an ideal gas and the Saha ionization equation for a weakly ionized plasma. Classical thermodynamic ideal gas The internal energy of an ideal gas is given by: - is a constant dependent on temperature (e.g. equal to 3/2 for a monatomic gas for moderate temperatures) - U is the internal energy - p is the pressure - V is the volume - n is the amount of gas (moles) - R is the gas constant, 8.314 J·K−1mol-1 - T is the absolute temperature - N is the number of particles - k is the Boltzmann constant, 1.381×10−23J·K−1 The probability distribution of particles by velocity or energy is given by the Boltzmann distribution. The ideal gas law is an extension of experimentally discovered gas laws. Real fluids at low density and high temperature approximate the behavior of a classical ideal gas. However, at lower temperatures or a higher density, a real fluid deviates strongly from the behavior of an ideal gas, particularly as it condenses from a gas into a liquid or solid. The heat capacity at constant volume of an ideal gas is: It is seen that the constant is just the dimensionless heat capacity at constant volume. It is equal to half the number of degrees of freedom per particle. For moderate temperatures, the constant for a monatomic gas is while for a diatomic gas it is . It is seen that macroscopic measurements on heat capacity provide information on the microscopic structure of the molecules. The heat capacity at constant pressure of an ideal gas is: where is the enthalpy of the gas. It is seen that is also a constant and that the dimensionless heat capacities are related by: Using the results of thermodynamics only, we can go a long way in determining the expression for the entropy of an ideal gas. This is an important step since, according to the theory of thermodynamic potentials, of which the internal energy U is one, if we can express the entropy as a function of U and the volume V, then we will have a complete statement of the thermodynamic behavior of the ideal gas. We will be able to derive both the ideal gas law and the expression for internal energy from it. where the reference variables may be functions of the number of particles N. Using the definition of the heat capacity at constant volume for the first differential and the appropriate Maxwell relation for the second we have: Expressing in terms of as developed in the above section, differentiating the ideal gas equation of state, and integrating yields: where all constants have been incorporated into the logarithm as f(N) which is some function of the particle number N having the same dimensions as in order that the argument of the logarithm be dimensionless. We now impose the constraint that the entropy be extensive. This will mean that when the extensive parameters (V and N) are multiplied by a constant, the entropy will be multiplied by the same constant. Mathematically: From this we find an equation for the function f(N) Differentiating this with respect to a, setting a equal to unity, and then solving the differential equation yields f(N): where φ is some constant with the dimensions of . Substituting into the equation for the change in entropy: This is about as far as we can go using thermodynamics alone. Note that the above equation is flawed — as the temperature approaches zero, the entropy approaches negative infinity, in contradiction to the third law of thermodynamics. In the above "ideal" development, there is a critical point, not at absolute zero, at which the argument of the logarithm becomes unity, and the entropy becomes zero. This is unphysical. The above equation is a good approximation only when the argument of the logarithm is much larger than unity — the concept of an ideal gas breaks down at low values of V/N. Nevertheless, there will be a "best" value of the constant in the sense that the predicted entropy is as close as possible to the actual entropy, given the flawed assumption of ideality. It remained for quantum mechanics to introduce a reasonable value for the value of φ which yields the Sackur-Tetrode equation for the entropy of an ideal gas. It too suffers from a divergent entropy at absolute zero, but is a good approximation to an ideal gas over a large range of densities. Since the dimensionless heat capacity at constant pressure is a constant we can express the entropy in what will prove to be a more convenient form: where G is the Gibbs free energy and is equal to so that: The thermodynamic potentials for an ideal gas can now be written as functions of T, V, and N as: The most informative way of writing the potentials is in terms of their natural variables, since each of these equations can be used to derive all of the other thermodynamic variables of the system. In terms of their natural variables, the thermodynamic potentials of a single-specie ideal gas are: In statistical mechanics, the relationship between the Helmholtz free energy and the partition function is fundamental, and is used to calculate the thermodynamic properties of matters; see configuration integral for more details. By Gibbs theorem, the entropy of a multicomponent system is equal to the sum of the entropies of each chemical species (assuming no surface effects). The entropy of a multicomponent system will be: where the sum is over all species. Likewise, the free energies are equal to the sums of the free energies of each species so that if Φ is a thermodynamic potential then where Φj is expressed in terms of its natural variables. For example, the internal energy will be: where N is defined as Speed of sound The speed of sound in an ideal gas is given by - is the adiabatic index - is the universal gas constant - is the temperature - is the molar mass for the gas (in kg/mol) Equation Table for an Ideal Gas The following table gives the values for the change in the value of some thermodynamic variables under the specified transformation. \|Variable\|\| Constant Pressure (Isobaric) \|\| Constant Volume (Isochoric) \|\| Adiabatic \| \| Internal Energy, Ideal quantum gases In the above mentioned Sackur-Tetrode equation, the best choice of the entropy constant was found to be proportional to the quantum thermal wavelength of a particle, and the point at which the argument of the logarithm becomes zero is roughly equal to the point at which the average distance between particles becomes equal to the thermal wavelength. In fact, quantum theory itself predicts the same thing. Any gas behaves as an ideal gas at high enough temperature and low enough density, but at the point where the Sackur-Tetrode equation begins to break down, the gas will begin to behave as a quantum gas, composed of either bosons or fermions. (See the gas in a box article for a derivation of the ideal quantum gases, including the ideal Boltzmann gas.) Ideal Boltzmann gas The ideal Boltzmann gas yields the same results as the classical thermodynamic gas, but makes the following identification for the undetermined constant Φ: Ideal Bose and Fermi gases An ideal gas of bosons (e.g. a photon gas) will be governed by Bose-Einstein statistics and the distribution of energy will be in the form of a Bose-Einstein distribution. An ideal gas of fermions will be governed by Fermi-Dirac statistics and the distribution of energy will be in the form of a Fermi-Dirac distribution. - Ideal gas law - Kinetic theory - Compressibility factor - Dynamical billiards - billiard balls as a model of an ideal gasbg:Идеален газ cs:Ideální plyn de:Ideales Gas et:Ideaalne gaas eo:Ideala gasofa:گاز ایدهآلko:이상 기체 it:Gas ideale he:גז אידאלי lv:Ideāla gāze lt:Idealios dujos nl:Ideaal gasno:Ideell gasssk:Ideálny plyn sl:Idealni plin fi:Ideaalikaasu sr:Идеални гас sv:Ideal gas uk:Ідеальний газ
When I first heard about the discovery of a potential obesity gene on the news, I ignored it. After all, a gene only codes for a single protein, and there are about 25,000 genes of which nearly 1,000 seem to be associated with obesity. Nonetheless, I decided to read the research paper in its pre-publication form (1). Even though it is an incredibly scientifically dense paper, rich in genetic jargon, it finally did it begin to make sense. The protein for which the gene in question codes is called a transcription factor. Transcription factors are the key players in the process of transferring hormonal signals from the surface of the cell to ultimately generate the gene expression of new proteins. As I explained in my book, “Toxic Fat,” nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is the transcription factor that turns on the genetic expression of more proteins that leads to cellular inflammation (2). The transcription factor in this article, known as KLF14, seems to be related to turning on the metabolic responses that lead to insulin resistance, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Transcription factors have been around for hundreds of millions of years, and they have been highly conserved by evolution because they work so effectively to fine tune gene expression. This might be expected since they are the key players in turning genes “off” and “on” inside the cell. Since they have been around for a long time, this also means that there are natural compounds (usually nutrients) that are instrumental in controlling their activity. For NF-kB (the master regulatory switch for inflammation), it is known that leukotrienes derived from arachidonic acid activate this transcription factor (3,4), whereas omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols inhibit its activation (5-7). It is very likely the same nutrients may do the same for the activity of the KLF14 transcription factor. From an evolutionary point of view this makes common sense since in less developed organisms (like the fruit fly), the control of fat, metabolism and immunity are found in a single organ known as fat bodies (8). As I have pointed out in my books, increased cellular inflammation is the first step toward metabolic dysfunction. This is why any decrease in nutrients like omega-3 and polyphenols or any corresponding increase in nutrients like arachidonic acid may be common nutrient control points that dramatically influence our future health. Obviously, as the balance of these nutrients change, their effects on various transcription factors will amplify their impact on gene expression. A more ominous implication from this study is that the gene mutations that gave rise to increased insulin resistance came only from the mother. This may be the link to understand how fetal programming transmits epigenetic information from one generation to the next. The combination of fetal programming with radical changes in the human diet may well prove to be a deadly combination for our future health and longevity. - Small KS, Hedman AK, Grunberg E, Nica AC, Thorleissson G, Kong A, Thersteindottir U, Shin S-Y, Richards HB, soranzo N, Ahmadi KR, Lingren C, Stefansson K, Dermitzakis ET, Deloukas P, Spector TD, and Mcarthy MI. “Identification of an imprinted master trans regulator at the KLF14 locus related to multiple metabolic phenotypes.” Nature Genetics doi 10:1038/ng/833 (2011) - Sears B. “Toxic Fat.” Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN (2008) - Sears DD, Miles PD, Chapman J, Ofrecio JM, Almazan F, Thapar D, and Miller YI. “12/15-lipoxygenase is required for the early onset of high-fat, diet-induced adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance in mice.” PLoS One 4: e7250 (2009) - Chakrabarti SK, Cole BK, Wen Y, Keller SR, and Nadler JL. “12/15-lipoxygenase products induce inflammation and impair insulin signaling in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.” Obesity 17: 1657-1663 (2009) - Denys A, Hichami A, and Khan NA. “n-3 PUFAs modulate T-cell activation via protein kinase C-alpha and -epsilon and the NF-kappaB signaling pathway.” J Lipid Res 46: 752-758 (2005) - Zwart SR, Pierson D, Mehta S, Gonda S, and Smith SM. “Capacity of omega-3 fatty acids or eicosapentaenoic acid to counteract weightlessness-induced bone loss by inhibiting NF-kappaB activation.” J Bone Miner Res 25: 1049-1057 (2010) - Romier B, Van De Walle J, During A, Larondelle Y, Schneider YJ. “Modulation of signaling nuclear factor-kappaB activation pathway by polyphenols in human intestinal Caco-2 cells.” Br J Nutr 100: 542-551 (2008) - Hotamisligil GS. “Inflammation and metabolic disorders.” Nature 444: 860-867 (2006) Nothing contained in this blog is intended to be instructional for medial diagnosis or treatment. If you have a medical concern or issue, please consult your personal physician immediately.
By Patrick O'Driscoll and Larry Copeland, USA TODAY The Southeast's worst drought in more than a century is forcing parched states and communities into crisis measures to conserve water and fight for access to more. A region accustomed to plentiful rain from tropical storms and hurricanes is experiencing its second straight year of less rain in the summer and fall. "This idea of wait-and-see, because some (rain) might be around the corner, can really suppress timely responses," says Mike Hayes, director of the National Drought Mitigation Center. Urgent efforts range from shutting down small-town car washes in North Carolina to a total ban on outdoor watering in Atlanta. Georgia's top water official, environmental Commissioner Carol Couch, says industrial and commercial water users very likely will have to make "across-the-board reductions" next. Outdoor watering bans already cover the northern third of Georgia and dozens of cities, counties and towns in surrounding states. Farmers are selling cattle because pastures have dried up. Alabama's Elmore County had to bring in floating pumps and barges to extend its water intake pipe farther out into shrinking Lake Martin. Georgia might have to do the same at Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main water source. Although rain is due today across parts of the region, it will barely dampen the 16-month drought. Through September, it is the region's driest year in 113 years of record-keeping. In five of the six worst-hit states, rain totals this year are close to a foot below normal. It is the driest year on record for North Carolina and Tennessee, second-driest in Alabama and third-driest in Kentucky. A tree-ring study this summer of Tennessee's rainfall history shows this is the third-driest year for the state in at least 350 years, behind only 1839 and 1708. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said this week that he will sue the Army Corps of Engineers unless the federal agency holds back more water in Lake Lanier. The corps, which by law must release water downstream to protect endangered aquatic species, says it is "exploring possible drought contingency options." By various estimates, the lake has only two to four months' supply left. Couch says if the water releases are not curbed, metro Atlanta could need water deliveries from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In Tennessee, towns below Normandy Dam south of Nashville convinced the Tennessee Valley Authority this week to begin "winter pool" storage of water a month and a half ahead of its usual Dec. 1 start to protect their dwindling supply. Monteagle, Tenn., is buying 350,000 gallons a day from three neighboring towns and enforcing mandatory curbs in water use. Hayes says the severe conditions in the Southeast are busting myths that drought strikes only semiarid regions and that the West is more vulnerable than the rainy East. "If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere," he says. Contributing: Jordan Schrader, Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times; Marty Roney, The Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser; Leon Alligood, The Tennessean in Nashville; Ron Barnett, The Greenville (S.C.) News; Jessie Halladay, The Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal; Matt Reed, Florida Today in Melbourne, Fla.; Jennie Coughlin, The Daily News Leader in Staunton, Va. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.
The major socio-political changes of the last decades have led to changing ways of being national, changes in the content of national identity if not in the national categories themselves. This comparative social scientific volume takes examples of transitions to democracy (East Europe, Spain) to peace (South Africa, Israel, Northern Ireland) and to territorial decentralization (the United Kingdom, France, Spain), showing in each case how socio-political change and identity change have interlocked. It defines a typology of national identity shift, tracing the changing state forms which provoke national identity shift, and analyzing the process of identity change, its motivations and legitimations. Collecting together a wide range of examples, from South Africa to the Czech Republic from the Basque Country to the Mexican and Irish borders; the book brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars, from world figures in the study of globalization and social identity to young researchers, to provide a much needed theoretical clarification and empirical evidence of types of national identity shift. Introduction. Concepts and Theories.Fluid or Frozen? Choice and Change in Ethno-National Identification in Contemporary Northern Ireland. The Social Map: Cohesion, Conflict and National Identity. The Increasing Monopolization of Identity by the State: The Case of the UK and the US. When Politics and Social Theory Converge: Group Identification and Group Rights in Northern Ireland. The Role of the State. After 1989, Who are the Czechs?Subjective National Identities in Catalonia. 'Dollar Diplomacy': Globalization, Identity Change and Peace in Israel. Economic Integration and National Identity in Mexico. Majority-Minority Conflicts and their Resolution: Protestant Minorities in France and in Ireland. Processes and Experiences of National Identity Change.Basque Militant Youths in France: New Experiences of Ethnonational Identity in the European Context. Race, Religion and Identity in South Africa: A Case Study of a Charismatic Congregation. Being English in North Wales: Immigration and the Immigrant Experience. Religion, Ethnicity and Group Identity: Irish Adolescent Views. Generations on the Border: Changes in Ethno-National Identity in the Irish Border Area. This series draws attention to some of the most exciting issues in current world political debate: nation-building, autonomy and self-determination; ethnic identity, conflict and accommodation; pluralism, multiculturalism and the politics of language; ethnonationalism, irredentism and separatism; and immigration, naturalization and citizenship. The series includes monographs as well as edited volumes, and through the use of case studies and comparative analyses will bring together some of the best work to be found in the field.
Official publications are materials issued for public use by federal, national, provincial or municipal governments and intergovernmental organisations. They include Parliamentary papers, debates and proceedings, and publications of government departments, agencies and research institutes on any subject. They consist of policy documents, official statistics, research and practice reports, development plans, regulatory and guidance materials and primary and secondary legislation. Definition from : British Library This guide will help you access material which you will need for your course. Click the tabs above to link to information on: The Official Publications section of the Boole Library is located on Q+2, the 2nd Floor. It houses documents and reports produced and published by official bodies, such as governments, national institutions and Irish and International Organisations. There are four sections: Ireland, United Kingdom, EU and International. The majority of new items are published online, whilst some items are not produced in print at all. Staff at the Information Desk on Q+2 are happy to assist you with any queries you may have in relation to this material. Detail from the mural "Government" by Elihu Vedder in the Library of Congress Copyright © 2013 Boole Library, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, Ireland. Tel. +353 21 4902292, Fax: +353 21 4273428. Email: [email protected]
When Barack Obama took his second oath of office and shortly after gave his inaugural speech, he made clear where his priorities lay. If we wanted to put it into a concise sentence, it could be summed up into “America First”. The focus was on domestic rather than foreign policy. The lack of foreign policy issues in the speech is in no way surprising, considering the challenges that await Obama at home. Amongst what people have toted as a “liberal” agenda, he declared his support for gay rights, the importance of combatting climate change and the need for gun control. Foreign policy remains on the agenda, of course, as the President made clear when he spoke about alliances across the globe and the United States’ continuous support for democracy all over the world. John Kerry, who has been confirmed by the Senate to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State, made clear in his confirmation hearing that the administration in no way means to take a step back from issues such as Iran’s nuclear threat or the Middle East peace process. The inaugural speech however proved to many that domestic policy was at the forefront of the president’s agenda for his second term. Calling upon the constitution as the unifying force that brings all Americans together, President Obama praised his country’s history of inclusion and support for those less fortunate, its economic progress, and a strong workforce as the basis of its success. He called upon the country’s rich history and governmental capability to adapt, a trait it has proven so often in the past. In the following parts of his speech, he outlined the issues to be tackled in his second term: support and commitment to each other through further development and implementation of the health care system, fighting climate change and the threat it poses to future generations, equal pay for women and equal rights for homosexuals as well as better integration of immigrants. Phrases in his speech like “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well” made it clear that his goal, in short, is to ensure that the Pursuit of Happiness remains an achievable goal for all American citizens, no matter their orientation or their country of origin. Capitalising on his success in the budget negotiations, the president did not drag his feet, announcing new initiatives on gun laws and immigration reform during the first month of the New Year. Empowered by his win and by popular support for a comprehensive immigration reform, Obama, in a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, made clear that he was in support of finding a pathway for citizenship for undocumented immigrants and that creating legislation to bring this about would be at the centre of his agenda in 2013. The President also proposed new (executive) action regarding gun laws, that would include banning assault weapons, limiting magazines, stronger controls of trafficking as well as more extensive background checks. With this, too, the administration is reflecting the mood in the general public, which has, after a number of shootings in the last months, made clear that stronger gun regulations are necessary. Criticism is ripe for all of Obama’s new proposals and the question now therefore is whether these legislations can find the necessary bipartisan support. It is no secret that in his first term, Obama has had to work around a congress that more often than not blocked his proposals on principle. This struggle persists today, as fears arise that any initiative may be opposed simply because the president’s name is attached. Already the gun lobby is protesting, and Democrats from states with high gun ownership are thinking ahead to the midterm elections not wanting to risk losing popular support amongst their constituency. Similar difficulties arise in regards to the immigration overhaul, but the administration remains cautiously optimistic that Congress will act to implement the changes supported by a majority of Americans. The major challenge in the second term will be breaking the deadlock in the Republican-run House of Representatives and, as the president mentioned in the inaugural speech, to work together to help fulfil America’s full potential. The administration is looking to finish what was started and capitalize on the achievements of the president’s first term, without the need to worry about re-election looming over their heads. Obama is hoping to stop “leading from behind”, an accusation heard amongst not only Republicans but also his own supporters, and instead take initiative on the issues mentioned in the speech. However, the fear remains that a direct involvement of the president will, as it so often has in the past, work against him and his goals. Barack Obama mentioned in his inaugural speech, that the US government has in the past adapted to new times and new requirements, and it certainly will have to again if all the challenges are to be met. As it is so often in politics, the intentions are good but implementation may be difficult. Polling has shown that the American people certainly share the president’s vision of the future and change is on the horizon both socially and politically. Whether their voices will be heard by those who make the decisions remains to be seen; but a president coming off of a strong re-election and a Congress concerned with midterm elections certainly makes for an interesting playing field.
Of minerals containing this element mention may be made of cassiterite or tinstone, Sn02, tin pyrites, Cu 4 SnS 4 + (Fe,Zn) 2 SnS 4; the metal also occurs in some epidotes, and in company with columbium, tantalum and other metals. Of these "tinstone" is of the greatest commercial importance. Throughout the world, primary deposits of tinstone are in or closely connected with granite or acid eruptive rocks of the same type, its mineral associates being tourmaline, fluorspar, topaz, wolfram and arsenical pyrites, and the invariable gangue being quartz: the only exception to this mode of occurrence is to be found in Bolivia, where the tin ore occurs intimately associated with silver ores, bismuth ores and various sulphides, whilst the gangue includes barytes and certain carbonates. The first stage has for its purpose the production of a fairly pure tinstone; the second the conversion of the oxide into metallic tin; and the third preparing a tin pure enough for commercial purposes. The alluvial extracted, which in the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago carries from 5 to 60 lb of tinstone (or "black tin," as it is termed by Cornish miners) to the cubic yard of gravel, is washed in various simple sluicing appliances, by which the lighter clay, sand and stones are removed and tinstone is left behind comparatively pure, containing usually 65 to 75% of metallic tin (chemically pure tinstone contains 78.7%).
Yemen has a unique architectural heritage. The master builders and craftsmen have learnt how to build to suit geography, location, the climate and available materials.Yemen has a unique architectural heritage, one from which we can learn and draw inspiration. The practitioners, the master builders and craftsmen have learnt how to build to suit geography, location, the climate and available materials. They have by necessity had to “work with” the local conditions and in so doing have developed over generations knowledge and craft specific to the locality and people. This is exemplified in the Wadi Hadhramaut, an area of Eastern Yemen at the edge of the desert or “Empty Quarter”,where it becomes a plateau cut with deep valleys or “wadis”. As the source of water and therefore food, all settlements occurred along these wadis, both buildings, agriculture and the way of life adapted to the extreme conditions, hot and dry with one short sharp rainy season. The centrepiece and best known town in the area is Shibam, a UNESCO World Heritage site, known in touristic terms as “The Manhattan of the Desert”,a walled town of approximately 500 houses which rise up to ten storeys from the wadi floor. These traditional “tower houses” accommodate livestock and storage on the ground floor and living quarters above. Often there is a social space, the “majlis” with a terrace on the top floor. In Shibam there are also mosques, schools and administration buildings. Shibam is built solely of mud bricks made by hand and baked dry in the sun. Buildings made from earth tend to be associated with mud huts and to be seen as primitive and unsophisticated; the architecture of the Hadhramaut shows you otherwise revealing the versatility of mud brick and you get the impression that almost anything can be done with it. Further up the wadi is Sayyun the main town and capitol of the area,a busy “working”town of mud brick buildings and further on is Tarim a city known architecturally speaking for its vast palaces. They display intricate and ornate decoration which attempts to recreate in mud the classical motifs of European colonial architecture in India and Indonesia, where the building’s owners will have made their fortune. The Yemenis are known for working abroad to support the family back home hence the array of influences brought home to celebrate their success. The string of small towns along the Wadi Daw’an [a tributary of the main valley] are made up of houses that look as if they have grown over generations. They are often in spectacular locations and as an ensemble look as if they have grown out of the landscape. The tradition of construction using mud bricks continues today in the area; a visitor can see old buildings being repaired and extended, new buildings in the existing towns and even new settlements. When a building is to be replaced and renewed it is demolished and the earth is re-used. In common with the rest of Yemen there was a period of building with concrete frame and concrete blocks-introduced 40 to 50 years ago-thought to be quicker and cheaper to build but also seen as the “ modern way” and “as its done in the West”. But this way of building is “thin”- heat passes thro’ easily-it needs energy hungry air conditioning to keep it cool. By contrast the mud brick buildings keep themselves cool; it happens “passively”, it is an inbuilt part of the design. The mud brick buildings have thick walls often a metre and a half at the bottom tapering to half a metre at the top. The mass of the walls is ideal for keeping the inside of the building cool; window openings are kept small and located to avoid direct sunlight and have ornate wooden lattice which provide shade as well as privacy. Taller buildings also have a shaft adjacent to the main staircase which acts as a chimney for “pulling” a breeze thro’ the building, cooler air at ground level being drawn up thro the building. The layout of the buildings -close together, means they provide shade for one another and also shade the ravine like streets in between. After a long and still continuing experiment with “western” construction the Hadhramis have recognised the inherent qualities of their mud brick buildings, and although the latter are more labour intensive and slower, [in the past a tower house may take five to eight years to build] there is also an inclination to return to the traditional way. The earth for the mud bricks comes from the wadi floor ready saturated after the rainy season; concrete construction uses imported cement which takes energy in both the processing and the distribution. The mud is mixed with chopped straw and water and then spread into simple wooden moulds on the ground to bake hard. The bricks are more like flat cakes approximately 45 centimetres long by 30 cm wide, narrower bricks are made for the upper storeys . They are 75 to 100 cm thick. To make a wall they are laid interlocking with a mud mortar and then rendered with a finer mud layer to make the wall smooth. But what stops it being washed away?– It’s a common question. The answer is-the type of earth, which is just the right combination clay and silt and sand – it just sets very hard and although a thin outer layer may get washed off during the rainy season it is basically waterproof. Even the flat roof? The roof and parapet walls at the top of the buildings are the most vulnerable area- an earth building needs “a good hat and boots”-the boots are a stone built plinth, often the first two metres of the building above the ground, which stops moisture in the ground rising up and provides protection from abrasion by people and animals. The hat- the roof- is also covered in mud, with vulnerable parts such as parapets coated with a high quality lime render called “nurah”. A visitor will notice many lime kilns as well as fields of mud bricks drying in the sun. Sometimes nurah is applied to the whole roof surface; it is built up in layers, increasingly more refined and then painstakingly “polished” using a specially shaped stone. The nurah is also used decoratively: around windows and doors and it is also nurah from which the intense decoration of the Tarim palaces is made. Due to its World Heritage status Shibam in particular has received a lot of attention. In an effort to preserve the city the city wall and the adjacent road and terrace to the wadi have been substantially rebuilt and a piped water system and sewage system has been introduced. It is said that the increase in waste water directed into the ground has upset the buildings’ foundations and is indicative of how carefully balanced the centuries-old set up has been. Shibam was a trading town on the Frankincense trail from East to West and would have been a busy place….but essentially the town had to be self sufficient -in what is a remote location. In the past there would literally have been no waste-even human waste was collected and dried and used for fertilizer or fuel. All resources would have to be carefully and efficiently used. Water in particular – evident throughout the area are a system of terraces and walls around fields and channels which harness water from the wadi in spate during the rainy season. Crops have been adapted to grow in soil drenched just once. This traditional system has largely been superseded by mechanical well technology which has enabled the irrigation of crops, although again this has caused a lowering of the water table to levels that in some areas are considered critical. So what can we learn; that there is an alternative to one size fits all modern construction-a traditional material can be adapted to new uses and can incorporate modern systems but with care; there is an alternative to the “out with the old and in with the new” approach- one which offers continuity so people can not only see and feel a link with the past but with the continuation of the skills and craft it can be part of daily life. Finally we can be inspired by building in earth-a misunderstood material…..for even in Yemen there is a saying “better a house of stone than a palace of mud”. From an ecological perspective it is the most versatile of materials….it is on the site to begin with, it uses the suns energy in its processing and if and when the building is redundant it does literally return to the earth without leaving any “footprint” at all. Mud brick offers a more gentle and satisfying way to build and develop in the modern world than people perhaps realise. Howard Meadowcroft is a UK based architect All photographs courtesy of Howard Meadowcroft 1st March 2010
This publication aims to assist anyone caring for children, in home day care situations or within child care organisations, and healthcare professionals in controlling the spread of childhood infections. It is a useful resource for Child Care Accreditation courses in Australia. Infections with or without illness are common in children. Spending time in child care centres or other facilities and being exposed to a large number of children for some time provides an opportunity for infectious diseases to be spread. It is not possible to prevent the spread of all infections and illnesses within child care centres, however a lot of illnesses from infectious disease can be prevented. When children spend time in child care or other facilities they are exposed to a large number of other children, increasing the opportunity for the spread of infectious diseases. Staying Healthy in Child Care provides simple and effective methods for minimising the spread of infections for many common childhood diseases encountered in child care organisations and the home.
This website is self supporting Learn how: In this 5 part craft project you will be making a realistic miniature version of a WWII Anderson Shelter like the ones used during the Battle of Britain and shown in the pictures below. This is a great little project which requires the minimum amount of materials. It is very easy and would be ideal for a school project as it falls within the national curriculum, It is quite complicated as there is some marking out and cutting out to do, which may take little time. For this simple project you will need: A large tin or other cylindrical container. A stiff corrugated cardboard box, e.g. A family size crisps box. 2 Rubber bands. A craft knife or Scissors Pencil or pen A paint brush PVA adhesive or sticky tape Glue spreader or glue stick To make your Anderson Shelter you will first have to make a rectangular template to the desired length of your shelter. This can be based on the size of the cylinder you are using to form the shelter. For example a Baked beans tin. A baby milk container or any other cylindrical object you choose. You will then need to make it slightly damp, Not wet as the corrugated card will separate and turn to mush. Once you have dampened the card, carefully wrap it around your cylinder and fasten it with the 2 rubber bands as shown in the pictures. Once you have done this leave your cylinder somewhere warm to dry and take shape. Once it is dry take off the rubber bands and remove the cylinder. You should now have a cardboard cylinder as shown in the picture. Once your cardboard cylinder is dry you are ready to form the main part of your shelter. You will first need to carefully open up your cylinder to form a u shape. Allowing enough to form the sides of your shelter, carefully fold up the excess cardboard on each side and remove accordingly as shown below. Before cutting make sure you have allowed enough card to form the tabs on the base of the shelter as these will be used to glue it to your base using PVA adhesive. The next thing to do is to paint the inside of the card with silver paint or you can find a suitable image of some corrugated iron online and print it onto a full size sheet of A4 paper as shown below . You will need to carefully stick it to the inside of the shelter making sure you have the lines of the corrugations running vertically from the tabs. That is running from tab to tab. Hint: To save ink before you print the whole sheet, do a small test panel to see if you have the correct scale for your model. Once you have done this you are ready to stick the main part of your shelter onto a base. You will now need to cut a piece of card large enough to make your base as this is what you will build upon to make your Anderson shelter. As shown in the picture below I used the side of my family size crisps box to make the base, allowing enough card each side to form the sloping sides. You will need to use a piece of card that is of a suitable size for your initial shelter. Tip: To hold my shelter in place while the PVA glue dried I used 4 small pieces of double sided sticky tape placed just inside each corner. You may notice in the picture that I also stuck my bomb shelter inline with the factory fold on the cardboard base. This was to enable it to fold up to form the back of my bomb shelter as shown in the pictures below. To form the back of your Anderson/Battle of Britain air raid shelter you will need to place the flap,as shown below, or a separate piece of card against the back of the shelter and carefully draw around it. If you are using the flap as shown in the picture make sure you allow for a tab at the top to fix it in place. If you are using a separate piece of card as shown in Fig 3 you can add an extra tab to the base of your template to allow you to stick it onto the base. You will also notice that in Fig 2 and Fig 3, which is the separate back piece I have allowed for the sloping sides that will form the banks of grass against the shelter and will be replicated at the front of the shelter in stage 3. Once you have the back piece fixed and the initial shape of your bomb shelter you are now ready to make the shape of the front to match the back. Take another piece of card large enough to match the back of your shelter and place it against your model making sure the bottom edge is flush with the cardboard base. Using your model as a template draw around it so that you have an identical shape to the back on the piece of card. Carefully cut out the shape and then place it against the front of your bomb shelter making sure that the curve is lined up properly with the curve of the shelter. Next draw around the shelter so that you now have the shape of it replicated on the card as shown below. Measure in from each line approximately 1cm as shown above as this will form the tabs that will enable you to fix it to the sides of your air raid shelter. Next carefully cut your sides out making sure you cut on the inside line. Be careful when you do this as you do not want to cut the tabs off, you will need to concentrate. (Remember always ask an adult for help when using scissors or craft knives). When you have cut out your side templates you will need to carefully cut the tabs at about 1cm intervals making sure you do not cut past the other line forming the shape of your Anderson shelter as shown. To form your tabs. Score down the lines on the template using the back of your scissors. (Remember always ask an adult for help when using scissors or knives). This will make it easier to bend the tabs into shape. See the example below. As shown in the examples, I have cut the corners on each tab. This will make it easier to form the shape of the shelter and to stick them in place, as, if you leave the tabs without trimming them they will overlap and make it difficult to get a good flush joint. Note: The above image is only showing examples, not the actual pieces you are making so you will only need to cut the tabs on the edge that will fix to your shelter. Once you have done this use your PVA or sticky tape to fix your sides to your Anderson shelter as shown below. You can use pegs to hold them in place if you need too. Once you have your sides in place the next thing to do is to reinforce them by adding a cardboard brace. To do this measure the distance between the two ends and then add 2cms to allow for a tab 1cm long at each end. The width of the brace does not matter as long as it fits flush to the edges of the curves on your sides. Bend over your tabs and glue the brace into place. Do this to both sides of your bomb shelter as shown in the picture. Note: You can add more than one brace if you wish, for example you could place one at the base. One in the middle and one at the top, it's entirely up to you. Once you have your basic Anderson air raid shelter you are now ready to add a light if you wish. To do this you will need. 1 torch bulb. 1 length of 2 core wire as shown or a long length of single wire. A soldering Iron. To add your light puncture a small hole in the top of your shelter where you want your light to be. Important: Adult supervision required as solder irons WILL burn. If you do not have a soldering iron then perhaps a glue gun would do the same job. Just try to make sure you have a good contact point on the bulb before applying the glue. Take your bulb, wire and tape. Firstly strip the wire and fix it to the bulb as shown either with solder or a glue gun. To securely fix the wire to the shaft of your bulb place a piece of insulating tape around it. (not shown) This will also make it look more effective when you add it to your shelter. To add the light simply thread the wire through the hole you made in the top of your shelter and pull it through until your bulb just touch's the card. Next you will need to lay the wire across the outside edge of the shelter and toward the back. Then secure it in place with a paper strip as shown. Now that you have your basic Anderson shelter frame you are now ready to add the sloping sides. To do this lay a length of corrugated cardboard along each side making sure it is large enough to cover the open sides that you have created and that it meets the original curved cylinder with at least an extra 1cm to allow for it to be fixed firmly in place. Also allow 1cm at the other end to secure it to the base. Hint:When placing the card on your sides use the corrugations in the cardboard to your advantage by making sure the corrugations run the length of your shelter as it will make it much easier to shape your sides. With the card correctly positioned draw up the sides and across the top and bottom and then add 1cm at each end as mentioned. Then cut it out. Note: Before you fix one side thread the wire down the back edge of the shelter and into one of the sides as shown in the picture as this will become your battery and switch compartment for your light. To fix the sides first glue the base tab to the base of the shelter. Next apply a layer of glue to the cardboard brace and firstly fix your card to the brace using pegs as shown. This will ensure that you have good contact with the brace to reinforce your shelter. Also apply glue to the edges of the front and back pieces that you made earlier. Once it has dried firmly to the brace apply a layer of glue to the other tab and fix it to the side of the shelter as shown in Fig 1 above.
Botany For Dummies gives you a thorough, easy-to-follow overview of the fundamentals of botany, helping you to improve your grades, supplement your learning, or review before a test. It covers evolution by natural selection, offers plain-English explanations of the structure and function of plants, and includes plant identification and botanical phenomena. Tracking a typical course in botany, this hands-on, friendly guide is your ticket to passing this required course for your major in biology, microbiology, zoology, or elementary education. Introduction Part I: Plant Basics Chapter 1: Exploring Botany Chapter 2: Peering at Plant Cells Chapter 3: Identifying Plant Tissues Chapter 4: Vegetative Structures: Stems, Roots, and Leaves Chapter 5: Reproductive Structures: Spores, Seeds, Cones, Flowers, and Fruits Part II: The Living Plant: Plant Physiology Chapter 6: Metabolism: How Living Things Get Energy and Matter Chapter 7: Photosynthesis: Making Sugar from Scratch Chapter 8: Cellular Respiration: Making Your Cake and Eating It, Too Chapter 9: Moving Materials Through Plants Chapter 10: Regulating Plant Growth and Development Part III: Making More Plants: Plant Reproduction and Genetics Chapter 11: Greening the Earth: Plant Reproduction Chapter 12: Passing Plant Characteristics to the Next Generation Part IV: The Wide, Wonderful World of Plants: Plant Biodiversity Chapter 13: Changing with the Times: Evolution and Adaptation Chapter 14: The Tree of Life: Showing the Relationships Between Living Things Chapter 15: Examining the Forest Floor: Bryophytes and Seedless Vascular Plants Chapter 16: Their Seeds Are Naked: Gymnosperms Chapter 17: Say It with Flowers: Angiosperms Part V: Plants and People Chapter 18: Making Connections with Plant Ecology Chapter 19: Altering Plants by Using Biotechnology Chapter 20: Thriving on Plants in Everyday Life Part VI: The Part of Tens Chapter 21: Ten Weirdest Plants Chapter 22: Ten Tips for Improving Your Grade in Botany Index There are currently no reviews for this product. Be the first to review this product! Rene Fester Kratz, PhD is a Biology instructor at Everett Community College. As a member of the North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership, she worked to develop science curricula that are in alignment with research on human learning.
Kathleen.Archer at MAIL.CC.TRINCOLL.EDU Mon May 12 08:25:14 EST 1997 Thanks to all who replied with ideas on how to reduce water condensate on the underside of Petri lids. For anyone else out there who may also have this problem and is interested in possible solutions, here is a summmary. 1.Don Igelsrud wrote: " ...germinate seeds in petri dishes with a layer of 2.Anne Heise wrote: "Petri dishes in microbiology are typically incubated upside down so that condensation that forms on the lid won't drop and spatter onto the colonies." 3. Elaine R. Radwanski wrote: "A colleague of mine suffered from the same problem when growing Arabidopsis on plates under high light conditions. She tried a number of solutions, and I believe that keeping the petri plates in trays with a bit of water in the bottom (to cool the plates) worked, as did placing the plates on an open gridwork support as opposed to a solid dark colored one." 4. Janice M. Glime wrote: "If you can afford the reduction in light, a neat trick is to put an empty petri plate on top. We use used plastic plates. It puts the greenhouse effect in the top plate instead of the culture plate." 5. Ross Koning wrote: "The only way I know of to prevent this would be to have a cold shelf under the dishes. One way to do that is to use a shelf from an old upright freezer (with refrigeration tubing welded to the wires) and run cool water through the coil. You could leave the water running from a faucet, but you could also circulate water from a bucket with a suitable pump. A cheap humidifier could be used as the bucket as it works like a "swamp cooler" to chill the water inside. A sheet of aluminum flashing under your dishes will make the cooling more uniform under the dishes." More information about the Plant-ed
Food and drink manufacturers that color their products with cochineal extract and carmine must now declare the ingredients on the label under a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruling. The FDA said it has revised its requirements for these color additives in response to reports of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, to food containing cochineal extract and food and cosmetics containing carmine. Derived from the ground bodies of female cochineal beetles, the colorings are currently used in a variety of products such as ice creams, yogurts, fruit drinks, alcoholic drinks and candy products, to which they bring a characteristic pink, red or purple color. Under the ruling food and beverage manufacturers that use the color additives will soon be required to declare their presence by their respective names - "cochineal extract" or "carmine" - in the ingredient statement. The FDA said this “will allow consumers who are allergic to these color additives to identify and thus avoid products that contain these color additives”. Presently the colorings fall under the “artificial color”, “artificial color added” or “color added” banners on food labels, or by an equally informative term that makes clear that a color additive has been used in the food. The new regulation is effective 24 months after date of publication (January 5, 2009). Voluntary compliance may begin immediately. Objections and requests for hearing can be submitted 30 days after date of publication. The FDA said that the ruling was also in response to a citizen petition submitted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). CSPI said it petitioned the FDA in 1998 to require labeling after a study by a University of Michigan allergy expert who discovered that carmine was the cause of an allergic reaction in one of his patients. Subsequently, CSPI said it received adverse-reaction reports from several dozen consumers. Commenting on the new ruling, the CSPI said the FDA should have required labels to disclose that carmine and cochineal are extracted from insects, which many consumers, including vegetarians, Jews, and Muslims, would be interested to know. It added that carmine and cochineal extract remain in dozens of reddish-colored foods and beverages, including fruit drinks, ice creams, yogurts, and candies. The FDA said cosmetics containing carmine should specifically declare the presence of carmine “prominently and conspicuously at least once in the labeling”. An example would be: "Contains carmine as a color additive".
Apr. 18, 2005 Scientists recently discovered a new frontier in the race to find life outside our solar system. Dying red giant stars may bring icy planets back from the dead. Once-frozen planets and moons may provide a new breeding ground for life as their stars enter the last, and brightest, phase of their lives. Previous ideas about the search for extra-solar life had excluded these regions. An international team of astronomers estimates that the emergence of new life on a planet is possible within the red giant phase. "Our result indicates that searches for life-giving worlds outside our solar system should include planets around old stars," said Dr. Bruno Lopez of the Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, Nice, France. Lopez and his colleagues estimate that more than 150 red giant stars are close enough - within 100 light years - for upcoming or proposed missions to search for the signatures of life on distant worlds. A light year is the distance light travels in one year, almost six trillion miles! Location, Location, Location One of the secrets of Earth's success in producing life is its location within the sphere of the Sun's habitable zone. This sphere intersects the plane of the solar system to create a special donut-shaped boundary that outlines where water can exist as a liquid in our solar system, a necessity for the development of life. Get too far from the Sun - and it's a lonely icebox. Too close - and the water evaporates into space, never to return again. While the Earth currently sits well within this donut of life, our Sun is evolving and will one day grow to be a red giant star. Its habitable zone will expand with it, changing the locales where liquid water can splash and life may one day thrive. In Light of the Sun, Mars May Be a Sound Investment Lying just inside the outer limit of our Sun's habitable zone, Mars remains a frozen world today because of its thin atmosphere. However, when the Sun becomes a red giant a few billion years from now, Mars may become the happening place to be. "Mars will be in the habitable zone for a couple billion years, so Martian life may get a second chance," said Dr. William Danchi of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. In 2003, researchers monitored the amount of ice on Mars during its winter and spring seasons. In some regions, the water-ice content was more than 90% by volume. Scientists suspect that this water used to fill the planet's now-dry lakes and seas. One day in the distant future, the frozen water on Mars may fill these dry basins again and bring forth new life in our solar system. Red Giants Redefine the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life The same holds true for planets and moons as they orbit their own red giant suns. Billions of years ago, these stars were similar to our Sun. Imagine the events as they unfolded: A Sun-like star explodes into its red giant phase, growing tremendously in size and brightness. Warm rays from the star reach out to a once-frozen and dead moon. The solitary satellite's icy top layer quickly melts into liquid water, which creeps across the surface and fills old dusty craters with warmer seas. The stage is set for the birth of new life in the moon's now-vibrant oceans. Currently, there are at least 150 red giant stars within 100 light years of Earth and many of them may have orbiting planets capable of supporting life. A new frontier has opened for planet-hunters around the world. One such endeavor, NASA's Kepler mission, hopes to discover smaller Earth-like planets outside our solar system. Looking for tiny dips in the brightness of a star when a planet crosses in front of it, researchers will observe about 100,000 stars in one small patch of sky for four years. Kepler is set for launch in 2007. Other social bookmarking and sharing tools: Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above. Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
\|Uploaded:\|\|June 24, 2010\| \|Updated:\|\|June 24, 2010\| Animals are some of the cutest and most mysterious creatures in the world. When it comes to drawing them, there is many ways to sketch animals out. You can draw animals to look realistic, simple, easy, cartoony, or just plain out normal. Today, I thought I would do another lesson that will teach you "how to draw a owl", step by step. I have an owl lesson already but it is really old. The whole point of doing a new owl tutorial, is to update the old, and upload a newer version that will be a lot easier to tackle. Believe me, I know how hard it can be to draw birds. That is why this bird is going to be pretty simple. The inspiration to draw an owl came from Winnie the Pooh. I was watching some of the old reruns on Youtube, and I have to tell you, even though I'm pretty old, watching Winnie the Pooh is still very entertaining. Owls are wondrous animals that are quite, swift, wise, and simple. They lead or live simple lives which is why not a lot of them are seen. You can say that I live in a country setting, and even though I do, I have never seen an owl yet. I hear them hooting every night around the same time, but no dice as to actually seeing one in the flesh. I love these creatures, and if I could, I would travel to a place that dedicates their animal exhibit to just birds and owls. I can't express how much I love birds and their anatomy. When I was a young girl, I used to want to be a bird and fly the skies as I looked below and watched people at play or live their day to day lifestyle. Well, I guess I should be shutting up now so you guys can get busy and start drawing this owl that I have drawn for you all. You should have fun with this sketch because this is the second owl I have on the site as of right now. I have plenty of birds, but out of all those birds, there is only two owls. Peace peeps, and make sure you have fun with the rest of your drawing day.
Local cheeses at Neal’s Yard, one of London’s great cheese shops. Clifton Fadiman described cheese as “Milk’s leap to immortality.” In a way, cheese has in turn immortalized other things—how many towns are known primarily because of the famous cheeses that come from them (Cheddar, England, for example, or Gouda, Holland)? It probably won’t come as a surprise that cheese has been around for a long time. Cows, sheep, goats, yaks, and buffalo were being milked long before refrigeration was available. So cheese making, along with other forms of milk fermentation, from yoghurt to buttermilk, date back pretty much to the dawn of animal domestication, at least among cultures that consume milk. It’s not really known when the first cheese was made, but evidence suggests a prehistoric genesis, with cheese well established by the time people began writing things down. Cave paintings in the Libyan Sahara from 5000 BC or earlier show what many scholars believe to be cheese making, and milk-curdling vessels dating to this same period have been found on the shore of Lake Neufchatel in Switzerland. Ancient Sumerian bas-reliefs from about 3500 BC show the milking of cows and curdling of milk. Actual remnants of cheese have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to around 3000 BC. And cheese is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. Cheese making was probably somewhat haphazard until the happy discovery of rennet, a substance found in the stomachs of young mammals that causes milk to curdle, most likely discovered because cleaned animal stomachs made such useful bags for carrying milk (ah, the good old days). With rennet, cheese making became a lot easier and a lot more popular. Cheese was a staple in ancient Greece and Rome. Apicius described dishes made with cheese (caseus in Latin) when recording the dining habits of Imperial Rome, and cheese appears in Homer’s Odyssey. By the time of the ancient Romans, the ripening process had been developed, and it was well known that flavor and other characteristics could be altered by varying treatment and storage conditions. Larger Roman houses even had a separate kitchen just for cheese, the caseale, as well as special areas where cheese could be matured. Homemade cheeses could be taken to special shops to be smoked. While it was popular among the nobility, cheese was also generally included among the rations given to the legions of soldiers spreading out across the Empire. The Roman spread of caseus is somewhat traceable linguistically, with so many languages (even non-Romance languages) having words derived from the Latin: Spanish (queso), Portuguese (queijo), Dutch (kaas), German (käse), and English (cheese). (It is theorized that the aberrations, France’s fromage, Italy’s formaggio, and Catalonia’s formatge come from the names of molded, or formed, cheeses. This theory seems to be reinforced by the fact that in Spain, there is a mold used in making cheese called a formaje.) By the time of Charlemagne’s reign (768–814), France was already developing fine fromages. By the beginning of the 1400s, Charles d’Orléans, father of Louis XII, was ordering Bries by the dozen to give as New Year presents. In Italy, the Latin caseus lived on in family names in some regions, suggesting an unbroken line from the traditions of ancient Rome. Fontina, which in “patois” means “cheese,” appeared in the 1200s. It is mentioned by name in the first book about cheese, the Summa Lacticiniorum by Pantaleone da Confienza, which was published in 1477. Further evidence of the growing Italian cheese trade can be seen in a 1480 fresco of a cheese-maker’s shop at the castle of Issogne. In Britain, Cheshire cheese is considered the oldest named cheese. It may actually trace its lineage to invading Romans, who made cheese in Cheshire. Cheshire cheese was mentioned in the Domesday Book at the end of 11th Century. Wensleydale (for all you fans of Wallace and Grommet) also possesses an ancient pedigree, with a recipe that can be traced back to the Cistercian monks who came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. Cheddar cheese was being aged in the caves of Cheddar Gorge by the 1400s, though the earliest known reference to this cheese was made in 1170, when a purchase of more than 10,000 pounds of Cheddar cheese appeared in the expense account of Henry II. Across the regions that would become Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, and the rest of Europe cheese making developed and was refined. It had the multiple benefits of being an easy way to store milk and a delightful way to survive fast days, when meat was forbidden. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, cheese making was the work of everyone from monks to homemakers. Not only did towns have their own varieties, even individual farms had their own specialty cheeses. However, people began to appreciate the work-saving aspects of shared resources, and the first cooperative dairies were formed, with entire villages or even regions combining their milk and sharing the cheese. The first such cooperative recorded was in Déservilliers, France, in 1267. Oddly enough, on the continent, cheese lost its exalted place in the culinary hierarchy during the Renaissance. Folks feared it was unhealthful. But fortunately, that foolishness didn’t last long, and by the 1800s, cheese was again in favor. Also during the 1800s, the world saw the beginning of the move from farm production to factories. Not too surprisingly, cheese came to North America with European settlers, and cheese making was common in colonial households, particularly in New England, where cooler weather offered some possibility of preserving a cheese for a while. While most cheeses in the U.S. have traditionally been imitations of European cheeses, Brick, Jack, and Colby are American originals, dating to the late 1800s. But the cheeses that are recognized as the best in the U.S. are more commonly reflections, if not exact imitations, of older European cheeses. Interestingly, cheese making, and cheese consumption, did not spread throughout the Americas, and remains confined pretty much to North America. (Mexico is pretty much alone among Latin American countries in its love of cheese.) So check out your local cheese shop or the cheese counter at a good store, and enjoy a wedge of cheese. It’s not just a good source of calcium and protein; it’s a piece of history. [This story appeared in a slightly different form in Hungry Magazine] ©2008 Cynthia Clampitt
Location of the Oshana Region in Namibia \|• Governor\|\|Clemens Kashuupulwa\| \|• Total\|\|8,647 km2 (3,339 sq mi)\| \|• Density\|\|20/km2 (52/sq mi)\| \|Time zone\|\|South African Standard Time: UTC+1\| Oshana is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Oshakati. The name Oshana describes the most prominent landscape feature in the area, namely the shallow, seasonally inundated depressions which underpin the local agro ecological system. Although communications are hindered during the rainy season, the fish which breed in the oshanas provide an important source of dietary protein. The Oshakati-Ongwediva-Ondangwa complex has experienced dramatic urban growth in recent years and forms an important commercial and potential industrial focus. As a whole, it forms the second largest population concentration in Namibia after Windhoek, but it still lacks basic infrastructure and most of the services and facilities normally found in urban areas of this size. The majority of businesses in northern Namibia are located here, providing a significant amount of employment. However, urbanisation is continuing within the region. Omahangu is the principal staple crop grown in Oshana, which is suitable for agriculture. However, the soil is exhausted over much of the central area and requires substantial fertilisation in order to maintain reasonable productivity. Cattle also do well here and herds are extensive. The southern portion of Oshana is an extensive savannah plain stretching as far as the Etosha Pan, but the generally high salinity of soil and water render it unsuitable for grazing or cultivation. The area is far more densely populated in north, which is linked to Tsumeb and other regions by the high quality trunk road; this also facilitates the transport of freight. However, a significant improvement in the rest of the road network and in other forms of telecommunications are required. Oshakati and Ondangwa have airstrips which handle medium-sized airplanes in daylight only and provision can be made for both passengers and airfreight. The establishment of a control tower may contribute to the improvement of all-weather air and transport. Reasonably good hospitals are situated at Oshakati and Onjiipa, which supports a number of clinics. Although both primary and secondary schools are spread across the region, there are few relative to the amount of inhabitants of the region. Oshana is one of only three regions without either a coastline or a foreign border. It borders the following regions: The region comprises eleven constituencies: - Oshakati East - Oshakati West - Ondangwa Urban The 2015 local and regional elections saw SWAPO win uncontested seven of the eleven Oshana constituencies. The remaining four constituencies SWAPO won by a landslide, with results well over 90%. Economy and infrastructure According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in Oshana Region is 24.5%. Oshana has 137 schools with a total of 50,740 pupils. The centres of major economic activity are the towns Ondangwa, Ongwediva and Oshakati. - "President announces governors". The Namibian. 10 April 2015. - "Namibia's Population by Region". Election Watch. Institute for Public Policy Research (1): 3. 2013. - "'People Say I'm the Second Mugabe'", New Era, 14 April 2015. - Kangootui, Nomhle (23 October 2015). "Swapo gets ǃNamiǂNûs uncontested". The Namibian. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. - "Regional Council Election Results 2015" (PDF). Electoral Commission of Namibia. 3 December 2015. p. 18. - Duddy, Jo Maré (11 April 2013). "Unemployment rate still alarmingly high". The Namibian. - Miyanicwe, Clemans; Kahiurika, Ndanki (27 November 2013). "School counsellors overstretched". The Namibian. p. 1.
We all know that what we eat affects our physical health, but did you know there’s growing evidence that nutrition and mental wellbeing are also closely linked? The brain is the largest organ in the body and, like our hearts, livers and other organs, it is affected by what we eat and drink. To put it bluntly, we are what we eat! Research shows that people who report some level of mental health problems eat fewer healthy foods (fresh fruit and vegetables, organic foods and meals made from scratch) and more unhealthy foods (chips and crisps, chocolate, ready meals and takeaways). The opposite is true too – people who eat healthier foods are more likely to have good mental health. So what foods give the brain the nutrients it needs for good mental health and wellbeing? Fortunately, it’s the same kind of diet you need for good physical health: - lots of different vegetables and fruit. - a wide variety of whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. - some occasional oily fish, lean meat and dairy products. More on the food - mental health link... University of Canterbury clinical psychologist Julia Rucklidge is leading the charge when it comes to exploring the links between nutrition and mental health.
Yesterday, in the supermarket, a customer dumped a whole basket full of power bars on the counter. The checkout counter person started to scan them in, one by one. After seeing about seven of them scanned, with a lot more to go, the customer piped up: “they are all the same!” The checkout person laughed and started to count them. What just happened? The customer apparently saw a faster way for the checkout person to handle the power bars, and the checkout person saw it too. The critical ingredient was knowing that all power bars were the same. How was this helpful? I thought this was an interesting little puzzle. Of course, given the title of the post, you may be sure that I see it as related to multiplication. More specifically, multiplication viewed as a short cut. I find this interesting since it is rarely the way kids in school relate to multiplication. Kids in school often think of multiplication as hard and tedious, particularly as compared to addition. In the context they usually encounter addition and multiplication, you might agree with them. If you are given two numbers and you are supposed to add them, or you are given two numbers and you are supposed to multiply them, which of them is easier and less work? Compared this way, you can see the preference for addition. But comparing addition of two numbers and multiplication of two numbers may not be how it shows up in real life. Let’s compare the situations that presented themselves before and after the customer’s comment: a pile of mixed power bars on the one hand, and a pile of identical power bars on the other hand. mixed: .34 + .36 + .45 + .29 + .34 + .34 + .35 + .40 + .60 + .20 + .29 + .34 + .36 + .36 identical: .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 + .34 On learning that all power bars were identical (and clearly trusting the customer on this) the checkout person knew she could simply count the remaining bars (14) and scan just one, and the cash register would handle it as a multiplication: for faster service. Multiplication as a short cut for repeated addition of identical numbers. Note that even in the absence of a cash register that handles the multiplication for you, thinking of the problem as a multiplication gives you many different options for coming up with the result. For example, you could split it in a group of ten and 4 separate ones, and know that the group of 10 cost $3.40, and the separate 4 could be added on one at a time. Or you could see it as seven pairs and compute the cost of a pair as .34+.34 =.68 and now only have to add .68 + .68 + .68 + .68 + .68 + .68 + .68, which is way fewer additions than you started out with. Or maybe you notice that 10 bars cost $3.40 and 5 bars cost half of that: $1.70, and so 15 bars add up to $ 5.10 and finally 14 bars cost $.34 less than that, $4.76! So let’s see if we can state this result in an obvious and accurate way that yet sidesteps some big controversies that I don’t see as helpful at all. repeated addition of identical numbers is multiplication! What I found most interesting about the whole episode is how easily the customer and the checkout person understood each other, and how the notion of multiplication as a short cut for repeated addition seemed to underlie both their actions.
Every Picture Tells a Story If you’re in Florida and you step outside on an August afternoon, chances are good that it’s going be hot and muggy. Conversely, if it’s Alaska in January, it’s fairly safe to say that it’s going to be cold and windy. You can try to guess what the temperature, humidity level and wind speed might be, and you might come reasonably close, but wouldn’t it be easier with some tools? Perhaps a thermometer or a wind gauge? Such instruments can provide precise readings, either confirming or denying your speculations. Now, imagine the setting is an industrial facility or factory. A plant engineer knows how much energy the facility is using and what its energy costs are. He knows the numbers could be better than what they are. He might be aware that if insulation were installed on some those bare pipes, valves and other components, the plant’s performance could improve significantly. But the tricky part is identifying where the primary trouble spots are, and how to fix them. A plant engineer has a million things to worry about, and insulation is likely not the number one priority. Ideally, that’s when he’ll contact someone with the expertise, skills and tools to provide solutions. Perhaps that person is an energy auditor certified through the National Insulation Association’s Insulation Energy Appraisal Program (IEAP). And it also may be someone who’s also a certified thermographer. Utilizing a specially designed camera, a thermographer uses infrared imaging and measurement to "see" and "measure" thermal energy emitted from an object. Thermal, or infrared energy, is light that’s not visible because its wavelength is too long to be detected by the human eye. It’s the part of the electromagnetic spectrum perceived as heat. Unlike visible light, in the infrared world, everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits heat. Even very cold objects, such as ice cubes, emit infrared. The higher the object’s temperature, the greater the infrared radiation emitted. Infrared allows us to see what our eyes can’t. Infrared thermography cameras produce images of invisible infrared or "heat" radiation and provide precise non-contact temperature measurement capabilities. Nearly everything gets hot before it fails, making infrared cameras valuable diagnostic tools in many diverse applications. And as industry strives to improve manufacturing efficiencies, manage energy, improve product quality, and enhance worker safety, new applications for infrared cameras continually emerge. If you talk to thermographers, the technology has opened many eyes. Kevin Hedgers, industrial division manager for NYCO, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., says thermography adds professionalism and a level of sophistication to the process. "The bottom line is that it absolutely provides credibility to the whole audit process by providing visual documentary of your work," says Hedgers, a certified IEAP appraiser. "You need to have that credibility." Steve Campbell, Owens Corning national specifications manager, insulating systems business, southern region, says thermography has been a terrific tool for energy audits. "You’ve heard the saying about a picture being worth 1,000 words," says Campbell, another IEAP alum. "In this case, a picture can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. [Thermography] has been a real good selling point. It gives maintenance people documentation to take to management to show how it can help." Sir William Herschel, an astronomer, discovered infrared in 1800. He built his own telescopes and was familiar with lenses and mirrors. Knowing that sunlight was made up of all the colors of the spectrum, and that it was also a source of heat, Herschel wanted to find out which color(s) were responsible for heating objects. He devised an experiment using a prism, paperboard, and thermometers with blackened bulbs where he measured the temperatures of the different colors. Herschel observed an increase in temperature as he moved the thermometer from violet to red in the rainbow created by sunlight passing through the prism. He found that the hottest temperature was actually beyond red light. The radiation causing this heating wasn’t visible. Herschel termed this invisible radiation "calorific rays." Today, it’s known as infrared. Infrared Cameras-How Do They Work? An infrared camera is a non-contact device that detects infrared energy (heat) and converts it into an electronic signal, which is then processed to produce a thermal image on a video monitor and perform temperature calculations. Heat sensed by an infrared camera can be precisely quantified, or measured, allowing a user to not only monitor thermal performance, but also identify and evaluate the relative severity of heat-related problems. Recent innovations, particularly detector technology, the incorporation of built-in visual imaging, automatic functionality, and infrared software development, deliver more cost-effective thermal analysis solutions than ever before. Infrared thermography allows a user to instantly visualize and verify thermal performance. In June 2001, Maintenance Technology magazine reported a $4 return on investment in for every $1 spent on infrared inspection. Campbell, based in Big Sandy, Tenn., is a certified level II thermographer. A level I certification is essentially described as qualitative, meaning "you can basically compare picture A to picture B," says Campbell. Level II is more quantitative, allowing for more analysis between numbers and temperatures with the infrared images. A number of infrared technology manufacturers teach classes on thermography. Campbell attended a four-day classroom session taught by a manufacturer. The class includes a 75-question test that must be passed to advance to each level. However, he points out, "The best learning tool for infrared is experience. The classroom is important, but the field work is equally important." Campbell has been using thermography for more than three years, since Owens Corning began its Thermal Analysis Program. The Owens Corning program combines inspection, analysis and reporting services in a process designed to identify opportunities to optimize thermal insulation systems. A customized report is generated after visual inspections, infrared imaging and analysis of existing mechanical insulation. Campbell says that a high quality thermography package-camera, software, accessories and training-can cost between $70,000 and $80,000. He says that the camera works just like a video-basically like a hand-held camcorder. In a typical site visit, Campbell says he will do a pre-audit interview with the person in charge of facility maintenance. He might be asked to measure temperatures above a certain level. Once the parameters are set, Campbell says, "We scan until we see a problem. Then we record it, freeze the image, save it to a PC and create a digital image. We also take detailed notes and have somebody from the company with us to verify where the photos were taken, since most piping and components look the same everywhere. We get about 50 pictures on a good day." Armed with the infrared documentation, and assisted by computer programs such as 3E Plus®, Campbell can provide a detailed report to the facility engineer and make specific recommendations explaining where improvements can be made through insulation. He says the visual images speak for themselves. "You have to show it to sell it," Campbell says. Hedgers agrees that the infrared images, combined with the written reports, make the process much easier for him and the client. As with Campbell, Hedgers uses 3E Plus® as a supplement to the infrared analysis. He can translate the digital images into tables that show how much it would cost to insulate a specific valve, pipe or other types of equipment, and how long the payback period will be. "It allows them to prioritize," Hedgers says. "In one area, it might be a 3-month payback, and in another a 3-year payback. They can choose whether they want to invest some now and some later." Personnel protection is another area where thermography can help. "It’s a not just a good energy tool, but it’s also a good safety tool," Campbell says. "If somebody gets burned, you’ve got a big problem on your hands." In 1999, Unilever-Best Foods Inc. implemented a corporation-wide program to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. In 2001, as part of that program, Hedgers conducted an insulation audit at the Unilever Rexdale plant located near Toronto, Ontario, Canada (see November 2001 Insulation Outlook). Hedgers’ work has helped Unilever save some $340,000 in energy costs (over two years). Using infrared images and 3E® Plus, Hedgers provided recommendations that allowed the facility identify areas to add extra insulation. Prior to the audit, the plant’s tanks were insulated, but manholes and agitators weren’t. Following the audit, 101 manholes, 74 agitators and 28 tank patches were insulated. The implementation cost was $29,517 ($18,615 U.S.) and the total annual savings was $51,606 ($32,545 U.S.) Doug Dittburner, chief engineer and energy team leader for the Unilever plant, says that Hedgers’ thermographic images and accompanying information made a big difference. "Our philosophy is ‘data rules’," Dittburner says. "The infrared gives you information that you wouldn’t otherwise have. Someone can say, ‘This is what you need to do,’ but the infrared really shows you the whole picture. The calculations say that this is what you have and this is what you need to do. It’s well worth the investment." Since beginning its energy program, Unilever, in part due to Hedgers’ efforts, has enjoyed an overall energy savings reduction of $2.3 million ($1.45 million U.S.), with an investment of $1.1 million ($693,727 U.S.). Dittburner adds that the plant has reduced its natural gas usage by 6.3 million cubic feet, its electricity usage by 4.6 million kilowatt hours, and water by 78 million gallons. It has also cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 11.9 million kilograms of CO2. Looking for Payback Campbell has also conducted a number of insulation audits as part of Owens Corning’s Thermal Analysis Program. One successful project he was involved with was at the Cargill Foods facility near Memphis, Tenn. Cargill’s operating engineers are interested in any project that will pay for itself within three years. When they saw payback projections in a insulation audit, the engineers immediately had the recommended insulation installed. The engineers knew they had a lot of pipe that needed to be insulated, but that wasn’t the issue. The questions for them were about the payback period and where to start. "The project was something we wanted to do for quite a while but we needed to determine the payback for the investment," explained Drew Heise, project engineer at the Cargill facility that makes corn sweeteners, refined corn oil and animal feeds. The operation employs more than 300 people and is spread over about 3.5 million square feet of President’s Island, located along the Mississippi River. Heise says the audit "identified each specific piece of equipment that needed to be insulated. It tells what the equipment is, the average temperature around the equipment, wind speed at the time of the analysis, the length of pipe to be insulated and the surface temperature of pipe. The report also lists the carbon dioxide emissions related to the energy loss. Then the report gives everything a priority rating-it’s a one, two or three-and they list an estimated payback time for each piece of equipment. He adds, "Most of them (payback times) were great. There were many well under a year-like 10 months and eight months. Both of those were highly rated as a ‘one.’ We did all of them, even the three’s. Dollar savings was the reason behind doing the project because everything is driven with a payback. Typically here, we’ll do anything that can be paid back within three years." Heise says that adding insulation was something that needed to be done. "A lot of this is real obvious. If you see 20 feet of exposed steel pipe going right into a boiler, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that it needs to be insulated. We decided to make a record of the situation by first having an [insulation audit] done on all of the hot spots. That gave us something to work with; it offered direction." Cargill engineers say they are also concerned about safety and environmental issues. "The report indicates what the future surface temperature might be," explained Heise. "In one example, the report shows a recorded surface temperature of 763 degrees (fahrenheit). After insulating with 3-1/2-inch-thick, high-temperature pipe insulation, the surface temperature will be 136 degrees (F). Typically, 120 or thereabout is considered safe and doesn’t need to be insulated. The projected temperature of 136 degrees (F) is not too far above that. Obviously, 763-degree (F) surface temperatures are a safety issue. Even if the payback period doesn’t fall within our threshold, we would do that one as an environmental health or safety issue." Heise was also pleased that the report lists the carbon dioxide reduction in pounds per year for each insulation project. If the equipment is insulated as recommended, the report indicates how much the improved efficiency will reduce the carbon dioxide created in burning fossil fuel to generate heat that was previously lost. "There are limits to what a facility can actually put out into the air," Heise says. "We are only permitted to emit so much to the atmosphere and we can’t go above that limit. Reducing emissions from one piece of equipment-because you are running more efficiently-can open up opportunities in other areas of the plant, if you need to add a burner somewhere, or expand a boiler, for example. Versatility and Value Hedgers says thermography is versatile. Earlier this year, he conducted an infrared audit at a 150 megawatt power plant in North Dakota. He was able to document heat losses and the amount of emissions being released into the atmosphere. As was pointed out by Heise at the Cargill plant, industrial plants can only emit emissions to a certain threshold. Hedgers’ work assisted the facility in reducing emissions and avoiding possible fees for exceeding the limit. Also, at a prominent Midwestern health care facility, Hedgers helped save $30,000 in power generation costs over about an 18-month period. Overall, Hedgers says, thermography adds the kind of precision to the energy audit process that clients appreciate. "They seem very impressed with the documentation-having a more detailed breakdown estimate of repair costs, and how much energy they’re using. It’s a nice value added service." When he began using infrared technology, Campbell admits that he didn’t know what to expect. But it didn’t take him long to realize what a tremendous asset it is. "I’ve been in the business for 27 years, and it’s the best tool to do an energy audit that I’ve run across." Editor’s Note: This story contains partial excerpts from an Owens Corning Thermal Analysis case study prepared by Bill Hamilton. For a comprehensive look at Kevin Hedgers’ energy audit at the Unilever Toronto plant, see his November 2001 Insulation Outlook story, "Insulation Energy Appraisal."
Snake hitches ride on airplane wing Passengers watch as python clings to wing during flight Passengers on a Qantas jet flying over Australia were surprised to look out their windows and see an unexpected travel companion. 20 minutes into a flight from Cairns, Australia, to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, a woman noticed that a reptile was tucked under the wing of the plane, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. The snake was curled up in a ball initially, but as the flight continued, the wind began to pull the snake straight out of is nook, leaving it to flap in the air for the entire 1 hour, 50-minute flight. An expert later identified the snake as a 10-foot long scrub python, Australia's longest species of snake. A Qantas representative stated that while people were shocked, there was no panic among the passengers. Most people were concerned for the well-being of the snake as they watched it struggle to hold onto the plane. Ultimately, the snake did not survive the flight.
Scientists have developed artificial, super-strength muscles which are powered by alcohol and hydrogen. And they could eventually be used to make more advanced prosthetic limbs, say researchers at University of Texas. Writing in Science, they say these artificial muscles are 100 times more powerful than the body's own. They said they could even be used in "exoskeletons" to give superhuman strength to certain professions such as firefighters, soldiers and astronauts. Two types of muscle are being investigated by US researchers at the Nanotech Institute at the University of Texas in Dallas, working with colleagues from South Korea. Both release the chemical energy of fuels, such as hydrogen and alcohol, while consuming oxygen. In effect they are replicating the first stage in "breathing" - by taking in oxygen. The existing form of artificial muscles are driven by batteries. However, neither of the types developed by the Texan researchers resembles a normal muscle - being made up of wires, cantilevers and glass bottles. The most powerful type, "shorted fuel cell muscles" convert chemical energy into heat, causing a special shape-memory metal alloy to contract. Turning down the heat allows the muscle to relax. Lab tests showed that these devices had a lifting strength more than 100 times that of normal skeletal muscle. Another kind of muscle being developed by the team converted chemical energy into electrical energy which caused a material made from carbon nanotube electrodes to bend. Dr John Madden, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, writing in Science, said "the approach could transform the way complex mechanical systems were built". He said the artificial muscles mimicked nature in a number of ways. "The muscle consumes oxygen and fuel that can be transported via a circulation system; the muscle itself supports the chemical reaction that leads to mechanical work; electrochemical circuits can act as nerves, controlling actuation; some energy is stored locally in the muscle itself; and, like natural muscle, the materials studied contract linearly." But he said the challenge now was to create a circulation system like that of humans that replaces the wires in the artificial muscles. Dr Madden said pressures needed to be generated so that waste gases could be produced, and the artificial muscles could truly be described as "breathing".
Presentation on theme: "A Guide to Implementation"— Presentation transcript: 1A Guide to Implementation Lesson StudyA Guide to Implementation 2“The teacher is the one who gets the most out of the lessons, and the true teacher is the learner.” Elbert Hubbard 3Lesson StudyEvolves from Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) of teachersProvides opportunities to create a model for high-quality instructional practices.Improves a lesson through teacher collaboration. 4Lesson StudyMeets Florida Professional Development System Evaluation Protocol Standards (1.2.1, 2.2.1, and 3.2.1)Promotes a cycle of continuous improvement to achieve goals that align with individual, school and district goals for student achievement. 5Differentiated Accountability Requires full implementation of Lesson Study Process for schools categorized as “F”, Intervene, or part of the Lowest 5%. 6Foci of Lesson StudyTo create structured occasions for teachers to examine teaching and learning.To improve the lesson planning process.To refine instructional strategies and delivery.To evaluate the results.To evaluate student thinking.To increase student mastery. 7Lesson Study is… Job-embedded Ongoing Comprehensive Real classroom instructional challengesTeacher-directedStudent-centeredShared best practices and strategiesCollaborative 8Lesson Study Allows Teachers to… Consider the objectives of a particular content area, unit and/or lessonPlan lessons that bring to life both short-term and long-term goalsDeepen subject matter knowledge 9Lesson Study Allows Teachers to… Develop pedagogyShare and design best practicesParticipate in job-embedded learningExplore problems that impede student learningUnderstand how students think and learn 10Lesson Study Allows Teachers to… Learn successful teaching techniques and behaviors from other teachersDevelop peer coaching skillsParticipate in job-embedded learningExplore problems that impede student learning 11Lesson Study Allows Teachers to… Understand how students think and learnLearn successful teaching techniques and behaviors from other teachersDevelop peer coaching skillsImprove student learning based on observations and assessments 12Lesson Study Allows Teachers to… Think deeply about short-term and long-term goals for studentsAnticipate student thinkingCollect and analyze student learning and behavior data 13Lesson Study Allows Teachers to… Improve instruction based on careful observation of students by understanding how students learnSupport beginning teachers 14Lesson Study Relative to Other Initiatives Florida’s Continuous Improvement Model (FCIM)Lesson Study is in “Act” component as professional developmentProfessional Learning Communities (PLCs)More effective when focus is on improving instructional delivery and increasing student achievement 15Lesson Study Relative to Other Initiatives PS/RtI and Data Driven InstructionData gathered from student observations allow teachers to redirect the instructional focus on students’ academic needsInstructional Coaching CyclesDevelop a consistent pattern of working collaboratively with teachers 16Lesson Study and PS/RtI Each tier must be demonstrably effective for large numbers of students.If the universally provided instruction is not effective for most students, then large numbers of students will unnecessarily require additional resources and support.Lesson Study strengthens instructional knowledge and student achievement, a direct benefit to all levels of tiered continuum of service. 17Lesson Study and Florida Professional Development System Evaluation Protocol Standards Meets Standards 1.2.1, and 3.2.1Specifically requirements for educator participation in collaborative learning communities for continuous improvement to achieve goals that align with individual, school, and district goals for student achievementAssociated student learning goals should be reflected in TARGET. 18Purpose of Lesson Study Provides districts, administrators, coaches, and teachers with content and pedagogical learning to strengthen their instructional knowledge and increase student achievement.Assists all participants to deepen their knowledge of content, pedagogy and student thinking. 19Purpose of Lesson Study Presents an opportunity to:Think carefully about goals of a particular lesson, unit, and/or subject areaRead, listen and think, as well as express and question ideasStudy and improve the best available lessons 20Purpose of Lesson Study Presents an opportunity to:Deepen subject-matter knowledgeBuild powerful instructional strategies and quality lessons through collaborationImprove teaching through systematic collaborative inquiry 21Lesson Study Cycle Phase I: Scheduling and Planning Phase II: Teaching and ObservingPhase III: DebriefingPhase IV: Re-Teaching and Reflecting 23Length of Lesson Study Cycle No defined time periodOngoing processImplemented throughout the yearMore than one cycle can be completedOne cycle during the first semesterOne cycle during the second semester 24Lesson Study Implementation More time is spent on planning and improving the lesson because the lesson plan is the backbone of Lesson Study.Begin with a lesson that has already been developed:Previous year lesson planTextbook manual suggested lessonPre-developed lessons from Internet, etc. 25Lesson Study Funding School Improvement Grant Title I Title II General RevenueMay be used to:hire substitutes for teachers who may be observing the lessonsAcquire additional resources to enhance Lesson Study process 26Essential Questions to Begin Lesson Study Is the lesson aligned to the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)?What specific benchmark(s) does the lesson include?Will the instruction result in student learning at the level of complexity required for the benchmark? 27Essential Questions to Begin Lesson Study How can teachers enhance the teaching and learning process to provide data-driven instruction that will increase student proficiency in all subject areas? 28Essential Questions to Begin Lesson Study What do we want students to learn and be able to do by the end of the unit of study and by the end of the school year?What is the current rate of progress and level of performance of students enrolled in this course/class? 29Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study Development and use of team-created lesson plans as a part of the processIncorporation of reading and writing across the curriculum for all subject areas by using “Three Types of Essential Reading Activities” (pre-reading, during reading, and after reading strategies) in daily instruction 30Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study Teacher use of rigorous questions, assignments, and assessmentsDevelopment of an understanding of Lesson Study as a collaborative processUnderstanding of how Lesson Study is a way to strengthen teaching and learning in schools 31Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study Application of Lesson Study in a variety of ways, including lesson development and testing through Lesson StudyExamination of the role of the district and the principal in implementing effective Lesson Study teams 32Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study Skill development in other professional learning activities related to Lesson StudySupport of fellow teachers in initiating and building Professional Learning Communities with a focus on Lesson Study
The evils of the internet are seeping into the increasingly connected world of health care. On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration called on medical device manufacturers to double down on security, referencing an increase in cyberattacks against medical devices and hospital network operations. Over the years, the health-care system has built up its reliance on technology — from patient-monitoring devices to pacemakers to electronic health records — in efforts to improve patient care and boost efficiency. But the FDA said it’s become more aware of security shortcomings and incidents that could put hospital operations and patients at risk. For example, it said: - Medical devices are becoming infected with and disabled by malware. - Patient data, monitoring systems and implanted patient devices are being compromised by malware in smartphones and mobile devices. - Passwords for privileged device access aren’t being properly protected. - Older devices aren’t getting timely security updates and passwords. “Over the last year, we’ve seen an uptick that has increased our concern,” William Maisel, deputy director of science and chief scientist at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, told The Washington Post. “The type and breadth of incidents has increased.” Previously, he told the Post that they heard about security issues once or twice a year; now, he said they hear about problems weekly or monthly. In the draft guidelines released Thursday, the FDA encouraged medical device makers to review their policies and practices to make sure security protections are in place. For example: finding ways to limit unauthorized device access to trusted users only or implementing “fail-safe modes” that ensure a device’s critical functionality even when compromised. The agency said that later, it will issue final guidelines that could enable it to block the release of devices that don’t meet its standards. As we’ve covered before, the FDA is expected to release final guidance on how it will regulate mobile health technology later this year, so presumably, these new recommendations will apply to a subset of mobile health apps as well.
occur twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most oriented toward or away from the Sun , causing the Sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes. The name is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still in declination ; that is, its apparent movement north or south comes to a standstill. The term solstice can also be used in a wider sense, as the date (day) that such a passage happens. The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected with the seasons. In some languages they are considered to start or separate the seasons; in others they are considered to be centre points (in English, in the Northern hemisphere, for example, the period around the June solstice is known as midsummer, and Midsummer's Day is 24 June, about three days after the solstice itself). Similarly 25 December is the start of the Christmas celebration, which was a pagan festival in pre-Christian times, and is the day the sun begins to return to the northern hemisphere. The two solstices can be distinguished by different pairs of names, depending on which feature one wants to stress. - Summer solstice and winter solstice are the most common names. However, these can be ambiguous since seasons of the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere are opposites, and the summer solstice of one hemisphere is the winter solstice of the other. These are also known as the 'longest' or 'shortest' days of the year. - Northern solstice and southern solstice indicate the direction of the sun's apparent movement. The northern solstice is in June on Earth, when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the southern solstice is in December, when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. - June solstice and December solstice are an alternative to the more common "summer" and "winter" terms, but without the ambiguity as to which hemisphere is the context. They are still not universal, however, as not all people use a solar-based calendar where the solstices occur every year in the same month (as they do not in the Islamic Calendar and Hebrew calendar, for example), and the names are also not useful for other planets (Mars, for example), even though these planets do have seasons. - First point of Cancer and first point of Capricorn. One disadvantage of these names is that, due to the precession of the equinoxes, the astrological signs where these solstices are located no longer correspond with the actual constellations. - Taurus solstice and Sagittarius solstice are names that indicate in which constellations the two solstices are currently located. These terms are not widely used, though, and until December 1989 the first solstice was in Gemini, according to official IAU boundaries. - The Latin names Hibernal solstice (winter), and Aestival solstice (summer) are sometimes used. Solstice terms in East Asia The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms (節氣). Xiàzhì (pīnyīn) or Geshi (rōmaji) is the 10th solar term, and marks the summer solstice . It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 90° (around June 21 ) and ends when the Sun reaches the longitude of 105° (around July 7 ). Xiàzhì more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 90°. Dōngzhì (pīnyīn) or Tōji (rōmaji) is the 22nd solar term, and marks the winter solstice. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 270° (around December 22 ) and ends when the Sun reaches the longitude of 285° (around January 5). Dōngzhì more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 270°. The solstices (as well as the equinoxes) mark the middle of the seasons in East Asian calendars. Here, the Chinese character 至 means "extreme", so the terms for the solstices directly signify the summits of summer and winter, a linkage that may not be immediately obvious in Western languages. Heliocentric view of the seasons The cause of the seasons is that the Earth's axis of rotation is not perpendicular to its orbital plane (the flat plane made through the center of mass (barycenter ) of the solar system (near or within the Sun) and the successive locations of Earth during the year), but currently makes an angle of about 23.44° (called the "obliquity of the ecliptic "), and that the axis keeps its orientation with respect to inertial space . As a consequence, for half the year (from around 20 March to 22 September ) the northern hemisphere tips to the Sun, with the maximum around 21 June , while for the other half year the southern hemisphere has this distinction, with the maximum around 21 December . The two moments when the inclination of Earth's rotational axis has maximum effect are the solstices. The table at the top of the article gives the instances of equinoxes and solstices over several years. Refer to the equinox article for some remarks. At the northern solstice the subsolar point reaches to 23.44° north, known as the tropic of Cancer. Likewise at the southern solstice the same thing happens for latitude 23.44° south, known as the tropic of Capricorn. The subsolar point will cross every latitude between these two extremes exactly twice per year. Also during the northern solstice places situated at latitude 66.56° north, known as the Arctic Circle will see the Sun just on the horizon during midnight, and all places north of it will see the Sun above horizon for 24 hours. That is the midnight sun or midsummer-night sun or polar day. On the other hand, places at latitude 66.56° south, known as the Antarctic Circle will see the Sun just on the horizon during midday, and all places south of it will not see the Sun above horizon at any time of the day. That is the polar night. During the southern solstice the effects on both hemispheres are just the opposite. At the temperate latitudes, during summer the Sun remains longer and higher above the horizon, while in winter it remains shorter and lower. This is the cause of summer heat and winter cold. The seasons are not caused by the varying distance of Earth from the Sun due to the orbital eccentricity of the Earth's orbit. This variation does make such a contribution, but is small compared with the effects of exposure because of Earth's tilt. Currently the Earth reaches perihelion at the beginning of January, which is during the northern winter and the southern summer. The Sun, being closer to Earth and therefore hotter, does not cause the whole planet to enter summer. Although it is true that the northern winter is somewhat warmer than the southern winter, the placement of the continents, ice-covered Antarctica in particular, may also play an important factor. In the same way, during aphelion at the beginning of July, the Sun is farther away, but that still leaves the northern summer and southern winter as they are with only minor effects. Due to Milankovitch cycles, the Earth's axial tilt and orbital eccentricity will change over thousands of years. Thus in 10,000 years one would find that Earth's northern winter occurs at aphelion and its northern summer at perihelion. The severity of seasonal change — the average temperature difference between summer and winter in location — will also change over time because the Earth's axial tilt fluctuates between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees. Geocentric view of the seasons The explanation given in the previous section is useful for observers in outer space. They would see how the Earth revolves around the Sun and how the distribution of sunlight on the planet would change over the year. To observers on Earth, it is also useful to see how the Sun seems to revolve around them. These pictures show such a perspective as follows. They show the day arcs of the Sun, the paths the Sun tracks along the celestial dome in its diurnal movement. The pictures show this for every hour on both solstice days. The longer arc is always the summer track and the shorter one the winter track. The two tracks are at a distance of 46.88° (2 × 23.44°) away from each other. In addition, some 'ghost' suns are indicated below the horizon, as much as 18° down. The Sun in this area causes twilight. The pictures can be used for both the northern and southern hemispheres. The observer is supposed to sit near the tree on the island in the middle of the ocean. The green arrows give the cardinal directions. - On the northern hemisphere the north is to the left, the Sun rises in the east (far arrow), culminates in the south (to the right) while moving to the right and sets in the west (near arrow). Both rise and set positions are displaced towards the north in summer, and towards the south for the winter track. - On the southern hemisphere the south is to the left, the Sun rises in the east (near arrow), culminates in the north (to the right) while moving to the left and sets in the west (far arrow). Both rise and set positions are displaced towards the south in summer, and towards the north for the winter track. The following special cases are depicted. - On the equator the Sun is not overhead every day, as some people think. In fact that happens only on two days of the year, the equinoxes. The solstices are the dates that the Sun stays farthest away from the zenith, only reaching an altitude of 66.56° either to the north or the south. The only thing special about the equator is that all days of the year, solstices included, have roughly the same length of about 12 hours, so that it makes no sense to talk about summer and winter. Instead, tropical areas often have wet and dry seasons. - The day arcs at 20° latitude. The Sun culminates at 46.56° altitude in winter and 93.44° altitude in summer. In this case an angle larger than 90° means that the culmination takes place at an altitude of 86.56° in the opposite cardinal direction. For example in the southern hemisphere, the Sun remains in the north during winter, but can reach over the zenith to the south in midsummer. Summer days are longer than winter days, but the difference is no more than two or three hours. The daily path of the Sun is steep at the horizon the whole year round, resulting in a twilight of only about one hour. - The day arcs at 50° latitude. The winter Sun does not rise more than 16.56° above the horizon at midday, and 63.44° in summer above the same horizon direction. The difference in the length of the day between summer and winter is striking. Likewise is the difference in direction of sunrise and sunset. Also note the different steepness of the daily path of the Sun above the horizon in summer and winter. It is much shallower in winter. Therefore not only is the Sun not reaching as high, it also seems not to be in a hurry to do so. But conversely this means that in summer the Sun is not in a hurry to dip deeply below the horizon at night. At this latitude at midnight the summer sun is only 16.56° below the horizon, which means that astronomical twilight continues the whole night. This phenomenon is known as the grey nights, nights when it does not get dark enough for astronomers to do their observations. Above 60° latitude the Sun would be even closer to the horizon, only 6.56° away from it. Then civil twilight continues the whole night. This phenomenon is known as the white nights. And above 66° latitude, of course, one would get the midnight sun. - The day arcs at 70° latitude. At local noon the winter Sun culminates at −3.44°, and the summer Sun at 43.44°. Said another way, during the winter the Sun does not rise above the horizon, it is the polar night. There will be still a strong twilight though. At local midnight the summer Sun culminates at 3.44°, said another way, it does not set, it is the polar day. - The day arcs at the pole. All the time the Sun is 23.44° above or below the horizon, depending on whether it is the summer or winter solstice. In the latter case, that is enough to not even have any twilight. All directions are north at the South Pole and south at the North pole. There is also no south at the South Pole, no north at the North Pole, and neither east nor west is discernible at either pole. Due to atmospheric refraction, the Sun may already appear above the horizon when the real, geometric Sun is still below it. Many cultures celebrate various combinations of the winter and summer solstices, the equinoxes, and the midpoints between them, leading to various holidays arising around these events. For the December solstice, Christmas is the most popular holiday to have arisen. In addition, Yalda (see winter solstice for more) are also celebrated around this time. For the June solstice, Catholic and Nordic Protestant cultures celebrate the feast of St. John from June 23 to June 24 (see St. John's Eve , Ivan Kupala Day ), while Neopagans . For the vernal (spring) equinox, several spring-time festivals are celebrated, such as the observance in Judaism . The autumnal equinox has also given rise to various holidays, such as the Jewish holiday of Sukkot . At the midpoints between these four solar events, cross-quarter days In many cultures the solstices and equinoxes traditionally determine the midpoint of the seasons, which can be seen in the celebrations called midsummer and midwinter. Along this vein, the Japanese celebrate the start of each season with an occurrence known as Setsubun. The cumulative cooling and warming that result from the tilt of the planet become most pronounced after the solstices. In the Hindu calendar, two sidereal solstices are named Uttarayana and Dakshinayana. The former occurs around January 14 each year, while the latter occurs around July 14 each year. These mark the movement of the Sun along a sidereally fixed zodiac (precession is ignored) into Mesha, a zodiacal sign which corresponded with Aries about 285, and into Tula, the opposite zodiacal sign which corresponded with Libra about 285. Calculations, plots and tables Debate about season start Pictures and videos
Short Watershed Courses University of British Columbia Integrated Watershed Management "Integrated Watershed Management: A Hyper-Media CD-ROM" was developed for use with the University of British Columbia graduate level Internet course, the core course mentioned in the UBC Watershed Certificate Program above. Issues relating to urban, rural, agricultural, forestry, groundwater, and stream water are treated in an interdisciplinary manner. Basic theory is presented, specific land use and watershed issues are integrated, and numerous case studies are described. The CD is reportedly ideal for practicing professionals, graduate students, resource managers and planners and as a source book for watershed partnerships. Containing more than 700 computer frames, 400 images, numerous graphics, text and over 400 searchable references, the CD costs $100 (Canadian). Contact: Institute for Resources and Environment, 2206 E. Mall, Univ. of British Columbia, 5997 Inonia Dr., Vancouver BC V6T1Z1. Phone (604) 822-1450; fax (604) 822-1499. Web: http://www.ire.ubc.ca The California Watershed Academy Teaching Resource Professionals About Watershed Processes Pete Cafferata, Forest Hydrologist Calif. Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) Jim Steele, Biologist Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game (CDFG) The increase in the number and complexity of the California's state forest practices rules in the last ten years has been dramatic. Hundreds of changes, additions and many new concepts have added to the complexity of designing, approving and conducting a timber harvest operation. Pushing this increase is the Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection extended to the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, red legged frog, coho salmon and steelhead trout, and controversy over old growth forest logging. A forester today is expected to know more and have a technical background far greater than expected a few years ago. Often, natural resource protection concepts embedded in a rule are not understood by either the forester, decision maker or the public. A way of advancing new concepts and pragmatic methods was needed. Five versions of the "Watershed Academy" have been presented to about 200 resource professionals over the past four years. Primary goals have been to provide up-to-date information on key processes affecting aquatic habitats, and to improve students' hydrologic IQ and their analysis and risk assessment skills. Resource professionals completing the academy are trained to understand the basics of natural resource protection law theory, fluvial-geomorphological processes, determine current watershed condition, evaluate whether proposed practices will adversely impact aquatic resources, and develop appropriate mitigation measures to both avoid or minimize additional impacts and accelerate recovery from past practices. The first three watershed academy sessions were State interagency efforts while the last two were presented by University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE). Mr. Gary Stacey, CDFG, was the lead person for the interagency efforts managed by Jim Steele and Dr. Richard Harris, UCCE, led the more recent academies. The first sessions using some paid instructors were funded jointly by CDFG and CDF augmented by voluntary instructors from several agencies. The latter sessions with mostly paid instructors were funded by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and some staff support from CDFG. The curriculum for the Watershed Academy has been modified for each session based on participant feedback and decisions made by lead persons for each academy session. The lecture portion of the first academy covered the broadest range of topics: fish biology/life history, aquatic amphibian biology/life history, benthic macro-invertebrates, hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, geology, soils, watershed processes, risk assessment for biological and physical parameters, problem synthesis, monitoring, data management and natural resource law. The field portion covered road problem recognition, field assessment techniques for hillslope and instream issues, and stream parameter measurements. Topics covered in the second academy included: natural resource law, fish biology, hydrology, geology, fluvial geomorphology, and watershed assessment procedures. Field topics included road inventory techniques, field examples of differing fish habitat and streamside quality, and demonstrations of instream monitoring techniquesóincluding rapid bio-assessment procedures. The more recent academies held in the fall of 1998 differed somewhat in philosophy. Rather than emphasizing background information on various watershed related topics, students were asked to study a comprehensive binder of readings to provide a basic level of understanding prior to attending the course. Presenters were primarily from universities, consulting firms and the US Forest Service, with less emphasis on lecturers from state agencies. Lecture topics included: fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, hillslope stability, fish habitat requirements, monitoring, and management issues related to roads and crossings, water quality, and riparian zones. Field exercises stressed hillslope stability assessments, road inventory techniques, and assessing off-site impacts of timber operations. General impressions from the various academy sessions include the following points: 1) readers and/or binders with large numbers of watershed related papers are taken home for reference, but usually not studied before or during the session itself (however this information was valuable as reference for future timber harvesting plans), 2) the most successful learning experiences take place in the field where practical discussions occur, 3) it is difficult for all the students in a given class to be brought up to a minimum level of understanding for all the background disciplines related to watershed processes (both physical and biological), 4) lecture material should cover half day segments, with the remainder of the day spent in the field illustrating points covered in lecture, 5) no more than one-week should be spent on the academy because of other time commitments for students, and 6) all material presented should be as practically oriented as possible, with specific examples provided to illustrate points covered in lectures. Material presented by Dr. Bill Weaver of Pacific Watershed Associates on issues related to roads, landings, and watercourse crossings has often been cited as the most important information received by the students in each session. The important concept to be advanced, through understanding watershed function, is how to conduct land management activities compatible with natural resources. Since all natural resource laws are similar in their intent but differ in decision process, having the ability to focus on desired outcomes can streamline a knowledge based permit process, and lower government and private sector costs. Water codes, endangered species protection, and public process can all be included in the same permitting effort if there is confidence in the project's outcome. The Watershed Academy is part of a larger package which attempts to achieve this confidence, including the watershed process courses for professionals and baseline watershed analysis, database consolidation, field studies of watershed principles, and effectiveness monitoring programs. It is unclear at this time how future offerings of the watershed academy will be presented. Clearly, there is a need for this type of information as most of the North Coast watersheds are listed as impaired water bodies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and require development of Total Maximum Daily Load allocations (TMDLs). Additionally, state and federal listings of threatened and endangered species that depend on properly functioning aquatic habitats make this type of training very important. Eventually, CDF would like to have all of its Forest Practice staff participate in the academy. Many private RPFs have also expressed an interest in future sessions. Options will be discussed by state and federal agency managers in 1999. Contact: Pete Cafferata at (916) 653-9455 or Jim Steele at (916) 653-6194. The Council of State Governments Working at a Watershed Level (Interagency Course) Summary: Oneweek course covering all facets of watershed work, including stream ecology, system dynamics, assessment and analysis, planning methodologies, restoration/management techniques, public involvement strategies and outreach program development. The Council of State Governments Center for Environment and Safety and other regional organizations are now offering a new watershed training curriculum. Working at a Watershed Level was developed by a consortium of federal agencies, state/local groups and private organizations to improve crossagency watershed training. The course is designed as an introductory level basic training program for agency personnel newly assigned to watershed teams, veteran watershed managers in need of a refresher course and members of citizens groups interested in a cooperative approach to watershed issues. The Interagency Watershed Training Cooperative, composed of representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provided leadership for developing the course outline. The Council of State Governments, International City/ County Management Association, Ecological Society of America and other partners assisted with final curriculum design and content. Working at a Watershed Level covers the principles of watershed ecology, system dynamics, assessment and analysis, planning methodologies, restoration/management techniques, public involvement strategies and outreach program development. The course provides a basic but very broad foundation for considering both ecological and socioeconomic issues in watershed work across a wide range of public and private organizations. One of the motivating forces for developing the course was the need for a more cooperative, coordinated approach to watershed management and a common orientation to the science and societal issues involved. While it is recognized that state and federal agencies will continue to have unique needs and somewhat discrete processes for watershed planning, management and restoration, it is hoped that Working at a Watershed Level will help to develop a broad, common framework capable of accommodating the disparate interests that may be involved. Public agencies and private interests can only benefit by working together within a watershed, though each may have slightly different approaches and requirements. Ideally, agencies and other stakeholders will be able to use Working at a Watershed Level to identify areas where multiagency interdisciplinary teams can work together on management issues while retaining the ability to satisfy organizational, statutory or regulatory needs. An outline of the course can be found at the U.S. EPA's Watershed Academy web site at http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/watershed/wacademy/interfed/shedcors.html 1999 Course Schedule June in the San Joaquin River Basin in California (tentative). Early September, 1999 in Lafayette, Indiana (tentative). Late September, 1999 in New England (tentative). Contact: Barry Tonning, Environmental Policy Analyst, The Council of State Governments, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 405781910; (606) 244-8228; fax: (606) 244-8239. E-mail: [email protected] . For updates on the training schedules: http://www.statesnews.org/ecos/ The "Working at a Watershed Level" Course A Student Review by William Zigler CSU Fresno Senior in Geography I had the opportunity to attend the January 11-15, 1999 session of the Working at a Watershed Level training course held in Chico, California. Working for the Sequoia National Forest as a trainee in hydrology with a background in geography, I had hoped to gain enough foundational information to get me started "out in the field". The course exceeded my expectations, progressing systematically from structural stream elements to geomorphology to public outreach and education strategies. It was a great experience! Because of the course's potential benefit, I would like to provide a synopsis. Working at a Watershed Level is a watershed management training course conducted on the California State University Chico campus, through which flows Big Chico Creek. This course received much popular support in Northern and Central California, drawing many from local, state and federal agencies as well as from consulting firms, local watershed conservancies, irrigation districts, and agriculture. Not all attendees were local: some came from the distant points of West Virginia, Vermont, and Vancouver, British Columbia. In fact, the course was so popular that organizers were forced to limit seating to just over 100 while maintaining a waiting list of about 40. (Organizers are considering providing another training session later this year for those who were unable to attend.) The interest in the course reflects an increased awareness of the importance of watersheds today, especially with a growing population and its requisite demands on the environment. The course was comprised of classroom training sessions, group discussions, field trips, and two evening social gatherings. During a dinner sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, the speaker, Donald Outen of the Baltimore County, Maryland Dept. of Environmental Protection and Resource Management, gave an in-depth presentation on Baltimore County's Integrated Watershed Management Program. He addressed federal nonpoint source pollution control mandates, State initiatives for restoration of Chesapeake Bay, and local priorities for cooperative water quality projects. Mr. Outen was a knowledgeable speaker who demonstrated effective methods of managing an important watershed surrounding a growing urban center. Other speakers involved with the course were equally credible. They represented a distinguished and diverse group from academia (CSU Chico, Univ. of Montana, Univ. of Washington, UC Berkeley, and Shasta Community College), state and federal agencies (USFWS, Council of State Governments), private industry (Tetra Tech, Inc.), and conservation groups (Center for Natural Lands Management, Tuolumne River Preservation Trust, Mill Creek Watershed, and Stanislaus River Project). The curriculum was effectively organized, progressing logically with each new theme building upon the last. The curriculum provided something for everyone, focusing on the many aspects of watershed management. While the classroom sessions were informative, I especially enjoyed our training outside the classroom where we observed watershed management practices in action (with varying degrees of effectiveness). Two afternoons were dedicated to field trips to Butte, Big Chico, and Sycamore Creeks. Professors Matt Kondolf, Paul Maslin, and Morgan Hannaford led groups through a watershed assessment on Butte Creek. Butte Creek was an interesting study in the instream effects of flood control measures. The flood control channel was hastily excavated after a major flood event to divert high flows of water downstream during future flood events. The channel was effective as diverting flood waters away from the narrow main channel; however, it created a problem of sediment deposition at the point bar of the main channel, effectively closing the main channel after a flood event. Closing the main channel posed several problems, such as increased stream velocity, altered erosion patterns, and the inability to provide water at the irrigation diversion dam for agriculture. Currently, the main channel has been reopened but repeated manual removal of sediment at the point bar is required to maintain the main channel. A different field trip took us to a flood control diversion on Big Chico Creek and the flood outflow area on Sycamore Creek. A similar approach to the Butte Creek flood control diversion was used on Big Chico Creekwith similar results. Point bar sedimentation is a problem on Big Chico Creek while Sycamore Creek has experienced significant streambed degradation. The accumulation of sedimentation on Big Chico Creek is manageable, but the control of erosion along Sycamore Creek is less certain. Both field trips provided excellent examples of good intentions (the protection of property from flood impacts) gone bad. When flood control efforts are undertaken without proper scientific research, the results can be more devastating that the flood event itself. In summary, Working at a Watershed Level was an excellent experience for a novice like myself. I now have a better feel for how the many subsystems within a watershed comprise the whole, and how we are all impacted by the general health of our watersheds. I enjoyed the enthusiasm and professionalism displayed by our host of speakers and appreciate the material produced by those who put their energy and talent into developing the course. I especially valued the opportunity to view first-hand the effects of inappropriate flood control measures. I would heartily recommend this course to anyone desiring a deeper appreciation and understanding of watersheds. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Within EPA's Office of Wetland, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW) is the Watershed Academy. The Academy offers several of its own training courses supporting watershed approaches and publicizes watershed courses sponsored by others. In addition, EPA's Office of Water sponsors its own courses that are related to watershed management. The Academy courses are not offered every year and they are apparently not always co-taught or co-sponsored through a university or college. Those that are generally available are listed below: - Watersheds 101: Applied Watershed Management - Watersheds 102: Statewide Approach to Watershed Management - Watersheds 103: TMDL Training for State Practitioners - Watersheds 104: Executive Overview of the Watershed Approach - Watersheds 105: Watershed Management Tools Primer - Watersheds 106: Watershed Partnership Seminar - Watersheds 107: Using Internet Resources Watershed Academy 2000 Distance Learning As part of its Watershed Academy, EPA is developing Academy 2000 Distance Learning, using the Internet as a classroom. Academy 2000 consists of training modules on watershed science, effective communications, and organizational management and development. Modules include: - Principles of Watershed Management - Watershed Restoration - Economics of Sustainability - Monitoring Consortiums - Watershed Modeling - Executive Overview of the Watershed Approach The website contains 13 modules, with at least seven more planned. Running time for each module is about two hours. The website is www:epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/acad2000/index.html Inventory of Watershed Training Courses EPA's Watershed Academy has recently produced an Inventory of Watershed Training Courses, updating its earlier document titled "Watershed Academy Catalogue of Watershed Training Opportunities" (May 1997). Listed as a key action in the Clean Water Action Plan, the inventory provides information on available watershed-related training courses sponsored by governmental and non-governmental organizations. The target audience includes federal, state, and local agency staff; tribes, and watershed groups. EPA took the lead in updating this inventory, while working with the Interagency Watershed Training Cooperative, Natural Resources Training Council, EPA's Office of Water Watershed Training Work Group, and others. Included courses focus on protecting or restoring watersheds (or aquifers), cover important tools used in watershed protection, or address one aspect of the watershed management cycle (e.g., planning, implementation, evaluation). In addition to agency courses, University training courses are also listed. Check the website for its availability: www:epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/catalog.html INTERDISCIPLINARY WATERSHED CENTERS University of California at Davis Center for Integrated Watershed Science and Management In the Spring of 1998, UC Davis established a center that highlights and expands the campus role in watershed-related research, teaching, and outreach. Under the auspices of the John Muir Institute for the Environment and with guidance from the Commission on the Environment, the new Center for Integrated Watershed Science and Management has a threefold mission: · develop, coordinate and track current and future campus efforts at integrated watershed study, with an emphasis on expanding the research support base and promoting the leadership role of the campus in watershed issues; · support existing and future graduate and undergraduate programs that offer integrative watershed education; · provide knowledge-based services and support to watershed stakeholders and decision-makers and promote the development of university/agency/foundation partnerships in watershed research. A broad array of public and private institutions have noted that the next frontier in watershed study lies in the integration between disciplines. Authors have noted that failed attempts to manage multiple use in watersheds stem from traditional single agency, single issue approaches. This problem is exacerbated by academic and government institutions who continue to promote hierarchical, discipline-specific research programs in watershed. To date, no academic program has been singled out as successfully promoting such integration and taking a leadership role in this emerging field. The University of California, Davis, with its diverse intellectual and technical resources, its numerous watershed-related research and teaching programs, its extensive public outreach program, and its long history of collaboration with federal, state and local watershed agencies, believes that it is ideally suited to become a national and international leader in integrated watershed studies. The Center is intended to be an administrative and intellectual link between the numerous watershed-related programs currently operating on the UC Davis campus as well as watershed decision-makers and stakeholders. The mission of the Center is guided by a Steering Committee, made up of directors or heads of campus programs, and an Advisory Board, composed of watershed experts outside of the UC system. A goal of the Center will be to become self-sustaining within three years through recharge for knowledge-based services, indirect cost return monies, and agency or foundation support. New faculty positions are being created and filled to expand watershed education and research at UCD. For example, an Assistant Professor in Watershed Hydrology was recently added to the Hydrology Program to develop a quantitative field-experimental research program in Watershed Hydrology. The appointee is expected to lead a team-taught field course in hydrology, an undergraduate course in watershed hydrology, and a graduate level course in experimental watershed hydrology. The measure of success of the education and teaching mission of the program will be the changes in the curriculum of existing programs on campus, the development of new programs, and the number of students who attend courses associated with the center. An additional measure will be the number of student internships and fellowships sponsored through the center. Contact: Dr. Jeff Mount, Dept. of Geology, UC Davis, E-mail: [email protected] Also: Hydrology Program, Dept. of Land, Air and Water Resources, http://lawr.ucdavis.edu University of Idaho Eco-hydraulics Research Group More recent approaches to river management are multi-objective, balancing beneficial uses for power generation, water supply and agriculture with the protection and enhancement of the riverine habitat, water quality, recreational use and aesthetics. These restoration and enhancement approaches place an emphasis on allowing the physical processes to drive the ecological healing by natural evolution, rather than an instantaneous engineering fix. Implementing this restoration philosophy, developing management plans, simulating the hydrological or ecological responses and untangling the complexities of aquatic systems require an interdisciplinary approach, which crosses the boundaries of science and engineering programs. The term "Eco-hydraulics" comes from the new forum created in 1996 by the International Association for Hydraulic Research (IAHR). To address the specific problems of the Pacific Northwest, the University of Idaho's Eco-hydraulics Research Group comprises faculty from the Departments of Fish and Wildlife Biology, Geography, and the College of Engineering. Faculty expertise includes decision theory, GIS, stream ecology, fisheries biology, biological and microbiological processes, hydrology, hydraulic engineering, sediment transport, geomorphology, computer simulations and computational hydraulics. Collaboration occurs with state and federal agencies, the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, and international researchers. Graduate student opportunities exist leading to M.S., M.Engr. or Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering, Fish and Wildlife Resources, or Geography. Studies can be undertaken at the Moscow or Boise Campus of the U-I. The Eco-hydraulics laboratory also offers a range of residential short courses for practicing engineers, scientists and planners involved in ecological restoration and natural resource management. Contact: Eco-hydraulics Research Group, University of Idaho, 800 Park Blvd., Suite 200, Boise ID 83712. (208) 387-1745; Fax (208) 387-1246. Website at: www.engbio.uidaho.edu Pennsylvania State University Center for Watershed Stewardship The Center for Watershed Stewardship is an initiative begun in 1998 that is co-led by the Dept. of Landscape Architecture and School of Forest Resources and funded by a major grant from the Heinz Endowments. Its purpose is "to create the next generation of watershed professionals by combining interdisciplinary capabilities with strong disciplinary bases in a community-oriented context." Inaugural programs include a graduate option in watershed stewardship and a continuing education program of short courses, seminars, and conferences for natural and water resources professionals and community leaders. Topics to be offered by the Continuing Education and Outreach Program will be: stream corridor management and restoration, community land use planning and design, GIS applications for watershed planning and management, non-profit organizational development and fiscal administration, legal and institutional aspects, water quality management for rural and urban watersheds, natural processes in watersheds, wetland restoration and design, and fisheries restoration and enhancement. Specific courses will be designed to accommodate a diverse range of participants including landscape architects, community planners, watershed association and land trust staff, community volunteers and activists, natural resource managers, regulatory agency personnel, and environmental consultants, designers, and engineers. Other offerings are being developed through the Center or being co-hosted with other agencies, educational institutions, and departments at Penn State. Contact: Kerry Wedel, Director, Center for Watershed Stewardship, The Pennsylvania State University, Room 8B, Ferguson Bldg., University Park, PA 16802-4302; (814) 865-8911, fax (814) 865-3725. E-mail: [email protected] Internet Sites for the Professional Watershed Job Market American Water Resources Association Universities Council on Water Resources COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES Portland State University Community Watershed Stewardship Program By Kristin Schaeffer, Graduate Assistant for CWSP The Community Watershed Stewardship Program (CWSP) is a partnership between Portland State University (PSU) and the City of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) in order to facilitate research and public outreach cultivating stewardship ideology. Our mission is to serve as a catalyst for community ownership of watershed health. Program goals are to: - Raise awareness and open avenues for actions to improve watershed health. - Foster an increased sense of stewardship and promote community initiated projects to improve water quality and habitat in the watersheds of Portland. - Promote community access to communication systems, training and education about watershed issues and activities. - Foster partnerships between schools, businesses, interest groups, neighborhood associations, government agencies and individuals in watershed activities. - Promote citizen evaluation and monitoring of watershed health and activities. - Strive to be reflective of a diverse community, their values and evaluation. - Information dissemination and awareness building - Education and training - Restoration and enhancement - Evaluation of the health of watersheds The role PSU takes in the Stewardship Program is multifaceted. We have two faculty members who are very involved in the management of our program and coordinate graduate assistant (GA) recruitment each year. As well, they facilitate other professor involvement in the Stewardship Program by offering access to our program resources. Since the program works intensively with community efforts, there are watershed research materials and connections we have made with the public. This collective data is then shared with professors who can use the resources to help base their curriculum on. In the past three years, PSU has instituted a Capstone Class requirement for undergraduate seniors. These classes are intended to get the students involved in community outreach work and offer a number of different classes for specific fields, such as watershed education and awareness. We have found that our program has been getting more involved as a resource for Capstone students and helping to energize stewardship efforts through curriculum development. Currently, our program funds four graduate assistants who work on average 15 hours a week. Three of the GAs focus on watershed stewardship efforts for a specific watershed, and one GA focuses on the administrative needs of the program and helps to facilitate the Stewardship MiniGrants Program. The GAs come from a variety of backgrounds and departments at PSU, which can change every one to two years. For example, we recruited Joe Blowers who is focusing on a Masters of Science in Teaching Science, Steve Gilchrist is focusing on a Ph.D in the School of Education, Kristin Schaeffer is focusing on a Masters of Public Administration emphasizing on Natural Resources Policy and Administration, and Clint Wertz is focusing on a Masters of Urban Studies and Planning. At this time, a degree program does not exist in any of the schools or programs at PSU. For the past three years, the Stewardship Program has developed a Watershed 101 course available to communities in which they receive a certificate upon completion. In the past it was a course that was only offered at PSU, but some time was spent last year in developing it for Neighborhood Associations, Watershed Councils and other interested community groups who will have access to the course beyond the campus. We are still in the process of refining this educational component. For more information, please contact us at phone (503) 8235625, or '[email protected]' Oregon State University Extension Service Watershed Stewardship Guide OSU Extension's 1998 publication, Watershed Stewardship: A Learning Guide, is intended to help residents and volunteers be good stewards of their watershed. The driving force for the development of this guide was the 1995-97 Oregon Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative which focused primarily on coho salmon. However, the contents are relevant to all salmonids west of the Cascades. Contained within a two-inch thick 3-ring binder, the material is organized into 3 "user-friendly" sections: IWorking Together to Create Successful Groups, IIUnderstanding and Enhancing Ecosystems, IIIConnecting Resource Management to Watershed Ecosystems. Copies can be ordered for $32.00 per copy of OSU Extension publication EM 8714 from: Publications Orders, Extension & Station Communications, Oregon State University, 422 Kerr Administration, Corvallis OR 97332-2119. Fax: (541) 737-0817. Discounts are offered on orders of 100 or more copies. Call (541) 737-2513 for price quotes. Also contact them for the latest catalog of publications, software, and videotape programs. Some other watershed-related materials from Extension include: - Healthy Watersheds videotape (20 min.) , VTP 019, $20.00 - We All Live Downstream videotape (29 min.) , VTP 021, $30.00 - The Miracle at Bridge Creek Case Study videotape (30 min.), VTP 013, $30.00 - Community Ventures: Interest-Based Problem Solving Process and Techniques, WREP 134, $1.50 - Maintaining Woodland Roads, EC 1139, $1.25 - Water Quality and Our Forests: Western Oregon Research videotape, VTP 014, $25.
THE IRISH SEA PROVINCE IN ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY Edited by Donald Moore. Bowen, E.G.: ‘Britain and the British seas’, 13–28. Herity, Michael: The early prehistoric period around the Irish Sea, 29–37. Savory, H.N.: The later prehistoric migrations across the Irish Sea, 38–49. O’Kelly, M.J.: Problems of Irish ring-forts, 50–54. Alcock, Leslie: Was there an Irish-Sea culture-province in the Dark Ages? 55–65. Chadwick, Nora K.: Early literary contacts between Wales and Ireland, 66–77. Fenn, R.W.D.: Irish Sea influence on the English church, 78–85. Sawyer, P.H.: The Vikings and the Irish Sea, 86–92. Thomas, W. Gwyn: Medieval church-building in Wales, 93–97. Ó Danachair, Caoimhín: Irish vernacular architecture in relation to the Irish Sea, 98–107. Owen, Trefor M.: Social perspectives in Welsh vernacular architecture, 108–115.
BACKGROUND: Medication overuse headache (MOH) affects between 1% and 2% of the general population but is present in up to 50% of patients seen in headache centers. There are currently no internationally accepted guidelines for treatment of MOH. METHODS: A review of the current literature on MOH treatment and pathophysiology. RESULTS: We conclude that headache frequency can be reduced to episodic headache in more than 50% of the patients by simple detoxification and information. Approximately half the patients will not have need for prophylactic medication after withdrawal. Pain perception is altered in patients with MOH but can be restored to a baseline pattern, indicating a reversible mechanism in the central sensitization leading to chronic pain. The great comorbidity with depression and anxiety could be a consequence of the altered serotonin metabolism indicating a reversible and potentially treatable condition. CONCLUSION: Increased focus on MOH is extremely important, as MOH both can and should be treated and prevented. MOH is thus a diagnosis that should be considered in all chronic headache patients as the very first step in their management strategy. In the general population, prevention campaigns against MOH are essential to minimize chronic pain disability.
If the ball had landed outside the boundary without bouncing first, the batsman would have scored the maximum possible runs from a single shot - 6. If the fielder catches the ball, he's out. However, if the fielder catches the ball but then steps outside the boundary, the batsman scores 6 runs again. What you see here is the fielder attempt to catch the ball, but realise that he can't do that without stepping the boundary. His teammate has read the situation and is supporting him within the boundary. When the initial catcher pushes the ball to his teammate (while still in mid-air) the catch is made and the batsman is out.
English Lesson Plans Better untaught than ill taughtProverb Here are some great ideas for activities that will brighten up any English language class. Here you'll find ready-made lesson plans, as well as tips and ideas that you can include in lesson plans. What is a Lesson Plan? A basic look at what a lesson plan for English teachers is and is not Practical and printer-friendly worksheets and printables for use in the English classroom Ideas for classroom activities and games at different levels and ages Copyright-free printables that you can distribute in class
<programming> (COCOMO) A method for evaluating the cost of a software package proposed by Dr Barry Boehm. There are a number of different types: The Basic COCOMO Model estimates the effort required to develop software in three modes of development (Organic Mode, Semidetached Mode, or Embedded Mode) using only DSIs as an input. The Basic model is good for quick, early, and rough order of magnitude estimates. The Intermediate COCOMO Model an extension of the Basic COCOMO model. The Intermediate model uses an Effort Adjustment Factor (EAF) and slightly different coefficients for the effort equation than the Basic model. It produces better results than the Basic model because the user supplies settings for cost drivers that determine the effort and duration of the software projects. The Intermediate model also allows the system to be divided and estimated in components. DSI values and cost drivers can be chosen for individual components instead of for the system as a whole. The Detailed COCOMO Model differs from the Intermediate COCOMO model in that it uses effort multipliers for each phase of the project. These phase dependent effort multipliers yield better estimates because the cost driver ratings may be different during each phase. The detailed model also provides a three-level product hierarchy and has some other capabilities such as a procedure for adjusting the phase distribution of the development schedule. ["Software Engineering Economics", B. Boehm, Prentice-Hall, 1981]. Try this search on Wikipedia, OneLook, Google Nearby terms: constraint satisfaction « constructed type « constructive « Constructive Cost Model » constructive solid geometry » constructor » Consul
Since many ancestors of Americans were foreign born, naturalization records are another a source of genealogical information that you might want to investigate. Naturalization is the process through which a foreign born person becomes a citizen of the United States and is eligible to vote. Not all immigrants became citizens as it is not required. Many obtained their citizenship because of pride in their new country and a desire to participate in democratic elections, a privilege perhaps not accorded to them in their country of birth. Others became citizens for more materialistic reasons, such as the right to acquire free land through homesteading. During times of war, there was often hostility towards people from the enemy country and immigrants may have obtained citizenship to show their loyalty to the U.S., especially if they had children serving in the U.S. Was Your Ancestor Naturalized? Before beginning a search for a naturalization record, it may save hours of futile research if you try to determine if there is evidence that the individual you are researching did become a citizen. There are several ways to do this: Even with the above information, keep in mind the following caveats: - Location of Birth Was the person foreign born? Usually there's no need to be naturalized if born in the U.S. - Census The 1900 and 1910 censuses ask if a person is naturalized and 1920 further asks the year of naturalization. Indirectly, the 1820 and 1830 census provide a clue with the question "number of foreigners in each household not naturalized." - Homesteading Land The person had to have initiated the naturalization process to be eligible for free land through homesteading. - Voter Registration Lists Is he/she listed as a voter? - Occupation Did this person hold a job that required - Not all foreign born individuals applied for citizenship and a child born abroad is still a U.S. citizen if his/her parents are. During much of our history, the wife and children automatically became citizens when the husband/father took out citizenship papers. - Naturalization was one of many census questions. The person who provided the answer may not have known in fact if someone else had been naturalized. An individual may have said yes because he felt it was the right thing to say or he intended to begin the process. - A Declaration of Intent, not final papers, was all that was required - Not everyone who became a citizen registered to vote. Also, some states allowed people who had filed a Declaration of Intent to vote even if they had not received their final papers. What Is the Procedure? By now you might be getting the idea that naturalization documents are not necessarily as easy to use as some other records, such as the census. Generally, for most of our history there are two rules that apply to naturalizations: - It was a legal process handled through the courts. - It was usually a two-part procedure, the first being a Declaration of Intent indicating that the person intended to become a citizen (voluntary after 1952). This may have included as part of the document or as a separate certificate or record information on the individual's date and place of arrival into the United States. After a required period of residency (five years, with some exceptions) the individual would then file a Petition for Naturalization and, if granted, would receive a Certificate of Naturalization. Both or either the Declaration and/or the Petition may contain valuable genealogical information. The procedures and requirements differed greatly depending on the location and the time period. The first important information the researcher needs to establish is whether the naturalization was before 1906 or afterwards. In 1906 the naturalization process was simplified and taken over by the federal government. It is much easier to find out where to look and what to expect if it took place after 1906. Where are Records Located? Prior to 1906, naturalization could take place in any court having common law jurisdiction. The court could be federal, state, or local and be called by many names circuit, supreme, civil, equity, district, common pleas, chancery, superior. In some cases a municipal, police, criminal, or probate court did not actually have the right to handle naturalization but they issued certificates anyway. Prior to 1905, over 5,000 courts had been handling naturalization. By 1908 that number was reduced to just over 2,000 courts and the Department of Labor began issuing A Directory of Courts Having Jurisdiction in Naturalization Proceedings. This directory, available on microfilm through the Family History Library, can help you determine which court your ancestor may have used. Naturalizations can now be handled in either federal or local courts. Since 1929, most naturalizations have been at federal courts, but earlier records are more likely to be at a local court because it was closer to the individual. Prior to 1906, the biggest problem confronting a researcher is where to find the record. The two procedures did not have to take place in the same court so the immigrant could have filed a Declaration soon after his arrival in New York, or perhaps he lived in Ohio for a while and filed his Declaration there, hoping to qualify for free land. Then, after settling on land in South Dakota, he may have submitted his Petition to a local court. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of many pre-1930 records. If your ancestor lived in an urban area, there are many rolls of films relating to Chicago (1871-1930), New York (1792-1906), Philadelphia (1793-1911) and New England (1791-1906). The good news is that copies of all naturalization records from 1906 to 1956 are at the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Washington, DC. This does not guarantee success though. Since you are dealing with a government agency, be prepared for a long wait. I had a copy of one certificate of citizenship which gave the court, location, date, and name of the immigrant, but the INS was never able to locate the file. You may also be able to obtain copies of the file from the court, but some courts will refer you to INS in Washington. Naturalizations after 1956 are kept at the local INS office. Some records are being transferred to National Archives branches or state archives. See their page "Naturalization Records" for information about records at the National Archives. What Do the Records Contain? In 1906, the process was standardized and uniform forms were issued. The forms have been revised periodically, but generally contain at least the following information: - Declaration of Intention The court date and location; the individual's name, age, occupation, personal description, birth date and location, and residence; their date and vessel of arrival and last foreign residence. From 1929 to 1941, it asked for the spouse's name, marriage date and place, and birth information, plus names, dates, and places of birth and residence of each child. It also includes a picture of the applicant. After 1941, it requests the spouse's name (no details on birth) and doesn't mention children. After 1929, the last foreign residence is omitted. A separate Certificate of Arrival giving details of arrival was required for arrivals after 1906, with - Petition for Naturalization The court date and location; name, residence, occupation, birth date and place; immigration departure date and place; U.S. arrival port, date, and ship; date and place of Declaration of Intention; spouse's name, birth date and place; children's names, dates and places of birth; residence, witnesses, and oath of allegiance. From 1929 to 1941 it also asked race, marriage date and place, date of spouse's entry into the U.S. and naturalization information, last foreign residence, and name used on arrival. After 1941, a personal description was added, as well as details of any trips longer than six months out of the U.S. - The actual certificate This is the document given to the new citizen and the one a researcher is most likely to find in old family papers. It contains little information: court, date. and name of new citizen. It may contain other information, but the Declaration and Petition are the papers the researcher should try to locate. Prior to 1906 There is no predicting what you might find in naturalization papers prior to 1906. Until 1828, the immigrant had to report to a court to register. This report was supposed to contain information on the birthplace, age, and nationality. These alien registry books were separate volumes in many areas, especially in the northeast. The registry may be found in later records combined with the Declaration. After 1911, the immigrant was issued a certificate of arrival. A Declaration of Intention was usually required, again with exceptions. It may contain little more than the name of the immigrant, but may also have some of the details incorporated in the post-1906 form described above. These are also called "first papers." Early Petitions are part of the court record and may even be recorded in separate ledgers called "second papers" or "final record." Information varies greatly. Certificates of Naturalization were given to the new citizen. The information was recorded but duplicates of the certificate were not kept on file. Spouses and children may derive their citizenship from their husband/father and not have to go through the procedure themselves. Up until 1922, a foreign born woman who married an American citizen became naturalized upon marriage or, if her husband was foreign born, when he became a citizen. No separate filings were required. Prior to 1906, they usually were not even mentioned in the husband's petition. After 1922, a woman had to be naturalized on her own. However, from 1907 to 1922, if a woman married an unnaturalized alien, she took his citizenship. This created one particularly bizarre situation for a woman who was born in Poland in September 1901. In November of that same year she came to the U.S. with her parents. Her father obtained citizenship in 1906 and she automatically became a citizen as well. In 1918 she married a man who had immigrated from Russia in 1913, but was not yet a citizen. She lost her citizenship because of this rule. In November 1922, her husband became a citizen. This did not help her because on September 22, 1922, the law was changed to say that any alien woman who married an American does not become a U.S. citizen automatically. She applied on her own and again became a U.S. citizen in 1942! Children under the age of 21 automatically become citizens by the naturalization of a parent. However, there are many exceptions to this law regarding residence, whether or not a Declaration is required, what happens if the parent dies or becomes insane, adopted children, illegitimate children, step-children, and children born abroad. Obtaining citizenship generally has been made easier for aliens who served in the U.S. military. Filing of the Declaration of Intention was often not required and the period of residency eliminated or reduced. However, in 1894 the law was changed and during times of peace no one (except Indians) could serve in the military unless he or she was a U.S. citizen or had filed a Declaration of Intention. Aliens were allowed to serve during times of war and to become naturalized. Some states had laws forbidding aliens from owning land unless they had filed a declaration. Homesteaders were able to qualify for free public land after filing the declaration. The National Archives has homestead records prior to May 1, 1908 and Bureau of Land Management after that date. BLM can be accessed at http://www.blm.gov/nhp/index.htm. Obstacles to Research Besides identifying the court (or courts) that handled the various steps in the procedure, there are other pitfalls. Some immigrants filed the Declaration, perhaps for homesteading, but did not follow through with the final papers. If they could vote and obtain land with the Declaration only, they had no need to complete the process. Others were allowed to skip the declaration and only had to file the final petition. In addition, fraud occurred on a large scale. Thousands of fraudulent certificates were issued in 1868 in New York because votes were needed in an election. These certificates had no court records documenting the citizenship. If you cannot locate the naturalization record in the court where it was supposed to have occurred, your ancestor may have had a fraudulent certificate. For further information, see the National Archives and Records Administration Records" page; the LDS Research Outline on the U.S. (p. 38-41) and the excellent 43-page booklet American Naturalization Processes and Procedures 1790-1985 by John J. Newman (Indianapolis: Family History Section, Indiana Historical Society 1985).
Every February 2 for over 125 years, a groundhog named Phil emerges from his burrow on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to predict the weather for the rest of the winter season. Legend has it that if Phil sees his shadow, then there will be six weeks of more winter weather. If he doesn't see his shadow, spring will come early. UPDATE 7:30: Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter. As the Los Angeles Times points out, "Oddly enough, bad weather on Groundhog Day is better than good weather." There are many other groundhogs aside from Phil out there predicting the weather this February, including Staten Island Chuck in New York and Sir Walter Wally in North Carolina. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club website writes 'The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May...'"
Every single craft involves clay, paper and cardboard. While paper is certainly plentiful and used every day, cardboard - especially shaped the way some of these need to be - is a bit unweildy for younger children. Clay can be loads of fun - with one child. A room full? Not so much. From Enslow's site (bold is ours): These crafts center on a theme and use simple materials found in the home, or are easily available. All of the projects combine to create one full scene, and are simple enough to make without a lot of parental help. Each book includes hands-on activities. Students can also choose to make just one or several of the crafts. A class group might work together to create the full scene, with each individual student responsible for a different craft.We have to disagree with that highlighted part. Amazon lists the age range as 4-8 years, but we think that's a bit low. These might be of interest to older children, particularly those who enjoy spending a lot of time on intricate projects. And intricate they certainly are! While children certainly don't have to get as detailed as the examples (the toes on the cabin boy!) they are almost certain to become frustrated and disappointed when their attempts don't match up. The lack of variety was also disappointing - one would expect a book of crafts on a subject to use different media and approaches, while these are just different variations on clay people and structures. Cute projects, and the instructions are clear, but we don't see these getting much circulation. We give them a 3 out of 5.
A Cambridge, Ontario metal fabrication company, VeriForm, has become an ecological leader in a field notorious for neglecting the effects of their business and product on the environment. A capital investment of $78000 has allowed VeriForm to implement many small changes (i.e. a centralized programmable thermostat, high-efficiency lighting systems, etc.) which saves the company $120000 annually! The eco-changes shrank VeriForm’s greenhouse gas emissions to 126 tonnes in 2009, down from 234 tonnes in 2006. That figure is even more impressive given that in 2009 the company’s sales were 28 per cent higher and the plant’s physical size was 145 per cent larger than in 2006. The inspiration for going green was altruistic. “We were just trying to reduce our carbon footprint,” Mr. Rak says. But the financial rewards quickly became evident “once we started doing spreadsheets and payback analysis,” the 46-year-old says. This is great proof that, contrary to popular belief, going green doesn’t mean losing money – VeriForm has shown that making smart upgrades that benefit the planet can also benefit profits. Read the rest of the article at The Globe and Mail.
A Peptic Ulcer is a sore in the lining of the stomach or the first part of the small intestine. An ulcer is caused by an imbalance between the acids and enzymes that break down food in the upper gastrointestinal tract. The imbalance of digestive fluids leads to inflammation, deterioration of the protective mucus lining, and ulcer formation. A Gastric Ulcer refers to an ulcer that is located in the stomach. A Duodenal Ulcer is located in the first section of the small intestine. Some ulcers may not cause symptoms. Others may cause pain and bleeding. Ulcers are rarely life threatening. Treatments for ulcers include lifestyle changes, medications, and surgery. When you eat, your tongue moves chewed food to the back of your throat. When you swallow, the food moves into the opening of the esophagus. Your esophagus is a tube that moves food from your throat to your stomach. Muscles in your esophagus wall slowly squeeze the food toward your stomach. A ring of muscles located at the bottom of the esophagus is called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES opens to allow food to enter the stomach. The LES closes tightly after the food enters. This prevents stomach contents and acids from backing up into the esophagus. Your stomach produces acids to break down food for digestion. Your stomach secretes mucus to protect its lining from the acids. Your stomach processes the food you eat into a liquid form. The processed liquid travels from your stomach to your small intestine. The small intestine is a tube that is about 20-22 feet long and 1 ½ to 2 inches around. The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine. It is a short C-shaped structure that extends off of the stomach. The jejunum and the ileum are the middle and final sections of the small intestine. Your small intestine breaks down the liquid even further so that your body can absorb the nutrients from the food you ate. Your small intestine also has protection from irritating digestive acids. The remaining waste products from the small intestine travel to the large intestine. Your large intestine, also called the large bowel, is a tube that is about 5 feet long and 3 or 4 inches around. The first part of the large intestine, the colon, absorbs water and nutrients from the waste products that come from the small intestine. As water is absorbed, the product becomes more solid and forms a stool. The stool moves through the large intestine and passes out of your body when you have a bowel movement. Peptic Ulcer Disease is caused by an imbalance between acid and pepsin enzyme in the stomach and duodenum. The imbalance of digestive fluids causes inflammation, breakdown of the protective mucus lining, and leads to ulcer formation. A Gastric Ulcer is located in the stomach. A Duodenal Ulcer is located in the duodenum. Most ulcers occur in the first layer of the stomach or intestinal lining. Some ulcers can penetrate through the intestine, creating a hole. This condition is called a Perforated Ulcer or Perforation of the Intestinal Lining. Peptic Ulcer Disease occurs for several reasons. A bacterial infection from Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) can cause ulcers. They can be caused by the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) including aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and other prescription medications. Tumors produced by Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome can increase acid output and cause ulcers. People that breathe with a mechanical respirator have a risk for ulcers. Additionally, smoking, consuming alcohol, chronic gastritis, and increasing age contribute to ulcer formation. Some ulcers may cause no symptoms at all. Symptoms can differ from person to person. You may experience a gnawing or burning pain in your stomach or upper abdomen. The pain may occur more frequently between meals or at night. The pain may even waken you at night. Your pain may get better or worse after eating a meal. Ulcers can cause nausea, bloating, and heartburn. In severe cases, you may vomit blood or have blood in your stools from intestinal bleeding. Your stools may appear very dark or black if they contain blood. You may lose weight and feel tired all of the time. Your doctor can diagnose peptic ulcer disease after reviewing your medical history and by conducting a physical examination. You should tell your doctor about your symptoms and risk factors. Your doctor may order blood tests, stool tests, and a test for H. pylori bacteria. Your doctor may also order tests, including a Barium Swallow or an Upper Gastrointestinal Intestinal (GI) Endoscopy, to help confirm the diagnosis. An Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) Series or Barium Swallow provides a set of X-rays showing the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. Before the X-rays are taken, barium, a chalky substance, is swallowed. The barium provides a picture of the upper gastrointestinal structures on the X-ray images. A barium swallow is commonly used to determine the cause of pain, swallowing problems, blood stained vomit, and unexplained weight loss. A barium swallow is an outpatient procedure that does not require sedation or anesthesia. An Upper Gastrointestinal Intestinal (GI) Endoscopy is a procedure that uses an endoscope to view the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. This test is also called an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) or a gastroscopy. An endoscope is a long thin tube with a light and a viewing instrument that sends images to monitor. The endoscope allows a doctor to examine the inside of the upper gastrointestinal tract for ulcers, bleeding, tumors, polyps, diseases, and other abnormal conditions. A tissue sample or biopsy can be taken with the endoscope. This is frequently done to test for H. pylori bacteria. An endoscope is also used to treat bleeding. An upper GI endoscopy is an outpatient procedure. You will receive medication to relax you prior to the test. Some ulcers may go away without formal treatment. Other ulcers can be corrected with lifestyle changes aimed at eliminating the cause of the ulcer. Such lifestyle changes include avoiding alcohol, cigarette smoking, caffeine products, aspirin, and NSAIDs. It can be helpful to eat several small meals throughout the day. Your doctor may prescribe medication to treat your ulcer. Medication types include antibiotics, acid blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and tissue lining protectors. Most ulcers heal with medication in about eight weeks. An Upper GI Endoscopy may be used to stop bleeding from ulcers. Perforated ulcers or severe bleeding may require surgery. A partial gastrectomy is a surgery that removes part of the stomach. A vagotomy is a surgery to cut the vagus nerve, the nerve that controls stomach acid production. Ulcer recurrence is common. You can help prevent ulcers or recurrence by correcting the risk factors that you have control over. This includes avoiding aspirin, NSAIDs, smoking, and alcohol. If you experience the symptoms of an ulcer, call your doctor for prompt treatment. Am I at Risk Risk factors may increase your likelihood of developing ulcers. People with all of the risk factors may never develop the condition; however, the chance of developing an ulcer increases with the more risk factors you have. You should tell your doctor about your risk factors and discuss your concerns. Risk factors for ulcers: _____ The use of aspirin and NSAIDs can cause ulcers. _____ H. pylori bacterial infections can cause ulcers. _____ Chronic gastritis can contribute to ulcer formation. _____ Smoking cigarettes and using tobacco increase the likelihood of developing an ulcer. _____ Excessive consumption of alcohol increases the risk of ulcer. _____ The risk of ulcer development increases with age, especially after 50 years old. _____ People with Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome may have excess acid from gastrinomas (tumors). _____ People that use a mechanical ventilator to breathe have an increased risk of ulcer formation. _____ A family history of ulcers is associated with an increased risk of developing ulcers. _____ People with Type O blood have an increased risk for ulcer formation. _____ People with liver, kidney, or lung disease are at risk for developing ulcers. Research indicates that stress from home or work does not cause or worsen ulcers. Complications are more likely to occur in people that do not seek treatment or follow their treatment plan. Serious complications from ulcers include internal bleeding, perforation, and bowel obstruction. Ulcers can be but are rarely life threatening. You should call Emergency Services in your area if you experience sharp abdominal pain, fainting, excessive sweating, or confusion. You should also call Emergency Services if you vomit blood or have blood in your stools or if your abdomen is hard and tender to touch. Call your doctor if you experience dizziness, lightheadedness, or ulcer symptoms.
A lumbar puncture is a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the spinal canal to measure the pressure and obtain a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the colorless fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The procedure may also be used to inject anesthetics, medicine, or a contrast dye (for spinal X-rays) into the spinal fluid or to drain fluids that accumulate as a result of certain medical conditions. Fluid samples obtained from a lumbar puncture can be analyzed for signs of infection (such as meningitis), inflammation, cancer, or bleeding in the area around the brain or spinal cord. A lumbar puncture is also sometimes called a spinal tap. eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise To learn more visit Healthwise.org © 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Find out what women really need. Most Popular Topics Pill Identifier on RxList - quick, easy, Find a Local Pharmacy - including 24 hour, pharmacies
Centre for Clinical School of Public Health and Community Medicine Faculty of Medicine New South Wales New South Wales, Australia To understand the Australian healthcare system requires a consideration of core problems facing every healthcare system. Australia is a large, federated country of nine jurisdictions with 20 million inhabitants and a developed economy with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of 34,660 US dollars in 2006. This places Australia in the world’s wealthiest fifteen countries (World Bank 2006). Australia's healthcare system is a mixed public-private model, lying somewhere between the largely monolithic public systems exemplified by the National Health Service (NHS) of England on the one hand and the more privatised arrangements characterising healthcare in the US on the other. Financing and Structural Arrangements Expenditure on healthcare in Australia, at 9.7% of GDP, is above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average. Health expenditure has tended to rise in recent decades in OECD countries, including Australia, driven primarily by the costs of population ageing and of advancing, and increasingly expensive, medical technology. Around two-thirds (68%) of the GDP consumed by Australian healthcare is public expenditure, and the remainder (32%) is non-government, private expenditure. The Australian government contributes 45% of total funding, principally through taxation, and directly funds pharmaceuticals, general practitioners and medical services. States and territories provide funding in conjunction with the Australian government and directly manage public hospital services and various community, prevention, public health, health education and promotion programmes. Local governments have responsibility for environmental issues such as garbage disposal, health inspections and some home care and preventive services. The generic term for the main policy instrument to achieve these service arrangements is Medicare. The vehicle used to contract the jurisdictions to their part of the bargain in sharing federal, state and territory responsibilities for public hospitals are called the Australian Health Care Agreements (Department of Health and Ageing 2006). The states and territories manage services via area, district or regional health service arrangements, which are geographically-based administrative units responsible for the health of a population of perhaps half a million people. Medicare enshrines the principle that all resident Australians are entitled to free public hospital care if they exercise the choice to be public patients. Private patients meet their costs via private health insurance or personal contributions. The Australian government has recently encouraged increased membership in private health insurance funds. About half the population is covered by elective, government- subsidised private health insurance. Most out-of-hospital medical services are provided by private doctors, and, alongside salaried medical practitioners, these doctors perform a considerable proportion of hospital services. Strengths & Weaknesses Commentators have bemoaned the poor integration between general practice and hospitals and the apparent administrative and policy duplication attributed to the split responsibilities between the federal government and the states and territories. A bigger issue is whether we can call the health industry a system at all, given the various levels of divided responsibilities, fragmentation and its pluralist nature. Australian consumers and providers have considerable discretion and autonomy, and there is a complex mix of public-private concerns, state-federal politics and other intermittently strained, dichotomous interests, such as those representing clinicians and managers, the acute and community sectors, and medicine and nursing. The other major weakness is the deplorable state of indigenous health, with extremely high prevalence of diabetes, obesity, alcohol abuse and drug problems amongst the Aboriginal population. Overall, life expectancy of Aboriginal people is 17 years below that of other Australians. The strengths of the system are considerable: the Australian population, measured by the usual morbidity and mortality indicators, is relatively healthy and enjoys good life expectancy. Healthcare in Australia is well funded; clinicians, managers and policymakers are suitably trained; and equipment, buildings and technology are modern and well-resourced. The health policy settings are underpinned by effective research and are internationally well regarded, despite the fragmentation and difficulties in promoting integration at some points in the system. Plurality and diversity, though contributing to system fragmentation, can also bring strengths, particularly when they offer a wide range of different types of services, thereby creating choice for consumers.
"The Milmore Memorial," also known as "The Angel of Death and the Sculptor," was a commission from the family of the Boston sculptor Martin Milmore (1844–1883) to honor his memory and that of his brother Joseph (1841–1886). The original bronze statue, cast in Paris in 1892, was erected the following year in Forest Hills Cemetery, in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. When the plaster model was shown at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, it received acclaim that assured French's status at the forefront of his profession. In 1917, the president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert W. de Forest, asked French, who was also a Museum trustee, about acquiring a replica of the bronze. French contracted the Piccirilli Brothers, New York's leading firm of marble carvers, to carve the statue in marble. Completed in 1926, this marble version required certain changes to accommodate the structural needs of the medium.
Carlists(redirected from Carlism) Also found in: Dictionary, Wikipedia. Related to Carlism: Carlists Carlists,partisans of Don CarlosCarlos (Carlos María Isidro de Borbón), 1788–1855, second son of Charles IV of Spain. He was the first Carlist pretender. After his father's abdication (1808) he was, with the rest of his family, held a prisoner in France until 1814. ..... Click the link for more information. (1788–1855) and his successors, who claimed the Spanish throne under the Salic lawSalic law , rule of succession in certain royal and noble families of Europe, forbidding females and those descended in the female line to succeed to the titles or offices in the family. ..... Click the link for more information. of succession, introduced (1713) by Philip V. The law (forced on Philip by the War of the Spanish SuccessionSpanish Succession, War of the, 1701–14, last of the general European wars caused by the efforts of King Louis XIV to extend French power. The conflict in America corresponding to the period of the War of the Spanish Succession was known as Queen Anne's War (see French and ..... Click the link for more information. to avoid a union of the French and Spanish crowns) was abrogated by Ferdinand VII in favor of his daughter, who succeeded him (1833) as Isabella IIIsabella II, 1830–1904, queen of Spain (1833–68), daughter of Ferdinand VII and of Maria Christina. Her uncle, Don Carlos, contested her succession under the Salic law, and thus the Carlist Wars began (see Carlists). ..... Click the link for more information. . Ferdinand's brother, Don Carlos, refused to recognize Isabella and claimed the throne. A civil war followed (First Carlist War, 1833–40), and in the hope of autonomy, most of the Basque Provs. and much of Catalonia supported Carlos. The Carlists' conservative and clericalist tendencies gave the dynastic conflict a political character, since the upper middle classes profited from the sale of church lands and supported Isabella. The Carlists enjoyed many early successes, especially under their great general, Tomas Zumalacarregui. After he was killed (1835) in battle, the greater strength of the Isabelline forces gradually made itself felt. In 1839 the Carlist commander Rafael Maroto yielded, but in Catalonia the Carlists under Ramón CabreraCabrera, Ramón, conde de Morella , 1806–77, Spanish Carlist general. Noted for his valor and cruelty during the first Carlist war (see Carlists), he refused to accept the Carlist defeat in 1839 and continued the war in Valencia and Catalonia until driven into France ..... Click the link for more information. continued the struggle until 1840. Don Carlos's son, Don Carlos, conde de Montemolín (1818–61), made an unsuccessful attempt at a new uprising in 1860. Montemolín's claims were revived by his nephew, Don Carlos, duque de Madrid (1848–1909), after the deposition (1868) of Isabella. Two insurrections (1869, 1872) failed, but after the abdication (1873) of King AmadeusAmadeus, 1845–90, king of Spain (1870–73), duke of Aosta, son of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. After the expulsion (1868) of Queen Isabella II, Juan Prim urged the Cortes to elect Amadeus as king. He accepted the crown reluctantly. ..... Click the link for more information. and the proclamation of the first republic, the Carlists seized most of the Basque Provs. and parts of Catalonia, Aragón, and Valencia. The ensuing chaos and brutal warfare of this Second Carlist War ended in 1876, over a year after Alfonso XIIAlfonso XII, 1857–85, king of Spain (1874–85), son of Isabella II. He went into exile with his parents at the time of the revolt of the Carlists in 1868 and was educated in Austria and England. ..... Click the link for more information. , son of Isabella, was proclaimed king. Don Carlos escaped to France. In the next half century many defected from Carlist ranks, and several rival groups formed. Pressure against the church by the second republic (1931–39) helped revive Carlism, and the Carlists embraced the Nationalist cause in the Spanish civil war (1936–39). Under the Franco regime Carlism was for many years an obstacle to plans for restoring the main branch of the Bourbon dynasty, but in 1969, Franco overrode Carlist objections and named the Bourbon prince Juan Carlos IJuan Carlos I , 1938–, king of Spain (1975–2014), b. Rome. The grandson of Alfonso XIII, he was educated in Switzerland and in Spain. Placed by his father, Don Juan de Borbón, under the care of Francisco Franco as a possible successor, he graduated from ..... Click the link for more information. as his successor. See E. Holt, Carlist Wars in Spain (1967). representatives of the absolutist, clerical political current in Spain that relies on the reactionary clergy, the titled aristocracy, and the top army officers. The movement received its name from the pretender to the Spanish throne, Don Carlos the Elder. In the 1830’s and 1870’s the Cariists unleashed major rebellions in Spain, known as the Carlist Wars. Later on, as the traditionalist movement, the Cariists supported the most reactionary forces in the country. Cariists were active in the military fascist rebellion of July 18-19, 1936, and collaborated with the Franco regime. Many of them supported Juan Carlos, who was confirmed in 1969 at Franco’s direction as the future king of Spain after Franco’s death. Many Cariists opposed several aspects of Franco’s policies from an absolutist and clerical viewpoint.
It may not be news that regular exercise keeps you fit and healthy – physically as well as psychologically. But, to surprise you, exercise is an important step towards healthy skin. Many of us generally focus on the cardiovascular advantages of exercise. But, anything working towards good circulation makes your skin look and feel healthy. The increased blood flow through exercise is helpful in nourishing the cells and maintaining their vitality. Blood is the primary carrier of oxygen to the cells. Besides supplying oxygen, blood flow is also performs the function of doing away with waste products, like free radicals, from the cells. This indicates that your skin is undergoing internal cleansing process while exercising. Adding further, regular work-out also provides an anti-wrinkle advantage by creating the conditions essential for production of elastin and collagen. Therefore, when these proteins are present in your skin in optimum amounts, the skin is capable of retaining the moisture in a better way thus getting smoother and firmer. Furthermore, exercise is also helpful in treating dark circles. The basic reason for dark circles is that the skin beneath your is quite thin and gets thinner with growing age as the supply of elastin and collagen gets depleted. The blood vessels become more prominent as the skin gets thinner. These blood vessels appear as what are known as dark shadows under the eyes. Going further, with growing age and poor blood circulation, these blood vessels may tend to leak thus forming purplish-black spots that are commonly referred as “raccoon eyes” or dark circles. With regular exercise, you can treat and prevent the dark circles with improved blood circulation. Moreover, exercise makes the skin below the eyes less translucent and firmer due to increased production of essential proteins required for a healthy skin. How does exercise benefit your skin? In addition to being great for physical and emotional health, regular exercise also enhances the appearance of your skin. Being regular with your work outs to sweat out the venoms helps enhance the skin health and add glow to it. Exercise provides numerous benefits for the skin. Therefore, it should be counted as an important part of any skin care regime. These benefits have been illustrated below to add to your knowledge: Exercise helps in sweating Sweat flushes out the toxins from your body which are responsible for clogging of pores leading to blemishes and pimples. Exercise improves the blood circulation in addition to increasing neuronal stimulation and enabling the sweat glands to improve their functions thus doing away with toxins. Exercise helps in muscle toning Your skin would appear and feel fresh and healthier if toning is better under the skin. as per studies, firmer and stronger muscles provide a better support to the skin thus making it appear firmer and more elastic. This toning of muscles is possible only through the way of exercise. Adding more to the point, muscle toning also helps in curtailing the appearance of cellulite. However, cellulite can’t be removed with exercise but can be made to look better. Exercise increases blood circulation and oxygen supply to the skin It has been proved through studies that regular workout enhances the blood flow required by diabetics to mitigate the possibility of skin problems leading to amputation. Physical exercise makes the blood flow and this improved blood circulation supplies the required amount of oxygen to the skin. this improvement in circulation of blood and oxygen to the cells also contains nutrients that boost skin health. Exercise relieves stress For a long time, exercise has been known to feature stress relieving qualities. These mind-body advantages may reflect on your complexion. According to some studies, stress is considered to be responsible for acne and psoriasis. Actually, stress influences hormone production in addition to repressing the healing ability of the body. However, with regular exercise, it is possible to control stress as well as skin conditions that are hard to manage. Exercise adds a natural glow to your complexion While exercising, the skin produces its natural oils in a higher quantity. These natural oils are responsible for healthy and supple appearance of the skin. Even as these moisturize the skin naturally, it is important to gently cleanse the face as a part of the skin care regime to avoid any breakouts. So, for a younger, healthier, and smooth glowing complexion, include exercise as a secret ingredient in your daily skin care regime. Here are some exercises that can help you get a healthy skin: Natural Skin Tightening Exercises Sagging face makes you look old and depressed even though you are not. To treat this sagging skin, many people choose for various anti-aging treatments including crèmes and lotions and even cosmetic surgery, laser treatments, and Botox injections. Alas, maximum of these solutions show up as a waste of money and time. Well, just like exercise shows its effect on the complete body, these skin tightening exercises for face can boost the toning of muscles thus providing you with a sleeker look. There are numerous exercises designed especially for the toning of facial muscles to make them firmer and tighter. These specially projected exercises can show wonders on the facial muscles. Below are some of the most effective exercises to tauten the facial skin naturally: - Position the index fingers onto the external edges of the eyes. Close them and the pull your skin gently by pushing the fingers away from the eyes going towards the hairline. Then, open your eyes wide as much as possible. Hold this position for some seconds and relax. - Position two fingers onto the external ends of your lips. At a snail’s pace, slide the fingers outwards in opposite directions (only for an inch). Hold this position for some seconds. Next, release and then relax. - Give a wide smile without showing your teeth. Make it wide to its maximum to give a stretch to the muscles on your cheeks. Maintain this position for a few seconds and relax. - Gently, lean your head backwards. Feel the stretch in the muscles of the neck and maintain the position for some seconds. Then, relax. Reiterate these exercises for as many numbers during a single session as is comfortable for you. Start slow followed by building up repetitions. Doing these exercises regularly for some time can show noticeable results in the form of a firmer and younger looking face. Yoga exercises for a healthy skin For ages, yoga has been considered as one of the best ways towards physical fitness. Yoga, in addition to keeping your body in shape, also shows effective results on your overall health. Yoga can work wonders to give you healthy and naturally glowing skin. Due to busy schedules and work routines, the skin usually gets ignored. Additionally, the skin is also taken over a toll by insufficient and improper diet. Yoga done for skin, actually, focuses on improvement of body’s digestion capability as well as blood circulation. Exercises aimed at boosting the metabolism of body are considered to be best for the skin. Other yoga exercises helpful for a healthy skin consist of stretching poses plus postures aimed at toning and relaxing of muscles. Yoga also reduces stress thus improving the skin health. Furthermore, yoga helps in maintaining the collagen (substance responsible for elasticity of skin) health. However, there are numerous yoga poses to help you rejuvenate your body with time. Try and begin with basic yoga postures such as dead corpse posture and move on to lotus pose followed by pranayama and then proceeding to the various inverted poses. Well, some useful yoga exercises that can be performed to get a healthy skin include: - The muscles and the mind can be relaxed by performing the simplest pose of yoga – dead corpse pose. This pose involves you lying down straight on the ground and relaxing completely. Follow the breathing procedure involving deep inhale and slow exhale. The hands should be positioned beside the trunk. Practicing this pose before jgh9and after this yoga session relieves anxiety and stress. - The dead corpse pose should be followed by the lotus pose. This pose involves sitting with legs folded and locked. The hands should be placed over the knees. Concentrate deeply with closed eyes and relax. Go for deep breathing by inhaling deeply and exhaling swiftly. This yoga pose is helpful in relaxation and rejuvenation of the energy. The deep breathe procedure involved in the exercise are helpful in supplying ample oxygen to your facial muscles. - Pranayama, the breathing exercise, increases the capability of lungs the increasing the amount of oxygen supplied to your skin. Besides, pranayama also improves blood circulation. - Blood circulation can also be improved through inverted poses like wheel pose, hand stand, lion pose, fish pose, and headstands. All these poses can work wonders for the skin by preventing the occurrence of wrinkles. These poses can be performed quite easily once you have obtained perfection in the aforesaid postures. For fish pose, extend the lotus pose by lying down with folded legs and try to touch the ground with your head. This pose facilitates better oxygen supply to the facial skin muscles. Release the posture slowly. Wheel pose, a little different from the above poses, involves lying flat on the ground. Gradually, lift the trunk upwards with support of your legs as well as hands. Hold this pose for a while and then release gradually. If followed in proper sequence, these yoga exercises can show noticeable results in improving the skin health in addition to making it smooth and soft. Yoga postures facilitate oxygen supply to all body organs thus vitalizing your skin and making it glow naturally. These yoga exercises, combined with a nutritious yogic diet, help in flushing out the toxins from the body thus allowing your skin to breathe mere conveniently and look younger, brighter, and smoother.
Navarro County, Texas \|This article is a stub. Help us to expand it by contributing your knowledge. For county page guidelines, visit U.S. County Page Content Suggestions.\| Navarro is a county in Texas. It was formed in 1846 from the following county/ies: Robertson. Navarro began keeping birth records in 1903, marriage records in 1846, and death records in 1903. It began keeping land records in 1838, probate records in 1846, and court records in 1855. For more information, contact the county at P.O. Box 423, Corsicana 75151-0423. On the attached map, Navarro is located at M13. For information about the state of Texas see Texas Family History Research.
This archive of companion sites to NOVA broadcasts is no longer being updated. To see new content, go to NOVA's beta site. The Big Energy Gamble Can California's ambitious plan to cut greenhouse gases actually succeed? Darwin's Darkest Hour A two-hour drama on the crisis that forced Darwin to publish his theory of evolution. Seven doctors, 21 years... Saving lives is only part of the story. An acclaimed photographer teams up with scientists to document the runaway melting of arctic glaciers. Hubble's Amazing Rescue The unlikely story of how the world's most beloved telescope was saved. The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies Follow the 2,000-mile migration of monarchs to a sanctuary in the highlands of Mexico. Meet the monitors, the largest, fiercest and craftiest lizards on Earth. Megabeasts' Sudden Death Scientists propose a radical new idea of what killed off mammoths and other large animals at the end of the Ice Age. Oliver Sacks explores how the power of music can make the brain come alive. June 30, 2009 (NOVA scienceNOW) Visit a factory that grows diamonds, learn how experts identified the source of the 2001 anthrax attacks, hear amazing results from pitch-correction software, and meet a computer scientist who wants to harness the brainpower of 500 million people. July 7, 2009 (NOVA scienceNOW) Join astronomers hunting for Earth-like planets, see how computers distinguish authentic art from forgeries, meet a spider biologist who studies sexual cannibalism, and learn about genes that may be involved in causing autism. July 14, 2009 (NOVA scienceNOW) Watch how an "exercise pill" turns couch-potato mice into athletes, explore a controversial new theory of what killed the dinosaurs, meet the first Latino-American astronaut, and find out why the beautiful northern lights signal a threat to our electronic society. July 21, 2009 (NOVA scienceNOW) Discover why picky eaters may have a genetic excuse, learn about a new strategy for capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, see just how intelligent marine mammals can be, and meet a biomedical engineer who has figured out a way to make tiny livers in her lab. July 28, 2009 (NOVA scienceNOW) Follow a NASA satellite looking for water on the moon, see what ancient salt deposits reveal about life 250 million years ago, learn how bird brains are remarkably similar to our own, and meet a climatologist who digs for clues to climate change in the world's highest glaciers August 18, 2009 (NOVA scienceNOW) Explore the controversies behind genetic testing and genome sequencing, learn about algae fuel, follow an expedition to the Arctic Ocean seafloor, and meet a woman engineer designing prosthetic limbs controlled by human thought. August 25, 2009 (NOVA scienceNOW) Get an astronaut's view of the Hubble repair mission, find out why cowbirds are called "gangster birds," meet a Mexican immigrant farmworker-turned-brain surgeon, and learn how neuroscientists are finding ways to erase memories. September 1, 2009 (NOVA scienceNOW) Learn about a massive earthquake potential in the U.S. Midwest, meet a South Korean geophysicist with unique talents, and more. Why do huge swarms of rats overrun a bamboo forest in India once every half-century? The Spy Factory Examine the high-tech eavesdropping carried out by the National Security Agency and the pitfalls of surveillance in an age of terrorism. What Are Dreams? Psychologists and brain scientists have new answers to an age-old question.
INFLUENZA. Under the names Epizootic, Contagious Catantal-fever, Contagious Influ enza, Pink-eye, etc., this disease has been known to veterinarians, and since the year 1872, gener ally to the horsemen of the United States and Canada. Its immediate cause is entirely un known, but that it is produced by blood poison ing through germs floating in the air is now gen erally received as true . The first symptoms are general weakness, staggering gait, hanging head, trembling limbs, shivering, watery discharge from the nose, staring hair, and loss of appetite. The pulse is weak but quick, from fifty to sixty per minute, and from that up to eighty or ninety. The breathing is hurried, from forty to fifty in spirations a minute, and the temperature of the body over 100° even to 105°. The horse seems to be afraid to lie down, and so stands with propped legs, the bowels are bound up, and the urine scanty; the discharge from the nose be comes white, yellow or greenish, and death. .ensues from weakness and exhaustion, or from suffocation, paralysis, or from clots formed in the heart. Under the microscope the disease germs assume various forms. The figure shows some of them magnified 400 diameters. The treatment consists in good nursing, keeping the strength of the animal up by light, nutritious diet, and gruels, and in combating the symptoms as they appear under the many complications which this disease assumes. Dr.James Law, of Co: ne'l University, in an elaborate monogram upcn the disease, to the United States Govern ment, gives the treatment to be followed, in various phases of the disease, even to the injec tion of pure blood into the veins of weakened animals. From it we excerpt that which will be of value to the farmer, in the treatment of the disease as it appears in nialignant forms. All -debilitating or depressing treatment must be sedulously avoided. Bleeding, purging, severe action on the kidneys, depressing sedatives and violent blistering, are alike to be deprecated. In the regular and uncomplicated form of the disease, nearly all will recover under good nursing and fresh air, and independently of all medicinal agents. Place the patient in a cool, dry, well-ventilated, and well-littered box; clothe him comfortably, so as to avoid all ten dency to chill, bandage his legs loosely, and change the clothes, and curry or brush the skin twice or thrice a day; keep quiet and still, although usually a little exercise in hand, in the shelter and sunshine, will be rather beneficial than otherwise. Feed on bran mashes, boiled oats or barley, turnips, carrots, or other roots, in small quantities, and often, so as not to clog the appetite, and supply at frequent intervals a quart or two of water, nearly cold, or cold oat meal, or linseed gruel. It is important to favor depuration of the blood by moderate but never excessive action of the kidneys or bowels. Cos tiveness will oftentimes be best met by abundant and frequent injections of water, blood warm, (three or four quarts at a time,) or by one-half pound of molasses, or three ounces of sulphate of soda added to the drink. If a laxative is absolutely necessary, it should rarely exceed one-third of the ordinary dose, on account of the dangerous susceptibility of the digestive organs. The author has seen a large Percheron die of superpurgation, after taking but three draohms of Cape aloes. During the recent visitation an instance came under his notice in which half a pint of linseed oil came nigh proving fatal. This susceptibility of the digestive organs, how ever, varies widely in different epizootics, and in some mild laxatives prove beneficial, yet their possible danger should be kept in mind Mild febrifuge diuretics may be used with advantage. Spirits of nitrous ether, in half-ounce doses, may be given twice a day, or liquor of the acetate of ammonia, in ounce doses, four times a day in the water gruel drank. If the fever runs high, or effusions threaten to take place, these may be increased as far as the strength will allow, but always with the greatest caution and judgment. When the cough proves especially violent and painful, the addition of anodynes, such as bella donna and camphor, is advisable. A drachm of each may be added to the diuretics already advised. The cough may be further relieved, and the relaxation of the mucous membranes and the appearance of the discharge hastened, by causing the animal to inhale warm water vapor several times a day, for an hour at a time. This is most con venien tly done by saturating chaff bran or other simple agent with boiling water, placing it in a nose-bag, which is then hung on the patient's nose by means of a strap crossing behind the ears. This proves especially beneficial, as the modera tion of the fever is usually a concomitant of the appearance of the discharge. Burning a pinch of flowers of sulphur, more or less, according to the size and nature of the building, so as to impregnate the air to an extent just short of causing irritation and coughing, has a very soothing and beneficial effect on the mucous membrane. It is best done by laying a piece of paper bearing the sulphur on a shovel, and setting fire to it. It is superfluous, perhaps, to say that it must be done behind the patient, and not beneath his nose The fumes of vinegar from a red-hot brick, of burning leather, and the like, are cruelly irritating, and occasion ally induce fatal results. Counter-irritants are often useful from the first. If, however. inflam mation and sore throat seem extreme, a poultice may be advantageously applied for a day pre viously, or the throat may be well fomented with warm water for an hour and then wrapped in a sheep skin with the wool turned inward. When, however, there appears little danger of even tem porarily aggravating the local inflammation, the throat or chest, where the disease has been local ized, it may be well rubbed with a thin pulp made of the best ground mustard and tepid water, and then covered up. This may be replaced by the soap liniment, made with six ounces of soap, three of camphor, and a pint, each, of proof spirit, liquor ammonia, and linseed oil. This liniment may be applied repeatedly at short inter vals and well rubbed in. If a more active blister is wanted an ointment may be used composed of a drachm and a half of powdered eantharides, a scruple of camphor, ten drops of spirits of wine, and an ounce of lard. The hair should be cut off and the ointment well rubbed in, in a direc tion contrary to that of the hair. After it has acted, the skin should be kept soft and pliant by rubbing it with fresh lard. Oil of turpentine, which ,has been largely used as a counter-irritant in a great number of cases, is only objectionable on the ground of its causing so much local irrita tion without blistering as to drive some excitable horses to distraction. In using any one of these counter-irritants it is best to apply them over a limited space only, not exceeding the bounds of the inflammatory action, as we can thus secure the best results from the intimate nervous sym pathy existing between the deeper-seated organ and the skin which covers the corresponding part of the surface, and at the same time avoid the depressing and debilitating effects of a blister. For this reason a careful exarnination, of the chest especially, should always be made before making such au application. As the mouth becomes cooler and more moist, and the pulse softer and less frequent, ft more stimulating treatment is desirable. At first two drachms each of gentian, powdered cinchona, nitre and sal ammoniac, may be given night and morning, or if the debility is very great the last-named agent may be replaced by four drachms of carbonate of ammonia made into a bolus, with linseed meal, or dissolved in a half pint of water, and repeated three or four times a day. In cases marked by a daily remis sion, I have found a dose of thirty grains of sul phate of quinia to prove effectual in preventing the paroxysm, if given an hour or two before the period when it was in the habit of appearing. During convalescence gentian, cinchona, and -other tonics, are desirahle, with alcoholic, ammoni acal, or other stimulants, if there is much debility or prostration. The diet should be tempting and nutritious, supplied often, fresh and frequently varied, and care should be taken at all times to counteract any sudden suppre.ssion of the secre tions of the bowels or kidneys, or even the nasal discharge In this connection may be mentioned the statement of Mr. 1VIurray, of Detroit, that all the eases of dropsy that came under his notice occurred in animals which had taken for a few days condition powders, consisting largely of sul phate of iron, and had had the nasal discharge sud denly dried up. Improvement followed promptly on the withholding of the powders and soliciting the action of the kidneys and bowels. Should the prostration become extreme, stimulants must be resorted to even more frequently than is recom mended a.bove; five, or even six times. a day. In some instances, however, the system seems to lose all power of reaction, and almost the only remaining hope lies in the transfusion of blood from the veins of a healthy animal to those of the sick. The blood may be obtained from a healthy horse, or more conveniently from oxen or sheep intended for slaughter. It may be transferred through an elastic tube without exposure to the air, or it may be drawn off into a vessel and thence transferred to the veins of the sick horse, unchanged or defibrinated, remembering, that the main dangers to be guarded against are the entrance of air into the circulation, the introduc tion of clots of fibrin, which by blocking the vessels, would produce local inflammation and abscess, and the too rapid transfusion which leads to vertigo and fatal fainting. If the abdominal -organs are especially involved, the counter irritant is to be applied over the region of the liver, bowels, or kidneys, as the case may de mand. With yellow or brownish appearance of the mucous membranes and tenderness over the short ribs, this point should be selected for its application. With general tenderness of the abdomen, colicky pains, frequent straining', and the passage of a white, thick mucus forming a pellicle over the dung, or collected in masses, it should be applied generally to the surface of the belly. If there is tenderness and swelling of the loins, stiffness of the hind limbs, frequent strain ing, the passage of water in small quantities and highly colored, and above all if the urine con tains microscopic fibrinous casts, it should be applied over the loins. In the last ease it may be preceded by a bag of hot, scalded bran, or a fresh sheep-skin with the fleshy side turned in. The shivering, which usually attends the onset of such complications, may be counteracted by friction to the skin, clothing, a warm drink con taining a stimulant—four drachms carbonate of ammonia—and injections of warm water or well boiled gruel, given to the extent of three or four quarts at a time, and repeated every hour until shivering ceases. In cases affecting the liver or bowels, I have found excellent results from guarded laxatives. Two, three, or even four drachms of aloes in different eases, with a drachm of gentian, aud thirty drops of hydrocyanic acid, or an ounce of laudanum. will usually promptly relieve the colic, secure an action of the bowels, and remove the deadly prostration which charac terizes this type. It has manifestly the effect of relieving the inflamed surface by a free secretion from its tu-rgid blood-vessels, of benefiting the portal system and liver by a direct local deple tion, and of eliminating poisonous material, which was being pent up to the great injury of the system at large. Little more is wanted than the free use of demulcents, such as slippery elm, well-boiled linseed, and the like, great care to secure a continuous moderate action of the bowels, and a tonic treatment as in other cases of convalescence. Turpentine has been strongly recommended by some, and acts beneficially as a local and general stimulant. An ounce of the crude drug, or half an ounce of the oil, may be made into a ball with linseed meal, or beaten up with the yolks of two eggs, and given twice daily. The affection of the kidneys may demand gentle laxatives, (oleaginous,) anodynes, (lauda num, ) emollient injections, counter-irritants, stim ulants, and later gentle diuretics. The nervous symptoms will sometimes demand the application of cold wet cloths to the head, counter-irritants to the sides of the neck and limbs, the guarded use of laxatives and diuretics, with drachm doses of bromide of potassium, and if there is great depression, ammoniacal stimulants. The rheum atic complication is to be met like ordinary rheumatism. Liquor of the acetate of ammonia two ounces, and colchicum wine, one ounce, may be given twide a day, diluted in water ; tonics, warm clothing, the frequent application of a hot smoothing iron over the affected part of the body, with the intervention of a thin cover, and even counter-irritants are among the agents especially demanded. When the heart is implicated in rheumatic cases, the same treatment is necest.ary, but the blisters are to be applied behind the left elbow. When there is reason to suspect the existence of clots in the heart, alkaline remedies are recommended, particularly the preparations of ammonia and iodide of potassium, attention being meanwhile given to support theSystem by tonics and stimulants, and to encourage the elimination of deleterious products front the blood. If dropsical manifestations appear, they must be treated according to their apparent causes; if disordered function of the heart or kidneys, these must be met by appropriate meas ures; and if, from weakness of the circulation, an aimmic or debilitated state of the blood and imperfect nutrition, gentle action of the eliminat ing organs, with stimulants, tonics, a nourishing diet, (embracing, in some cases, strong beef soup or tea,) or even transfusion of blood, will be necessary. Purpura luemorrhagica is to be met by similar supporting and eliminating treatment, with the addition of oil of turpentine in half ounce doses, or pure carbolic acid in drachm doses, and cinchona in half ounce doses, repeated thrice a day. The skin over the eugorgements should be rubbed frequently with a solution of carbolic acid, containing one part of the acid to every hundred of water, and a similar lotion should be applied frequently to the sores when these form. In short, the various complications and sequel of simple influenza are to be treated like similar lesions occurring independently of this affection, but with due regard to the great debility attending this disease. The great major ity of cases will recover without any treatment; and indeed many require no medical treatment, but a certain number will demand the greatest care of the educated medical attendant. Upon prevention, Dr. Law adds: 1VIany havd attempted to ward off the disease by the use of tobacco, camphor, vinegar, tar, assafcetida, etc.,and others more rationally, by bromo-chloralum, carbolic acid, permanganate of potash, sulphurous acid, and the hyposulphites, but in no case with permanent success. With a contagium like that at present under consideration, so easily diffused through the atmosphere, absolute prevention will always be difficult, though not necessarily impossible. With a disease, too, the tendency of which is almost invariably to a favorable termination, it is scarcely politic to shut up an animal for a month in a disinfected atmosphere, until the disease has subsided, with the probability before us that he would still contract the disease from the rem nants of the poison when exposed at the end of this period. Thorough cleanliness and disinfec tants are to be highly commended, not with the view of absolutely preventing the disease, but rather with intent to retard and moderate it. The comparatively non-volatile disinfectants, such as permanganate of potash. chloride of lime, bromo-chloralum, and carbolic acid, may be used for the solid structures of the stable, drains, manure, and the like, while sulphurous acid is above all to be commended for disinfection of the air. This agent, when used frequently and in small amount, so as to be non-irritating, has the double advantage of soothing. and giving tone to the diseased mucous membrane, and of destroy ing organic gertns, including perhaps the mor bific elements in the respiratory organs.
First Battle of St. Albans - Conflict & Date: The First Battle of St. Albans was fought May 22, 1455, during the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485). Armies & Commanders First Battle of St. Albans - Background: The antagonism between the Houses of Lancaster and York commenced in 1399 when Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster overthrew his unpopular cousin King Richard II. A grandson of Edward III, through John of Gaunt, his claim to the English crown was relatively weak compared to his Yorkist relations. Ruling until 1413 as Henry IV, he was forced to put down several uprisings to maintain the throne. On his death, the throne passed to his son, Henry V. A great warrior known for his victory at Agincourt, Henry V only lived until 1422 when he was succeeded by his nine-month old son Henry VI. For most of his minority, Henry was surrounded by unpopular advisors such as the Duke of Gloucester, Cardinal Beaufort, and the Duke of Suffolk. During Henry VI's reign, the French gained the upper hand in the Hundred Years' War and began pushing English forces from France. A weak and ineffective ruler, Henry was heavily advised by the Duke of Somerset who desired peace. This position was countered by Richard, Duke of York who wished to continue fighting. A descendent of Edward III's second and fourth sons, he possessed a strong claim to the throne. By 1450, Henry VI began experiencing bouts of insanity and three years later was judged unfit to rule. This resulted in a Council of Regency being formed with York at its head as Lord Protector. Imprisoning Somerset, he worked to expand his power but was forced to step down two years later when Henry VI recovered. First Battle of St. Albans - Forces Mobilize: Resuming the throne, Henry again fell under the influence of his advisors. Seeking to eliminate York as a threat, Queen Margaret of Anjou had him removed from court. Departing, York increasingly began to fear that he would be arrested for treason. This came to a head in 1455 when he received a summons to appear before the King's council to answer allegations against him. Fearing the outcome, York began raising troops from among his supporters in the north. Assembling his men, he started moving south towards London. En route, he was joined by the Earls of Salisbury and Warwick, both members of the allied Neville family. The addition of their forces brought York's army to between 5,000 and 7,000 men. In response to York's actions, Henry formed a small army of 2,000-3,000 men, with the Duke of Somerset in command, and began marching north. First Battle of St. Alban - The Armies Meet: Departing London, Henry was surprised by the speed of York's advance and directed his army to occupy the fortified town of St. Albans on the morning of May 22. Shortly thereafter, York's forces arrived outside the town and began deploying to the east. Despite the aggressive stances assumed by both sides, neither Henry nor York was eager to engage in combat. York desired that his name be cleared and certain Lancastrian advisors removed. Badly outnumbered, Henry and Somerset wished to escape from militarily weak position. As a result, much of the morning was spent in negotiations as messengers travelled back forth between the two camps. After three hours of talks, York proved unable to convince Henry of his peaceful intentions and the King became increasingly angry in regard to the Duke's demands. First Battle of St. Albans - A Short, Violent Clash: Around midday, York grew tired of the impasse and directed his forces to assault St. Albans via the Sopwell and Shropshire Lane gates. Charging forward, they found both gates barricaded by Henry's men. Repeated assaults failed to break through and casualties began to mount. Assessing the situation, Warwick led the Yorkist reserves in search of another way into St. Albans. Moving through gardens and back roads, he was able to enter the town and approached its marketplace. Here, Yorkist forces found the Lancastrian reserves. Caught by surprise, they were not prepared for battle when Warwick's men charged forward. Quickly shattering the enemy's forces, Warwick pressed his attack. With the Lancastrian reserves fleeing, the troops at the gates were also forced to withdraw. First Battle of St. Alban - Aftermath: As the battle swirled through the streets, Somerset was killed and Henry captured. In the fighting, the King was slightly wounded in the neck. While a minor clash in regard to numbers engaged, the First Battle of St. Albans marked the opening of the Wars of the Roses and had a substantial political impact. Taking possession of Henry, York reclaimed his position at court and was made Lord High Constable of England. As the King again slipped into another bout of insanity, York also became regent with the title of Lord Protector in November 1455. Following Henry's recovery the following year, York was forced from his posts by Margaret and sent to Ireland. Fighting resumed in earnest in 1459 when the two sides clashed at Blore Heath and Ludford Bridge.
Doctors, medical organizations and the government can claim that healthy population medical screenings for various cancers are of value even if the screening test turns out negative. Of course, the value also depends on how many true positive cases of cancer are turned up and whether early detection plays any role in the overall cure of the cancer. What these medical groups don’t tell the public, because often those advising don’t really know, is what is the frequency of false positive results (detecting a “cancer” when there really is none present)and the harm produced as part of further testing or removal of what was thought to be a cancer but was not. An advance in the knowledge regarding the frequency of false positives picked up in population screening tests and the subsequent harm is now available as an article “Cumulative Incidence of False-Positive Results in Repeated, Multimodal Cancer Screening” by Jennifer Miller Croswell, M.D. and a host of others published in the Annals of Family Medicine You must read the entire article to fully understand how the data was obtained and its significance, but to get started, here is the Abstract of the article. PURPOSE Multiple cancer screening tests have been advocated for the general population; however, clinicians and patients are not always well-informed of screening burdens. We sought to determine the cumulative risk of a false-positive screening result and the resulting risk of a diagnostic procedure for an individual participating in a multimodal cancer screening program. METHODS Data were analyzed from the intervention arm of the ongoing Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer screening on disease-specific mortality. The 68,436 participants, aged 55 to 74 years, were randomized to screening or usual care. Women received serial serum tests to detect cancer antigen 125 (CA-125), transvaginal sonograms, posteroanterior-view chest radiographs, and flexible sigmoidoscopies. Men received serial chest radiographs, flexible sigmoidoscopies, digital rectal examinations, and serum prostate-specific antigen tests. Fourteen screening examinations for each sex were possible during the 3-year screening period. RESULTS After 14 tests, the cumulative risk of having at least 1 false-positive screening test is 60.4% (95% CI, 59.8%–61.0%) for men, and 48.8% (95% CI, 48.1%–49.4%) for women. The cumulative risk after 14 tests of undergoing an invasive diagnostic procedure prompted by a false-positive test is 28.5% (CI, 27.8%–29.3%) for men and 22.1% (95% CI, 21.4%–22.7%) for women. CONCLUSIONS For an individual in a multimodal cancer screening trial, the risk of a false-positive finding is about 50% or greater by the 14th test. Physicians should educate patients about the likelihood of false positives and resulting diagnostic interventions when counseling about cancer screening. With more and more publicity regarding healthy population cancer screening, particularly regarding its importance and value in early cancer detection and with more commercial patient requested imaging tests, there has been some concerns in the literature about all this. Specifically there are issues involving the safety of the screening test itself (for example, if X-ray procedures are used) or invasive screening exams (such as sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy). There is also concern about the results of the screening. Are there a large number of false positives as outcome of the screening which lead to additional testing or more invasive procedures with their own risks? In addition, do these false positives lead to unnecessary financial costs of medical care? Is there a benefit for early detection in terms of cancer cure which trumps all the costs and harms which healthy population screening can develop? Answers to these questions within the education the public receives about the need for screening is essential if the public is to accept the screening under ethically and legally appropriate informed consent. The question for doctors, medical organizations and the government is “do we really know and understand what we are advising the public?” ..Maurice. Graphic: "False Results" created by me using ArtRage and Picasa 3.
How is it that in a nation of plenty so many children are nutritionally deprived? Recent studies report that access to healthy food stores could be miles from those in need or they simply can’t afford to buy the nutritious foods that are available. Food choices are often based on budget-friendly options as an alternative to going hungry. There are movements on behalf of children to subsidized food costs, for families and at schools, for those who qualify. In addition, federal programs are in the works to further educate children on healthy eating habits though the schools. Although there have been positive results in recent years, improving child nutrition in the U.S. is still of critical importance. Facts About Child Nutrition To be effective, nutrition standards must encompass all food sold in schools. Establish national nutrition standards for all foods sold on the school campus throughout the day. While school meals must meet federal nutrition standards, foods sold individually outside the meal programs, such as those available in vending machines, are not required to meet comparable nutrition standards. Thus, students can purchase soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks, salty snacks, candy, and high-fat baked goods throughout the school day. -National Education Association (NEA) Nutrition and the Health of Young People Schools are in a unique position to promote healthy eating and help ensure appropriate food and nutrient intake among students. Schools provide students with opportunities to consume an array of foods and beverages throughout the school day and enable students to learn about and practice healthy eating behaviors. For example, as a healthy alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages, schools can provide students access to safe, free Schools should ensure that only nutritious and appealing foods and beverages are provided in school cafeterias, vending machines, snack bars, school stores, and other venues that offer food and beverages to students. In addition, nutrition education should be part of a comprehensive school health education curriculum. Center for Disease Control (CDC) U.S. Kids Getting Fewer Daily Calories From Fast Food But one-third still eating it every day, study finds American children are getting fewer calories a day from fast food restaurants, but one-third still eat ready-to-go pizza, chicken and burgers on a daily basis, a new study finds. Among kids aged 4 to 19, national health and nutrition surveys showed that average daily calorie consumption from fast food restaurants fell by 110 calories between 2003 and 2010, said study author Colin Rehm. Also, the percentage of kids consuming fast food on a given day dropped from nearly 39 percent to about 33 percent in the period, the McDonald’s-funded study found. -MedLine Plus – U.S. National Library of Medicine The Key to Keeping America’s Kids Nourished, Focused, and Healthy Feeding America is calling on Congress to strengthen the federal nutrition safety net and invest in child nutrition programs. The U.S. Congress will soon have an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to the 16 million children in America today who live on the brink of hunger, according to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Congress will consider the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act (CNR), which sets policy for programs that feed low-income children in school, out-of-school and at home, this year. Solidifying strong federal support for nutrition assistance programs and augmenting services like nutrition education can help guarantee communities, families, seniors, and children across the country can access adequate nutrition to live active, healthy lives. According to our study, -Hunger in America 2014,- the median monthly household income for those served through the Feeding America network is US$927. That includes individuals as well as families with multiple children. Living on such a tight budget requires families struggling with hunger to make very difficult choices and unfortunately for many families, this often means compromising on healthy food choices in an effort to stretch their overall budget. And the reality is, most of us, if put in that situation – where money is tight, time is limited, and the immense stress about whether my child will go to bed hungry – would make the same choices too. Source: Michelle Marshall, MS, RD-Registered Dietitian and the Director of Nutrition at Feeding America. Read entire article
by General Fabb SketchUp is a free 3D modeling tool that is quite often the very first exposure to 3D modeling for many people. But is it appropriate for producing 3D models for printing? First off, we must say that SketchUp was not designed with 3D printing in mind; instead it was, like many 3D modeling tools, designed to produce visual 3D representations. While this output appears to your eye to be 3D, it really isn't and this shows when you try to 3D print. For example, 2D surfaces are often used in SketchUp. These have a thickness of, well, zero! They cannot be printed. That's one of several issues encountered when using SketchUp for 3D printing. We recently encountered a situation where someone wished to 3D print a SketchUp model they'd developed. The model looked ok, but in fact was completely unprintable and had to be totally re-engineered in a "real" 3D modeling tool. That all said, it is possible to use SketchUp to produce printable 3D models - if you carefully follow some rules when you develop your model. But what are the rules? Shapeways points out a terrific post on MasterSketchUp by Marcus Ritland that explains what you need to do. Some of these apply to many 3D modeling programs, in case you're not using SketchUp. Among the rules are: - Make it solid - Ensure walls have thickness - Scale up to permit detailed features - Smooth curves - Build as components - Use plugins to assist export and inspection - Consider material constraints - Reduce the solid size to conserve material But you'd better read all the details at the link below.
The Pacific Northwest is well-known for its lush forests. But Alaska Airlines is changing the way air travelers think about them. On Monday, the airline operated a historic cross-country flight from Seattle to Washington, D.C. that was powered with a 20 percent blend of sustainable aviation biofuel. Produced with the help of the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA), the alternative jet fuel was made from the leftover limbs and branches from the harvesting of managed forests. According to the SeaTac-based carrier, the industry-first alternative jet fuel is "chemically indistinguishable" from regular jet A fuel. If Alaska Airlines were able to replace one-fifth of its entire fuel supply at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with the biofuel in the future, it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 142,000 metric tons of CO2. For comparison, that figure is equivalent to taking roughly 30,000 passenger vehicles off the road for an entire year. More from TravelPulse "This latest milestone in Alaska's efforts to promote sustainable biofuels is especially exciting since it is uniquely sourced from the forest residuals in the Pacific Northwest," said Alaska Airlines' senior vice president of communications and external relations Joe Sprague in a statement. "NARA's accomplishments and the investment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide another key in helping Alaska Airlines and the aviation industry reduce its carbon footprint and dependency on fossil fuels." Monday's flight, which departed Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and landed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, had a minimal impact in terms of reducing emissions. However the milestone is a significant step toward making forest-fueled flights a more common occurrence. The flight comes on the heels of a pair of Alaska Airlines flights this past June that were fueled by a blend of biofuel produced from non-edible, sustainable corn
Everest Is Higher Than Ever As of Nov. 11, 1999, the new official height of Mount Everest was announced as 29,035 feet, or 8,850 meters—6 feet, or 2 meters, higher than the previously accepted measurement. The new elevation was determined using satellite-based technology: the Trimble Global Positioning System (GPS). A team of seven climbers measured the mountain from the summit on May 5, 1999, collecting data from various GPS satellite receivers at the very top of Everest. It took the climbers a number of attempts over several years until they were able to successfully set up the equipment at the summit. Everest was first measured in 1852 in the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, which established the peak as the highest on Earth. That figure (29,002 feet above sea level) remained Everest’s officially accepted height for more than one hundred years. The original 1852 measurement was remarkably accurate: in 1955 the elevation was adjusted by a mere 26 feet to 29,028 feet (8,848 meters). Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. More on Everest Is Higher Than Ever from Infoplease:
People vary in their reactions to mosquito bites. Most people develop itchy, raised bumps on the skin that last several days. No treatment is necessary, but calamine lotion or over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream can reduce itching. A few people have a significant allergy to mosquito bites. The bites can result in what’s called a large local reaction: swelling, blistering, itching, and pain affecting a wide area of the body (such as an entire arm or leg). Oral antihistamines like cetirizine (Zyrtec), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), or hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril) can help ease itching. Topical hydrocortisone may also help. Rarely, people with a severe allergy to mosquito bites develop anaphylaxis, a whole-body life-threatening allergic reaction. Symptoms of anaphylaxis include: • Itching or rash, especially hives, in areas of skin away from the bite. • Hoarseness or shortness of breath. Anaphylaxis requires emergency medical attention. People who have had anaphylaxis-like symptoms previously should always have injectable epinephrine (an Epi-Pen) nearby. This answer should not be considered medical advice...This answer should not be considered medical advice and should not take the place of a doctor’s visit. Please see the bottom of the page for more information or visit our Terms and Conditions. Thanks for your feedback. 37 of 42 found this helpful
In De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, Tacitus describes and praises the life of his father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola, an eminent Roman general. It covers briefly the people and geography of Britain, where Agricola was stationed. - Idque apud imperitos humanitas vocabatur, cum pars servitutis esset. - Translation: Because they didn't know better, they called it 'civilization,' when it was part of their slavery. - Book 1, paragraph 21. - Longer variant: Step by step they were led to things which dispose to vice, the lounge, the bath, the elegant banquet. All this in their ignorance they called civilisation, when it was but a part of their servitude. - Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium; atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant. - Translation: To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace. Oxford Revised Translation (at Project Gutenberg) - Translation: They plunder, they slaughter, and they steal: this they falsely name Empire, and where they make a wasteland, they call it peace. — translation Loeb Classical Library edition - Translation: To plunder, butcher, steal, these things they misname empire: they make a desolation and they call it peace. — translation by William Peterson - More colloquially: They rob, kill and plunder all under the deceiving name of Roman Rule. They make a desert and call it peace. - At the end of chapter 30. - This is a speech by the Caledonian chieftain Calgacus addressing assembled warriors about Rome's insatiable appetite for conquest and plunder. The chieftain's sentiment can be contrasted to "peace given to the world" which was frequently inscribed on Roman medals. The last part solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant (they make a desert, and call it peace) is often quoted alone. Lord Byron for instance uses the phrase (in English) as follows, - Mark where his carnage and his conquests cease! He makes a solitude, and calls it — peace. - Lord Byron, Bride of Abydos (1813), Canto 2, stanza 20. - Mark where his carnage and his conquests cease! - Et maiores vestros et posteros cogitate. - Translation: Think of your forefathers and posterity. - Chapter 32. - It belongs to human nature to hate those you have injured. - Chapter 42; reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919). - Tu vero felix, Agricola, non vitae tantum claritate, sed etiam opportunitate mortis. - Translation: Thou wast indeed fortunate, Agricola, not only in the splendour of thy life, but in the opportune moment of thy death. - Chapter 45. - The Germans themselves I should regard as aboriginal, and not mixed at all with other races through immigration or intercourse. For in former times, it was not by land but on shipboard that those who sought to emigrate would arrive; and the boundless and, so to speak, hostile ocean beyond us,is seldom entered by a sail from our world. - Chapter 2 - They even say that an altar dedicated to Ulysses, with the addition of the name of his father, Laertes, was formerly discovered on the same spot, and that certain monuments and tombs with Greek inscriptions, still exist on the borders of Germany and Rhaetia. - Chapter 3. - On the whole,one would say that their strength is in their infantry, which fights along with the cavalry; admirably adapted to the action of the latter is the swiftness of certain foot soldiers, who are picked from the entire youth of their country, and stationed in front of the line. - Chapter 6. - To abandon your shield is the basest of crimes; nor may a man thus disgraced be present at the sacred rites, or enter their council; many, indeed, after escaping from battle, have ended their infamy with the halter. - Chapter 6. - Mercury is the deity whom they chiefly worship, and on certain days they deem it right to sacrifice to him even with human victims. - Chapter 9. - Quanquam severa illic matrimonia - Translation: However the marriage is there severe. - Start of chapter 18. - This is in the sense that the matrimonial bond was strictly observed by the Germanic peoples, this being compared favorably against licentiousness in Rome. Tacitus appears to hold the fairly strict monogamy (with some exceptions among nobles who marry again) between Germanic husbands and wives, and the chastity among the unmarried to be worthy of the highest praise. (Ch. 18). - …ibi boni mores valent quam alibi bonae leges. - Translation: …good habits are here more effectual than good laws elsewhere. - End of chapter 19. - No one in Germany laughs at vice, nor do they call it the fashion to corrupt and to be corrupted. - Chapter 19. - Indeed, the crowning proof of their valour and their strength is that they keep up their superiority without harm to others. - Chapter 35. - Their shields are black, their bodies dyed. They choose dark nights for battle, and, by the dread and gloomy aspect of their death-like host, strike terror into the foe, who can never confront their strange and almost infernal appearance. - Chapter 43. - All this is unauthenticated, and I shall leave it open. - Chapter 46 (last text line). - It is the rare fortune of these days that one may think what one likes and say what one thinks. - Book I, 1. - He possessed a peculiar talent of producing effect in whatever he said or did. - Book II, 80. - Once killing starts, it is difficult to draw the line. - Book I, 39. - Some might consider him as too fond of fame; for the desire for glory clings even to the best men longer than any other passion. - Book IV, 6. - Deos fortioribus adesse. - Translation: The gods are on the side of the stronger. - Book IV, 17. - Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges. - Translation: The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government. - Variant: The more corrupt the state, the more laws. - Original Quote: And now bills were passed, not only for national objects but for individual cases, and laws were most numerous when the commonwealth was most corrupt. - Book III, 27. - Conspicuous by his absence. - Book III, 76; Lord John Russell, alluding to an expression used by him ("Conspicuous by his absence") in his address to the electors of the city of London, said, "It is not an original expression of mine, but is taken from one of the greatest historians of antiquity". - The images of twenty of the most illustrious families—the Manlii, the Quinctii, and other names of equal splendour—were carried before it [the bier of Junia]. Those of Brutus and Cassius were not displayed; but for that very reason they shone with pre-eminent lustre. - Book III, 76. - He had talents equal to business, and aspired no higher. - Book VI, 39. - He upbraided Macro, in no obscure and indirect terms, "with forsaking the setting sun and turning to the rising". - Book VI, 52, referring to Tiberius. - What is today supported by precedents will hereafter become a precedent. - Book XI, 24. - So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most precarious hearsays, others turn facts into falsehood; and both are exaggerated by posterity. - Variant: So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn truth into falsehood, and both errors find encouragement with posterity. - Book III, 19. - The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise. - A popular rendering of: “nisi impunitatis cupido retinuisset, magnis semper conatibus adversa” - Variant: "but desire of escape, foe to all great enterprises, held him back." This of Subrius Flavus’ passing thought of assassinating Nero while the emperor sang on stage. - Book XV, 50. Quotes about Tacitus - Abuse, if you slight it, will gradually die away; but if you show yourself irritated you will be thought to have deserved it. - Liberty is given by nature even to mute animals. - Great empires are not maintained by timidity.
“…which also included an overview of problems in other western states by Melinda Kassen, Western Water Project director for Trout Unlimited.” June 5, 2007 ESTES PARK — Colorado is not the only state dealing with the shutdown or curtailment of irrigation wells. But neighboring states are addressing the problem at the state level and finding ways to mitigate present and future problems for the advantage of both surface and ground water users. That was the emphasis Monday at the summer conference of the Groundwater Management Districts Association at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. About 125 water users from Colorado as well as Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming and Idaho registered for the three-day conference, which concludes today. Monday’s sessions concentrated on irrigation well shutdowns or curtailment of irrigation wells in Nebraska, New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado, which also included an overview of problems in other western states by Melinda Kassen, Western Water Project director for Trout Unlimited. Kassen said ground water in the 1950s was seen as a new source of water, but only recently have Western states come to the realization that ground and surface water are connected and that pumping of wells has an effect on river flows. In Colorado, only 22 percent of the state’s population depends on ground water for domestic needs, but in New Mexico, 90 percent of the population depends on that source while 96 percent of Idaho’s residents use ground water. That, combined with a drought that signaled the start of the 21st century, has led to the shutdown of wells, such as those along the South Platte River last year. “Colorado’s regulatory system should have prevented that catastrophe, but it did not,” Kassen said. “That was an extraordinary wake-up call.” The over-use of ground water supplies is creating problems for many states west of the Mississippi River. Kassen said one river in Arizona has lost all but two of 13 native fish species, while in northern Montana, a developer was denied a permit for a golf resort along the Gallatin River until it could come up with a water replacement plan for the wells it wanted. That led to the Montana legislature passing a new ground water measure this year. In Nebraska, where the number of high capacity wells increased from about 6,000 in 1975, to more than 103,000 by this year, many areas are facing moratoriums, said Jim Goecke with the University of Nebraska. “Nobody wants moratoriums,” he said, but as water levels continue to decline in major aquifers, that may happen. In southern New Mexico, along the Rio Grande, the state legislature is helping to developing surface water treatment plants for use by municipalities and industry to ensure the continued use of wells in a highly productive agricultural area, said Gary Esslinger, manager of the Elephant Butte Irrigation District of Las Cruces. While no wells have been shut down in Nebraska, Goecke summed the problem. “Droughts become teachable moments,” he said.
From An Illustrated History of Ireland by Margaret Anne Cusack Cromlech at Castle Mary, Cloyne The Religion of Ancient Erinn—The Druids and their Teaching—The Irish were probably Fire-worshippers—The Customs of Ancient Erinn—Similarity between Eastern and Irish Customs—Beal Fires—Hunting the Wren—"Jacks," a Grecian game—"Keen," an Eastern Custom—Superstitions—The Meaning of the Word—What Customs are Superstitious and what are not—Holy Wells—The Laws of Ancient Erinn—Different kinds of Laws—The Lex non Scripta and the Lex Scripta—Christianity necessitated the Revision of Ancient Codes—The Compilation of the Brehon Laws—Proofs that St. Patrick assisted thereat—Law of Distress—Law of Succession—The Language of Ancient Erinn—Writing in pre-Christian Erinn—Ogham Writing—Antiquities of pre-Christian Erinn—Round Towers—Cromlechs—Raths—Crannoges. ASTERN customs and eastern superstitions, which undoubtedly are a strong confirmatory proof of our eastern origin, abounded in ancient Erinn. Druidism was the religion of the Celts, and druidism was probably one of the least corrupt forms of paganism. The purity of the divinely-taught patriarchal worship, became more and more corrupted as it passed through defiled channels. Yet, in all pagan mythologies, we find traces of the eternal verity in an obvious prominence of cultus offered to one god above the rest; and obvious, though grossly misapplied, glimpses of divine attributes, in the many deified objects which seemed to symbolize his power and his omnipotence. The Celtic druids probably taught the same doctrine as the Greek philosophers. The metempsychosis, a prominent article of this creed, may have been derived from the Pythagoreans, but more probably it was one of the many relics of patriarchal belief which were engrafted on all pagan religions. They also taught that the universe would never be entirely destroyed, supposing that it would be purified by fire and water from time to time. This opinion may have been derived from the same source. The druids had a pontifex maximus, to whom they yielded entire obedience,—an obvious imitation of the Jewish custom. The nation was entirely governed by its priests, though after a time, when the kingly power developed itself, the priestly power gave place to the regal. Gaul was the head-quarters of druidism; and thither we find the Britons, and even the Romans, sending their children for instruction. Eventually, Mona became a chief centre for Britain. The Gaedhilic druids, though probably quite as learned as their continental brethren, were more isolated; and hence we cannot learn so much of their customs from external sources. There is no doubt that the druids of Gaul and Britain offered human sacrifices; it appears almost certain the Irish druids did not. Our principal and most reliable information about this religion, is derived from Caesar. His account of the learning of its druids, of their knowledge of astronomy, physical science, mechanics, arithmetic, and medicine, however highly coloured, is amply corroborated by the casual statements of other authors. He expressly states that they used the Greek character in their writings, and mentions tables found in the camp of the Helvetia written in these characters, containing an account of all the men capable of bearing arms. Authors.—Strabo, 1. iv. p. 197; Suetonius, V. Cla. ; Pliny, Hist. Nat. 1. xxv. c. 9. Pliny mentions having seen the serpent's egg, and describes it. From a sad, comfortless childhood Giles Truelove developed into a reclusive and uncommunicative man whose sole passion was books. For so long they were the only meaning to his existence. But when fate eventually intervened to have the outside world intrude upon his life, he began to discover emotions that he never knew he had. This is a story for the genuine booklover, penned by an Irish bookseller under the pseudonym of Ralph St. John Featherstonehaugh. Join our mailing list to receive updates on new content on Library, our latest ebooks, and more. You won't be inundated with emails! — we'll just keep you posted periodically — about once a monthish — on what's happening with the library.
1895 Free Printables Added on January 1, 2014 Cut out the eyes, nose, and mouth and paste them on the pumpkin. Then color it to make a jack-o’-lantern. Older kids can do the cutting on their own. Younger children may need help with the cutting, or the teacher can cut out the face pieces ahead of the lesson.
BP still has to pay the government for that little slip-up that happened last year. The Clean Water Act imposes punitive damages for any act of pollution carried out in US waters, with fines proportional to the magnitude of the environmental impact. For oil spills, damages are calculated according to the amount of hydrocarbons leaked into the water column. The Macondo well hemorrhaged oil for 89 days. That’s a whole lotta fine dollaz. Damages look set to total between $5.4 and $21 billion dollars, depending government’s final estimate of oil spilled. But Congress has to decide how that money gets spent – and thankfully, the House and Senate are trying to move quickly to pass the bill. The fine money is tentatively set to be divided amongst five areas: - 35 percent would be divided equally among the five Gulf states for economic and ecological recovery activities along the coast. - 30 percent would be dedicated to the development and implementation of a comprehensive restoration plan. A new Gulf Coast Restoration Council — made up of representatives from all five states — would dictate the scope of that plan. - 30 percent would be disbursed by the council to Gulf Coast states, with the allocation dictated in part by spill impact. - 5 percent would go to a new long-term science and fisheries endowment and to a Gulf Coast research, science and technology program. Last October, President Barack Obama established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force to come up with a plan to not only restore ecosystems damaged by the spill but also to repair decades of past damage done by efforts to reengineer the Mississippi River and expand oil and gas drilling in gulf marshes. The task force, made up of senior federal officials and representatives from the five Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, held a series of public meetings over the past year and sought input from a wide range of scientists. The result is a set of sweeping but relatively general recommendations aimed at bolstering both the science and the political support needed to tackle some highly complex restoration challenges. It sets out four major goals—restoring and conserving habitat, restoring water quality, replenishing and protecting living coastal and marine resources, and enhancing community resilience—along with 19 “major actions” needed to accomplish the goals. The need for better science gets plenty of ink—including calls for more comprehensive gulf monitoring and data-collection systems. But the report also notes that “the dire state of many elements of the Gulf ecosystem cannot wait for scientific certainty and demand immediate action.” To avoid delays, the panel proposes an “adaptive management” process of “learning by doing, wherein flexibility is built into projects, and actions can be changed based on” new science and progress toward goals.
Join for FREE It only takes a minute! Bewl Water and Bedgebury Forest The reservoir of Bewl Water is the largest body of freshwater in south-east England, covering more than 300ha, and was completed in the mid-1970s. It has become an important venue for sailing enthusiasts and fly fishermen and consequently suffers from considerable disturbance, particularly in summer. However, the reservoir is irregularly shaped with many quiet inlets and there is a nature reserve of the Sussex Wildlife Trust in the southern part. The water is rather deep and marginal vegetation is not well-developed and these two factors would normally lessen the lake's attractiveness to birds. Despite this a good range of species occurs both on the water and around the banks and well over 200 bird species have been recorded. The reservoir is set in a landscape of farmland and woodland patches with dense scrub in some parts. Close to Bewl Water is a large area of conifer plantations known as Bedgebury Forest which includes the famous National Pinetum, a collection of more than 200 species of conifer and probably the best-known site for Hawfinch in Kent. Although the plantations have a limited birdlife there are areas of chestnut coppice and more open heathlike patches with a greater variety of species. Notable Species Although passage periods and winter are undoubtedly the best times for birds at Bewl Water, Great Crested Grebe and Little Grebe are present all year as well as Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pochard and Tufted Duck with Common Teal also sometimes present through the summer. In recent years the numbers of Great Cormorant have increased and this is now virtually a resident species. In woods and farmland around the reservoir there are Common Kestrel and Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Tawny Owl, Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Summer visitors include Turtle Dove, Spotted Flycatcher and warblers such as Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Blackcap and Garden Warbler. Like other reservoirs in southern England, Bewl Water is now a regular stop-over site for passage Osprey with at least four appearing most autumns and one or two each spring. Northern Hobby is another regular passage raptor but other species are rare. Garganey is also a rare but regular passage visitor. Late autumn brings Dunlin, Common Snipe and Grey Plover. Scarcer passage waders include Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew and godwits. Common Tern and a few Black Tern also appear on both passages with small numbers of Arctic Tern and Little Gull in spring. In November a few Dark-bellied Brent Goose may drop down to the reservoir from the flocks which overfly the area. Passerine migrants include such species as Northern Wheatear and Whinchat. Winter at Bewl Water brings Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall and Common Teal to join the thousands of Canada Goose, Mallard and Eurasian Coot. Common Pochard and Tufted Duck occur in smaller numbers with a few Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail and Common Goldeneye. Severe weather sees the arrival of Goosander and Smew and other rare visitors may then include Red-throated Diver and Red-necked Grebe with perhaps Black-throated Diver or the scarcer grebes. Scoters and Red-breasted Merganser have also been recorded as well as a Nearctic vagrant, Ring-necked Duck. Rarities noted in the area include Black-eared Wheatear and probably the most surprising of all, a Blackpoll Warbler at Bewl Water in December 1994. Two-barred Crossbill has been recorded at Bedgebury Forest. Birds you can see here include: Red-throated Diver, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Bittern, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, (rare in Su), Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Smew, Goosander, Ruddy Duck, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Osprey, Common Kestrel, Northern Hobby, Common Pheasant, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Common Coot, Little Ringed Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Eurasian Woodcock, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Little Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Black Tern, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl, Eurasian Nightjar, Common Swift, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Skylark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Common Wren, Dunnock, European Robin, Whinchat, European Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Eurasian Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Common Jay, Common Magpie, Eurasian Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Eurasian Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Common Crossbill, Eurasian Bullfinch, Hawfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting Other Wildlife Site Information History and Use Access and Facilities Bewl Water lies on the border of East Sussex and Kent and is well-signposted from the A21, the main London to Hastings road. There is a car-park, information centre, toilets and other facilties and leaflets are available showing various walks around the reservoir. A complete circuit involves a walk of more than 20km so most visitors prefer shorter walks. An alternative is to return to the A21 and head south, turning off towards Ticehurst. About 3km west of Ticehurst turn off the B2099 onto Wards Lane and park in the quarry. From here a short walk leads to a hide at the nature reserve and shoreline paths. Other Sites Nearby A morning's birding at Bewl Water can be conveniently followed by an afternoon visit to Bedgebury Forest. The pinetum is one of the best sites for Hawfinch in the south-east and, although numbers have declined in recent winters, usually 30-50 birds can be seen flying in to roost in the cypress trees between late November and early March. In addition to Hawfinch the area attracts Brambling, Lesser Redpoll and Siskin in winter. Long-eared Owl also occurs in winter. Breeding species of Bedgebury Forest include Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Tawny Owl and all three British woodpeckers. An evening visit in summer may produce European Nightjar and Woodcock both of which breed. Other breeding species include a variety of warblers, tits and finches and Common Crossbill sometimes nests after an irruption year. For Bedgebury Forest leave the A21 on the B2079 towards Goudhurst and after about 2km park in the public car-park. The entire area is crossed by a network of paths and rides which can be explored freely. The Pinetum is sign-posted and there is an entrance fee. Contact Details External Links Content and images originally posted by Steve
Telling Tips is a series of articles from local experts to help you save money, make better decisions and plan for a better future. 1. The area in lower Manhattan called ‘Wall Street’ is named after: A: The Wall Street Journal B: The wooden wall built by Dutch colonists to defend New York against invaders C: The Wallapoo Indians who inhabited the area D: George Washington, when he met with Congress in that area in the late 1700s and couldn’t get any legislation passed 2. How did the Dow Jones industrial average get its name? A. To honor Dowelli Jones, the wife of the Revolutionary War naval hero, John Paul Jones B. To honor Bradley McDow, the economist, and Garett Jones, the Macroeconomist C. From Charles Henry Dow, Wall Street Journal founder, and Edward Jones, a statistician, who started an average of mostly railroad stocks in 1884 D. From the Dow-Jones land development company, which gave the land to build the New York Stock Exchange 3. Which would you rather have? A. $100,000 today or… B. A penny that doubles every day for a 31-day month 4. Who is the saying, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes” attributed to? A. Julius Caesar B. Benjamin Franklin C. Uncle Sam D. Alexander the Great 5. If you receive an IRS notice that you owe money, you should: A. Write a check immediately B. Check to be sure the notice is correct before sending in the money C. Return to sender, marked “deceased” 6. The advantage of a Roth IRA over a traditional IRA is that with a Roth IRA: A. Contributions grow tax deferred B. You can roll a Roth IRA into a traditional IRA C. Contributions are not tax deductible D. Qualified distributions from a Roth IRA are tax free 7. Which are the three major credit bureaus in the United States? A. Experian, Equifax, TransUnion B. American Express, Master Card, Visa C. Bank of America, Citibank, Chase Manhattan 8. When you marry, your credit report: A. Is merged with your spouse’s credit history B. Stays the same. The only information on both spouses’ reports are joint accounts or those for which one spouse is an authorized user. C. Shows your spouse’s debt in a separate section D. Is wiped clean so you can start again 9. If your credit card is stolen and the thief runs up a total debt of $1,000, but you notify the issuer of the card as soon as you discover it is missing, what is the maximum amount that you can be forced to pay according to Federal law? 10. Tax credits are preferable to deductions because: A. They are computed before you figure your tax bill B. You don’t have to save receipts to claim credits C. They cut your tax bill dollar for dollar 1. (B): This barrier was built in 1653 to protect colonists from the British and Native Americans. 2. (C): In November 1882, Charles Henry Dow and Edward Jones started their own financial reporting firm, Dow, Jones & Co., in the basement of a candy store, publishing a two-page summary of the day’s financial news called the “Customers’ Afternoon Letter.” 3. (B): Start with a penny and double it every day. One cent becomes two, which becomes four, which becomes eight and so on. At the end of a 31-day month, you’ll have $10,737,418.24 4. (B): Benjamin Franklin, who actually wrote “Our Constitution is in actual operation. Everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Tax Tip: Child in college? Work or live in New York State? You can still make a contribution to the New York State 529 college plan and take a New York State tax deduction. This contribution can mean between $600 and $1,100 in your pocket! Have a good week. Joseph Reisman, of Joseph S. Reisman & Associates, has been serving tax prep and business accounting expertise from his Coney Island Avenue office for more than 25 years. Check out the firm’s website.
U.S. health care workers, especially doctors and nurses, use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) far more than do workers in other fields, according to a new study. CAM includes diverse therapies outside the realm of conventional medicine. Overall, 76 percent of health care workers report CAM usage, compared with 63 percent of the general working population. Health care workers use chiropractic treatment, massage and acupuncture for conditions that conventional medicine does not address well, said study co-author Lori Knutson, executive director of the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing with Allina Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis. While conventional providers often treat common issues such as back pain with pain medication, holistic providers address root causes, she said. The researchers used data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, analyzing responses from 14,329 working adults. Their findings appear online in the journal Health Services Research. Among respondents, 1,280 worked in health care and fell into four categories: (1) providers including doctors and nurses; (2) technicians, for instance, sonographers; (3) support workers such as nursing assistants and (4) administrative personnel not providing patient care. The study looked at practitioner-based CAM, such as acupuncture; self-treatment with CAM, such as practicing Pilates; and any CAM usage such as following a vegetarian diet, meditating and taking certain herbs. Doctors and nurses had more than twice the odds of having used a practitioner-based CAM method during the prior year and nearly three times the use of self-treatment with CAM than support workers.
Find DOE Collections DOE Physicists at Work Profiles of representative DOE-sponsored physicists doing research at universities and national laboratories Compiled by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information How do you figure out what is underground without digging a hole? Maybe you want to find oil, or a gas line; manage underground contamination; or locate a tunnel. A geophysicist can make measurements at the earth's surface and use that information to estimate what's underground - the structure, composition, and distribution of soil, rocks, fluids, and voids. "Geophysics is fun," says Patricia Berge, a geophysicist by training and now Division Leader for Earth Science within the Energy and Environment Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). "It's also often cheaper, faster, safer, and more practical than digging holes." For instance, you may want to avoid excavations or drilling because you have a large area to cover, or it would be expensive to dig holes, or you might spread contaminants or disturb artifacts, or it would simply take too long. "Now, the catch is what to measure and where," says Dr. Berge. "That is the challenge, the puzzle - where the fun really begins." The basic idea is to identify some measurable physical property that can be observed at the earth's surface and a value that will change with changes in the subsurface. This is a combination of physics and earth science, requiring an understanding of the earth and earth materials as well as an understanding of physical properties. Examples of the physical properties geophysicists use for underground imaging are the speed of sound in rocks (seismic measurements), small local changes in the earth's gravity field, and electromagnetic properties of rocks and soils. Careful placement of measurement equipment and ready availability of fast computers makes it possible to estimate the three-dimensional picture of the subsurface from the geophysical measurements. "Sometimes making the measurements can be tricky," says Dr. Berge. "When I worked at the U.S. Geological Survey, I flew in helicopters to put seismometers on rocky outcrops next to Alaskan glaciers." Over the course of her career, she's donned a wet suit to check a seismometer on the bottom of a lake; measured the speed of sound in the seafloor on a research ship that happened to be caught in a typhoon ("That part wasn't so much fun," says Dr. Berge); and taken measurements in 120-degree heat in Nevada. With all the excitement geophysics offers, still Dr. Berge chose a management path in physics. "Although my own research was fascinating, I wanted to influence future directions of research at a larger scale and contribute toward solving bigger problems of concern to the taxpayers," says Dr. Berge. Challenges include energy supply, environmental cleanup, hazard mitigation, and national security. "I would like to see the U.S. invest more research dollars in geothermal energy, cheaper and more effective monitoring of environmental cleanup, innovative hazard mitigation such as satellite-based tsunami warning systems, better methods for detecting and characterizing buried bunkers, and better methods for screening cargo containers," says Dr. Berge. "The world cannot afford to delay developing technical solutions to these difficult problems and it may take all the scientific expertise we have in the whole global population to make any progress at all," says Dr. Berge. "I became a manager in order to contribute to LLNL's vision for the future of earth science research, what areas we should be directing our efforts toward, where we should be going to solve problems that will be increasingly important over the next ten to twenty years." Though most of these challenges are not within her subspecialty in geophysics, significant progress will require geophysics research and interdisciplinary work by large teams of scientists - and that's where management comes into play. "As part of the management at LLNL, I can influence the future direction of research in earth science to be relevant to the nation's and the world's problems," says Dr. Berge. Dr. Berge received a BS in Geophysics and an AB in History from Stanford University in 1982 and worked for the Seismology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey until 1986. In 1991 she received a PhD in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Hawaii and then joined Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher in the Earth Science Department. She was hired in a staff position at LLNL in 1994 and worked as a research geophysicist until 2002, when she assumed her current position. Her research at LLNL focused on how things like sand grains, clay, fluid-filled pores, and cracks might influence the speed of sound and other physical properties. "I hope this basic research will help geophysicists to make better and better images of the subsurface, improving current techniques and inventing new ones for use in geothermal fields, environmental cleanup sites, and anywhere that we need to do underground imaging in the future," says Dr. Berge. Dr. Berge’s articles accessed via OSTI: Please search the Information Bridge for additional papers by this researcher.
Otto Hugo Wilhelm Steinert, born in Saarbrücken on July 12, 1915, was the father of "subjective photography". Steinert studied among other things medicine in Munich from 1934-1939. In 1937, he was a cornet in the medical corps of the armed forces, and during the world war he was primarily deployed as a physician. After the war, he first continued to work as a doctor in Kiel, but he returned after two years to Saarbrücken and worked as a portrait photographer. In 1948 he took over leadership of a photography class at the State School for Art and Handcrafts there. From 1949-50, together with Reisewitz, Keetman, Lauterwasser, Schneiders and Windstoßer, he was a charter member of the group "fotoform", which advocated for a new artistic conception of photography. In the following year, the first exhibit of "subjective photography" in Saarbrücken took place under Steinert’s leadership. The exhibit included over 700 works by international photographers and had the goal of reforming art photography. According to Steinert, subjective photography should form a framework "that includes all areas of personal photographic creation, from non-representational photograms to psychologically in-depth reportage in picture form". Steinert’s own work is very multifaceted. The autodidact experimented with different photographic techniques (movement blurriness, montage, solarization, etc.). Among his best known works are "Ein-Fuß-Gänger" [A Pedestrian/One-Footed Walker] (1950) and "Maske einer Tänzerin" [Dancer’s Mask] (1952). Steinert varied not only his technique, but also worked on a broad range of subjects and worked with portrait and landscape photography, advertising photography and reportage. In 1952 he became a principal in Saarbrücken, and two years later he was appointed professor. In the same year, the exhibit "subjective photography 2" took place, while in 1958 a third and final one followed. In 1959, Steinert took a position in Essen at the Folkwang School, where he organized numerous exhibits, was responsible for the "Photographic Collection of the Folkwang Museum", and taught as well. Steinert’s teaching career shaped an entire generation of photographers. Otto Steinert died on March 3, 1978, in Essen.
In the seventh chapter of his gospel Saint John describes how Jesus, during the last year of His earthly life, went with His disciples to Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn harvest festival commemorating the wanderings of ancient Israel in the wilderness of Sinai, a time when the chosen people lived in’ tents’ or tabernacles. There was a division among the people concerning Jesus: some thought He was good while others thought that all He was doing was deceiving the people. It was here, during this feast, that the Lord spoke to the people and the words of our Lord read during this morning’s gospel are actually taken from that address that He made to the people gathered at this feast in Jerusalem. He tells them: “He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water”. Why does Christ say that living water will flow out of the belly? St. Paul, in his epistle to the Philippians, calls on the brethren there to follow him in all things which are good. He says, “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you weeping, that they are the enemies of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is their shame…” (Phil. 4:17-19). The belly, as St. Paul uses as an example here, can be about corruption, selfishness, death, indulgence; the belly is about the earth. The belly commands that we eat every day. Sometimes the belly commands that we eat too much. It makes us tired, it makes us unwilling to pray, unwilling to work, it makes us lazy and unprofitable. The belly is one of the least honored members of the body. Certainly Christ could have chosen the water to flow from another part of the body: from the head, the eyes, from the hands? But why does our Lord instead say that it will be specifically from the belly that the living water shall flow from? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came to make it possible for us to be incorrupt. The belly, certainly, is the sign of corruption, the sign of our being rooted to the earth. When He sent His Holy Spirit upon mankind it was so that the things of Christ would be revealed to those who would be willing to listen, and they would become completely alive. Everything would be cleaned; just as water that is rushing, cleans and freshens everything. So that even those parts of us which are dirty, which resist becoming perfected, the Lord will indeed perfect. Water, when it is in a torrent, can not be held back. Indeed, everything in its path is pushed out of the way. The same goes with the Holy Spirit. But there is a difference: when a flood comes upon us it’s not of our own will that the water comes, and the water destroys everything, including things that are precious to us. But the flood of the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, comes only if we desire it. If, of our will, we desire to follow the things of God, then indeed the torrent will come. The torrent will flow and it will never end. Anything that is ungodly standing in our way of keeping of the commandments of God will be scoured away, will be pushed away, and the water will flow eternally– out of our belly, out of every part of us. Now, truth be told, when we think of Pentecost we don’t usually think of water, but fire. After all Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit was sent to the Apostles in the form of fiery tongues. Which is to say that not only does Christ promise to send us water, He also sends us fire. These are two things that in Nature do not exist together, as one will destroy the other. But according to God, they can coexist. Fire burns away that which is trash, that which is unclean. Fire purifies; it softens and warms. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn away impurity in our soul, and we need the warmth of the Holy Spirit to encourage us. For He is called Comforter as He comforts with fire; He comforts by warming our hearts, by giving us that sure and certain hope that indeed we can be changed. It is the Holy Spirit which abides in Christians. Until the promise was given by our Lord, the Holy Spirit did not live in men. All the things that were accomplished were accomplished by the Spirit from outside. Even though the Spirit “spake by the prophets” as we confess in our Creed, He did not live in them. Yes, He inspired them but they were still unable to accomplish perfection. But now since the Comforter has been given to us, we can become perfected. Anything that’s impure, therefore, anything that’s temporal can all be changed– can become perfected, can become clean, can become light, life. Today when we celebrate the fulfillment of the Resurrection in man, the Lord now has given us everything we need. And it is the Holy Spirit which we most certainly need, as a Comforter, a Guide, a Helper. He is given so that we can live in the Resurrection; so we can apply the lessons the Lord has given us– lessons He continues to give us on a moment by moment basis– of how to live, how to think, how to be, how to feel. The Holy Spirit is our true guide as St. Paul says in his epistle to the Romans: “For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us…” (8:26). May the fire and the water of the Holy Spirit continue to enlighten and help all of us, and make us incorrupt forever. Amen. H/T – I found inspiration in Fr. Seraphim Holland’s homily on Pentecost, which I slightly altered for my use.
Perceptions of age may affect health You really may be as young as you feel, according to researchers at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who reviewed scientific literature for evidence that people's perception of their age might influence their health. In their article for Perspectives on Psychological Science, researchers included studies such as one in which women who thought their new hairdos made them look younger experienced a decline in blood pressure. Another report linked early hair loss in men with a higher incidence of heart disease, an association authors connected with negative feelings about aging. Other studies found that those who spend time with younger people — such as women who have children late in life, and people who marry younger partners — tend to live longer. Researchers speculated that cues associated with aging can "make one unconsciously or consciously aware of old age and set in motion a series of physiological processes that can have real effects on short-term and long-term health." Fried fish suspect in strokes in South A wide swath of the South has long been known as the "stroke belt" because it has higher rates of stroke and other cardiovascular illnesses than the rest of the country. Now researchers are suggesting one culprit: fried fish. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk for stroke, but deep-fat frying destroys these acids and replaces them with cooking oil. Scientists writing in Neurology analyzed diets of more than 21,000 people nationwide and found those in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana ate a 3-ounce serving of fish an average of twice a week, roughly the same as people elsewhere. But they were 32 percent more likely to have that fish fried. The lead author of the study, Dr. Fadi Nahab of Emory University, said fried fish was only one potential contributor to differences in stroke rate, but it stood out. "When we look at dietary differences in and out of the stroke belt, it's hard to find any other than this one." Distracted diners may eat more If you watch TV or use a computer during meals, you may eat more than you think. Researchers had 22 volunteers eat a meal while playing computer solitaire and 22 others eat the same meal while undistracted. The report in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed distracted eaters were worse at remembering what they had eaten, and felt significantly less full just after lunch. "Memory plays an important role in the regulation of food intake," said Jeffrey M. Brunstrom, the senior author and a researcher in behavioral nutrition at the University of Bristol in England. "And distractions during eating disrupt that."
\|This Article is Budai Canon\| \|Budai Canon applies to Buddhist and Hindu aspects that are similar to each other and belong to both religions. It mostly consists of Mahayana Canon and Hindu Canon. Hinduism and Buddhism share some of the similarities, such as Both Hinduism and Buddhism emphasize the illusory nature of the world and the role of karma in keeping men bound to this world and the cycle of births and deaths, desire is the root cause of suffering and removal of desire results in the cessation of suffering. Some of the Hindu texts such as the Upanishads (Isa) and the Bhagavadgita consider doing actions prompted by desire an attachment would lead to bondage and suffering and that performing actions without desiring the fruit of action would result in liberation, both religions believe in the concept of karma, transmigration of souls and the cycle of births and deaths for each soul, both emphasize compassion and non violence towards all living beings, both believe in the existence of gods or deities on different planes (Mahayana Buddhism), both believe in certain spiritual practices like meditation, concentration, cultivation of certain bhavas or states of mind, both believe in detachment, renunciation of worldly life as a precondition to enter to spiritual life. Both consider desire as the chief cause of suffering, Buddhism and Hinduism have their own versions of Tantra, both originated and evolved on the Indian soil. The founder of Buddhism was a Hindu who became the Buddha. Buddhism is the greatest gift of India to mankind.\| The traditional encyclopedia says that hair is ‘long, narrow, filamentous growths made of keratin scales that protrude from the skin of mammals.’ Yak! Sounds horrible! Hard to believe that such a thing could be thought of as beautiful and be so fundamental to our self-esteem. Men will go to great lengths to stop going bald or disguise it when it happens. The worst thing the French could think of to punish woman who collaborated with the Nazis was to cut their hair off. The men of the Kandyian aristocracy all wore luxuriant beards, it being considered a sign of authority and power. Women regularly shave their legs just as most men shave their faces. Chinese men have difficulties growing beards so if they have a hair growing out of a mole on their face they let it grow. Seeing a smooth-faced Chinese man with a single six or seven inch hair on their face always makes me want to pull it out! Thai monks shave their eyebrows, probably because of a pedantically literal interpretation of the Buddha's requirement to shave the head. Young monks at Vidyalankara University in Colombo used to let their hair grow very long and sport impressive sideburns to impress the female students. That was in the 1970's. I don’t know about now. The Tipitaka is full of information about what people did with and thought about their hair at the Buddha’s time and I present some of it below. The Buddha was not ‘into’ hair. He asked his monks and nuns to shave their hair every two months or when it was two finger-breadth long (Vin.II,207). Nuns were expected to shave their pubic hair which apparently all respectable women did (Vin.III,260). Monks were also asked to cut the hair in their noses if it got too long (Vin.II,134). Statues of the Buddha always show him with hair but of course he shaved his head like all other monks. In spite of the fact that nearly all statues and images of the Buddha include hair with tight curls and a top-knot on top, the Buddha was bald, just as monks and nuns today shave their heads. In the Sutta Nipata (Sn. 142) there is a story of a brahmin angry at the presence of a shaved monk, he told him, "Stay there, you shaveling, stay there you wretched monk, stay there you outcast." In another passage, "One day the potter Ghatikara addressed the brahmin student Jotipala thus: 'My dear Jotipala, let us go and see the Blessed One Kassapa, accomplished and fully enlightened. I hold that it is good to see that Blessed One, accomplished and fully enlightened.' The brahmin student Jotipala replied: 'Enough, my dear Ghatikara, what is the use of seeing that bald-pated recluse?'" (Ghatikara-sutta, MN 81). We have quite a lot of information about the hair styles of the time and this is supplemented by archaeological evidence. Certain ascetics wore jatas, what we call dreadlocks, i.e. the hair was matted into long braids and then allowed to either hang down or be tied together into various shapes. When the braids were tied into a bun on the top of the head it was called jatanduva (S.I,117). Centuries later Siva and Avalokitesvara were always depicted with their hair like this. Brahman men probably shaved their heads except for a small part at the back which was left to keep growing, just as they still do. Topknots or buns on the back or top of the head were also popular. Another type of topknot was the culaka. Boys would ware five of these (Ja.V,250) and women would sometimes have a jeweled diadem attached to theirs (Ja.I,65). Sikhabandha seems to have meant twisting long hair and a long cloth together and then tying it around the head into a turban (D.I,7). Women favored parting their hair in the middle (dvedhasira vibhatta) as they still do, wearing plats (veni, Ja.II,185) and applying sandal oil to their hair both to perfume it and make it glisten (Ja.V,156). The high-class prostitute Ambapali used to ware her hair glossy-black, curled at the ends, with flowers in it, well-parted with a comb, decorated with gold ornaments and adorned with plats (Thi.252-5). When Nanda left to become a monk, he looked back and saw his girlfriend with her ‘hair half combed’ (upaddhullikhitehi kesehi), an image that later he couldn’t get out of his mind (Ud.22). Perhaps it was something like in those shampoo ads where you see the woman’s hair blowing in the wind. Bees’ wax was applied to slick the hair down (Vin.II,207) and later Indian works mention that the sap of the banyan tree was used as a sort of hair gel. Men trimmed their beards, grew them long, grew goatees (golomikam karapenti), and shaped them into four ends. They would sometimes shave shapes into the hair on their chest and abdomen or even have all their body hair removed (Vin.II,134). There were hairdressers (kappaka) and barbers (nahapita) to do all his coffering and the second of these usually doubled as bath attendants and masseurs. Just as today, both professions attracted homosexuals, as the Kama Sutra makes clear. The barber’s equipment (khurabandana) would include a razor (khura), scissors (kattarika), tweezers (sandasa), comb (koccha) and mirror (dasa).
The rendering model for WPF is quite unlike its predecessors in how it formats controls and other elements within a window. It also has a couple of options for how the contents of the window render. While it can work with fixed positioning, it can also work in a flow document form, meaning that documents can flow within the document area and adjust themselves when the window resizes in various ways. Flow documents are a new feature of the Windows Presentation Framework (WPF), giving developers another option to display content. There are a variety of elements available that format the content in special ways, and this is a help too. You will recognize some similarities with HTML, in the ways it generates lists, tables, and the like. It also introduces other features like figures and floaters, which add to the appeal of the content design. In addition, WPF changes the way that images are supported, and we'll touch upon that and how the framework takes an image path, and converts it to the correct object. Flow document content, as I mentioned before, is a new feature of WPF. In its simplest form, the following code creates a flow document reader with an empty document: Listing 1: Flow Document Reader Content There are three levels of flow document reader controls built-in to the framework: the FlowDocumentPageViewer, FlowDocumentScrollViewer, and FlowDocumentReader controls. FlowDocumentReader is the most functional, and therefore this article will use this control. Built into the control is a zoom control, a page layout control allowing you to choose the display format, and an in-built text searching control. Take a look at the example screenshot below: Figure 1: A FlowDocumentReader Control Example This control has the ability to reposition its content based on the size of the screen. If the content is larger, it may reposition the content into a multi-column format. See the alternative screenshot below: Figure 2: A Resized Flow Document Reader With Multiple Columns The flow document is made up of a variety of objects. Primarily, there are two types of elements: block and inline elements. A block element is an element that can have multiple inline elements. One of the more common block elements is the Paragraph class, which represents a paragraph of text. This can be used to represent text in a flow document. The following is the makeup of some text within the document: Listing 2: Flow Document Content What isn't exactly obvious is that the Paragraph element uses the Run element as its child. The Run element is optional and doesn't need to be declared (it's implicitly created); however, when working with paragraphs in code, you will need to instantiate an instance of the Run class, which will contain the paragraph text. The Paragraph element breaks out the text into paragraphs in a document as you could imagine. Within flow documents, you can't embed WPF controls. However, using either the InlineUIContainer or BlockUIContainer allows a flow document to contain WPF controls, in inline or block fashion. The InlineUIContainer element can be used within a Paragraph or any other control that supports inline elements (because it is an inline element, it can be used as a child of the block element); the BlockUIContainer element can host any controls that can be used within a Section or any other control that supports block elements. Below is an example of the inline and block UI Container classes. Listing 3: Block/Inline UI Containers In addition, flow documents support a table structure, which looks similar to an HTML table with a few added steps. The following is an example table: Listing 4: Tables in Flow Documents The TableRowGroup element groups a series of table rows together, instead of being an element directly under the table. Also note the use of the paragraph element as a child of the TableCell element; the content must appear in the paragraph element. There is an interesting difference with the TableCell element approach; this is because the TableCell isn't a block or inline element (it doesn't inherit from those base classes); rather, it branches off from the root base class. Also, if you want to change the sizing of the table, the Table object has a Columns collection, where you can specify widths for each column as such: Listing 5: Table Column Setup Similar to the Grid element, tables can have relative widths specified for them. Flow documents also support list-based structures. Lists work very similar to HTML lists, but with more verbose setup, as such: Listing 6: Lists in Flow Documents The List has a MarkerStyle attribute that defines the type of list to render (an enumerated value). I'm sure that if you've read computer books or other books, you've seen quotes on the sides of the page, as a way to stand out to the reader as they browse through the page in an effort to drive home a point. These can be achieved in flow documents, through the use of the Figure and Floater elements. Each has its own level of control, as to what it can do or can't do. In order for the floater to stand out and appear in the portion of the page, you have to provide a manual Width value, and give it a HorizontalAlignment setting. The figure element allows more control over positioning than the floater, so it can allow a user to control how the figure appears in the page with more precision. For instance, the Floater element example puts the text on the right side, allowing the text to wrap around it: Listing 7: Quote Listing on the Right of the Document At the core, an image is pretty easy to setup in XAML code. The following is an image control that displays a JPEG picture. Listing 8: Basic Image Declaration That is pretty simplistic. However, at its core, the Source property is something different than a string, that you would see in the ASP.NET Image control, for instance. Rather, it is an ImageSource object, which defines Width properties. Some of the derivatives are the BitmapSource and the DrawingImage controls, which represent image metadata API for those object types. However, in the XAML markup, one can specify a string value. This is because the ImageSource class declares a TypeConverter attribute, and this class is responsible for converting the value in the designer. This class also declares a ValueSerializer attribute, which specifies a class responsible for serializing the object to a string Flow documents have a lot of capabilities, with all of the inline elements that are supported. There are a variety of elements, very similar to HTML that provides a lot of functionality in WPF applications. As a sample, I've embedded portions of this article, and some added content, as a sample of flow documents. Resize the document and see how flexible flow documents can be.
It's known that our solar system has always had four giant planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. Now, astronomers claim to have found evidence which suggests that the solar system might have a fifth giant planet, which was mysteriously knocked out into deep space. Computer simulations by researchers at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, showed that it is statistically extremely unlikely that the solar system began with four giants. By their calculations, it only had a 2.5 per cent chance of reaching its current population and orbital layout with four giants, but was 10 times more likely to have developed to its present state if there was a fifth monster body in the mix, The Daily Mail reported. To reach this conclusion, the researchers ran 6,000 simulations of the solar system's birth.
May 10, 2012 Forests in the Amazon Basin are expected to be less vulnerable to wildfires this year, according to the first forecast from a new fire severity model developed by university and NASA researchers. Fire season across most of the Amazon rain forest typically begins in May, peaks in September and ends in January. The new model, which forecasts the fire season's severity from three to nine months in advance, calls for an average or below-average fire season this year within 10 regions spanning three countries: Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. "Tests of the model suggested that predictions should be possible before fire activity begins in earnest," said Doug Morton, a co-investigator on the project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "This is the first year to stand behind the model and make an experimental forecast, taking a step from the scientific arena to share this information with forest managers, policy makers, and the public alike." The model was first described last year in the journal Science. Comparing nine years of fire data from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite, with a record of sea surface temperatures from NOAA, scientists established a connection between sea surface temperatures in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and fire activity in South America. "There will be fires in the Amazon Basin, but our model predictions suggest that they won't be as likely in 2012 as in some previous years," said Jim Randerson of the University of California, Irvine, and principal investigator on the research project. Specifically, sea surface temperatures in the Central Pacific and North Atlantic are currently cooler than normal. Cool sea surface temperatures change patterns of atmospheric circulation and increase rainfall across the southern Amazon in the months leading up to the fire season. "We believe the precipitation pattern during the end of the wet season is very important because this is when soils are replenished with water," said Yang Chen of UC Irvine. "If sea surface temperatures are higher, there is reduced precipitation across most of the region, leaving soils with less water to start the dry season." Without sufficient water to be transported from the soil to the atmosphere by trees, humidity decreases and vegetation is more likely to burn. Such was the case in 2010, when above-average sea surface temperatures and drought led to a severe fire season. In 2011, conditions shifted and cooler sea surface temperatures and sufficient rainfall resulted in fewer fires, similar to the forecast for 2012. Building on previous research, the researchers said there is potential to adapt and apply the model to other locations where large-scale climate conditions are a good indicator of the impending fire season, such as Indonesia and the United States. Amazon forests, however, are particularly relevant because of their high biodiversity and vulnerability to fires. Amazon forests also store large amounts of carbon, and deforestation and wildfires release that carbon back to the atmosphere. Predictions of fire season severity may aid initiatives -- such as the United Nation's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation program -- to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from fires in tropical forests. "The hope is that our experimental fire forecasting information will be useful to a broad range of communities to better understand the science, how these forests burn, and what predisposes forests to burning in some years and not others," Morton said. "We now have the capability to make predictions, and the interest to share this information with groups who can factor it into their preparation for high fire seasons and management of the associated risks to forests and human health." Other social bookmarking and sharing tools: Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
The British East India Company was one of the world’s first “corporations”. Chartered by the English Crown, it had its own Army, installed its own Governments, minted its own coins, and ruled entire countries. And it played a direct role in sparking the American Revolution. One-rupee coin issued by the British East India Company photo from WikiCommons In the last years of the 16th century, the British Empire was just beginning to grow, as British trade began to dominate the world. One of the major difficulties facing overseas traders, however, was the inherent risk of long ocean voyages. Many trading ships that traveled from Europe to China, South America or the Indies did not return—the victims of storms, accidents, or pirates. Another and much more dangerous threat was the wide variation in price caused by uneven supply. When no ships had recently arrived and supplies were low, prices (and profits) were high, but if two or three fleets happened to land at the same time and the local markets were glutted, prices (and profits) fell steeply. The best way to protect against this, from the merchant’s point of view, was to act together to insure that fleets arrived at regular intervals and the local supply remained steady (keeping prices and profits steady as well). Realizing that their risks would be considerably lessened if they had exclusive rights to all the trade from any specific geographic location, these merchants began lobbying the Queen for a charter to grant their corporation complete monopoly of trade over particular areas. In concert with her Trade and Navigation Acts, which strengthened the Royal Navy, Queen Elizabeth therefore granted a Royal Charter on December 31, 1600, to the British East India Company, granting it a 15-year monopoly on the lucrative commercial trade in spices, silk, and luxury goods flowing from the East Indies. Officially known as the “Company of Merchants of London Trading Into the East Indies”, it soon became known as simply “The Company”. Not only was it the first significant corporation in history; it quickly became the largest, richest and most powerful group of men on the planet, reaching heights of wealth, power and influence that even the 21st century multi-nationals have not yet matched. Dutch traders had already established themselves in the East Indies by this time, and the British initially found themselves at a disadvantage. But a Company trading post that dealt mostly with pepper was set up in Java and became a commercial success. At first, the East India Company raised only sufficient capital to finance one voyage at a time, and, when this proved unsuitable, then raised enough capital for several voyages over a few years. But by 1613, the Company began issuing permanent shares of stock, with periodic payments to be made from profits to the shareholders, the “dividend”. As the Company expanded into Asia and especially India, its profits grew. In 1615, with diplomatic help from the British Crown, the East India Company was granted some territorial and commercial rights by the Mughal Emperor of India. By 1611, its shareholders were receiving more than 150% returns on their investments. The Company’s first offering of stock for public sale, in 1616, brought in 418,000 pounds, and another stock offering in 1617 raised 1.6 million. When the English monarchy was temporarily overthrown in the English Civil War, the government under Oliver Cromwell nevertheless renewed the Company’s Charter in 1657. In 1670, after the monarchy was restored, King Charles II granted the Company the right to mint its own money, to raise its own private army and navy, and to directly govern the territories it had control over. Within its domain, the Company suppressed the development of local competitors and banned any independent local industry. By 1720, some 15% of all Britain’s imports were coming from the Company’s India monopoly. By this time, the British East India Company had become more powerful than the British Government. In 1709, Parliament finally did move to control the royal company by replacing its entire management; the company simply refused to comply, and placed all the “new” management under its control. By 1850, the British East India Company had sole governing authority over one-fifth of the world’s population, expanding its reach into all of India, as well as parts of China, and enforced its rule with a private army of over a quarter of a million men—twice as large as the British Army. Parliament, which had once attempted to control the Company, was now controlled by it—fully one-third of the Members of Parliament owned East India Company stock. The King, meanwhile, became more and more dependent upon “loans” from the Company, in exchange for increased power and privileges. The Company soon began to overreach itself. Its heavy-handed methods in India led to such widespread revolts that, in 1858, the British Government revoked the Company’s authority in India and assumed direct colonial rule. Even then, the East India Company still acted as if it owned the place. In one instance, when a competitor was found to be illegally invading the Company’s monopoly, a Company official asked the local government representative to take action, and was told that the offender would be punished according to British law, whereupon the Company official shot back: “My orders were to be his rules, and not the laws of England, which were a heap of nonsense, compiled by a few ignorant country gentlemen, who hardly knew how to make laws for the good of their own private families, much less for the regulating of companies, and foreign commerce.” The Company also monopolized the trade in opium to China, and twice in the 19th Century, when the Chinese government took steps to end the opium trade, the East India Company used military force to restore its monopoly. The Opium Wars, combined with the rebellion in India, convinced the British Government that the East India Company was becoming more trouble than it was worth, and, when the Company’s economic power began to decline, Parliament dissolved it in January 1874. The British East India Company had its most far-reaching effect on world history, however, in North America. With the defeat of the French in 1763 in the Seven Years War (also fought in North America, where it was known as the French and Indian War), the East India Company was granted a monopoly on the tea trade to the British colonies in America. To help the British Government pay the expenses of the war, it was decided to place a tax on tea sold in the colonies. The colonists responded with a boycott, and in December 1773, in the “Boston Tea Party”, protesters boarded British East India Company ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor, an act which led directly to the American Revolution two years later.
You know it is springtime when spring flowering plants burst onto the scene adding a splash of color to a dormant landscape. The most popular spring flowering plants are daffodils, tulips, crocuses and hyacinths. Plant the bulbs outdoors in the fall and reap the rewards of your labor in early spring. The flowering plants provide a lovely fragrance to the warming air and make perfect cut flowers for enjoying indoors as a bright and beautiful spring floral bouquet. One of the most popular perennial flowers associated with spring, the daffodil marks its arrival after remaining dormant for 12 to 14 weeks in temperatures 50 degrees F and below. Among the varieties of daffodils are narcissus and jonquil in colors of white, yellow, salmon and pink. While one flower per stem is typical, some daffodil varieties provide multiple blooms per stem. Growing to stately heights of up to 20 inches, daffodils are easy to cultivate and require little maintenance. They prefer climates that offer cool spring and summer temperatures and cold winters. Daffodils grow best in good draining soil in a spot that gets moderate to full sun. A worldwide symbol of spring, tulips welcome the season after 14 weeks of dormancy in winter temperatures below 50 degrees F. Tulip varieties are extensive, with a wide array of size, color and shape options. Some varieties feature lily-shaped or fringed flowers, while others delight with ruffled or double blooms. Popular tulip colors are red, yellow, pink, maroon, apricot and white. With height ranging from 6 inches to 2 feet, tulips thrive in climates that offer cool springs and summers and cold winters. When planting tulip bulbs, choose an area that is protected from strong winds, has good draining soil and gets moderate to full sun. The crocus is one of the earlier spring flowers to bloom because it only requires four weeks of temperatures below 50 degrees F before its next blooming stage. With their notable cup-shaped flowers, crocuses usher in spring with colors of violet, yellow, blue and white. Since crocuses are low-growing plants, they only reach heights between 3 to 6 inches tall. The easy care flowering plant prefers moderate to full sun and well draining soil. Fragrant hyacinths begin their bloom after being dormant for 12 weeks in winter temperatures of 50 degrees F and below. With its lovely scent and intense color, the hyacinth is a much loved spring flowering plant. The plant grows between 8 and 12 inches tall with single spikes of lush flowers. Color choices include rich dark shades like blue and magenta and pale hues of yellow, orange and white. Hyacinths grow in moderate to full sunlight in well draining soil.
Gold cyanidation is also known as the cyanide process or the MacArthur-Forrest Process, and is a method used for extracting gold from poor grade ore ("tailings") by converting it to soluble complex aurocyanide anions. Although the procedure is that most commonly used for gold extraction it is attended with controversy on account of the toxicity of cyanide and the perceived potential for contamination by it, since there have been a number of environmental catastophes involving cyanide, e.g. in Romania where fish stocks in rivers were devastated some years ago. The process was originally invented in 1783 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wihelm Scheele, who was also the discoverer of chlorine, a gas used on a large scale in industry, e.g. to make bleach, but which was also used as the world's first chemical gas-weapon in the trenches of WW1. The underlying chemical reaction is called the Elsner reaction, and can be written as: 4Au + 8NaCN + O2 + 2H2O --> 4NaAu(CN)2 + 4 NaOH. The ore is finely ground (comminuted) and is often further concentrated using froth floatation or centifugal concentration, and the resulting alkaline ore slurry is then mixed with a solution of cyanide anions (obtained by dissolving 250 - 500 parts per million of sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide in water). The negatively charged cyanide anions extract the gold from the ore in the form of positively charged gold cations to form the soluble aurocyanide complex, NaAu(CN)2 as shown above. In general, the finer the gold particles, the more quickly they will dissolve. For instance, a 45 micron gold particle might dissolve in 10 - 13 hours, while a 45 micron particle might take from 20 to 44 hours to dissolve in the same solution. It has been found that the addition of lead nitrate can increase the rate at which the gold is leached from rocks and the quantity recovered, particularly in processing partially oxidized ores. Indeed, oxygen (since it is consumed in the reaction shown above) is a critical factor in the gold cyanidation process. Air or pure oxygen gas can be bubbled through the mineral pulp to increase the dissolved oxygen concentration. Oxygen can also be "added" by adding hydrogen peroxide solution to the pulp. The gold is then recovered from the "pregnant" solution (as it is called) using a number of different processes, but passage through highly porous carbon is most commonly used. So high is the internal surface area of the material that around six grams of it would equal the area of the Melbourne cricket ground! The carbon contains micropores (pores of molecular dimensions, similar in size or smaller than those in zeolites) to filter out the gold, and somewhere around 8 kilograms of gold can be extracted by a tonne of carbon. The gold can be removed from the carbon by using a strong solution of caustic soda and cyanide. This is known as elution. The gold is then plated out onto steel wool through electrowinning. Resins that are specific for gold can also be used in place of activated carbon, or where selective separation of gold from copper or other dissolved metals is required. However, cyanide is a highly toxic material, which is why the process is controversial. For example, one teasponful of 2 per cent cyanide solution can kill a human adult (although it would take probably several hours to die. It is hydrogen cyanide, "Prussic Acid" of Nuremberg Trials and James Bond movies who's lethal effects are "instantaneous"). The toxic effects on fish occur at far smaller concentrations that this. Indeed, the worst environmental catastrophe caused by mining in the history of the U.S. was at the Summitville mine, where 27 miles of a Colorado river were left "dead" by cyanide poisoning. There have also been disasters in Kyrgyzstan, French Guiana and Romania, where spillage of cyanide in Baia Mare resulted in widescale contamination of the river Tisza. In the United States, the state of Montana along with several other countries have banned gold mining using cyanide. Although cyanide is toxic, it is readily broken down when exposed to sunlight in the presence of oxygen (air), although this is little comfort when contaminated waters have leaked into groundwater, or other underground sources of freshwater that are protected from the sun, on dank cloudy days, or in winter especially in Eastern Europe (Romania) when rivers are largely covered by ice and snow. In fairness, most of the operations have been conducted without obvious incident, but clearly there is leakage of cyanide, for example from plastic-lined ponds, and the areas surrounding some mines in the U.S. have been found to have elevated levels of cyanide, even decades after they were first processed. The following examples, however, show there is no call for complacency. A History of Accidents Ten miners were killed when a disused slime dam at the Harmony mine in South Africa, operated by Randgold, burst its banks and buried a housing complex in cyanide contaminated mud in Feburary 1994. Cyanide and heavy metal leaks from the Summitville gold mine killed all aquatic life along a 27 kilometer stretch of the Alamosa river in the San Juan mountains of southwestern Colorado by the time the mine was shut down in December 1992. The total clean-up costs have exceeded US$150 million. Failure of a leach pad structure at the Gold Quarry mine in Nevada released about a million liters of cyanide-laden wastes into two creeks in 1997. Over 11,000 fish were killed along an 80 kilometer stretch of the Lynches River by a cyanide spill from the Brewer gold mine in South Carolina in 1992. On May 20,1998, a truck transporting cyanide to the Kumtor mine in Kyrgyzstan plunged off a bridge spilling 1762 kilograms of sodium cyanide into local surface waters. Local people have reported at least four deaths that they claim resulted from the spill. Hundreds of people also checked into local hospitals complaining of health problems following the spill. More than 3.2 billion litres of cyanide-laden tailings were released into the Essequibo river in Guyana when a dam collapsed at the Omai gold mine in August 1995. Studies by the Pan American Health Organization have shown that all aquatic life in the four kilometer long creek that runs from the mine to the Essequibo has been killed. On May 29, 1998 six to seven tons of cyanide-laden tailings spilled into Whitewood Creek in the Black Hills of South Dakota from the Homestake Mine, killing a substantial number of fish. On the night of January 30th, 2000, spillage of 120 tonnes of cyanide at a gold reprocessing facility near the town of Baia Mare in Romania, resulted in widescale contamination of the rivers Tisza and Danube. 150 tonnes of dead fish were recovered, and the drinking water supplies of around 3 million people were threatened. Claims for compensation in Romania, Hungary and Slovakia remain outstanding.
Sam has been teaching Jon the Game of Stones to sharpen his mind and help him devise a strategy to fight the white walkers. The rules of this game are quite simple: Now Jon believes that he is ready for battle, but Sam does not think so. To prove his argument, Sam suggested that they play a modified version of the game. In this modified version, no move can be made more than once on a pile. For example, if 4 stones are removed from a pile, 4 stones cannot be removed from that pile again. Sam sets up the game and makes the first move. Jon believes that Sam is just trying to prevent him from going to battle. Jon wants to know if he can win if both play optimally. First line consists of a single integer n (1 ≤ n ≤ 106) — the number of piles. Each of next n lines contains an integer si (1 ≤ si ≤ 60) — the number of stones in i-th pile. Print a single line containing "YES" (without quotes) if Jon wins, otherwise print "NO" (without quotes) In the first case, Sam removes all the stones and Jon loses. In second case, the following moves are possible by Sam: In each of these cases, last move can be made by Jon to win the game as follows:
The intermediate (hol) festival days (hamoed) — days three through six or two through six in Israel and for the Reform –have a special designation. Although they are not full festivals, they are still holy relative to ordinary days. Leviticus refers to them as mikra’ei kodesh, days of sanctity. Even though there are no biblical prohibitions against work or travel, the rabbis ruled that gainful work is forbidden (you can work if material loss would occur). This was to distinguish the time from normal weekdays and provide greater opportunity for Torah. We read the Torah in synagogue on each intermediate day, conduct the Musaf (additional) service ordained for Shabbat and festivals [except in the Reform tradition], and recite the partial Hallel [Psalms of praise]. Because only part is said on the seventh day, which is a full festival, we cannot elevate a semi-festival above it. Excerpted from Celebrate! The Complete Jewish Holiday Handbook (Jason Aronson Inc). Pronounced: shuh-BAHT or shah-BAHT, Origin: Hebrew, the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Pronunced: TORE-uh, Origin: Hebrew, the Five Books of Moses.
Given by Massachusetts in 1876 Hall of Columns This statue of John Winthrop was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Massachusetts in 1876. John Winthrop was born in Suffolk County, England, on January 12, 1587 or 1588. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1613. He practiced law in London and was admitted to the Inner Temple in 1628. Winthrop's Puritan convictions led him to take an interest in the new Massachusetts Bay Colony in the New World. His involvement in the planning and management of the corporation resulted in his being appointed governor of the colony in 1629. He left England the next year to take his new post in Massachusetts. Gifted in practical affairs and the art of government, Winthrop was the foremost political leader in the colony for nearly 20 years, including twelve non-consecutive terms as governor. Religious leaders were actively involved while the colony struggled to develop a form of government compatible with Puritan beliefs. Winthrop's views differed on occasion from those of the clergy; these disputes led to an eventual inquiry into dissension in the colony, with the result that Winthrop agreed to follow Puritan ideals more closely. At the same time, the colony had come under criticism in England. Winthrop successfully argued for its continuation in a letter to the Lords Commissioners for Plantations. In 1640 he held a post with the Court of Assistants, and in 1642 he was elected to the chief magistracy. In 1645 Winthrop was instrumental in forming the United Colonies and served as its first president. His contributions to Massachusetts continued until his death on March 26, 1649.

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