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Recommended Reading: Exodus 23:20-33
We live in an era where our lives move very fast. We tend to want what we want when we want it – and that is usually NOW!
I have noticed that the virtue of patience seems to have dimmed substantially in most people these days. Think about it…we get in our cars and the traffic around us never seems to move fast enough for us – people dart in and out of traffic to get one or two car lengths ahead of where they were, speeding through intersections as a light is changing to red, many times only to end up at the next light just in front of us or beside us. Fast food drive thrus are never fast enough. The cashier does not scan the items quickly enough. The store clerk is too slow in coming to assist us when we need help. We go on a vacation for the purpose of rest and relaxation yet try to pack so many activities into the time that we become impatient with everyone and everything around us. Even the pastor dares to go over his time by preaching 5 or 10 minutes extra – then we get to the restaurant late, only to then have a server be too slow to take our order and/or serve us our food. Then…we find ourselves impatient and stressed to the max.
Hurry, hurry, hurry. Rush, rush, rush. Where does all that hurrying and rushing and loss of patience really get us? Unfortunately it tends to show up as anger, anxiety, nervous stomachs, ulcers, headaches, etc. In general this tends to lead to an overly stressed, less healthy and less than happy society. As our impatience rises we then tend to say and do things we would not normally do, sometimes offending and/or hurting others – especially the ones we love most.
I believe that if we would only discipline ourselves to take a deep breath, relax and allow a bit of extra time to accomplish what we need to do, we would be so much more gratified and happy with life. We would likely be healthier and more fulfilled with our lives and even more successful in the end.
In the Bible story when God is preparing the Israelites to enter into the promised land, He tells them that His angel will go ahead of them to be a guide, a protector and a commander of the armies. They are warned that they need to pay attention, listen carefully, obey and stand firm in their faithfulness. But most of all, they need to be patient. They are told that victory will not only be theirs, but it will be easy. However, it is not going to be instantaneous – it is going to take time, so pack your patience folks.
In Exodus 23:29-30 (NLT) we see why there is a need for patience in order to experience full success. God said regarding their enemies: “‘But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.’” Did you catch that? “A little at a time.” Total success does not happen all at once, it takes time – it takes patience.
I believe that if we will take those verses and apply them in our lives, learning to move through our life with more patience, God will guide and protect us as we experience real successes.
So do yourself – your spirit, your mind, your body – a favor and take that deep breath, slow down, show patience to all around you and live a happier, more successful life. | https://karranskorner.com/2021/07/18/hurry-hurry-hurry/ |
It also moved from looking at unemployment in figures of 83% as has been misquoted from the African Development Bank and or 64% by ACODE to the national figures of 9.4% by UBOS. The report also identified underemployment as the biggest threat to be addressed as opposed to the frequently presumed anecdote of unemployment. It was argued that it’s rather the low labour demand growth than the skills mismatch that accounts for the current unemployment and the high rates of underemployment.
For long, the debate on (un)employment in Uganda and other emerging economies held the narrative that it is skills mismatch and the lack of youth entrepreneurship as the binding constraints to youth employment. To address this, emphasise has been put on changing the curriculum to include more practical skills. This indeed, saw the increased emphasis of technical skills advancement in a bid to produce more students with practical/employable skills. In other wards, the focus has been on the labour supply side. The underlying assumption to this approach is that there are job opportunities but the unemployed youth lacked the necessary skills to take up these jobs.
According to the report and later the discussion, the employment challenge in Uganda first covers the non-participating labour, the unemployed and the underemployed in terms of time, skills and wages. Accordingly, the binding constraint is the lack of labour demand growth which has even during the impressive economic growth periods registered limited growth. It is argued in the report that labour demand growth will majorly be driven by modern wage labour through Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) replacing indecent work. At the same time, household enterprise work becoming more skill and time-intensive and with better-remuneration. In other wards creating more decent jobs employment which is adequately remunerated, safe, secure, meaningful and dignified.
Uganda’s development papers, the National Development Plan II and vision 2040, report on employment as a big challenge in the country. The two documents as presented by Dr. Muvawala of the National Planning Authority prioritises the creation of decent jobs especially for the growing number of youth in the country. This according to the two documents is a prerequisite for Uganda’s attainment of a middle-income status. Thus, the government is targeting priority areas where jobs can be created. However, it is reported that the investment environment in the country is not favouring firm growth and local firms are not competitive enough to face the international firms. Other challenges pointed out as deterring the labour demand growth were the lack of value systems amongst the youth such as honesty and professionalism for which many employers have continued to complain about. The low industrialisation and value addition, has led to loss of jobs through exporting value chains as well as the low saving culture in the country which has limited the availability of funds for the private sector to borrow, the results of which has been high interest rates.
A critical look at promising sectors
In many discussions and even economic theories, agriculture sector is said to be the number one employer in emerging economies. The government has always been pressured to increase funding for the sector which employs 6 million Ugandans. However, the call for more sector funding has not been specific on the exact area (binding constraint) and as such misallocations have occurred in the process. The discussion however, took a rather analytical look at the sector to identify the most biting constraints which should first be addressed. It was discovered that the binding constraints to labour demand growth within the agriculture sector included insecure land rights which have discouraged heavy investments in the sector, climate change which has wiped many farmers especially smallholder famers who cannot afford irrigation out of business and the poor markets and information gaps. The poor markets have maintained low returns from agriculture discouraging many potential investments.
Therefore, priority areas in the agriculture sector should be on irrigation making it affordable and available to farmers especially the smallholder farmers. This could keep farmers in business throughout the year hence demand for labour. It was also noted that Uganda has a comparative advantage in terms of agriculture compered to her neighbours. There are fertile soils that can support crops with limited application of fertilisers on addition to relatively good weather. The other area was the formation of cooperatives where farmers come together to sell their produce collectively. In this case, they can overcome the middle men who reduces the gains by the farmers.
A similar analysis was made for the service sector. The challenges to labour demand growth in the service sector was explored. This followed a somewhat high speed of growth in Uganda’s service sector. It was discovered that there is lack practical skills training, information gap and lack of demand for specialised services. However, these requires more in-depth analysis to get to the binding constraints.
While as the economic explanations to labour demand growth seemed convincing in explaining the employment challenge, an exploration into the relationship between governance and employment opened another area worthy a rigorous study. In this line, it was argued that the investment environment and entrepreneurship are determined by politics. As argued by Acemoglu et al., (2012) political institutions determine the distribution of political power in society and the form such a distribution will take depends on whether they are inclusive or extractive. Extractive political institutions will give raise to extractive economic institutions where the rules are designed to extract income and wealth from a large subset of society to benefit a much smaller subset. Inclusive political institutions on the other hand will lead to inclusive economic institutions where the rules foster economic activities and economic progress. Once institutions are established, they tend to persist and to reinforce each other, unless a fundamental change brought about by responsive social forces alters the incumbent social equilibrium. Thus, the government according to Dr. Muhumuza has influences the economy in three major ways; through the policies they formulate, the laws that govern the economy and the procedures that are followed. The policies will attract or discourage entrepreneurship just like the laws. Equally the procedure will ease or complicate the processes of starting up business. Government policies for the example the health policies can make labour expensive where there is poor health system making it expensive for the employer to insure the health of their employees. Government policy and programme are influenced by the political agenda but unfortunately, it was argued that the current political agenda in the Uganda is not strong at fixing the economy. Thus, the political regime fundamentally influence the investment environment in the country and hence the labour demand growth.
On the other hand, the relationship between education, entrepreneurship and employment was explored and cleared of the myths that have surrounded it for years. The prevailing myth that has been held for long is that Ugandans are not entrepreneurial enough and that the education system is not practical to equip learners with the skills required on the job market. Nevertheless, in 2014, Uganda was ranked second most enterprising country in the world after (GEM 2014), except for the fact that most Ugandan entrepreneurs are driven by the need for survival after failing to find formal jobs. This is contrary to what should drive entrepreneurship – the presence of an opportunity, a problem to solve or a gap to fill. Thus, the relationship between entrepreneurship, education and employment only matter to the extent that entrepreneurship is opportunity driven, and education affects labour demand growth. This therefore implies that education improvement should go hand in hand with changes in the business environment.
Other observed trends in labour demand
The move from the agricultural sector to the service sector. The old school economic theorists like Lewis (1954) outlined the economic growth stages to include agriculture sector first to industrialisation and then the service sector. However, Uganda’s case seems not be following this order. The service sector is growing more than the industrial sector. A discussion with the entrepreneurs in the service sector pointed to the high costs involved in the industrial sector as one of the major barriers to its growth. In a life experience sessions during the conference, it was pointed out that utilities such as rent, the high power and water tariffs have increased the cost of production in the industrial sector. The sector also requires a lot of man power. Thus, the service sector provides a cheaper option for start-ups.
The last man power survey in Uganda was undertaken in 1989. Since then, the country has been working on estimations. The only recent survey was in the oil sector. Thus, there is information gap on the labour growth in Uganda.
The report and later the discussion open a new perspective of looking at the employment challenge in emerging economies. It however, recognises the need for more rigorous research into the specific binding constraints on labour demand growth in high potential sectors. | https://www.kas.de/en/web/uganda/veranstaltungsberichte/detail/-/content/bildung-unternehmensgruendung-und-beschaeftigung-in-uganda1 |
Semiconductor Research Corp. (SRC), a university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, has established a $5 million industry-university partnership devoted to bringing clean, reliable and efficient energy systems and technologies to the marketplace.
Founding industry members include ABB, Applied Materials, Bosch, First Solar, IBM, Nexans and Tokyo Electron.
The Energy Research Initiative (ERI) will team companies from semiconductors and other energy-related sectors with university research centers to address the world's need for smart alternative energy sources and prepare students with the technical skills required for the burgeoning industry, according to SRC.
Initial research will address the need for new modeling and simulation tools to support the development of improved photovoltaic devices and the development of systems and technologies to enable a smart grid electricity infrastructure with integrated renewable energy resources.
A Photovoltaic Research Center will be established at Purdue University to address the performance, cost, reliability and manufacturing challenges of photovoltaics technologies. The center will leverage Purdue's modeling/simulation expertise and national Network for Computational Nanotechnology framework to provide enabling analytical models and simulation tools for photovoltaic manufacturers, much as Purdue has done for the semiconductor industry.
SOURCE: Semiconductor Research Corp. | https://solarindustrymag.com/semiconductor-research-corp-launches-energy-research-consortium |
A tiny amount of stock oil, rubbed in with the palm of the hand, can be applied now and again – as long as it is allowed to dry thoroughly before the gun is next used.
However, too much oil will leave the stock sticky, which leaves it liable to attract all kinds of dust and muck, and also unpleasant to handle.
For regular maintenance, a good quality wax furniture polish is best. Just apply a little, being careful to keep it out of the chequering, and buff it with a soft cloth until you achieve a dull shine.
Some years ago my wife and I bought some European-made pine furniture, and in one of the drawers we found a tin of polish called Furu Wax, which was of Dutch origin.
It turned out to be ace for gun stocks, but I don’t seem able to buy any more.
However, I am assured that other good-quality furniture waxes are just as good.
How do I preserve the stock on my shotgun? | https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/guns/gun-maintenance/how-do-i-preserve-the-stock-on-my-shotgun-2-28575 |
Difference between revisions of "Chicken Development"
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Latest revision as of 11:18, 3 December 2019
|Embryology - 22 Jan 2020 Expand to Translate|
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العربية | català | 中文 | 中國傳統的 | français | Deutsche | עִברִית | हिंदी | bahasa Indonesia | italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 | မြန်မာ | Pilipino | Polskie | português | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਦੇ | Română | русский | Español | Swahili | Svensk | ไทย | Türkçe | اردو | ייִדיש | Tiếng Việt These external translations are automated and may not be accurate. (More? About Translations)
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Some Recent Findings
- 3 Gallus gallus
- 4 Chicken Stages
- 5 Chicken Movies
- 6 Other Chicken Atlases
- 7 Bird Evolution
- 8 Chicken Genomics
- 9 Chicken Sex Determination
- 10 Chicken Heart
- 11 Chicken Somitogenesis
- 12 Chicken Limb
- 13 Chicken Head
- 14 Chicken Skin
- 15 Historic Studies
- 16 Other Avian Models
- 17 References
- 18 Additional Images
- 19 External Links
- 20 Glossary Links
Introduction
The chicken (taxon -Gallus gallus) embryo develops and hatches in 20 to 21 days and has been extensively used in embryology studies. Historically, the chicken embryo was one of the first embryos studied, readily available and easy to incubate, embryo development can be directly observed by cutting a small window in the egg shell. A key to this model organism study was the establishment of a staging atlas by Hamburger & Hamilton in 1951, which allowed specifc developmental landmarks to be seen and correlated with experimental manipulations of development. This much cited paper included images of all key stages and was more recently republished in the journal Developmental Dynamics (1993), for a new generation of avian researchers. Probably just as important has been the recent chicken genome sequencing, providing a resource to extend our knowledge of this excellent developmental model.
Fertilized eggs can be easily maintained in humidified incubators and during early stages of development the embryo floats on to of the egg yolk that it is using for nutrition. As the embryo grows it sinks into, or below the, yolk. The regular appearance of somites allowed early experimenters to acurately stage the embryo. The embryo was accessible and easy to manipulate (limb grafts/removal etc) that were informative about developmental processes. Chicken cells and tissues (neural ganglia/fragments) are also easy to grow in tissue culture. The discovery that quail cells have a different nuclear appearance meant that transplanted cells (chick/quail chimeras) could be tracked during development. For example, LeDourian's studies showed how neural crest cells migrate widely throughout the embryo.
|This collapsible and sortable table compares the chicken incubation period with other bird species.|
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|Animal Development: axolotl | bat | cat | chicken | cow | dog | dolphin | echidna | fly | frog | goat | grasshopper | guinea pig | hamster | kangaroo | koala | lizard | medaka | mouse | opossum | pig | platypus | rabbit | rat | sea squirt | sea urchin | sheep | worm | zebrafish | life cycles | development timetable | development models | K12|
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Some Recent Findings
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|More recent papers|
This table allows an automated computer search of the external PubMed database using the listed "Search term" text link.
More? References | Discussion Page | Journal Searches | 2019 References | 2020 References
Search term: Chicken Embryology | Chicken Development
|Older papers|
|These papers originally appeared in the Some Recent Findings table, but as that list grew in length have now been shuffled down to this collapsible table.
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See also the Discussion Page for other references listed by year and References on this current page.
Gallus gallus
Taxonomy Id: 9031
Preferred common name: chicken
Rank: species
Genetic code: Translation table 1 (Standard) Mitochondrial genetic code: Translation table 2
Other names: dwarf Leghorn chickens (includes), red jungle fowl (includes), chickens (common name), Gallus domestics (misnomer), Gallus galls domesticus (misnomer)
Lineage (abbreviated ): Eukaryota; Metazoa; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Archosauria; Aves; Neognathae; Galliformes; Phasianidae; Phasianinae; Gallus
Chicken Stages
Chicken stages - Hamburger & Hamilton staged the chicken embryo in 1951. The Hamburger Hamilton Stages are most commonly used series for chicken staging. The original paper had approx 25 citations between 1955 - 59, while in the year 1991 alone there were over 300 citations. Series of Embryonic Chicken Growth. J. Morphology, 88 49 - 92 (1951). Atlas recently republished by J.R. Sanes in Developmental Dynamics 195 229-275 (1993).
|Hamburger Hamilton Stages (1951)|
|3.5-4.5 hr||Shell membrane of egg formed in isthmus of oviduct|
|Germ wall formed from marginal periblast|
|4.5-24.0 hr||Shell of egg formed in uterus|
|Preprimitive streak (embryonic shield)|
|6-7 hr||Initial primitive streak, 0.3-0.5 mm long|
|12-13 hr||Intermediate primitive streak|
|18-19 hr||Definitive primitive streak, ±1.88 mm long|
|19-22 hr||Head process (notochord)|
|23-25 hr||Head fold|
|23-26 hr||1 somite; neural folds|
|ca. 23-26 hr||1-3 somites; coelom|
|26-29 hr||4 somites; blood islands|
|29-33 hr||7 somites; primary optic vesicles|
|ca. 33 hr||8-9 somites; anterior amniotic fold|
|33-38 hr||10 somites; 3 primary brain vesicles|
|40-45 hr||13 somites; 5 neuromeres of hindbrain|
|45-49 hr||16 somites; telencephalon|
|48-52 hr||19 somites; atrioventricular canal|
|ca. 50-52 hr||20-21 somites; tail bud|
|50-53 hr||22 somites; trunk flexure; visceral arches I and II, clefts 1 and 2|
|ca. 50-54 hr||23 somites; premandibular head cavities|
|50-55 hr||24-27 somites; visceral arch III, cleft 3|
|51-56 hr||26-28 somites; wing bud; posterior amniotic fold|
|52-64 hr||29-32 somites; leg bud; epiphysis|
|3 da||30-36 somites extending beyond level of leg bud; allantois|
|3.0-3.5 da||37- 40 somites extending into tail; maxillary process|
|3.0-3.5 da||40-43 somites; rotation completed; eye pigment|
|3.5 da||43-44 somites; visceral arch IV, cleft 4|
|3.5-4.0 da||Somites extend to tip of tail|
|4 da||Dorsal contour from hindbrain to tail is a curved line|
|4.5 da||Toe plate|
|4.5-5.0 da||Elbow and knee joints|
|5 da||1st 3 toes|
|5.0-5.5 da||Beak|
|5.5-6.0 da||3 digits, 4 toes|
|6.0-6.5 da||Rudiment of 5th toe|
|6.5-7.0 da||Feather germs; scleral papillae; egg tooth|
|7.0-7.5 da||Web between 1st and 2nd digits|
|7.5 da||Anterior tip of mandible has reached beak|
|7.5-8.0 da||Web on radial margin of wing and 1st digit|
|8 da||Nictitating membrane|
|8.5-9.0 da||Phalanges in toes|
|10 da||Length of 3rd toe from tip to middle of metatarsal joint = 5.4 ±0.3 mm; length of beak from anterior angle of nostril to tip of bill = 2.5mm; primordium of comb; labial groove; uropygial gland|
|11 da||Length of 3rd toe = 7.4 ±0.3mm; length of beak = 3.0 mm|
|12 da||Length of 3rd toe = 8.4 ± 0.3 mm; length of beak = 3.1 mm|
|13 da||Length of 3rd toe = 9.8 ± 0.3 mm; length of beak = 3.5 mm|
|14 da||Length of beak = 4.0 mm; length of 3rd toe = 12.7 ± 0.5 mm|
|15 da||Length of beak from anterior angle of nostril to tip of upper bill = 4.5 mm; length of 3rd toe = 14.9 ± 0.8 mm|
|16 da||Length of beak = 4.8 mm; length of 3rd toe = 16.7 ± 0.8 mm|
|17 da||Length of beak = 5.0 mm; length of 3rd toe = 18.6 ± 0.8 mm|
|18 da||Length of beak = 5.7 mm; length of 3rd toe = 20.4 ± 0.8 mm|
|19-20 da||Yolk sac half enclosed in body cavity; chorio-allantoic membrane contains less blood and is "sticky" in living embryo|
|20-21 da||Newly-hatched chick|
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Hamburger V. and Hamilton HL. A series of normal stages in the development of the chick embryo. (1951) J Morphol. 88(1): 49-92. PMID 24539719 PDF
Original 1951 paper (and all data) was republished in 1992. <pubmed>1304821</pubmed> PDF
Note that there was also an earlier Witschi staging, and a 1900 staging series by Franz Keibel and Karl Abraham, and an earlier (1883) series by Foster, Balfour, Sedgwick, and Heape.
Normal Plates of the Development of the Chicken Embryo (1900)
- Links: Chicken Stages | Hamburger Hamilton | Witschi | 1900 | 1883 | PDF Poster- Hamburger Hamilton Stages | 2006 reproduction of the original paper
Chicken Movies
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|Neural crest migration Chicken Head (movies overview)|
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|Chicken Placode|
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- Links: Movies
Other Chicken Atlases
Vertebrate and Invertebrate Embryos (7th Edition) G.C. Schoenwolf, Prentice Hall, New Jersey
An Atlas of Embryology (1975) W.H. Freeman and B. Bracegirdle, Heinemann Educational Books, UK.
This is an ATLAS (no description of development) , basically reprinted from the original 1963 edition.
Photos with labelled diagrams covering Amphioxus (worm) Frog, Chicken.
An Atlas for Staging Mammalian and Chick Embryos (1987) H. Bultler and B.H. Juurlink, CRC Press Inc., Florida
This ATLAS is not a complete series of development but has interesting comparisons of species.
Mostly photos of embryos with a few drawn diagrams and a series of staging correlation graphs.
Bird Evolution
Birds and Dinosaurs? as quoted in a Curent Biology review "...abundant and ever increasing evidence places birds as one surviving lineage of the diverse clade Dinosauria"
Chicken Genomics
The first draft of the chicken genome was publicly released in March, 2004. There are a number of sites that have begun looking into establishing chicken genomics partly due to its powerful history as a model of vertebrate development that is easy to observe, manipulate and is also cheap. (see also NIH Proposal for Chicken Genomics | NCBI Chicken Genome Resources)
A summary of chicken genome resources has recently been identified in a review in Developmental Dynamics by Antin PB and Konieczka JH.
Chicken Sex Determination
In chicken development sex determination depends on a ZZ male/ZW female mechanism.
This differs from mammalian sex determination which is based upon testis expression of an Sry gene in somatic supporting Sertoli cells.
In the gonad, the coelomic epithelium contributes only to non-steroidogenic interstitial cells and nephrogenous mesenchyme contributes both Sertoli cells and steroidogenic cells.
Genital
Primordial Germ Cell Migration Model
|HH12–13 - yolk sac circulation courses in loop (red arrows) to enter the embryo via the heart. The majority of PGCs (green dots) localized axially at the border between the area opaca and pellucida, where the sinus terminalis converged in the anterior vitelline veins.||HH14–16 - PGCs (green dots) circulated effectively towards the embryo via the sinus terminalis and the anterior vitelline veins towards the heart. Then PGCs traffic via the aorta to the caudal part of the embryo and become lodged in the genital ridges.|
Chicken Heart
Note these are Hamburger Hamilton Stages of chicken development, see also Heart 3D reconstruction.
Chicken Cardiac Stages
From review
- HH 8 (26–29 hours, 4–6 somites)
- HH 9 (29–33 hours, 7–9 somites) - Cardiac neural crest cells begin the process of EMT and emigrate from the neural tube.
- HH 10–11 (33–45 hours, 10–15 somites) - Primary heart tube
- HH 12-13- (45–49 hours, 16–19 somites) - dextral-looping phase of looping completed at stage 12.
- HH 13+ (50–52 hours, 20–21 somites) - c-shaped heart loop transformed into the s-shaped heart loop. Cardiac neural crest has stopped producing cells.
Chicken Somitogenesis
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|Gene expression||Somite timing|
Chick somitogenesis oscillator
Chicken body elongation model
Chicken Limb
Limb Hairy2 Expression Model
Hairy2 is a "molecular oscillator" involved in both somite and limb development.
Chicken stage 21 to 27 wing bud Tbx2 and Tbx3 expression
Chicken Head
A recent study of chicken mandible development has shown MORN5 (MORN repeat containing 5, on chromosome 17, was expressed in chick craniofacial structures from stage HH17-18 (E2.5). At stage HH20 (E3) expression was localized in the mandibular prominences lateral to the midline. and from stage HH20 up to HH29 (E6), there was strong expression in restricted regions of the maxillary and mandibular prominences. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00378
The following gene expression data is from a study of different head regions during development.
- Frontonasal Prominence - CASH1/ASCL1, POSTN, OGN, CYP26A1, NR2E1, and SCARA5.
- Olfactory epithelium SP8, EYA2, and SIX3
- Maxillary/Trigeminal Ganglion - SOX10, TAGLN3.
- Mandibular - DLX1, HAND2 (highest), LHX8, MSX2, PITX2, and TWIST2.
- Mandibular/maxillary prominences differentially expressed - BETA3, HAND2, and MSX2.
Chicken Skin
Processes in chicken embryo skin development.
Three different processes in chicken embryo skin development were analyzed: Micro-patterning (E6–E8), intra-bud morphogenesis (E9–E10) and follicle morphogenesis (After E11). Histological sections of three stages of chicken skin during embryonic development.
Historic Studies
The Elements of Embryology - Volume 1 by Foster, M., Balfour, F. M., Sedgwick, A., & Heape, W. (1883)
The History of the Chick: Egg structure and incubation beginning | Summary whole incubation | First day | Second day - first half | Second day - second half | Third day | Fourth day | Fifth day | Sixth day to incubation end
Keibel F. and Abraham K. Normal Plates of the Development of the Chicken Embryo (Gallus domesticus). (1900) Vol. 2 in series by Keibel F. Normal plates of the development of vertebrates (Normentafeln zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der Wirbelthiere) Fisher, Jena., Germany.
Lillie FR. The development of the chick. (1908) New York.
Elements of Embryology - Volume 1 - Figures
Other Avian Models
Pigeon
The domestic pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica) has an average egg development 18 days. A recent paper describes pigeon development and staging.
Quail
Quail average egg development 15-16 days. The quail historically was used extensively by Nicole Le Douarin in chimera studies with chicken, particularly for neural crest development. See also the quail anatomy portal (For review username: demo, password: quail123).
- Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica).
|Animal Development: axolotl | bat | cat | chicken | cow | dog | dolphin | echidna | fly | frog | goat | grasshopper | guinea pig | hamster | kangaroo | koala | lizard | medaka | mouse | opossum | pig | platypus | rabbit | rat | sea squirt | sea urchin | sheep | worm | zebrafish | life cycles | development timetable | development models | K12|
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References
- ↑ Hamburger V & Hamilton HL. (1992). A series of normal stages in the development of the chick embryo. 1951. Dev. Dyn. , 195, 231-72. PMID: 1304821 DOI.
- ↑ Davey MG, Towers M, Vargesson N & Tickle C. (2018). The chick limb: embryology, genetics and teratology. Int. J. Dev. Biol. , 62, 85-95. PMID: 29616743 DOI.
- ↑ Kremnyov S, Henningfeld K, Viebahn C & Tsikolia N. (2018). Divergent axial morphogenesis and earlyshhexpression in vertebrate prospective floor plate. Evodevo , 9, 4. PMID: 29423139 DOI.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gong H, Wang H, Wang Y, Bai X, Liu B, He J, Wu J, Qi W & Zhang W. (2018). Skin transcriptome reveals the dynamic changes in the Wnt pathway during integument morphogenesis of chick embryos. PLoS ONE , 13, e0190933. PMID: 29351308 DOI.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cela P, Hampl M, Fu KK, Kunova Bosakova M, Krejci P, Richman JM & Buchtova M. (2016). MORN5 Expression during Craniofacial Development and Its Interaction with the BMP and TGFβ Pathways. Front Physiol , 7, 378. PMID: 27630576 DOI.
- ↑ Atsuta Y & Takahashi Y. (2015). FGF8 coordinates tissue elongation and cell epithelialization during early kidney tubulogenesis. Development , 142, 2329-37. PMID: 26130757 DOI.
- ↑ Canaria CA & Lansford R. (2011). 4D fluorescent imaging of embryonic quail development. Cold Spring Harb Protoc , 2011, 1291-4. PMID: 22046043 DOI.
- ↑ Keibel F. and Abraham K. Normal Plates of the Development of the Chicken Embryo (Gallus domesticus). (1900) Vol. 2 in series by Keibel F. Normal plates of the development of vertebrates (Normentafeln zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der Wirbelthiere) Fisher, Jena., Germany.
- ↑ Foster M. Balfour FM. Sedgwick A. and Heape W. The Elements of Embryology (1883) Vol. 1. (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan and Co.
- ↑ Clarke J & Middleton K. (2006). Bird evolution. Curr. Biol. , 16, R350-4. PMID: 16713939 DOI.
- ↑ Lindow BE & Dyke GJ. (2006). Bird evolution in the Eocene: climate change in Europe and a Danish fossil fauna. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc , 81, 483-99. PMID: 16893476 DOI.
- ↑ Antin PB & Konieczka JH. (2005). Genomic resources for chicken. Dev. Dyn. , 232, 877-82. PMID: 15739221 DOI.
- ↑ De Melo Bernardo A, Sprenkels K, Rodrigues G, Noce T & Chuva De Sousa Lopes SM. (2012). Chicken primordial germ cells use the anterior vitelline veins to enter the embryonic circulation. Biol Open , 1, 1146-52. PMID: 23213395 DOI.
- ↑ Martinsen BJ. (2005). Reference guide to the stages of chick heart embryology. Dev. Dyn. , 233, 1217-37. PMID: 15986452 DOI.
- ↑ Tenin G, Wright D, Ferjentsik Z, Bone R, McGrew MJ & Maroto M. (2010). The chick somitogenesis oscillator is arrested before all paraxial mesoderm is segmented into somites. BMC Dev. Biol. , 10, 24. PMID: 20184730 DOI.
- ↑ Olivera-Martinez I, Harada H, Halley PA & Storey KG. (2012). Loss of FGF-dependent mesoderm identity and rise of endogenous retinoid signalling determine cessation of body axis elongation. PLoS Biol. , 10, e1001415. PMID: 23118616 DOI.
- ↑ Sheeba CJ, Andrade RP & Palmeirim I. (2012). Joint interpretation of AER/FGF and ZPA/SHH over time and space underlies hairy2 expression in the chick limb. Biol Open , 1, 1102-10. PMID: 23213390 DOI.
- ↑ Fisher M, Downie H, Welten MC, Delgado I, Bain A, Planzer T, Sherman A, Sang H & Tickle C. (2011). Comparative analysis of 3D expression patterns of transcription factor genes and digit fate maps in the developing chick wing. PLoS ONE , 6, e18661. PMID: 21526123 DOI.
- ↑ Buchtová M, Kuo WP, Nimmagadda S, Benson SL, Geetha-Loganathan P, Logan C, Au-Yeung T, Chiang E, Fu K & Richman JM. (2010). Whole genome microarray analysis of chicken embryo facial prominences. Dev. Dyn. , 239, 574-91. PMID: 19941351 DOI.
- ↑ Rodrigues T, Brodier L & Matter JM. (2020). Investigating Neurogenesis in Birds. Methods Mol. Biol. , 2092, 1-18. PMID: 31786777 DOI.
- ↑ Ruparelia AA, Simkin JE, Salgado D, Newgreen DF, Martins GG & Bryson-Richardson RJ. (2014). The quail anatomy portal. Database (Oxford) , 2014, bau028. PMID: 24715219 DOI.
Reviews
Articles
Korn MJ & Cramer KS. (2007). Windowing chicken eggs for developmental studies. J Vis Exp , , 306. PMID: 18989413 DOI.
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External Links
External Links Notice - The dynamic nature of the internet may mean that some of these listed links may no longer function. If the link no longer works search the web with the link text or name. Links to any external commercial sites are provided for information purposes only and should never be considered an endorsement. UNSW Embryology is provided as an educational resource with no clinical information or commercial affiliation.
- e-Chick Atlas
The e-Chick Atlas of Anatomy Explore the 3-D anatomical atlas of Chick embryo development.
- The e-Chick Atlas of Gene Expression A database of Chick gene expression where, uniquely, the gene expression is mapped into the ECA 3-D space and can be queried spatially.
- Developmental Dynamics - Chicken Special Issue (2004) | Poster- Hamburger Hamilton Stages | Republished Hamburger Hamilton Stages Paper
- Developmental Biology - Quail-Chick Chimeras
- Nicole Le Douarin pioneered the use of quail-chick chimeras to study the developmental fate of cells in the bird embryo. The videotape Nicole Le Douarin gave us permission to digitize is titled, "Quail-Chick Chimeras in Development of the Nervous System and Immune System" and it was made in 1987. These digital video sequences and still images come from the first part of her videotape. These chimeras were a key to our understanding cell migration (eg neural crest) in the embryo.
- Quicktime movie sequence 1 (477k) showing newly hatched quail-chick chimeras; white feathers are chick and dark, pigmented feathers are quail.
- Quicktime movie sequence 2 (1.3 MB) Sequence showing the preparation of the chick host; removing a portion of host's neural tube and neural crest.
- Quicktime movie sequence 3 (1.4 MB) Sequence showing the removal and "cleaning off" of donor quail neural tube and neural crest.
- Quicktime movie sequence 4 (1.5 MB) Sequence showing transplantation and grafting of donor quail neural tube and neural crest into the chick host; at the end of this sequence, you see the host chick embryo 5 hours later with its healed in graft. | https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php?title=Chicken_Development&curid=831&diff=0&oldid=391587 |
Warehouse owners in the Atlanta area who prioritize employee safety will likely experience improved productivity, which will have a positive impact on the bottom line. However, not all workers are fortunate enough to enjoy health and safety protection in their workplaces. If your employer fails to comply with the safety regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, you may have to take precautions to prevent injuries.
Various hazards exist in warehouses, and many Georgia workers fall victim to workplace accidents every year. If you cannot avoid an injury, you might find yourself facing mounting medical bills and be unable to work for an extended period.
Typical safety hazards in warehouses
If you want to take charge of your own safety, the first step would be to become familiar with the following potential safety hazards you might encounter:
- Musculoskeletal injuries: If your job requires you to lift, carry, push, pull and place heavy objects during manual material handling such, as picking orders and handling pallets, learning proper lifting techniques might prevent injuries. Typical workers’ compensation claims in this industry involve back and shoulder injuries.
- Forklift accidents: Forklifts are extremely hazardous because they operate among employees that move about on foot. The risks include being crushed by the forklift against another surface, tip-overs of the vehicle or unbalanced loads. Lifting workers to higher levels on the prongs of a forklift can cause catastrophic injuries. Driving off unprotected edges, such as loading docks, are the cause of many forklift accidents.
- Falling objects: Improperly stacked objects on shelves and platforms cause significant hazards, and the higher the shelves the greater the risk of falling objects. Avoid building stacks too high, and ensure that racks are strong enough to carry the loads.
- Slips, trips and falls: Spillages, leaks and gravel brought into the warehouse by forklifts can cause slip-and-fall accidents with severe consequences. Randomly placed stocks and objects in walkways pose trip hazards. Good housekeeping is essential to eliminate these hazards.
- Fire: The threat of fire in a warehouse is likely the most serious of all risks. Although building regulations are strict when it comes to fire extinguishers and emergency exits, it is important to avoid stacking anything in front of them. Furthermore, exposed wires and unidentified spills, leaks and gases that can ignite must receive attention immediately.
Workers’ compensation
No matter how careful you are, a co-worker’s negligence could cause a warehouse accident that leaves you injured. If this should happen, you might find comfort in knowing that the Georgia workers’ compensation insurance program will have your back. You can file a benefits claim that should cover all your medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. Seeking legal guidance can be beneficial. | https://www.amillerlegal.com/blog/2018/07/common-hazards-for-warehouse-workers/ |
Utah’s New National Monument Marks Big Win for the Protection of Indigenous Cultural SitesBy permanently protecting an area rich in indigenous cultural history, Obama has shown that some things are worth more than money.
By Jacqueline Keeler
YES! Magazine
yesmagazine.org On Dec. 28, with only 22 days left in office, President Obama set aside nearly 1.35 million acres in southeastern Utah’s San Juan County as the Bears Ears National Monument. The announcement capped several years of work by a unique tribal coalition that proposed this first-in-the-nation monument to be comanaged by tribes and the federal government. Obama also designated 300,000 acres at Gold Butte in Nevada, homelands of the Paiute people, ironically, near militant rancher Cliven Bundy’s cattle operation. The national monument—proposed by the Bears Ears Inter-tribal Coalition, which includes the Navajo Nation, the Pueblo of Zuni, the Ute Mountain Ute, Ute tribe, and Hopi tribe—will preserve an area rich in biodiversity and human history amid one of the country’s most iconic landscapes. It, and the political battle that continues to stem from it, also raises a greater question for a nation at odds with itself: What is the value of land? This is at the heart of land disputes from the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. Does the value of unspoiled wildness, the cultural heritage of indigenous people, and their ancestral connection to the land outweigh the exploitation of oil, coal, timber, grassland, and water to create wealth? “Every time I hear something new and great, like the rediscovery of a bean species or something our ancestors learned to grow during a great drought historically, [I know] we wouldn’t make those discoveries if it all gets destroyed and thrown in a pile of rubbish,” said Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, Ute Mountain Ute tribal councilwoman and coalition chairwoman. “It takes a page out of our history,” she said. The name Bears Ears—called the same in the languages of each of the regional tribes—refers to a pair of red sandstone buttes that rise 2,000 feet above juniper-covered Cedar Mesa. The surrounding area encompasses some 100,000 culturally significant sites, including cliff dwellings, burial sites, and ancient roads that span thousands of years of human history. Like the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East, Bears Ears has served as a nursery for many cultures in the Southwest and holds ancient remains dating back as much as 13,000 years. Examples include the stunning House on Fire and Moon House, built by Ancestral Puebloans around 800 years ago. These stone towers and multilevel cliff houses, as well as the more humble remains of early Navajo hogans, display the incredible ingenuity that this unique landscape has fostered. For Navajo people, Bears Ears also holds significance as the birthplace of the great 19th century Navajo leader Chief Manuelito, who led a resistance against the forced removal of his people. | https://www.indianz.com/News/2017/01/10/jacqueline-keeler-new-monument-marks-win.asp |
Phthalates exposure leads to placental gene changes
Exposure to phthalates may affect gene activity in the placenta.
Researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle, have looked at the exposure of phthalates, a chemical found in many plastics, and how these may affect pregnant women. The study found an association between high levels of phthalates and a change in gene expression in the placenta.
'We know that phthalate exposure in pregnancy is associated with numerous adverse child health outcomes, including premature birth and behavioural changes in early childhood,' said Dr Alison Paquette, assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of Washington. 'In this study, we attempt to identify mechanisms that may help explain the associations we see between prenatal phthalate exposure and child health outcomes.'
The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, consisted of 760 women enrolled in the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) study, which was conducted at the University of Tennessee Health Science Centre. The researchers at the University of Washington used a subset of this studies' population data. Urine samples were taken from women in their second and third trimesters, along with placenta samples after giving birth. The samples were analysed to understand the effect phthalates had on gene activity.
The researchers found that higher levels of phthalates in urine were associated with expression of 38 genes and 27 biological pathways. One pathway was prominent in placenta function, affecting how the placental cells adhere to each other, a vital part of normal function.
Additionally, altering biological pathways can affect fatty acid development, which is needed for fetal growth within the placenta. A change here could interfere with the placental functioning of transporting essential substances to the fetus and impact long term fetal growth.
'Our findings suggest exposure to phthalates during pregnancy is associated with changes in gene expression in the placenta.' Researchers plan to study exactly how phthalates might cause these changes in gene expression and how the changes in gene expression might affect the functioning of fetal cells Dr Paquette added.
Other studies have suggested phthalate exposure may lead to decreased pregnancy length, asthma in early childhood and eczema development. In combination, these studies also implicated phthalate exposure to problems from infancy until middle childhood.
Dr Paquette and her team state that more work is needed to understand how phthalate exposure might disrupt placental gene activity and placental function. | https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_159803 |
Ever wanted to take fab photos but need to save up for an expensive camera? Read on to see how you can be a cool photographer without a £400 camera!
Steps
Part 1
Composing a Scene
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1Look for nature in the everyday. You won't always have time to visit the zoo, farm, or forest, but you can still photograph nature. Look for cloud formations, birds on a wire, bugs and bees, wet smooth pebbles in shallow water, pine cones, and sea shells. Develop your eye for finding these snippets of nature, and viewing them as photography subjects. As a beginner, it's easier to focus on the technical details of photography when you're not awed by a beautiful landscape.
- With the advent of good cell phone cameras, you don't need to wait until you've grabbed all your equipment. Get in the habit of taking nature photos while on a walk, in the grocery store produce aisle, or watching rain or snow fall from inside your house.
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2Photograph small animals and flowers down at eye level. Crouch down to get a new perspective on these little living things. Photographs from above tend only to capture the details that we see in everyday encounters.
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3Explore different angles and perspectives. The default approach is to photograph an object head-on. There's nothing wrong with this perspective, but any subject has many more to offer. Here are a few examples of ways to photograph a stand of trees:
- Lying on the ground beneath them, looking up.
- From the hill above it, looking down.
- Sitting on an opposite tree branch, level with the canopy.
- Close up on the bark, a leaf, a stem, or any of the hundreds of parts that make up a tree.
- Focused on one of these objects, but capturing a soft background behind it.
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4Pay attention to textures. From water to blowing grass to brambles, nature has an infinite variety of visual textures. Contrast a sharp flower with a splashing raindrop, or the fluffiness of a cumulus cloud with a flat sheet of ice.
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5Play with sunlight. The same location can look radically different at different times of day. The best time for nature photography is usually just after sunrise or just after sunset. The natural atmospheric lighting at these times provide warmth and shadows, for a varied and balanced composition. Closer to mid-day, the light tends to be too flat and bright.
- Flowers are best photographed on days with no wind and a slightly overcast sky, to avoid shadows of the petals obscuring the colorful blooms.
- Low levels of light generally make natural scenes appear more authentic. They enhance contrast as well, which leads to great photographs. Picture the crisp difference between dark water and a light sky.
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6Learn the rule of thirds. When you're composing an image with a clear horizon line or another dividing horizontal line, never place it at the center of the photograph. Position it either ⅓ of the distance from the top of the photo, or ⅓ from the bottom.
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7Lead the viewer’s eye into the photograph. Hone your composition skills to find that perspective that draws the viewer in. There are many ways to accomplish this goal:
- Tree branches or bushes as foreground objects, framing the subject.
- A curving path or road drawing the viewer in.
- Diagonal lines from anything at all — a rock formation, a bent tree.
- A gradation of color.
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8Show off a single color. Nature scenes that contain a clamor of color are easy to find, and can certainly be beautiful. But challenge yourself to find moments of a single, vivid color on a plain backdrop. A bare, Burnt Umber bush over snow; the Early Spring Green of just-open leaves on white birch; the simple Forest Green of a canopy framed by sky.
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9Be patient. Take your time to locate the right shot, especially when photographing animals. Roam your surroundings with your feet and your eyes, and wait patiently and quietly for opportunity and inspiration to strike.
Part 2
Adjusting Equipment
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1Add specialized lenses. A macro lens is invaluable for extreme close-up subjects, such as insects, worms, and snails. If you want to take distance shots, such as when you're trying to capture elusive animal subjects, find a zoom lens with at least an 80–100mm focal length.
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2Adjust the aperture. If you have a camera with adjustable controls, learn what a change in aperture does to the focus point of the photo. Do you want a picture from here to infinity? A smaller aperture with a higher f/stop (f8 to f22) will result in a deep depth of field (DOF). For a shallow depth of field, with a single focal point on a blurred background, set the camera to a larger opening with a lower f/stop (f2 to f5.6).
Expert AnswerQ
- The depth of field is defined as the depth of the zone in which the image is razor sharp.
When asked, "How do aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together?"EXPERT ADVICE
Or Gozal, photographer, responded: "The gist of it is this: light enters your camera and passes through the lens aperture, which you can adjust. It then hits the shutter opening, which opens really quickly, lets in the light for the amount of time specified by the photographer, and then the ISO brightens up the picture as needed (higher ISO meaning a brighter image). All 3 work in tandem and are adjustable!"
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3Reduce shutter speed for water photography. If you can slow down the shutter, you can capture wonderful cascading waterfalls, or waves crashing against rocks. Place your camera on a sturdy tripod or flat surface before shooting, or the moving subject will blur.
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4Increase shutter speed for fast-moving animals. To photograph birds and other speedy subjects without blurring, increase the shutter speed. Because the shutter only has a moment to let in light, you'll also need a fast lens, meaning a lens that opens extra wide to let in enough light in that moment.
- The flash feature will also help "freeze" a single moment, though it may startle your subject.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat if I don't have a good camera?Community AnswerEven if you don't have a good camera you should still be able to use color, play with lighting, and use techniques in the composing a scene section of this article, such as the rule of thirds, to take good pictures.
Tips
- Bring along your camera while driving and take shots out the window as you go. These won't be perfectly composed, of course, but simple photo editing software can crop or lighten as required.
- Avoid taking pictures on a windy day, unless you are looking for waves on the water or palm fronds blowing in the breeze.
- Download your photos in a detailed, organized manner, sorting them by date and subject. You won't regret the time spent when your photo collection reaches a four-digit number.
Warnings
- Be aware of safety when seeking photographs in remote areas. Do not walk onto private property or dangerous areas.
- Make sure not to have the flash on when photographing sleeping animals. It will startle them. | https://www.wikihow.com/Take-Good-Photos-of-Nature |
TRADE UNIONS have renewed their demand for the Government to set a new minimum wage matching current economic realities and protect vulnerable workers.
Speaking to The New Times, yesterday, various workers unions officials said it is unfair to continue relying on the minimum wage that was set over three decades ago.
The ILO Minimum Wage Fixing Convention of 1970 indicates that crucial elements to be considered while determining the level of minimum wage will include the needs of workers and their families, taking into account the general level of wages in the country, the cost of living, social security benefits, and the relative living standards of other social groups.
It also states that economic factors, including the requirements of economic development, levels of productivity and the desirability of attaining and maintaining a high level of employment should be considered.
The current minimum wage is at Rwf100 per day, set in 1980s.
Séraphin Gasore, the executive secretary of Labour Congress and the Brotherhood-Rwanda (Cotraf), said employees’ efforts and skills should be fairly rewarded to be able to cater for their families, own decent houses, educate their children and afford medical treatment among others.
“We have been asking one thing and this is setting the minimum wage. With the current high rate of unemployment, employees have no bargaining power over wages; they are at the mercy of employers. It is, therefore, the Government responsibility to revise and set up the minimum wage which can motivate employees and encourage more productivity,” he added.
Gasore said fair minimum wage would not only benefit employees but will also be a way of creating more jobs.
He noted that research by the trade unions conducted in 2014 showed that lowest paid employees in urban areas should earn Rwf127,000 per month while those in rural areas should earn at least Rwf87,000 per month.
“We considered employees without their family. We did not consider that the employee needs health insurance and to educate their children. If you compare current situation this should have changed due to rising market prices but as you know, very few earn the proposed amount,” Gasore said.
Setting provisions
Meanwhile, the Rwandese Labour Party (PSR) also joined the call on the Government to increase workers’ guaranteed inter-professional minimum wage, which it said had remained static since 1973.
In a statement signed by chairperson, MP Jean Baptiste Rucibigango, the party called for “the provision of mandatory health insurance to each worker in accordance with the Law No 48/2015 of 23 November 2015, compensate workers without any further ado for workplace accidents and for pension for retired workers and any social security-related allowance in general.”
It also called for urgent establishment of a labour court and voiced its concern of illegal firing of employees in some institutions.
It cited the suspension from duties of more than 350 health workers of Compassion International, 300 staff of former Banques Populaires du Rwanda (BPR) and 150 Opportunity Bank employees.
******
MINIMUM WAGE A WORK IN PROGRESS
Speaking to The New Times, yesterday, the Minister for Public Service and Labour, Judith Uwizeye, said works on setting a minimum wages are ongoing. “Laws, especially the labour law ,is very sensitive. It must be agreed on by the Government, employees, trade union and employers. This is the procedure we have been working on for quite a long period but I would say it is about to reach conclusion. We are awaiting scrutiny by the government and submit it to parliament,” she said.
“Minimum wage will be the order that will be attached to that labour law, we cannot tell when the law will be available because it is yet to be sent to the parliament to be voted so I can’t tell when it will be out,” Uwizeye said.
The minister hailed the current achievements in terms of promoting labour in the country and the partnership between government and trade unions but encouraged the public to work harder to sustain the achievements and have further development. The national Labour Day celebrations will today be marked at Kigali Special Economic Zone, with the Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi expected to be the chief guest. | https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/211625 |
Hurricanes in the Earth’s low atmosphere are well known; however, disturbances resembling hurricanes had never before been detected in the upper atmosphere.
“Until now, it was uncertain that space plasma hurricanes even existed, so to prove this with such a striking observation is incredible,” said Professor Mike Lockwood, a space scientist in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading.
“Tropical storms are associated with huge amounts of energy, and these space hurricanes must be created by unusually large and rapid transfer of solar wind energy and charged particles into the Earth’s upper atmosphere.”
“Plasma and magnetic fields in the atmosphere of planets exist throughout the Universe, so the findings suggest space hurricanes should be a widespread phenomenon.”
In the study, Professor Lockwood and colleagues analyzed data gathered by four Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites in 2014.
They detected a 1,000-km- (621-mile) wide mass of plasma in the northern polar ionosphere and magnetosphere during low solar and otherwise low geomagnetic activity.
The hurricane was spinning in an anticlockwise direction, had multiple spiral arms, and lasted almost eight hours before gradually breaking down.
Space hurricane: (a) schematic of a space hurricane in the northern polar ionosphere; the magenta cyclone-shape auroral spot with brown thick arrows of circular ionospheric flows represents the space hurricane with a light green background showing the downward field-aligned currents (FACs); convection streamlines are in blue with green thick crossed bars that shows the projected magnetic reconnection sites at the dayside magnetopause around equatorward and tailward (lobe) boundary of the cusp; the vertical dark blue lines represent the Earth’s magnetic field lines with electron precipitations and FACs; the Sun is on the top representing the polar ionosphere is under sunlight conditions during the interval of interest; (b) schematic of the 3D magnetosphere when a space hurricane happened; different color shadings represent different regions of the magnetosphere; the shaded magenta funnel shows the space hurricane in the magnetosphere; red, black and blue curves with arrows are the interplanetary magnetic field lines, Earth’s magnetic field lines, and newly reconnected Earth’s magnetic field lines; the green thick bars represent the reconnection sites; the yellow curve with a satellite icon shows the satellite orbit; in this case, magnetopause reconnection can take place at the dayside magnetopause around equatorward and tailward (lobe) boundary of the cusp; due to a steady high-latitude lobe reconnection, a funnel (space hurricane) formed just poleward of the cusp region (b), and a large ionospheric convection lobe-cell with strong circular horizontal plasma flow inside the normal afternoon convection cell (a). Image credit: Zhang et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21459-y.
“These features indicate that the space hurricane leads to large and rapid deposition of energy and flux into the polar ionosphere during an otherwise extremely quiet geomagnetic condition, suggesting that current geomagnetic activity indicators do not properly represent the dramatic activity within space hurricanes, which are located further poleward than geomagnetic index observatories,” said Professor Qing-He Zhang, a researcher in the Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar-Terrestrial Environment at the Shandong University’s Institute of Space Sciences.
“This study suggests that there are still existing local intense geomagnetic disturbance and energy depositions which are comparable to that during super storms,” he added.
“This will update our understanding of the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling process under extremely quiet geomagnetic conditions.”
“In additional, the space hurricane will lead to important space weather effects like increased satellite drag, disturbances in High Frequency (HF) radio communications, and increased errors in over-the-horizon radar location, satellite navigation and communication systems.”
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. | https://livenewsghana.com/researchers-observe-space-hurricane-in-earths-ionosphere/ |
CorpusUL, Université Laval's Institutional repository preserves and enables easy and open access to scientific literature.
Recent Submissions
Non-nutritive phytochemicals (secondary metabolites and fibre) can influence plant resistance to herbivores and have ecological impacts on animal and plant population dynamics. A major hindrance to the ecological study of these phytochemicals is the uncertainty in the compounds one should measure, especially when limited by cost and expertise. With the underlying goal of identifying proxies of plant resistance to herbivores, we performed a systematic review of the effects of non-nutritive ...
Terpenes are phytochemicals found in multiple plant genera, especially aromatic herbs and conifers. Terpene content quantification is costly and complex, requiring the extraction of oil content and gas chromatography analyses. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy could provide an alternative quantitative method, especially if calibration can be developed with the spectra of dried plant material, which are easier and faster to acquire than oil-based spectra. Here, multispecies NIR spectroscopy cal...
Questions The presence of a plant species can influence the selection of another plant species by herbivores. Natural communities encompass several plant species, and in these multi-species environments, resource selection by herbivores could be partly explained by plant diversity. Our objective was to determine how winter consumption by a large herbivore (white-tailed deer) varies relative to the diversity and composition of the plant community in a temperate forest. (a) Does browsing inc...
Transport decision processes have traditionally applied cost-benefit analysis (CBA) with benefits mainly relating to time savings, and costs relating to infrastructure and maintenance costs. However, a shift toward more sustainable practices was initiated over the last decades to remedy the many negative impacts of automobility. As a result, decision processes related to transport projects have become more complex due to the multidimensional aspects and to the variety of stakeholders inv... | https://corpus.ulaval.ca/jspui/;jsessionid=631368518A8FDA7493C3F3862418BD3C |
The HealthTechAthon – a Hackathon focusing on HealthTech, Wearables & BioData.
Starts at 18h on the 29th March, ends at 18h on the 30th March.
Participants will be assigned to team of 4 at the beginning of the event.
CHF 5’000 for the best team.
Free event, Free Food, Free fun!
Since 1998, our hands-on approach combines innovative thinking with strategic management skills.
We equip participants to lead a tech-oriented workforce, foster a culture of innovation and lead businesses from ideas to impact.
We will use the information you provide on this form to provide updates on the program and its related activities. By checking this box, you confirm that you’d like to receive these updates via email. | https://emba.epfl.ch/event/healthtechathon19/ |
PhD students are increasingly required to gain experience of public engagement before entering the jobs market. Candidates who have shared their research with the public tend to be highly marketable in today’s Higher Education employment landscape. Disseminating your work to a non-specialist audience is one of the best ways to develop your confidence of speaking about your research in public, but it can often be a daunting prospect. This article offers some advice and suggestions on how to get involved in public engagement activities while a PhD student.
1. What do you want to gain from public engagement?
There are so many activities that can be considered as public engagement that it can be difficult to know what to do. Think carefully about how your research could be best disseminated to the public. This might take the form of media activities, or it could involve working with local schools, but it’s vital to plan how this will benefit your career in the long-run.
2. How is your research relevant?
You should be prepared to make the case for why your research is worth the time of the audience. School students are just as likely to be put off by research which seems to lack any relevance to their lives as your local radio station. Tie your research into a wider theme or to an event to gain the interest of your audience and be explicit about what your research adds to the discussion.
3. Seek out contacts.
Whether it’s visiting schools to give mini-lecturers or appearing in the national press, you need to have contacts to be able to carry out any public engagement. Speak to colleagues and friends about contacts within your institution. If you’re hoping to appear in the media, then the university press team is the best place to start. Your university may well have a link to popular academic websites such as The Conversation which you could exploit in order to publish an article. You institutional outreach team can help to find schools contacts to set up a talk in a school or provide you with details of upcoming visits to the university.
4. Practice explaining your research in an informal setting.
Attempting to present your work to non-specialists for the first time live on national radio could prove to be disastrous. Make the most of opportunities offered within your institution to hone how you present the ‘headline’ points to your research. Skills development programmes often offer such workshops for free, while you can sometimes sign up for media training events. Speaking to researchers from other departments and faculties is an easy way to become confident about sharing your research with non-specialists and to work out which aspects to your work prove to be most engaging.
5. Build on your momentum.
Once you have begun to engage with the public, build on this success by keeping in touch with contacts in schools or the media. Keep records of any public engagement activities and publicise these on your webpage or social media accounts. If your media appearance or schools talk was a success, the chances are that the relevant university teams will come to you again in the future, so be prepared to say yes to any further opportunities. | https://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/studentships/2225/public-engagement-as-a-phd-student-5-top-tips |
The Experience of a Dance
Criterion gathered a group of individuals in Simsbury, CT to think, discuss, converse, and work together. We wanted to bring together young and old, east and west, corporate, not-for-profit, and free thinkers. They shared a desire to change the world, and a willingness to listen.
For many, coming to Convergence required a leap of faith. The event promised conversations not defined content, speakers or proscribe outcomes. Those who took the leap trusted Criterion to bring together people who could create something worthwhile, something extraordinary.
Before the gathering, Criterion listened and created conversations based on what participants were working on.
Each participant received a personalized schedule which allowed them to explore their interests and advance their agendas. The schedule allowed for both structured conversation and informal exchanges over drinks or during a walk. In two days, individuals and groups took specific topics deeper – sometimes in practical directions and others in conceptual areas.
“In every conversation I felt like I was dialoguing with people who were “big name speakers” in substance. Thus I had both quality and quantity time with substantive, thought-provoking people. It was very different from a traditional conference where you jockey to find 10 minutes with the speaker – and I much preferred it.”
Interests, passions, and current activities shaped the conversations. Participants decided, with others in the room, what they would talk about. Conversations moved from the abstract (“How do we find truth”) to the concrete (“How can we instill increased accountability in our organizations?”). They swapped visions, ideas, and practical suggestions. As they told stories they learned. And possibilities began to emerge.
Perspective and thinking evolved – After tossing ideas around with other leaders in social change, a passionate corporate executive found his views on implementation broadened, and found himself better able to understand. He also saw his leadership style in a new light, giving him a stronger opportunity to be an effective change agent.
Those looking for their “next phase” in life found a refreshing range of diverse directions to explore. And plenty of time to swap connections.
“For the first time outside of my academic environment I found that I could play with ideas that have been central to my recent thinking. It was exciting to see how these ideas can add something of value as we try to think in a new way”
People made connections – some were natural, like a shared experience, geography, or professional field.. Less obvious relationships emerged as well – crossing political, geographic and sector boundaries.
Relationships developed – people who would never have met sat down and found commonalities. Participants found overlapping passions and enhanced each other’s thinking and work.
“At Convergence I had an opportunity to converse with a wide spectrum of individuals engaged in private, governmental, and third-sector initiatives that have the potential for advancing the quality of life in communities and organizations in significant ways. I found it a rare opportunity to sustain dialogue, learn, and reflect about what really counts in creating a generative and civil society.”
New ideas emerged – in creating the space for conversations, we found the power of creativity. The discipline of stepping back provided the energy for innovation. For example… a woman who uses technology for large scale conversations began speaking with the head of an urban church – and discovered the shared interest in facilitating a national conversation on religion.
“I found a compelling opportunity for growth and renewal. By engaging in conversations that seemed, at first, far removed from what might be important or interesting to me, opportunity arose for fundamental shifts in basic assumptions and world-views.”
Projects moved forward – Individuals came with issues they were facing, and interested, expert participants gathered around them. From specific organizational strategies to more general topics, people gave and received powerful and liberating feedback. They found new collaborators, new partners, and new friends. The seeds of a charter school, a business case competition and a market research project are examples of the many plans initiated by groups of participants.
“If you are looking to move forward with something you are thinking about or working on, the Criterion Convergence offers an effective and efficient way to likely do so.”
The leap of faith was rewarded with new relationships, ideas, and partners. Each participant met the energy that results from being in authentic dialog with others..
“I’ve been digesting all the input from the conference — actually, sharing quite a bit of it with my colleagues. Anyhow, I’m racing to catch up on my lost days at work, but am so glad I lost those days to conversation.”
Each one met individuals who would have never crossed our paths – but who pushed thinking beyond everyday boxes. They formed relationships with others who will share their visions into the future. They changed. | https://criterioninstitute.org/convergence/convergence-i |
Children with CHARGE syndrome often require multiple surgeries throughout their lifetime to manage structural and functional anatomical abnormalities. It is important therefore, to consider any risks caused by anaesthesia. These risks tend to vary based on the individual child’s CHARGE syndrome characteristics.
Airway Obstruction
Airway problems are common in CHARGE syndrome. Figure 1 shows the normal anatomy of the airway, as well as associated cranial nerves. Most children with CHARGE syndrome have cranial nerve abnormalities. Pertinent problems are those with the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves, which are responsible for innervating the pharynx and larynx and allowing swallowing to occur (Blake et al. 2008).
Problems dealing with oral secretions can be a result of cranial nerve problems (Blake et al. 2009a). A study by Morgan et al. (1993) examining 50 patients
with CHARGE syndrome found that 86% had upper airway abnormalities, 56% had posterior choanal abnormalities and 42% had retrognathia leading
to intubation difficulties.
A study done by Naito et al. (2007) looked at 10 consecutive patients with CHARGE syndrome who underwent fiberoptic laryngoscopy. All patients had upper airway obstruction at the larynx level, with a hypotonic larynx and hypertrophic arytenoids. They also had uncoordinated movement of the supraglottis, which made it difficult to maintain airway patency. Other problems included glossoptosis, oesophageal fistula and clefts.
Securing an Airway
There are reports of cancelled surgery and aborted anaesthesia from failure to secure airway control in children with CHARGE syndrome (Hara et al. 2009). An early study showed greater difficulty with tracheal intubation that increased with age (Stack and Wyse, 1991). Laryngomalacia may contribute to upper airway collapse during light anaesthesia and may lead to a requirement of CPAP during induction. | https://www.drkimblake.com/study/charge-anaesthesia/ |
Fix(README): Typo.
Feat(README): Add proper readme and remove old.
Fix(deployall): Easy folder setup for linux amd64.
Fix(ok+err): Add simple tests for test pass on builtins. Invalid type!
Fix(vet): Pair statement termination fun. Make sure vet handles appropriately.
WIP(maybe+pair for vet+fmt): Adding necessary changes to go/ast, go/parser, go/token and friends to make the pair statement, maybe type, ok, and err changes functional for go vet and go fmt. Work in progress.
Fix(maybe+pair): All tests passing.
Fix(maybe+pair): All tests passing.
Fix(maybe+pair): All tests passing.
Feat(maybe+pair): Finalizing maybe/pair/ok/err. Adding correct test file. Remove tmp files.
WIP(maybe+pair): In working state.
WIP(pair stmt): More work into pair statement. Just beginning the noder.go work needed.
WIP(pair stmt): Initial work of adding pair/match statement. Just get it working!
WIP(err): err builtin complete. TODO: Error handling/type checking with ok/err/maybe .
WIP(testing): All tests passing again. Had to rename some functions in select5.go
WIP(ok): ok builtin seemingly done.
WIP(ok): Working on ok transforms still, almost there!
WIP(*): In the middle of finishing ok(...). Making sure it's saved to repo.
WIP(Maybe): Maybe rewriting pretty near complete!
WIP(Maybe): Maybe type priliminary work. | https://git.sr.ht/~evanj/ego/log |
This complex geometric pattern features layers upon layers of jagged linework and oblique shapes converging to form an intricate triangular zigzag design. The meticulous use of lines, colours, and embossed textures dissolving create a faded effect, while the background holds a sophisticated metallic sheen. Up close, the detailed linework resembles basketweave, while coupled with heavy texture for a chic comtemporary design. | https://wallsrepublic.com/products/beige-jagged-convergence-r5803 |
The Participants link enables teachers to easily enrol, view, search for, filter, edit and delete course participants.
The Participants link can be accessed from Course navigation in the Boost theme or the Administration block in other themes.
Enrolling users
Users may be enrolled from the Enrol users button at the top right and bottom right of the screen.
Filtering and searching for users
The filter at the top left of the screen allows for filtering by period of activity, enrolment method, group, roles, status and keyword. More than one may be selected, with the option to filter 'Any' or 'All':
You can also search users by any of the fields defined in the "Show user identity" setting. Some of the searchable fields, such as username, first name and last name, allow you to use wildcards to represent one or more characters. There are two wildcards:
- % The percent sign represents zero, one, or multiple characters
- _ The underscore represents a single character (Note: MS Access uses a question mark '?' instead of the underscore '_').
These wildcards can be escaped, if needed, to search users containing them, using a backslash '\':
- A_B will find all the users starting with an A, followed by any character and then B (i.e. AxB or A2B, but not AxxB).
- A\_B will find users starting exactly with 'A_B'.
It is possible to bulk select, edit and delete users who have self enrolled, in a similar way to users who have been enrolled manually.
Roles
- To assign an enrolled user a role, click the pencil icon in the Roles column then select the desired role and click the save icon to confirm the change.
- To remove a role assignment, click the delete icon (a cross) next to the role name.
- Only roles which can be assigned in the course context type are available to select. The course context type may be set by an admin by editing the role via Site administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles.
- Only roles which a user is allowed to assign are available to select.
Groups
To add a user to a group (requires at least one group to have been created previously), click the pencil icon in the Groups column, select the group and then click the save icon to confirm the change.
Status
The status column shows the current status of a user's enrolments, for example Active or Suspended. Where a user has two different enrolment types (e.g. manual/cohort sync) both are displayed in the status column:
City/town or country
Users' city/town or country may be displayed for users with the capability moodle/site:viewuseridentity (by default manager, teacher and non-editing teacher) by selecting these fields in 'Show user identity' in User policies in the Site administration.
Sending a message, adding a note, downloading or editing enrolments
You can send a message, add a note, download the data or edit or delete selected manual user enrolments via the dropdown menu below the list of course participants.
Note that only users who were previously manually or self enrolled can have their enrolment edited or deleted in bulk. The enrolment for users who enrolled using a different enrolment method, may be edited or deleted for a user via the edit enrolment link (cog icon) in the status column.
Hiding the list of participants
If required, you can use the capability View participants to prevent students from viewing the list of participants.
At the course level:
- From Course navigation, click Participants and from the dropdown, select Permissions
- Filter by viewparticipants
- For the capability 'View participants' remove the student role and confirm.
At site level, the 'View participants' capability can be unset for the role of student. | https://docs.moodle.org/401/en/Participants |
Toronto Dominion Bank increased its stake in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 145,482 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,601 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank owned 0.06% of Dollar General worth $31,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in Dollar General during the second quarter worth $6,002,000. Liberty Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Dollar General by 14,505.9% during the second quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 69,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 68,613 shares in the last quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Dollar General by 2,262.4% during the second quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. now owns 37,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,026,000 after buying an additional 35,520 shares in the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp bought a new stake in Dollar General during the second quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Dollar General by 3.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,967,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $855,959,000 after buying an additional 128,629 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.25% of the company’s stock.
Get Dollar General alerts:
A number of brokerages have issued reports on DG. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Dollar General from $225.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Dollar General from $231.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on Dollar General from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 24th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a C$245.00 price objective on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Monday, August 23rd. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded Dollar General from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $239.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Dollar General has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.41.
Shares of DG opened at $210.40 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $224.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $216.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 1.09. Dollar General Co. has a 52-week low of $173.50 and a 52-week high of $239.35.
Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 25th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $8.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.59 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 38.90% and a net margin of 7.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.12 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Dollar General Co. will post 10.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 5th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 4th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.82%.
Dollar General Profile
Dollar General Corp. engages in the operation of merchandise stores. Its offerings include food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares, and seasonal items. It sells brands including Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and PepsiCo The company was founded by J. | |
With funding from the National Science Foundation, health information privacy experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the University of Texas at Dallas and IBM have collaborated on a public case reporting framework keyed to the dynamics of pandemics. A report on this work from Thomas Brown, Bradley Malin, PhD, and colleagues appeared recently in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
Hospitals and local public health authorities de-identify patient records as they share them with scientists or medical technology companies. Regulators look for de-identification methods that strip out names, geographical locations, birth dates, date of diagnosis, and so on.
“In data sharing, there’s an inherent tradeoff to be struck between patient privacy and data utility. But from the standpoint of managing a dangerous pandemic, routine suppression of dates and locations is apt to be a non-starter,” said Brown, a PhD student in Biomedical Informatics who works in Malin’s lab at VUMC, the Health Information Privacy Laboratory.
“More subtle, bespoke de-identification methods can allow smarter data sharing, but their form is apt to depend on the fixed size of a dataset assumed to already be in hand, making them unsuitable in a pandemic.”
In the new report, a would-be privacy attacker is assumed to know a target is in the dataset in question, and knows not only the target’s demographic information, but also the time frame in which the target would have been evaluated for pandemic disease. Using this information, the attacker attempts to re-identify the target to learn sensitive information that may figure in pandemic case reporting, such as chronic disease diagnoses.
The framework set out in the report starts with combining a proposed public case reporting policy of given data granularity with summary demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau. For demonstration purposes the report uses county-level data — the framework could also apply to states, zip codes, etc. Based on infection rates, pretend diagnoses are randomly injected into demographic data, producing a time series of synthetic pandemic patient datasets for a given county.
Re-identification risk going forward in a given county is estimated in terms of the proportion of synthesized pandemic patients who, by dint of sharing a unique set of demographic characteristics, are cast into anonymized groups smaller than size k, with k set for demonstration purposes to 11 people (in line with privacy standards advocated by public health authorities).
Optimal case reporting policies can be found by instantly applying multiple policies (and case number assumptions) and comparing the results.
The more people become infected the more granular case reporting can become without compromising privacy standards.
Using weekly county-level COVID-19 case number forecasts published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study compares 96 alternative daily and weekly data sharing policies over a 15-month period for all U.S. counties with census tract data.
“We’ve laid out a dynamic framework that’s sensitive to case number forecasts and that allows policies to be redefined over time to prioritize public reporting of information such as diagnosis dates,” said Malin, Accenture Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Biostatistics, and Computer Science. “Our results show that, compared to the current state of the art methods that rely on retrospective data for anonymization, a dynamic and forward-thinking framework such as ours can enable timely public reporting while maintaining patient privacy.”
On the study also from VUMC were Chao Yan, PhD, Weiyi Xia, PhD, Zhijun Yin, PhD, and Zhiyu Wan, PhD. They were joined by Murat Kantarcioglu, PhD, of the University of Texas at Dallas, and Aris Gkoulalas-Divanis, PhD, with IBM in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The study was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (LM007450). | https://news.vumc.org/2022/05/10/report-lays-out-solution-for-pandemic-patient-privacy/ |
This article, by Laura Miller, originally appeared on Salon.com on 5/18/09.
Why do we often care more about imaginary characters than real people? A new book suggests that fiction is crucial to our survival as a species.
Why do human beings spend so much time telling each other invented stories, untruths that everybody involved knows to be untrue? People in all societies do this, and do it a lot, from grandmothers spinning fairy tales at the hearthside to TV show runners marshaling roomfuls of overpaid Harvard grads to concoct the weekly adventures of crime fighters and castaways. The obvious answer to this question — because it’s fun — is enough for many of us. But given the persuasive power of a good story, its ability to seduce us away from the facts of a situation or to make us care more about a fictional world like Middle-earth than we do about a real place like, oh, say, Turkmenistan, means that some ambitious thinkers will always be trying to figure out how and why stories work.
The latest and most intriguing effort to understand fiction is often called Darwinian literary criticism, although Brian Boyd, an English professor at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and the author of "On the Origin of Stories," a new book offering an overview and defense of the field, prefers the term "evocriticism." As Boyd points out, the process of natural selection is supposed to gradually weed out any traits in a species that don’t contribute to its survival and its ability to pass on its genes to offspring who will do the same. The ability to use stories to communicate accurate information about the real world has some obvious usefulness in this department, but what possible need could be served by made-up yarns about impossible things like talking animals and flying carpets?
Boyd’s explanation, heavily ballasted with citations from studies and treatises on neuroscience, cognitive theory and evolutionary biology, boils down to two general points. First, fiction — like all art — is a form of play, the enjoyable means by which we practice and hone certain abilities likely to come in handy in more serious situations. When kittens pounce on and wrestle with their litter mates, they’re developing skills that will help them hunt, even though as far as they’re concerned they’re just larking around. Second, when we create and share stories with each other, we build and reinforce the cooperative bonds within groups of people (families, tribes, towns, nations), making those groups more cohesive and in time allowing human beings to lord it over the rest of creation.
The popular understanding of evolutionary biology can be sketchy even among (I’m tempted to say especially among) its most enthusiastic lay proponents. That’s why it’s important to point out that, whatever you’ve heard about "selfish genes," the secret to humanity’s success lies less in Hobbesian competition than in individuals’ capacity to cooperate, and even to act altruistically. While there are short-term benefits to individuals who behave selfishly — say, by stealing or hoarding food — the long-term benefits of sharing usually outweigh the quick payoff, provided that everybody else in your group also participates fairly. Human beings are what biologists call "hypersocial," more social by far than any other animal, and the major product of our deep investment in sociality is our culture: our language, tools, political institutions, clothing, medicine, sculpture, songs, religions, etc.
In short, humanity itself is an element, like the weather or seasons, that each of us needs to negotiate in order to survive. We’re innately skilled at reading each other’s intentions, judging a person’s position in the current social hierarchy, checking the emotional temperature in a room, detecting when our companion isn’t paying attention to us, and so on. Those who are especially adept at this are said to have good "social skills," but the average human being is a pretty impressive social navigator even when not conscious of what she’s doing. It’s only the rare exceptions — people along the autistic spectrum, for example, whose social instincts and perceptions are impaired — who make us aware of just how essential these abilities are when it comes to getting by in this world.
Read the rest of the article on Salon.com. | http://www.publetariat.com/2009/06/07/the-evolutionary-argument-for-dr-seuss/ |
Green networking techniques usually shut down the least utilized links and/or routers during off-peaks hours. In a prior work, we showed conclusively that these actions trigger what is known as hot-potato routing changes. These changes are well known to negatively impact the operation of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Critically, they may cause packet loss due to slow BGP convergence and increased congestion. In order to overcome such negative impacts, in this paper, we propose a novel framework that allows Ingress Routers (IRs) to work collaboratively to determine the set of links that should be carrying their respective traffic to Egress Routers (ERs). IRs exchange information about their established paths with each other, and each IR determines whether to shift their existing paths to ERs to optimize a given objective, e.g., energy savings. The IRs repeat the process until convergence. Unused links are then shut down, and thereby, lowering the energy consumption rate of a network. In this framework, we study a number of key issues: first, we study the order in which IRs establish paths, namely (i) most savings, (ii) round robin, and (iii) random order. Our results show that similar performance is achieved regardless of employed method. However, in some cases, IRs that establish paths using round robin took up to 23% more time to converge than IRs that used the most savings method. Second, we study path selection metrics. In particular, IRs select paths according to (i) shortest path, where paths with the minimum number of hops are selected, (ii) longest path, where paths with the largest number of hops are preferred, and (iii) random, where paths are randomly selected. Our experimental results over five topologies show that using shortest paths is the most efficient where IRs use as little as 25% more active links than a global optimal solution. However, IRs establishing paths in a robin manner are able to utilize 5% fewer number of links than when they employ the shortest path to each ER.
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December 20, 2021
The salmon-colored paper book we carry in our airplanes, formally known as the Chart Supplement Alaska, contains a wealth of information important to pilots flying in Alaska. The first half of the book contains the airport/facility directory that gives us information about such things as runway lengths and headings, radio frequencies, and whether one can expect to buy gas. The latter half (Notices, Associated Data, Procedures) contains an incredible mixture of information, such as the Denali flight advisory frequencies and VFR arrival procedures for the Anchorage airports. Finding specific information in this portion of the over 500-page document, however, can be a challenge. The FAA is starting a process to modernize this document and is inviting input, regarding what is and isn’t needed to help navigate the skies of Alaska. And they would like to hear from you—the user.
Background
The chart supplement is a joint publication providing information needed for both civil and military aviators. Updated every eight weeks, the document is available in hard copy (salmon colored paperback) or electronically as a pdf file. The Notices, Associated Data, and Procedures sections of the supplement are commonly referred to as the “backmatter.” These sections contain a rich mixture of details not found on our flight charts, yet include information pilots need to know when engaged in pre-flight planning. For example, details of the Alaska-specific CTAF areas assigned in different parts of the state are not uniformly depicted on the charts but may be found in the supplement. Unfortunately, a lack of structure and specific guidelines over the years has allowed this section of the supplement to become a mixture of current and outdated material. As more pilots migrate to using electronic flight bags, having a structure that allows the document to be more easily ingested by automation is needed so that third-party vendors can more easily parse and present the information to pilots in flight apps. Another objective is to avoid repeating information already published in other documents, such as the Aeronautical Information Manual.
Change is ahead
The FAA has picked up the baton and established an internal working group to modernize the chart supplements. A series of workshops invited input from aviation stakeholders—a copy of the presentation from the workshops is available online. The panel, including staff from FAA headquarters and the Western Service Center, is tasked with developing internal processes that will change the scope of the document. This group would like to hear from pilots concerning what information they value and what they can do without. If you have comments or recommendations regarding the Chart Supplement Alaska, please send them directly to the FAA via email and send a copy to AOPA. After reviewing the input received, the FAA will develop recommendations, which will also be circulated for comments and presented to the Aeronautical Charting Meeting, the primary venue for announcing significant changes.
It is challenging to retain information that is unique to Alaska, organize it in a logical structure, and keep it up to date. AOPA has advocated for a cleanup of this section of the chart supplement for several years. Please take some time to inspect this section of the document and provide your thoughts on what is essential—and what is not! | https://lewistownflyingclub.com/faa-to-modernize-the-alaska-supplement/ |
1. At the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Ministerial Meeting held in Atlanta, United States, on October 5, an agreement in principle was reached on the TPP Agreement. Since the participation in the negotiations in July 2013, Japan has had many constructive discussions with the other participating countries in pursuit of the best path to suit our national interests, with a view to realizing a TPP Agreement that will establish new 21st century trade rules in a wide range of areas. I welcome this outcome.
2. The TPP Agreement would not only further promote trade, and investment in the Asia-Pacific region, where there has been remarkable growth, but it would also further strengthen relations with the countries in this region through building a new economic order, and thus has substantial strategic significance for sharing prosperity. I am convinced that it would also contribute to the peace and stability of Japan and the overall Asia-Pacific region.
3. This agreement in principle is expected to serve as a foundation for the building of a broader free trade area in the Asia-Pacific region, and to provide the momentum to push forward other economic partnership negotiations that Japan is pursuing.
4. Japan intends to continue cooperating closely with the other participating countries, and to aim for the TPP Agreement to be signed at an early date.
(Reference 1)
Countries participating in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations (in order shown in Ministerial Statement): Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, Viet Nam
(Reference 2)
In parallel with the TPP Agreement negotiations, negotiations have been taking place between Japan and the United States on automobile trade and non-tariff measures. | https://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press4e_000877.html |
The relocation to the new Linzer State Opera House in 2012/13 brought a large shift in the duties of the Bruckner Orchester Linz as the working orchestra for opera, operetta, ballet, and musicals.
The Orchestral Academy was grounded in the 2013/14 season to give young musicians the chance to gain their first experiences in a professional orchestra. The young members of the Academy are between their studies and their first professional engagement. Through their time in the academy they are integrated into the orchestra and supported through the new “every-day” of being a professional musician. In a close collaboration between the Anton Bruckner Private University and the Bruckner Orchester Linz the young academy musician is also supported through a tutor programme, where experienced members of the orchestra provide not only advice but also lessons.
Under their mentors, academy musicians prepare the current repertoire for performance as well as having specialised training for auditions and opportunities to play chamber music in many different ensembles.
Members of the Academy: | http://www.bruckner-orchester.at/en/orchestra/academy |
After a four part introduction, the first tutorial in the electronics course indicates the circuit design of a simple LED and resistor circuit and also how to build it on breadboard.
Circuit Symbols and Physical Components. Each digital or electrical component is represented by means of a symbol as may be observed in this very simple circuit structure. Lines used to join the symbols signify conductors or cables. Each symbol represents a physical component that may appear as follows.
Component References. Components at a circuit must always have references, also referred to as reference designators, utilized to recognize the elements in the circuit. This enables the components to easily be referenced in a component list.
When beginning to learn to read digital circuit diagrams, it is crucial to learn what the schematic symbol looks like to get different digital components. Following the path explains how to read basic electronic circuit diagrams while building the circuits on digital breadboard. The class contains a list of basic electronic elements using their schematic symbols where novices can learn exactly what the physical elements and their symbols look like.
Physical Circuit. The circuit for the above circuit diagram may look something like the picture below, although a more practical physical circuit would possess a light bulb holder and clamps that relate to the battery terminals. A light bulb holder would need screw terminals to attach the cables to, and a socket to screw the light bulb .
Possibly the simplest circuit that can be drawn is one which you may have seen in a school science class: a battery attached to a light bulb as shown under.
Another light bulb at the circuit would then possess the reference designator L2.
A part list can refer to those components. A node is a filled circle or dot. After three or more lines touch each other or cross each other plus a node is put in the junction, this signifies the lines or wires being connected at that point.
Basic components for this tutorial comprise a LED, resistor and battery that can be found in the newcomer's component reference.
The easiest method for novices to keep on learning how to read circuit diagrams is to stick to the path and build the circuits from each tutorial.
Listed below are overall circuit design rules.
Series Circuit Example. No nodes are necessary inside this circuit to reveal the bulbs linking to each other and to the battery because single wires are linking straight to each other. Nodes are just set if a few more wires are all connected.
If lines or wires cross each other and there is not any node, as shown at the base of the above image, the wires aren't electrically connected. In cases like this the wires are crossing each other with no joining, like two insulated wires placed one on top of the other.
Specifying Components. Typically the true battery type and bulb type would be specified in a component list that accompanies the circuit diagram. More information on the bulb and battery kind might also be contained in the circuit as text. For instance, the battery might be defined as a 12.8V 90Ah Lithium batterypowered, plus even a 9V PM9 batterycharger. The light bulb could be specified as a 12V 5W incandescent bulbs, or 9V 0.5W flashlight bulb.
A drawing of an electrical or electronic circuit is also referred to as a circuit diagram, but may also be referred to as a schematic diagram, or merely schematic.
The bottom terminals of these bulbs are connected to every other and to the negative terminal of the battery life, since the second node indicates these connections.
Circuit or schematic diagrams consist of symbols representing bodily elements and lines representing wires or electrical conductors. In order to understand how to read a circuit design, it is critical to understand what the schematic symbol of a part looks like. It's also required to understand how the components are linked together in the circuit.
Parallel Circuit Example In the circuit below, two light bulbs are connected in parallel to a battery power supply. It may be seen that the upper terminals of both light bulbs are all connected together and to the positive terminal of the battery. We know this because the three terminals or link points possess a node in the place where they intersect. | https://www.infinity-cdma.com/p/154769970057374/ |
Testing is how you improve as a photographer. Constantly trying new lighting techniques or ideas lets you see what works and what doesn't. It lets you perfect your lighting skills and proficiency on set, so when you have a paying client, everything is guaranteed to go smoothly. It's one of the few times you can show up to a shoot with absolutely no concept, no plans, and just try to make something work. Doing impromptu test shoots is like a blank canvas — you show up, see what you can get, and learn from it. You learn to problem solve and make something out of nothing. The freedom is liberating.
This recent shoot with my good friend Jessica was a test shoot that provided a personal challenge. I had traveled back to Moscow to see friends for the weekend, and was staying at Jessica's place. We have a few free hours in the morning before going on a hike that afternoon, so we decided we'd throw together a last minute photoshoot. We didn't have any models, a studio space, or any plan to speak of. We tried to find some friends who were willing to sit for the camera, but didn't have any last minute luck. Without models, we decided that we'd just photograph each other — neither of whom had showered or prepared in any way to be photographed that morning.
We drove around and found a sheltered area out of the slight breeze and set up a nice little studio outdoors. We experimented with mixing natural light with a pop of studio strobes outdoors, primarily shot against my small hand-painted canvas backdrop that I had in the back of my car. I also experimented with letting go of the strobes entirely and shooting just natural light and using black cutters to knock down light and create shadow and depth to the portrait.
In the short session we captured some interesting images, some of which I think work really well in black and white. With just a few hours one morning, going from no plan at all to a final image felt like a productive use of time and allowed for a little flexing of my creative muscles. Here's to something a little different.
And a bonus photo... A picture of a creepy old house somewhere on the Palouse, photographed during my weekend in Moscow. | http://vukelichphoto.com/blog/2016/4/16/just-for-fun-a-test-shoot-with-jessica |
"This finding has important implications for older adults, health care practitioners, scientists, and public-health experts—further demonstrating the complex interplay of mental health and genetic markers on late-life cognitive health," Rajan and his team concluded.
And in an accompanying editorial, Michelle Luciano, Ph.D., of the Center for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Given that the APOE genotype is fixed in an individual, one of the questions that the research of Rajan et al. raises is the potential to curb cognitive decline through interventions targeting depression."
Information about the APOE e4 variant can be found in the Psychiatric News article "Disclosure of APOE Genotype Affects Memory Performance." To read more about depression in older individuals, see the Psychiatric News article "Resilience, No Depression Best Predict Successful Aging." For additional information on these topics, see Essentials of Geriatric Psychiatry, Second Edition, from American Psychiatric Publishing. | https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/03/depression-may-magnify-apoe-e4-variant.html |
The Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Department will update this page as seasonal restrooms, drinking fountains, decorative fountains and splash pads are turned on for the warm weather season and closed in the fall. Open or closed status is subject to change without notice. For information on Saint Paul public pools and Phalen Beach, visit our aquatics page.
Update 5/22/19:
All seasonal restrooms facilities are now operational with the exception of Crosby Farm, which we expect to be open this weekend. Most drinking fountains and decorative fountains are now on with the exception of decorative fountains in Mississippi River parks, which are delayed due to flood impacts, and Mears Park, Rice Park, and Schiffman Fountain which are undergoing repairs or restoration. Outdoor pools and splash pads will open June 8.
Note: Restroom and water feature availability dependent on park or facility hours and subject to change without notice. Maintenance issues may cause temporary closures. | https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/parks-recreation/parks/seasonal-restrooms-water-features |
Parks and outdoor recreation contribute greatly toward our happiness, health and overall quality of life. This remains true even during a global pandemic. However, we all need to do our part to protect ourselves and others. Please follow these guidelines while visiting our parks:
- Do not use parks or trails if you are exhibiting symptoms
- Be prepared for limited access to public restrooms or water fountains
- Follow CDC Guidance on personal hygiene prior to visiting parks or trails
- Observe CDC’s minimum recommended physical distancing of 6′ from other persons at all times
- Bring your own hand sanitizer
- Don’t congregate in groups
- Don’t shake hands, give hugs, or touch your face
- Cover your mouth when coughing/ sneezing with a tissue or your elbow
- Avoid contact sports or sports where you are sharing equipment
- Follow all State laws related to recreation
- Do not enter taped off areas
- Do not litter – do your part to keep the park enjoyable for everyone
Adhere to Washington State’s Stay Home – Stay Healthy Proclamation which states:
“All people in Washington State shall immediately cease participating in all public and private gatherings and multi-person activities for social, spiritual and recreational purposes, regardless of the number of people involved, except as specifically identified herein.”
“To implement this mandate, I hereby order that all people in Washington State are immediately prohibited from participating in public and private gatherings of any number of people for social, spiritual and recreational purposes.
This prohibition shall not apply to activities and gatherings solely including those people who are part of a single household or residential living unit.”
Future Phases of Washington’s Phased Approach anticipate the relaxation of some recreational activities, but for now the a conservative approach is prudent.
FACILITY IMPACTS
In alignment with state guidelines:
- our sand volleyball courts are closed,
- our basketball courts are limited to solo or family/ household play,
- our skate park is limited to solo or family/ household use,
- our playgrounds remain closed and taped off,
- our tennis courts remain closed,
- picnic shelters will remain open with picnic tables adequately distanced, | https://cityofchelan.us/departments/parks-recreation/ |
This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.
A fully-equipped health insurance made for remote workers who spend as much time abroad as they please. Full coverage in your home country.
Host Institute: Deployed in March 2014, the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has a comprehensive mandate to monitor and report on the human rights situation throughout Ukraine, and to make recommendations to the Government and other actors to address human rights concerns as documented by the Mission. Recommendations outline concrete follow-up actions to address these concerns, prevent violations and mitigate emerging risks. HRMMU monitors, reports and advocates on the human rights situation through its presence in multiple locations both in Government-controlled area and in Donetsk in area controlled by Russian affiliated armed-groups. HRMMU will adapt to the changing situation in terms of the locations of presences. In accordance with General Assembly resolution 68/262, HRMMU also monitors remotely, reports and advocates on the human rights situation in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Deputy Head of Mission or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Associate Human Rights Officer will:
• Participate, as part of a team, in monitoring the human rights situation, including identifying emerging trends and patterns of human rights violations • Provide translation and interpretation services to colleagues when needed • Provide support to liaising with relevant partners and stakeholders, including civil society organizations, national human rights institutions and international organizations, and foster and maintain their active engagement in the work of OHCHR in Ukraine • Facilitate engagement with communities and human right defenders, particularly youth and those who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, to raise awareness of human rights and advocate for compliance with international human rights norms and standards • Assist in conducting monitoring, researching and documenting quantitative and qualitative information related to the impact of economic policies related to the conflict on the enjoyment of economic and social rights of the most marginalized communities and certain individuals within those communities (disaggregated by age, sex, location, language and other relevant status), such as the people in the territories affected by the conflict in the east of Ukraine • Contribute to OHCHR’s periodic and ad hoc reports, bearing in mind OHCHR’s guidance on results-based management • Provide inputs to various written communications such as talking points and briefing notes on relevant substantive/thematic issues • Provide administrative and logistical support, including organizing events/meetings and field visits; • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor
Results/expected outputs:
• As an active OHCHR team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to OHCHR and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including: o OHCHR’s monitoring work effectively and timely supported and carried out o Quality reports are published mainstreaming gender- and youth –components • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.
• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to OHCHR; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to OHCHR procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and OHCHR in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards OHCHR’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.
in human rights, political affairs, international relations, law or related area. Experience working in a conflict or post-conflict setting is desirable. Human rights monitoring and/or reporting experience is desirable. • Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded.
Ukraine is currently a hardship duty station with a volatile security situation as a result of the ongoing conflict. Living and working conditions for UN volunteers are similar to the living conditions of all other internationally recruited staff members.
As it is a national UN Volunteer's assignment, the volunteer shall organize his/her accommodation by themselves. Taking into account the current circumstances in the country, telecommuting arrangements can be applied by the Host Entity.
Entitlements of National UN Volunteer (Specialist – Step 2)
The contract lasts for the period indicated in the vacancy with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.
Allowances: • Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA): A Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) USD 1268 (equivalent in UAH) is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses.
Medical and life insurance: • Medical insurance: The UN Volunteer and eligible PFU dependents will receive UNV provided medical insurance coverage. Coverage for UN Volunteers begins from the Commencement of Service and normally ceases one month after the last day of the UN Volunteer Contract date. • Life Insurance: UN Volunteers are covered by life insurance for the duration of the UN Volunteer assignment. If a UN Volunteer dies during the UN Volunteer assignment, the eligible designated beneficiaries will be entitled to receive a life insurance lump sum. Leave entitlements: • Annual leave: UN Volunteers accrue an entitlement to 2.5 days of Annual Leave per completed month of the UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave up to a maximum of 30 days is carried over in case of a contract extension within the same UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave may not be carried over in case of reassignment or a new assignment. • Learning leave: Subject to supervisor approval and exigencies of service, UN Volunteers may request up to ten working days of Learning Leave per consecutive 12 months of the UN Volunteer assignment, starting with the Commencement of Service date, provided the Learning Leave is used within the contract period • Certified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers are entitled to up to 30 days of certified sick leave based on a 12-month cycle. This amount is reset every 12-month cycle. • Uncertified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers receive seven days of uncertified sick leave working days in a calendar year. This amount will be reset at the established interval period. | https://untalent.org/jobs/associate-in-human-rights-monitoring-1 |
Healthy eating habits lead to healthy teeth. Like the rest of the body, the teeth, bones and the soft tissues of the mouth need a well-balanced...Read more...
What Is The Best Time For Orthodontic Treatment?Developing malocclusions, or bad bites, can be recognized as early as 2-3 years of age. Often, early steps can be taken to reduce the... Read more...
What is general anesthesia?General anesthesia is a controlled state of unconsciousness that eliminates awareness, movement and discomfort during dental treatment.... Read more... | http://childrensdentistry.ie/dental_emergencies |
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to ligating clips, and to devices and methods for applying the same in surgical procedures. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to torsionally biased surgical ligating clips suitable for clamping blood vessels and ducts during laparoscopic or endoscopic surgery.
2. Background of Related Art
During surgical procedures, procedures frequently require the temporary or permanent occlusion of vessels to prevent the leakage of fluids (e.g. blood) through incisions made at the surgical site. A broad range of surgical ligating devices and techniques exist for occluding vessels. These include applying surgical ligating clips that are available in a variety of shapes and sizes including spring biased wires and plates. Typically, these devices are stored in a first position wherein the jaws of the clip are biased closed. The applying device opens the jaws of the ligating clip a predetermined distance against the bias of the ligating clip to position the ligating clip about a vessel. The applying device then releases the jaws to allow the bias of the ligating clip to return the jaws of the ligating clip to the closed position and occlude the vessel.
Ligating clips configured for use with applying devices are frequently limited in their application by the distance the jaws can open without permanently deforming the clip. The use of such clips is further limited by the accessibility to the surgical site. For example, only those clips sized to be inserted through an appropriately sized cannula can be used during laparoscopic or endoscopic procedures. In addition, clips having extended jaws can lose the amount of applied bias over time as the tissue shrinks and/or necroses.
Ligating clips for clamping blood vessels and ducts during open and endoscopic (herein understood to include laparoscopic) surgical procedures are well known in the art. The particular dimensions of a ligating clip to be used in an open surgical procedure are not constrained by the size of the access opening to the surgical site. However, during endoscopic surgical procedures access to the surgical site is typically achieved through an access device, such as a cannula, having a limited internal dimension (e.g. a diameter of 15, 10, or 5 mm). Accordingly, ligating clips used during endoscopic surgical procedures must be dimensioned and configured to be admitted to the surgical site through the access device. Because of the dimensional constraints on ligating clips used for endoscopic surgery, currently available ligating clips suffer from several drawbacks. These drawbacks include a smaller or reduced clamp opening, i.e., the distance between opposed clamping members of the ligating clip in the open position, and a difficulty in applying the ligating clips about tissue.
A continuing need exists for a simplified ligating clip having suitable flexibility for application over a range of vessel sizes without excessively deforming and that can maintain pressure on a vessel even when the vessel increases or decreases in size over time.
A continuing need also exists for a ligating clip that can be of a size that facilitates delivery through a cannula of limited internal dimensions, yet can maintain pressure on a vessel even when the vessel increases or decreases in diameter over time.
Accordingly, a need exists for a ligating clip that is suitable for use during endoscopic surgical procedures that has an enlarged clamp opening that can be positioned quickly and easily about tissue. In addition, there is a need for a ligating clip system including an applier and method for applying the ligating clip.
There is also a need for a clip applier that can apply the aforementioned ligating clips and that can be employed through cannulae having internal diameters of 15, 10, or 5 mm.
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Filed 12/20/11 by Clerk of Supreme Court
IN THE SUPREME COURT
STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA
2011 ND 241
In the Matter of the Application
for Disciplinary Action Against
Theresa L. Kellington, a Member of the
Bar of the State of North Dakota
Disciplinary Board of the Supreme
Court of the State of North Dakota, Petitioner
v.
Theresa L. Kellington, Respondent
No. 20110261
Application for Discipline.
DISCIPLINE ORDERED.
Per Curiam.
[¶1] The Supreme Court has before it a Stipulation, Consent to Discipline, and Recommendation by the Hearing Panel from a Hearing Panel of the Disciplinary Board recommending Theresa L. Kellington be suspended from the practice of law for ninety days for violating N.D.R. Prof. Conduct 5.3, 1.15, and 1.16 with the suspension stayed and Kellington placed on probation for one year and she pay $500 in costs of the disciplinary proceeding. We conclude there is clear and convincing evidence Kellington violated N.D.R. Prof. Conduct 5.3, 1.15, and 1.16, and Kellington is suspended from the practice of law for ninety days with the suspension stayed and Kellington placed on probation for one year and order her to pay costs of the disciplinary proceeding.
[¶2] Kellington was admitted to practice law in North Dakota on November 22, 1995. On February 27, 2011, Kellington admitted service of a Summons and Petition for Discipline. The Petition asserts that Kellington failed to make reasonable efforts to ensure her firm had measures in place to give reasonable assurance her staff’s conduct was compatible with her professional obligations; deposited or transferred unearned advance payments into a non-trust account and commingled the proceeds with her law firm's funds in the non-trust account; withdrew unearned advance payments from her law firm’s trust account; failed to make timely refunds of unearned advance payments; and failed to refund unearned advance payments upon termination of representation.
[¶3] The Petition alleges Kellington’s conduct in this matter violates N.D.R. Prof. Conduct 5.3, which provides that with respect to a nonlawyer employed by or associated with a lawyer, a partner and a lawyer who has comparable management authority in a law firm shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that the law firm has in effect measures giving reasonable assurance that the nonlawyer’s conduct is compatible with the professional obligations of the lawyer; the lawyer having direct supervisory authority over the nonlawyer shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that the nonlawyer’s conduct is compatible with the professional obligations of the lawyer; and a lawyer shall be responsible for conduct of the nonlawyer that would be a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct if the lawyer orders or, with knowledge of the specific conduct, ratifies the conduct; or the lawyer has management or supervisory authority and knows of the conduct at a time when its consequences can be avoided or mitigated but fails to take reasonable action; N.D.R. Prof. Conduct 1.15, Fees, which provides that a lawyer shall promptly deliver to the client any funds or other property that the client is entitled to receive and, upon request by the client, shall promptly render a full accounting regarding such property; and N.D.R.P. Conduct 1.16, which provides that upon termination of representation, a lawyer shall take steps to the extent reasonably practicable to protect a client's interests, such as refunding any advance payment of fee or expenses that has not been earned or incurred.
[¶4] The Hearing Panel accepted the Stipulation, Consent to Discipline, and Recommendation. In recommending a sanction, the Hearing Panel considered N.D. Stds. Imposing Lawyer Sanctions 9.22(a) which recognizes prior disciplinary offenses as an aggravating factor and N.D. Stds. Imposing Lawyer Sanctions 9.32 recognizing a timely good faith effort to make restitution or rectify consequences of misconduct; a full and free disclosure to disciplinary board or cooperative attitude toward proceedings; and remorse as mitigating factors. The Hearing Panel also considered as a mitigating factor Kel1ington's participation in the Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) and the development of an Individualized Assistance Plan (IAP), in which, among other things, Kellington agrees to the following:
1. Participation and cooperation in mentoring oversight of her law practice and other terms and conditions of the IAP, and work with an attorney mentor or mentors assigned by the LAP committee.
2. Participation in continuing education classes or self study materials focused on sole practitioners including law practice management.
3. Having direct and primary responsibility for handling of client funds and following a specific trust account management plan developed with the assistance of an attorney mentor or mentors.
4. Implementing procedures, including self audit checklists, if necessary and appropriate, for being more selective with potential new clients.
[¶5] The Stipulation, Consent to Discipline, and Recommendation was served on September 12, 2011, and forwarded to the Supreme Court. Objections to the Stipulation were due within 20 days of service of the report. No objections were received, and the matter was submitted to the Court for consideration.
[¶6]
ORDERED
, that the Stipulation, Consent to Discipline, and Recommendation of the Hearing Panel is adopted and Kellington is suspended from the practice of law for ninety days, with the suspension stayed and Kellington placed on probation for one year. The conditions of probation shall be the following:
1. Kellington must have no further disciplinary complaints during the period of probation found to be meritorious.
2. Kellington must comply with all terms and conditions specified for her participation in the LAP, including the terms and conditions of the IAP and any attorney mentor agreements (as the same may from time to time be amended with the concurrence of LAP and the Office of Disciplinary Counsel).
If the conditions of probation are violated, Kellington will be subject to revocation of probation, lifting of the stay, and active suspension from the practice of law for ninety days, without credit for any probationary period served.
[¶7]
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED
, Kellington shall, within thirty days of service of the Supreme Court's order or within such other time as the Supreme Court shall specify, provide an accounting of fees and expenses to Cynthia Cantwell and Joe Wolf and refund any amounts collected for fees that have not been earned or expenses that have not been incurred. If Kellington cannot locate Cantwell or Wolf, such that either client's refund constitutes unclaimed property under Chapter 47-30.1, N.D.C.C., Kellington agrees that she will proceed under the terms of the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act.
[¶8]
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED
, at the end of the period of probation, Kellington shall file with the Clerk of the Supreme Court and serve upon Assistant Disciplinary Counsel an affidavit stating that she has fully complied with the requirements of the Supreme Court's order and has paid all required fees, costs, and expenses.
[¶9]
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED
, that
Kellington
pay the costs and expenses of these disciplinary proceedings in the amount of $500, payable to the Secretary of the Disciplinary Board.
[¶10]
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED
, that due to the stay of suspension, notices or actions required under N.D.R.Lawyer Discipl. 6.3 need not be undertaken unless required by further order of the Court.
[¶11] Gerald W. VandeWalle, C.J.
Mary Muehlen Maring
Carol Ronning Kapsner
Crothers, Justice, dissenting.
[¶12] I agree with that part of the Majority Opinion accepting the Stipulation, Consent to Discipline and Recommendation of the Hearing Panel finding Kellington violated N.D.R. Prof. Conduct 1.15, 1.16 and 5.3 and suspending her from the practice of law for 90 days. But I respectfully disagree with that portion of the Majority Opinion staying the suspension. Because I do not agree with the Consent to Discipline in its entirety, I would reject the Consent to Discipline and remand this matter to the Disciplinary Board for further proceedings.
[¶13] Allegations in this matter surround improper trust account transactions. The Hearing Panel found Kellington “did not promptly issue refund checks from the [law firm] trust account but instead transferred the four clients’ cumulative trust account balances of $3,310.85 from the [law firm] client trust account to the [law firm] business account, where the account balances were commingled with firm funds until refund checks were issued. [Law firm] was not entitled to any portion of the funds transferred.” The Hearing Panel concluded, “Kellington should have known she was dealing improperly with the property of the clients named in the petition and caused injury or potential injury to the clients.”
[¶14] Client funds must be held in a trust account to ensure their safekeeping from loss and to maintain ready availability to the client upon termination of the representation. N.D.R. Prof. Conduct 1.15(a) and (d). “The prohibition against commingling ensures that a lawyer’s creditors will not be able to attach clients’ property.
See
In re Anonymous
, 698 N.E.2d 808 (Ind. 1998) (commingling of lawyer and client funds would subject clients to ‘unacceptable risks,’ such as attachment by creditors, or intended or unintended misappropriation by lawyer);
In re Glorioso
, 819 So. 2d 320 (La. 2002) (by commingling lawyer put clients’ funds at risk of being seized by IRS to satisfy lawyer’s tax liability).” Annotated Model Rules of Professional Conduct R. 1.15 annot. at 241-42 (7th ed. 2011). “[T]he prohibition also prevents lawyers from shielding personal assets from their own creditors by hiding funds in client trust accounts.”
Id.
at 242 (citations omitted);
Disciplinary Board v. Overboe
, 2009 ND 40, ¶ 6, 763 N.W.2d 776.
[¶15] Jurisdictions uniformly hold lawyers responsible for a nonlawyer assistant’s handling of trust account transactions:
“Lawyers are responsible under Rule 5.3 for the mishandling of client funds by nonlawyer assistants. Courts view holding money in trust for clients as a nondelegable fiduciary responsibility that cannot be excused by someone else’s ignorance, inattention, incompetence, or dishonesty. Although lawyers may employ nonlawyers to assist in fulfilling this fiduciary duty, lawyers must provide adequate training and supervision to ensure that ethical and legal obligations to account for client funds are being met. When it comes to handling client funds, ‘there must be some system of timely review and internal control to provide reasonable assurance that the supervising lawyer will learn whether the employee is performing the delegated duties honestly and competently.’”
Annotated Model Rules of Professional Conduct R. 5.3 annot. at 450 (7th ed. 2011) (citations omitted). Here, the Hearing Panel properly found violations of N.D.R. Prof. Conduct 1.15, 1.16 and 5.3.
[¶16] The Hearing Panel’s findings also alerted us that between 1996 and 2011 Kellington has been disciplined seven times prior to this proceeding. Those disciplines include two admonitions and five consent probations at the Inquiry Committee level.
[¶17] The Standards for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions adopted by this Court provide, “Suspension is generally appropriate when a lawyer knows or should know that he is dealing improperly with client property and causes injury or potential injury to a client.” N.D. Stds. Imposing Lawyer Sanctions 4.12.
[¶18] Standard 9.1 provides, “After misconduct has been established, aggravating and mitigating circumstances may be considered in deciding what sanction to impose.” The Hearing Panel found Kellington’s prior discipline is an aggravating factor. That prior discipline included consent probation for providing false financial information on her application for admission to the bar and consent probation for failing to adequately supervise a nonlawyer assistant in violation of Rule 5.3—which is one of the rule violations admitted in this matter. The Hearing Panel found mitigating factors of timely good faith efforts to make restitution, full and free disclosure, remorse and participation in the Lawyers Assistance Program through development of an individualized assistance plan.
[¶19] Under our Standards, Kellington is subject to suspension unless aggravating or mitigating circumstances dictate otherwise. Here, the aggravating and mitigating circumstances are offsetting at best. At worst, Kellington’s history of discipline with a financial matter and with failure to adequately supervise a nonlawyer assistant suggests the disciplinary sanction should be increased. As a result, I cannot agree that our rules and standards, or the principles of graduated and proportional discipline allow us to stay Kellington’s probation. The offer of discipline by consent therefore should be rejected.
[¶20] Daniel J. Crothers
Dale V. Sandstrom
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Context. Dark plasma is an intriguing form of self-interacting dark matter with an effective fluid-like behavior, which is well motivated by various theoretical particle physics models.
Aims: We aim to find an explanation for an isolated mass clump in the Abell 520 system, which cannot be explained by traditional models of dark matter, but has been detected in weak lensing observations.
Methods: We performed N-body smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of galaxy cluster collisions with a two component model of dark matter, which is assumed to consist of a predominant non-interacting dark matter component and a 10-40% mass fraction of dark plasma.
Results: The mass of a possible dark clump was calculated for each simulation in a parameter scan over the underlying model parameters. In two higher resolution simulations shock-waves and Mach cones were observed to form in the dark plasma halos.
Conclusions: By choosing suitable simulation parameters, the observed distributions of dark matter in both the Bullet cluster (1E 0657-558) and Abell 520 (MS 0451.5+0250) can be qualitatively reproduced.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- December 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1051/0004-6361/201731299
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1603.07324
- Bibcode:
- 2017A&A...608A.125S
- Keywords:
-
- astroparticle physics;
- methods: numerical;
- dark matter;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics;
- High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
- E-Print: | https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017A%26A...608A.125S/abstract |
This Nightmare Air-Ease System Cannot Be Fixed?
How can an understanding of the resource continuum be used for better environmental resource management?
Environmental (or natural) resource management rests on the principle that there is an interconnectedness joining various elements of the environment and that these elements are mutually supportive. Thus, the destruction, depletion, or contamination of a significant component can have negative effects that can iterate through the entire ecological system.
Excessive timber cutting: Wood products have long been in great demand, a situation which often leads to large-scale deforestation. This has often had long-term negative—sometimes disastrous—outcomes. For example, massive timber cutting programs in the northern portion of the American Midwest during the 1880-1920 period not only resulted in eroded soil in some of the most productive land in the United States, it also contributed to massive flooding during the 1930s. When intact, those forests collectively held substantial amounts of ground water in place. When the forests were stripped of trees, that water was free to flow uncontrolled, an outcome that had disastrous effects on farmland much further south. This outcome was only ameliorated through concerted reforestation programs.
Uncontrolled air pollution: While there are certainly many advantages attributable to industrial development, historically one of the unwanted side effects was air pollution, the presence of particulates that both contributed to sick-air negative health outcomes and, at least in some instances, affected local agriculture (e.g., by depositing lead and mercury in the soil). Again, and as with riparian rights, this outcome was not intentional. Rather, it came about through reliance on traditional rules of social behavior that proved insufficient to meet radically changed circumstances.
Examine the issues that arise from the suggestion that we should spend large sums of money now to ameliorate the problems that could arise from climate change towards the end of the 21st century.
Responding to prospective climate change, especially at a distance of several decades, raises a spectrum of issues that likely render the effort an exercise in futility. There are a number of fundamental issues at work: (1) there is no certainty regarding the direction that climate change may be taking during the remainder of the century; (2) even if a general consensus were to develop regarding such a general trend, it may well be completely beyond our capabilities to overcome or redirect it; and (3) beyond certain very basic considerations (e.g., sufficient food production), we have no clear idea regarding the nature of economic and social requirements that will prevail 80 or 90 years in the future. There are, however, certain fundamental considerations and, for that matter, courses of action that could be undertaken that will almost certainly be in the interest of populations two or three generations in the future.
Reducing the carbon imbalance: Global warming is attributed to increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide. (In absolute terms, atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased significantly over the past 200 years. To what extent this increase actually relates to a long term warming trend remains in debate.) Assuming that fossil fuel burning is directly related to an unwanted long-term warming trend, it would be in the interest of populations around the globe to undertake responsive action. As a practical matter, there is no immediately available technology that can replace fossil fuel burning to any significant extent. However, even in the absence of new or anticipated technology, certain corrective actions may be taken. Probably the most helpful would be reforestation. Simply stated, trees—understood as ‘living cellulose’—amount to ‘stored’ carbon. During a tree’s life cycle, it converts carbon dioxide and water from the environment into living matter. A concerted worldwide reforestation program, irrespective general population growth during the remainder of the century, would redress much of the current (and projected) problem and, for that matter, improve lives in the more immediate future.
Undertake responsible nuclear waste storage programs: If, over the next few decades, nations collectively decide to place greater emphasis on nuclear power as an energy source, it would only be prudent to establish nuclear waste storage facilities in geologically inactive areas in various parts of the globe. The United States has suspended development of the Yucca Mountain storage facility, purely for political reasons. This decision has grave implications for the future development of nuclear power.
Uncertainty regarding climate-related future outcomes: As a practical matter, we can only speculate about the nature of prospective changes attributable to climate change. For example, there are both warming and cooling climate models that consider the possibility of significant change in the strength and direction of the flow of the Gulf Stream. Even in the presence of significant global warming, if Gulf Stream flow were to be significantly affected, life in northern Europe would be gravely affected—likely turning much colder and less habitable (however much the rest of the globe heated up).
Question 3: Identify the key factors underpinning the international trade in hazardous waste. Is this trade sustainable?
In simplest economic terms, nations export certain waste products (e.g., CRTs, E-waste) because it is a cheaper solution than performing comparable industrial harm reduction and neutralization efforts in-country. While American legislation—the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act [RCRA], implemented by EPA—governs waste management programs (including export), the United States is not a party to the ‘Basel’ international convention governing the overall issue. Most exported American waste is destined for Canada, Mexico, or the Philippines. There are a number of interrelated social and economic issues at work.
Health hazards: Electronic waste (e-waste) contains significant amounts of heavy metals (e.g., lead, mercury) which, if exposed to the elements, contribute to air and water pollution. These waste products can be buried in solid waste landfill, although both administrative costs (in the form of EIS) and storage costs (in the form of assuring underground integrity) are onerous. Furthermore, actual destruction of these products (e.g., through high-temperature burning) can only be accomplished under tightly controlled conditions, so as to avoid lead and mercury vapor escape. Under these circumstances, it is cheaper to export the materials. However, as a practical matter, the waste management problems travel with the exported material. And, as a corollary, that material is often destined for a venue in which long-term management is haphazard, at best.
Asymmetric economic incentives: The overall level of economic development (and imputed social concern) in such countries as the United States, Japan, and the OECD presupposes, at least in theory, that recovery-reuse efforts will take precedence over intrinsic economic interests—that is, that efforts to extract even trace amounts of toxic metals and other dangerous materials will be undertaken even though sources are less expensive. In most advanced nations, these expectations are written into public law. As a practical matter, however, it is cheaper to export. For the receiving nation, matters are often otherwise, especially where labor costs are low and regulatory efforts are minimal. According to a recent report of the Congressional Research Service, “Operations in Guiyu in the Shantou region of China have gained particular attention. Observed recycling operations involve burning the plastic coverings of materials to extract metals for scrap, openly burning circuit boards to remove solder or soaking them in acid baths to strip them for gold or other metals. Acid baths are then dumped into surface water. Among other impacts to those areas have been elevated blood lead levels in children and soil and water contaminated with heavy metals.” This, in turn, raises fundamental moral questions. While it may be argued that securing the health and general well-being of persons living in Third World-level environments is properly the purview of local governments, the fact remains that most citizens of modern liberal democracies are loath to be associated, however indirectly, with international trade efforts that ultimately and irretrievably impair the health of defenseless persons.
In light of foregoing, it appears that, at least in theory, the current export model can continue. However, if social costs become too high, industrial nations may unilaterally decide eventually to eliminate the practice.
1. React to the solutions and destructions presented. What do you think about these ideas? Be specific.
The film titled Save Energy, Save Money, Save the Planet illustrated that individuals can help to impact environmental issues. In my opinion, a second extremely important item which was brought up by this film was that there can be several factors which can prevent individuals which prevent them from reducing their home's energy output. Therefore, in my opinion, it is extremely important to create other organizations such as the Cambridge Energy Alliance which may help individuals and companies to determine methods by which their home or business may reduce their energy consumption, to find ways to help them finance these ways, and to monitor their progress to ensure that the suggested methods are effective.
The film titled Fighting Over Forests demonstrates that environmental issues can be complex because their possible resolution may be in conflict with the livelihood of individuals.
2. How do politics influence what happens to our environment? Give examples.
A good example of such a possible influence was given within the film Fighting Over Forests. In particular, Mark Ray was in charge of the US Forest Service, under president Bush, and had past ties with the logging industry. In my opinion, this is a conflict of interest.
3. Should we care about environmental issues? Why/why not. Explain.
Yes, we should care about environmental issues for reasons of public health. For example, the film titled Fighting Over Forests discussed how the potentially toxic (in high concentrations) element selenium has killed off several sheep in Idaho and was found within high levels within the fish within a particular river.
4. What are some simple actions we can each take in our homes?
We can put in insulation to reduce the amount of heat required by our home in the winter and the amount of cooling required in the summer. We can also install compact fluorescent light bulbs which require less electricity (the film Save Energy, Save Money, Save the Planet interviewed one woman who used special LED lighting).
5. What are some simple actions we can each take on our college campus?
We can create voluntary organizations which explore some of the ways in which the college can save energy and thereby reduce the college's "carbon footprint". The college can also hold events to promote awareness of environmental issues.
6. What are some simple actions we can each take in other areas-parks, transportation, etc?
The relevant agencies and organizations should examine ways in which they may reduce their "carbon footprint".
Now. Save energy, save money, save the planet. | https://aireaseleaks.org/environmental-resource-management |
The Willowsmere is a large 1850s Lakeland stone guest house recently fully refurbished to a very high standard. Set in its own landscaped gardens in Windermere, The Willowsmere is ideally located to explore The Lake District.
Martin and Sue welcome you to their home, which offers a friendly and cosy home from home atmosphere. The Willowsmere was built around 1865 as a Lakeland cottage and extended around 1875 as a country home for a well-to- do Victorian family. It has been tastefully restored and renovated to a high standard and includes the luxuries that you would expect when staying in a fine English hotel. The guest house has thirteen en suite bedrooms, all with those little extras that make your stay a pleasant and relaxing one. There are two lounges for guest use and a secluded landscaped garden where you can enjoy a drink from the well-stocked cellar. The Willowsmere has a large off-road car park and is centrally located 8 minutes walk from Windermere centre and train station and 10 minutes walk from the tranquil shores of Lake Windermere. All guests have FREE use of leisure facilities nearby (5 minutes walk). We do not have any family rooms; therefore regretfully we cannot accommodate children under 12 years of age. Please note that normally we take bookings for a minimum of two nights weekdays and three nights at weekends.
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On this day: | http://ads.information-britain.co.uk/showPlace.cfm?Place_ID=52035 |
It has 4 suites with a capacity of up to 10 people, divided into two areas with independent entrances. In an area on the lower floor there is a suite for 2 people, with equipped kitchen and bathroom. On the upper floor the House is prepared with equipped kitchen for 3 suites all with air conditioning, TV, WiFi and private bathroom.
Casa da Penha Ferrim has a garden, a barbecue and picnic area, and a free private parking area. Next to the House there are transport to tourist circuits, cafes and restaurants in the locality of S. Pedro.
Rooms: 4
Quantity: 10
Price for room:
Between 35 -100 euros (varies according to the type of occupancy, namely number of nights / people / time of year)
Minimum stay: between 2 nights (low season) / 7 nights (high season)
|Agent Photo|
|Name||Susana Cortes|
|Address||Calçada de S. Pedro, 6-8 2710-507 Sintra|
|State/Province||Sintra|
|Country||Portugal|
|License||70571/AL|
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Mobile: | http://www.sintrainn.net/en/sidemenu-vila-2/sidemneu-vila-lodging/casa-da-penha-ferrim.html |
It seemed entirely fitting that on the evening that brought the extraordinarily rich life of Sir Roger Bannister to its end, Laura Muir should prove that there remains a lofty place within athletics for those who also wish to cure the sick and mend the broken.
Unlike the first person to run a mile in under four minutes, the prodigious young Scot lends her medical skills to animals as she nears the conclusion of her veterinary degree.
And although she never met one of middle-distance’s true greats, you sense Bannister – who always saw his distinguished career as a physician as his primary calling – would have roundly applauded the manner in which Muir departed the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham last night with a silver and bronze in her bag amid an unfathomably hectic nine months that she trusts will speed her to graduate with honours.
Second to Genzebe Dibaba in the 1,500 metres final on Saturday, two days after coming third behind the Ethiopian in the 3,000m, the 24-year-old acknowledged a debt owed to the most Corinthian of spirits.
Muir has become a beacon herself, more so that she now has global medals in her collection with an opportunity, surely, to emulate Bannister as a European champion come the summer. Before then, she will head today back into placements, sit exams in May and finally reach the finish line, having been steered so ably by her coach Andy Young who has meticulously sculpted a training programme around his charge’s variable schedule that has remained highly effective.
“I think Andy’s given me a few days off this week, which is very generous of him,” Muir joked. No bad thing after the exertions here and before. Despite the end-results, the equation of juggling sport and study has taken its toll, she admitted.
If her 3,000m performance was astute, her approach in the 1,500 was potent as she sped past Dutch rival Sifan Hassan on the last lap before her pursuit of Dibaba came up just short. Even that scalp has raised her self-belief still further, Muir conceded.
It concluded quite a night for the Burgh of Kinross, with Eilidh Doyle burnishing her already spectacular list of accomplishments with bronze in the 400 metres. The 31-year-old, who was forced to sit out yesterday’s relay final with a calf strain, has rarely run better. A day later, the Scots were together at the track enjoying the spoils of their weekend of wonder. | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/athletics/laura-muir-proves-she-is-fit-to-carry-torch-lit-by-bannister-1-4700410 |
The Technology and Innovation Reference Group is managing the development and promotion of the Technology and Innovation section.
The group's primary purpose is to identify social technology which could be used in emergency communications, to provide links to it in the Wiki and, where needed, to provide practical guidelines on how it could be used in the emergency context.
The key responsibilities are:
1. Create and maintain a global resource, providing links to emergency apps and mapping tools for the public to access:
- Smartphone Apps
- Videos
- Mapping tools
- Monitoring tools
- Ipad Apps
- Smart TV Apps
- Games
- Ibook guides
2. Assist the global community to stay at the cutting edge of emergency communications technology by:
- Identifying new and emerging web 2.0 technology and proving practical tips and guidelines on how to apply it to emergency communications eg Google Plus
- Highlighting new features of existing web2.0 technology and social media tools and providing practical tips and guidelines on how to apply to emergency communications.
3. Encourage innovation, collaboration and crowdsourcing across the emergency, government, community, business and ICT sectors by: | http://emergency20wiki.org/wiki/index.php/Technology_and_Innovation_Reference_Group |
SSD – 10346
Oxley Solar Development continues to review all feedback received from the community, government and other organisations and it is being taken into active consideration as the project progresses.
Additional studies continue to progress including visual amenity, soil & erosion, traffic & transport, biodiversity, bushfire & hazards, cumulative impacts, aboriginal cultural heritage and we continue with community consultation. The outcomes from these studies, consultations and associated findings are informing our submission to the Department of Planning Industry and Environment. We continue with these additional studies and consultations to ensure we are able to significantly reduce the footprint of the project and therefore reduce associated impacts on the community.
We appreciate community concerns during these difficult times so these studies are all being conducted strictly in alignment with NSW Government COVID-19 guidelines. The pandemic continues to have a significant impact on this phase of our development.
COVID-19 and the associated lock downs in NSW, have delayed our plans for the next phase of onsite community and stakeholder engagement. We are now planning to be back in the area in late spring / early summer of 2021 to further meet with the community and stakeholders, providing COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and travel can recommence.
In the meantime, if anyone would like to discuss any aspect of this project we would welcome an opportunity to meet with you via video conference or telephone. We are also very happy to respond to your questions via email at any time.
We will continue to keep you informed as we progress in our activities and once travel restrictions ease we will communicate again to provide updates and provide the opportunity for face to face meetings.
To arrange a meeting or for any further information please call 1300 708 818 or email us anytime at [email protected]. | https://www.oxleysolarfarm.com.au/news-as-at-23-september-2021/ |
Tycoons and their trappings hold an eternal fascination, and the Pinang Peranakan Mansion not only delivers a fix of sumptuousness, but also a glimpse into the life of privileged Babas and Nyonyas.
Built in 1894 by Chung Keng Kwee, the house features a stunning staircase and grand reception areas. Thought to have been occupied by the invading japanese during the Second World War, it was left empty and neglected in 1945 until property developer and antiques collector Peter Soon acquired the house in 2000.
Ploughing $2,000,000 into it, he spent four years restoring the building to its former splendour and opened it as a museum, venue and home for his valuable collection of artifacts and furniture in 2004. It attracts a steady stream of tourists and visitors each day, many of whom marvel at the decadent interiors and lavish remnants of a way of life that is gone forever.
The eclectic design and architecture of the mansion incorporates Chinese carved panels, with English floor tiles and Scottish ironwork and represents a significant element of Penang’s built heritage.
Peranakan is from a Malay word meaning decendents from the union between a local and a foreigner, and Chinese and Malay cultures blended to form a unique lifestyle that included its own speech, customs and cuisine. Also known as the Babas (men) and Nyonyas (women), the Peranakans were concentrated in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore, and were also called the Straits Chinese.
The first recorded Sino-Malay wedding was in 1458 when a Chinese princess married a Malaccan sultan.
When the British took over Malacca in 1824, Peranakan culture was thriving. After the British established Singapore in 1819, the Peranakans had headed south.
In 1786 Penang became an outpost of the East India Company, passing from the sultanate of Kedah to the British.
In 1867 Penang, Malacca and Singapore became Crown Colonies and Peranakans began to adopt British customs. Anglophile Peranakans purchased expensive European collectibles, such as the epergnes (large table centerpieces consisting of a frame with extended arms or branches supporting holders, as for flowers, fruit, or sweetmeats), which can be seen in the mansion and left.
Fashionable households also showed off their chandeliers and Venetian glass, and Babas often wore evening suits for their wedding photos although Nyonyas wore traditional robes, headdresses and jewellery.
There’s too much to take in on one visit, and tours are available with guides who can explain the history of the house and more about its contents.
Fashionable Nyonyas usually had a large collection of handcrafted shoes with embroidered uppers, and a number are on display in one of the bedrooms, along with a selection of kebayas, or traditional blouses in sheer, patterned material. Intricately carved screens feature auspicious animals while furniture, often rosewood or blackwood from the Qing period (1694-1911), is frequently inlaid with mother of pearl. | https://carolyn-odonnell.com/2012/06/02/george-town-pinang-peranakan-mansion/ |
Many organisations understand that in today's enterprise technology landscape, the traditional network perimeter approach to defending against cyber threats is not enough to ensure a cyber resilient environment. This has given rise to the concept of identity being a key focal point in any cybersecurity strategy. Ian Yip will briefly explain the changes, challenges, and reasons that have forced the identity & access management industry to evolve. He will subsequently discuss how identity, visibility, and speed are the key components of an effective data protection strategy and the holistic approach, considerations, and capabilities required to achieve this. | https://www.bankinfosecurity.eu/webinars/defending-against-data-breaches-its-all-about-identity-visibility-speed-w-1281 |
Hualapai Mexican VoleGeorge Andrejko,
Ariz. Game & Fish Dept.
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The Hualapai Mexican vole is a subspecies of the Mexican vole. It is a small rodent found in mountain ranges of northwestern Arizona. It is cinnamon-brown in color with a short tail and small round ears that are nearly hidden by its long, loose fur. It's nose is small and blunt, and its legs are short.
This species inhabits ponderosa pine-Gambel oak forests, and is restricted to only a few isolated ranges at elevations as high as 8400 feet. Mexican voles are known to live in colonies in grassy openings of the forests, especially in the vicinity of old logs that are party decayed and well-bedded in the soil. The are also known to make well-defined runways through tall grass and around stones found in open ridges, under shinnery oaks, and even into the edge of dry woods. This species may feed only on vegetation, such as grasses, herbs, roots, and bark. The reproductive behavior of the Hualapai Mexican vole is unknown. The gestation period of females may be between 20 to 24 days, and the litter size is believed to be small.
There are only a few small isolated populations of the Hualapai Mexican vole, and there is a threat of extinction due to habitat loss and degradation. Conservation plans include the continued study of its biology and habitat which will help to develop and manage conservation strategies for all remaining vole populations.
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Featured Article
Eight Species Declared Extinct But May Still be Out There1. Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil is endemic to Australia. Although this species is called tiger (named for its stripes) and wolf (due to its canid-like appearance), it is not a member of the cat or wolf family. It is a member of the marsupial family. Other members of this family include kangaroos and koala bears.
The last known Tasmanian tiger died in a zoo in Hobart, Tasmania in 1936, but there have been hundreds of unconfirmed sightings, and a reserve has been set up in Southwestern Tasmania in the hopes that possible surviving individuals can have adequate habitat.
Read More... | http://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?gr=&view=c&ID=9&sp=919 |
One of the most legendary figures in Syracuse basketball history, Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, needs our help. The point guard who put the Orange on the map in the 1980s has been battling health issues for years, and things have taken a turn for the worse for #31.
A GoFundMe page has been set up on Pearl’s behalf by his friend Brandon Steiner, and I’ll let it speak for itself:
“My longtime friend, Pearl Washington, a former Syracuse Orange basketball star who also played for the Nets and Heat in the NBA, has suffered a relapse of a brain tumor that he has been dealing with since 1995.
Pearl has been sticking in for a while, but unfortuantely he has taken a turn for the worse. He can’t walk anymore. I’m trying to get this next phase more comfortable for him.
Pearl will now require round-the-clock 24-hour care, a wheelchair and other necessities. I along with many other fellow Orange alumni are doing what we can to raise money for one of my favorite people in the world. Please consider donating.”
If you have the means, please consider helping the Pearl, and keep him in your thoughts. | http://ottosgrove.com/pearl-washington-needs-our-help/ |
Europe’s best-kept secret, the Republic of Estonia is the smallest country of the Baltic states in the north-west of the continent. Estonia has blossomed into a perfect destination for curious visitors from all over the world since it widely opened its borders after regaining independence. Since becoming a member of the EU, the Baltic country of Estonia is associated with a joyous destination for a perfect vacation. Magnificent castles, mysterious marshlands, picturesque countryside, pristine islands, crystalline lakes, bustling towns and a cosmopolitan capital city, Tallinn, are all waiting to be explored and discovered in their own beauty.
Estonia travel guide- Geography
Estonia is located on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia, across the Gulf of Finland, so it has a long coastline of about 3,794 km marked by plenty of inlets, bays and a number of 1,520 islands. The Estonian terrain consists of marshy lowlands. It is quite flat in the north and hilly in the south. The highest point is the Suur Munamägi at 318 meters high.
Estonia travel guide- Climate
The most advisable time to visit Estonia is during summer. Its maritime and continental climate divides the year into four seasons, with warm summers and rough winters. The summer average temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius. Summer days are long, but winter daylight may last only six hours. The cold winters bring little snowfall but snow stays though on the ground from December to March. Summers are quite rich in unpredictable rainfalls. Because of its location by the Baltic Sea, humidity and sea breezes are constantly present along the seashore.
Estonia travel guide- Past Meets Present
Estonian towns range in size from Tallinn, the capital city, of about 400,000 inhabitants to Ruhnu with no more than 60 permanent inhabitants. In case of Ruhnu, the low population presence is easily explained by the fact that its inhabitants were preponderant Swedish and, while during the Soviet occupation, they moved to Sweden.
Ruhnu Island welcomes its visitors every summer. A ferry service is available for getting to the island. A tower lighthouse, designed by the famous Gustave Eiffel, stands on top of the Haubjerre Hill and one of the oldest wooden churches ever built in Estonia still holds its Lutheran religious services. Limo beach expects its tourists as being the most popular on the island.
Along its past time, Estonia has been occupied by different conquerors such as Germans, Danes, Swedes and Russians. They built a lot of castles, manors and fortified estates, many of which have been well restored in the past years. The diversity of historical castles and manors is rather large. Fortresses and castles from the 12th to the16th centuries, manors and palaces from the 17th to the 19th centuries and estate buildings from early 20th century rise everywhere, combining the architectural styles of the time with the rural type of Estonian design. For instance, Kuressaare Castle, which is an impressive Bishop’s fortress, Haapsalu Castle, Castle Glehn, Pädaste Manor in Muhu Island and many other imposing estates, and their surroundings as well, constitute a significant Estonian heritage and the best sights to be visited by all those from abroad who would like to interact with Estonian culture, customs and tradition.
If you are ready to experience a fabulous journey to mediaeval times, Estonia should be your final destination. Estonian castle and manor house hotels provide the best accommodation you have ever dreamt about. These architectural jewels spread all over Estonian landscape, mix their old-aged well restored appearance with modern facilities and accommodation as well. Kalvi Castle, rising itself on a high cliff on the northern coast, Palmse Park Hotel, located in the park of Palmse, Sagadi Manor, situated at the edge of Lahemaa National Park, Taagepera Castle, which lies on a hill in the picturesque Valgamaa landscape, or Oti Manor on the Saaremaa Island, are only a few from the large number of manor house hotels that are widely opened to host their visitors from all over the world, providing the best services you could imagine.
Tallinn, the capital city of the Republic of Estonia, is the largest town situated on the northern coast, along the Gulf of Finland. An important economical, political and cultural center, and seaport as well, Tallinn attracts its visitors with the two old towns, Toompea or Upper Town and All-Linn or Lower Town, offering mystical attractions such as the city walls and varied bastions and towers, impressive cathedrals, Castrum Danorum, old Royal Palace, which is now the House of the Parliament and many other legendary sights.
Estonia travel guide- Cuisine
Local cuisine depends on simple peasant food. It consists mostly of black bread, pork, potatoes, season vegetables, herbs, dairy products and fish. Traditional Estonian cuisine has been largely influenced by foreign cuisine along the centuries.
Estonia travel guide- Currency
The Estonian kroon, subdivided into 100 senti, is the actual currency of Estonia. Current EEK exchange rates are to be found on media, internet or banks as well.
Estonia travel guide- Transport
Being an important transit center since the mediaeval times, Estonia offers good opportunities for all kinds of transport: terrestrial, airy and maritime.
A mysterious land of unwritten mediaeval stories, a picturesque countryside and a fairy place in which history meets hospitality, Estonia is surely the perfect choice for a dreamy holiday destination. | http://www.travelgrove.com/travel-guides/Estonia-Travel-Guide-c65.html |
A carer stole a gold bracelet from a 100-year-old woman she was supposed to be helping and hid it in her onesie.
Elaine Wood, 56, took the jewellery, valued between £1,000 and £2,000, while looking after the pensioner in her Aigburth home.
When police arrested Wood at her house in Manica Crescent, Fazakerley, she answered the door wearing the onesie.
Lynn Clark, prosecuting, told Liverpool Magistrates’ Court: “When searched the item was found inside a square cardboard box inside the foot of the onesie she was wearing.”
Wood was working for Merseycare Julie Ann at the time of the incident, on March 7 this year.
The victim, who has lived independently in her home for 90 years, needs helps with daily tasks.
The prosecutor said: “The lady’s usual process is to take her jewellery off and place it in a box.
“One item, a bracelet she had handmade into a chain, was given to her by an uncle. It has huge sentimental value and was a gift from the masons to her uncle.
“The defendant told her not to put it in the box and to leave it by her bed. When she woke up the following morning the bracelet was missing.”
Wood, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to theft.
She told police she had worked for Merseycare Julie Ann for 10 months and was normally office-based. She has since been fired.
Ms Clark said: “She is thoroughly ashamed of herself and her actions and she understands she was in a position of trust.”
Bob Code, defending, said his client found herself struggling financially when she received a £700 unpaid council tax bill.
He said: “That was a straw that did break the camel’s back for her and led her to do what she says herself was a foolish thing.”
Mr Code said Wood was suffered from depression and asked for the case to be adjourned for a pre-sentence report. She will now be sentenced on April 29.
District Judge Miriam Shelvey said: “You have pleaded guilty to a theft which is a serious matter – a very serious matter.”
"I couldn't rule out prison for this offence. It's a matter for the judge."
Merseycare Julie Ann (MCJA) said all background checks on Wood had given "no cause for concern".Rosie Robinson, registered manager at the company, said: "MCJA have been working in Liverpool for 13 years as a social care provider and place safeguarding vulnerable adults at the heart of everything we do.
"We conduct thorough background checks on all prospective employees, which includes an enhanced CRB check. All checks on Elaine Wood came back clear, with no cause for concern.
"As soon as the victim relayed her concerns to another Merseycare Julie Ann care worker, we advised her to contact the police.
"MCJA immediately reported the concern to Careline at Liverpool City Council in line with local authority safeguarding procedures.
"MCJA have fully cooperated with the police investigation throughout. Elaine Woods no longer works for MCJA.
"MCJA continues to be committed to providing a high quality safe service to the people of Liverpool." | https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-carer-used-onesie-steal-6904894 |
Keeping middle managers happy with their supervisors is the key to retaining the lower-level workers they manage and avoiding expensive turnover costs, according to a Vanderbilt University study.
“Middle managers’ treatment of employees reflects how bosses treat them,” says Ray Friedman, Brownlee O. Currey professor of Management at Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.
Previous studies have found that high employee turnover lowers customer satisfaction. It’s also been previously established that the level of satisfaction with a supervisor is a reliable predictor of turnover intentions.
Middle Managers Need Role Models
The authors believe that role modeling is at the heart of the matter.
“If an organization wishes to address issues related to line employees’ work attitudes, it should address behavior and work attitudes from the top down.” Friedman said. “The focus should not just be on employees and their managers, but also on the signals being sent by senior managers every day as they interact with their middle-level manager subordinates.”
In a study of 1,527 full-time employees at 94 hotels in the United States and Canada, Friedman and colleagues Ying Chen, assistant professor at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Tony Simons, associate professor at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, found that “middle managers’ satisfaction with their senior managers was related positively to line employees’ satisfaction with middle managers.”
So when middle managers don’t have good working relationships with their bosses, the effects are felt down the line with the employees the middle managers oversee, leading to some lower-level employees quitting.
“Despite the lack of direct contact between senior managers and line employees, senior managers can have a significant influence on those line employees,” Friedman said.
Women Managers Most Impacted
The effect is even stronger for women managers, the study suggests.
“While the trickle-down effect is general, there may be subgroups especially influenced by the trickle-down dynamic and we have identified women middle managers as a group that is especially affected by the trickle-down effect,” Friedman said.
Although they theorize that the results of the study will apply to industries other than the hotel business, the study authors call for further studies to confirm that belief.
“The Gendered Trickle-down Effect: How Mid-level Managers’ Supervision Affects Line Employee’s Turnover Intentions” was published in September by Career Development International.
Source: Vanderbilt University
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Here are more articles you may enjoy. | https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2015/01/27/260722.htm |
Murder charges in South Carolina
Anyone who has ever watched a crime show has heard the term homicide. But what is that? Homicide is the unlawful killing of another, but there are varying degrees of this class of crimes. The degrees depend upon on the jurisdiction and the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged incident. By far, the most talked about homicide crime is that of murder, which also has different definitions and degrees depending on the jurisdiction. Criminal charges and punishments often vary from state to state. Murder in South Carolina is defined as “the killing of any person with malice aforethought, either express or implied.” This is different from the South Carolina definition of manslaughter, which we will discuss in a different blog.
South Carolina murder charges
- Unlike most other states, South Carolina does not seem to separate murder into first degree and second degree, and therefore murder is treated as one charge and the punishment is determined by any aggravating factors that may exist. This is very different from North Carolina murder charges, which we discussed in another blog.
Elements of murder in South Carolina
- There are no specific elements outlined in the statute but South Carolina criminal law does specify that the act or injury inflicted by the defendant that caused the death, must have caused the death within three years of occurring.
- The only other requirement is that the “murder” was committed with malice, as previously stated.
- In this context malice is a term used to signify that the defendant intended to injury the victim. In order to have malice, the act must be voluntary and deliberate (even if death was not the specific intended outcome).
Punishment for murder in South Carolina
There are three tiers of punishment for murder in South Carolina depending on the facts and circumstances that surround the incident:
- Thirty years to life in prison
- Life in prison without the possibility of parole
- The death penalty
Sentencing for murder in South Carolina
Upon conviction or the entering of a guilty plea, a separate sentencing hearing is held to determine which of the above-required sentences will be imposed. There are several possible aggravating factors that will lead to life in prison without the possibility of parole including but not limited to:
- The murder was committed during an act of criminal sexual conduct
- The murder was committed during the course of a kidnapping
- The murder was committed during a robbery with a dangerous weapon
- The murder was committed during a burglary
These aggravating factors would have to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and the burden would be on the state of South Carolina to prove them.
Death Penalty
The death penalty can be imposed if the State seeks it and the judge finds the aggravating factors sufficient to justify that sentence.
If you know someone who is facing a murder charge in South Carolina and needs a York Criminal defense lawyer, a Lancaster Criminal defense lawyer, or a Rock Hill criminal defense lawyer, contact us. At Gilles Law we handle criminal defense in both North Carolina and South Carolina; we handle felonies and misdemeanors, and we handle both state and federal charges. | https://gilleslaw.com/murder-in-south-carolina/ |
Epigenetic mechanisms of tumorigenesis.
In the majority of human cancers, heritable loss of gene function through cell division may be mediated as often by epigenetic as by genetic abnormalities. Epigenetic modification occurs through a process of interrelated changes in CpG island methylation and histone modifications. Candidate gene approaches of cell cycle, growth regulatory and apoptotic genes have shown epigenetic modification associated with loss of cognate proteins in sporadic pituitary tumors. A search for novel genes on the basis of their differential methylation has led to the isolation and functional characterization of a pro-apoptotic mediator--a pituitary tumor apoptosis gene ( PTAG). Although PTAG expression is significantly underexpressed in most pituitary adenomas, mechanisms in addition to methylation most likely account for its loss. The GNAS gene is imprinted in normal pituitary, and activating mutations within Gsalpha, referred to as the gsp oncogene, are almost invariably associated with the maternal expressed allele in somatotrophic adenomas. In addition, epigenetic modification, manifesting as relaxation of imprinting, leads to biallelic expression of Gsalpha irrespective of gsp status. Pituitary tumors as components of familial syndromes represent a rare entity, and the role of epigenetic modification in their evolution and outgrowth is not known. Although speculative, these studies might provide new insight since methylation-associated gene silencing is a feature of other familial tumor types.
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METiS Therapeutics Inc is a biotechnology company with a unique technology platform that has the potential to drive best-in class drug assets in a wide range of therapeutic areas. Through the integration of machine learning, quantum simulation, and high-throughput experimentation, we enable scientists to rapidly, comprehensively, and intelligently develop novel drug candidates. METiS is founded by an enthusiastic team of MIT researchers and serial entrepreneurs. Our cross-disciplinary expertise and deep industry experiences allow METiS to harness AI to boldly deliver revolutionary therapies for patients with serious diseases.
As a founding member of our medicinal chemistry department, this individual will contribute significantly to our internal chemistry capabilities and provide guidance for our outsourced chemistry team. We are looking for an exceptional medicinal chemist with robust, practical knowledge of small molecule drug discovery and organic synthesis. They will be central to driving hypothesis- and data- driven drug discovery by leveraging a state-of-the-art AI platform for drug discovery. This role will be initially virtual but will transition to a lab-centric role by the end of the year.
Responsibilities
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Conceive and execute upon synthetic medicinal chemistry projects that achieve program goals with minimal supervisory support.
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Work collaboratively between groups – namely biology, pharmacology, and AI teams
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Manage CRO personnel (some overseas) including weekly progress tracking and reprioritization as necessary
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Maintain a high level of productivity in the lab (once available) by making key synthetic contributions to projects
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Proactively seek out and adapt new information in literature and patent landscape to incorporate into project strategies
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Prepare routine internal presentations to guide research strategy
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Contribute to due diligence activities of potential in-licensing projects
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Maintain accurate records of projects through diligent use of ELN. Support patent filing.
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Assist with hiring campaign and team/lab build-out
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Maintain strict lab safety practices, contribute to general lab operations
Minimum Qualifications
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Ph.D. in organic or medicinal chemistry preferred, Bachelors or Masters degree with commensurate experience also considered.
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Minimum 5-7 years’ experience in industrial small molecule drug discovery, with a strong track record of directly contributing to small molecule drug discovery programs
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Have a strong intuition about quantitative structure-activity relationships as they pertain to ADME/DMPK parameters in drug design, and optimizing compounds towards candidate selection
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Up-to-date expertise in all aspects of synthetic and medicinal chemistry
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Track record of high productivity in the lab by making key contributions to small molecule drug discovery - without compromising safety or maintenance of a clean, organized lab workspace
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Exceptional communication skills, including use of teleconferencing tools
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Proficiency with cloud-based apps such as Microsoft OneDrive, Box, etc.
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Works well within a small team environment and has excellent interpersonal skills, and shows flexibility towards diverse opinions and input
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Must be willing to relocate full time to Greater Boston Area within 6 months of start date
Preferred Qualifications
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Working knowledge of Structure-Based Drug Design concepts, and experience with CADD toolkits (e.g. MOE, MolSoft, OpenEye, Schrödinger)
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Familiarity with cheminformatics concepts such as similarity and clustering, and proficiency with scripting languages such as Python, R, or Knime
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Experience with ELN and informatics platforms such as CDD or Dotmatics
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Familiarity with cloud-based Linux environments and ability to work from the command line
RECRUITING & STAFFING AGENCIES: METiS Therapeutics does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to METiS or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by METiS recruiting team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of METiS, and METiS will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto. | https://www.metistx.com/senior-principal-scientist-medicinal-chemistry |
On Thursday NJCJI hosted a webinar for the business community outlining the US Department of Labor’s proposed regulations which would adopt the economic reality test to determine an individual’s status – independent contractor or employee – under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Currently, there is no clear test to make this determination.
In announcing the proposal, USDOL Secretary Eugene Scalia stated, “Part of what’s notable about this proposed rule is simply that we’re doing it…employers and workers looking for guidance have …to parse the sometimes-divergent decisions of the federal courts of appeals, and opinion letters the Labor Department issues occasionally without public notice or input.”
The central inquiry under the FLSA of an individual’s status as an employee or independent contractor is whether, as a matter of economic reality the individual is economically dependent on the potential employer for work. The determination of economic dependence would be made after applying the economic reality test.
As proposed, the regulation would recalibrate and codify the existing economic reality test. The test would include five factors, but be heavily weighted towards two “core factors,” the nature and degree of control over the work (to include exclusivity of relationship) and the opportunity for profit and loss (to include investment made by worker). The three other factors are skill required, permanence of working relationship, and integrated unit factors.
The USDOL summarized the significance of the two core factors as follows, “In sum, the two core factors drive at the heart of the economic dependence question because they bear a causal relationship with the ultimate inquiry. A worker’s control over the work and the opportunity for profit or loss are generally what transforms him or her from being economically dependent on an employer as a matter of economic reality into being in business for him- or herself. This is not so with the other factors. Possessing a specialized skill, having a temporary working relationship, and not being part of an integrated unit of production are certainly characteristics shared by many workers who are in business for themselves. But they are often indicators rather than essential elements of being in business for oneself.”
While the USDOL proposal is excellent news, it does not change the NJ unemployment insurance law’s A-B-C test or the legislative proposal to further restrict state standards for worker classification. We will need to continue our vigilance as a broad based coalition to see that a reasonable across the board test for employment is adopted in NJ.
NJCJI will be circulating draft comments supporting the proposal next week to all coalition participants to review and consider signing on to. Comments are due October 26, 2020. If you wish to discuss this in greater detail contact Eric DeGesero at [email protected] or 973-464-9504. | https://civiljusticenj.org/njcji-hosts-webinar-on-independent-contractor-rule-proposal/ |
For some reason not readily discernible, we gunnies will argue endlessly about the ways in which guns and ammunition can violate the laws of physics.
You know what I mean. We’ve all heard the yarns about the .45 that knocked an enemy combatant 6 feet off the ground and out of their shoes back in (fill in the blank with your conflict of choice here). While that may have happened, it wasn’t the result of physics concepts like the pure momentum of a .45 ACP 230-grain projectile.
SCIENCE RULES
What does this have to do with recoil? Wayne’s distant cousin, Isaac Newton came up with this idea that every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction. In his original words, edited for translation, that law reads:
To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction: or the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal, and directed to contrary parts.
In other words, a force in one direction is always opposed by a force in the opposite direction. If you’re sitting in a chair while reading this, your hind side is exerting a downward force on the chair seat. The chair is exerting an upward force on you. Simple enough, right?
With firearms, the same thing happens. The force of the bullet and powder moving forward is opposed by a backward force that pushes the gun towards you. Those two forces have to be equal. In gunny terms, that means that a bullet can’t have more “knockdown” momentum than what exists in recoil. Sure, it can have plenty of “destructive” power, but we’re talking raw momentum here. | https://mygunculture.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-recoil/ |
To the Editor:
Local elections have the largest impact on our day-to-day lives and especially in our school system. The Board of Education sets policy for our school systems, takes the first pass at the school budget, and hires/fires the Superintendent.
At this vital time in our country’s history and looking forward to creating the next generation leaders, we, the Democratic members and Democratic candidates for the Board of Education, ask for your vote to put us in the majority because our students deserve a Board that supports them at all times.
As your Board of Education majority, we will:
- Fight for a fair and comprehensive budget that adequately funds our school system
- Support our students of color, our LGBTQIA+ students, and children with special needs through the creation of policy and the funding of innovative initiatives
- Create and implement policies that bring the Monroe Board of Education into the 21st century, bring us in line with similarly situated school districts, and conform to state and federal regulations
- Advocate for a K-12 curriculum that creates well-rounded and engaged citizens who will become our future leaders
- Support all students in their social and emotional needs and close learning gaps by utilizing state and federal grant dollars smartly as we continue to feel the long-lasting effects of COVID
- Support all teachers, staff, and administrators of the Monroe public school system to guarantee that our buildings are safe and welcoming places to work
We will advocate with dedication for our students and their parents. We will continue to be a voice for parents and will advocate for what is in the best interest of all our children.
The quality of our schools matters because the quality of our town, in many ways, is determined by the schools. How our community supports public education and how we support children matters to our economy and our civil society. Turnout during local elections is low because these types of elections do not bring the same fervor that state or federal elections have, but local elections are vitally important. | https://themonroesun.com/democrats-seek-majority-representation-on-the-board-of-education-outline-agenda/ |
New student loan rules will see many people at university or those who have recently left paying a fair amount less when they get a job.
The new rules, which come into effect on April 6, means graduates will not have to start repaying their loans until they are earning more than £25,000.
Currently, uni leavers have to repay 9% of everything they earn above £21,000.
But from Friday, that threshold is being raised to £25,000 for those who started university in or after 2012.
Money saving expert Martin Lewis says it means that at every level of income you’ll repay £360/year (£30/month) less than now, and those who currently repay £360/year or less won’t repay anything.
The majority of university leavers who started in or after 2012 will now pay less in total – equating to thousands of pounds over the life of the loan.
If you earn £30,000 you’re repaying £810 a year now – but after the change it will be £450.
If your salary is £35,000, your repayments are now £1,260 a year – this will go down to £900 a year.
From April 2019 the repayment threshold is set to rise annually in line with average earnings.
In a written statement, universities minister Jo Johnson said: “The earnings threshold will be increased from April 6 2018. From its current level of £21,000, the threshold will rise to £25,000 for the 2018-19 financial year.
“Thereafter it will be adjusted annually in line with average earnings.
“The new threshold will apply to those who have already taken out and will take out loans for tuition and living costs for full-time and part-time undergraduate courses in the post-2012 system, and those who took out or will take an advanced learner loan for a further education course.”
The changes should be automatic and your employer’s payroll department should automatically make the calculation and take it off your income.
There should also be savings for those who started university between 1998 and 2011, as well as Scottish and Northern Ireland student loans since 2012.
The threshold for repaying these loans changes every year in line with inflation and from next week will go up to £18,330.
Money saving expert Martin says this will save these graduates just under £50 a year.
He says it is important to remember student loans aren’t like normal loans.
Most current graduates won’t pay off their loan within the 30 years before it is wiped – making it more like a 9% additional income tax for 30 years. | https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/student-loan-changes-could-save-1412164 |
From cover to cover, the "Blessed Trinity Missal" is filled with valuable and inspirational resources. Follow the Mass with greater understanding after reading the explanation provided by Dr. Kelly Bowring. Additionally, the book provides a wealth of information and prayers. Learn about the liturgical seasons, colors, feasts and holy days of obligation. Read about saints and angels. Memorize traditional Catholic prayers or pray a Rosary or novena. The imprimatur at the front of the book provides the approval of the Catholic Church. The 184 illustrated, gilt-edge pages are bound in a white hardcover book with gold accents. It measures a diminutive 3-3/4 inches by 5-1/4 inches, perfect for a pocket or purse.
Blessed Trinity Missal Details:
- Dr. Kelly Bowring
- Black Leather With Gold Accents
- Hardcover
- 5-1/4” x 3-3/4”
- 184 Gilt-Edge Pages
- Beautiful Color Illustrations Throughout
- Includes: | https://www.zieglers.com/blessed-trinity-missal-black-leather-gold-accents-1929198116/religious-articles/first-communion/bibles-and-books/ |
The second in a series of three blogs by Grant and Jason Rolleston on the process of identifying actionable insights.
In the last post in this series, we looked at the process by which data is collected from the operating environment and is then processed and distributed in a consumable manner as information. The collection and processing actions are typically automated. However, the last phase, analysis, has been almost exclusively the domain of human analysts until very recently.
And it is that human intervention at the “last mile” for intelligence that presents the challenge when your operating environment is throwing off 1,200, of even 100,000 warning bells a day from a chatty Network IPS.
It would be easy to say that the way forward is to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to this analysis phase and automate our way out of the chokepoint. But the reality is that AI, for the foreseeable future is still going to be insufficient for the task.
In data science, there is a direct correlation between the false positive rate and the true positive rate, resulting in a less than 100% accurate model. While the execution of machine learning and deep learning is critical in the SOC, it is essential to understand the relationship between Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves in the SOC. Assuming that machine learning models and classifiers will work 100% of the time is setting your SOC up to fail. Instead, a better approach is to use different technologies to filter out the noise. Then you can identify signals to gather insights that enable you to make a decision.
What is needed here is a reinforcing loop of education and information between humans and machines: “human-machine teaming” to borrow from our CTO, Steve Grobman. The goal is to augment the person, instead of replacing them.
It’s important to say that there are some things that human analysts can do on their own to get to actionable insights without the assistance of any machine, thank you very much. At McAfee, our security analysts focus on:
Additionally, these traits are essential to SOC processes:
You will always want a lot of signals to investigate that can be created using data science methodologies, because these are often the clues that allow you to start the triage and investigate process.
So this is where automation and machine learning can help to bridge the human labor gap. As you start down that path, what you realize is you’re going to need tools that are easier to manage. The focus becomes enabling your staff to do more. Learning mechanisms – for humans and machines – become a vital part of the equation. The idea is to put the human in the middle of the self-reinforcing data science capabilities like machine learning, deep learning and AI.
In the final post in this series, we’ll look at how McAfee Product Management, Engineering and the Office of the CISO are collaborating to generate that self-reinforcing learning loop.
McAfee technologies’ features and benefits depend on system configuration and may require enabled hardware, software, or service activation. Learn more at mcafee.com. No computer system can be absolutely secure.
McAfee does not control or audit third-party benchmark data or the websites referenced in this document. You should visit the referenced website and confirm whether referenced data is accurate.
Grant Bourzikas is chief information security officer (CISO) and vice president of the Data Science Applied Research group. As CISO, he is responsible for McAfee’s cybersecurity and physical security strategy, including security architecture and solutions delivery, security governance, risk and vulnerability, and security operations and intelligence programs. As McAfee’s Customer Zero, he is responsible for ... | https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/enterprise/security-operations/what-humans-do-better-than-machines/ |
We want you to know that the safety of our youth, volunteers, staff, and employees is an important part of the Scouting experience. Youth develop traits of citizenship, character, fitness, and leadership during age-appropriate events when challenged to move beyond their normal comfort level, and discover their abilities. This is appropriate when risks are identified and mitigated.
The Scouting program, as contained in our handbooks and literature, integrates many safety features. However, no policy or procedure will replace the review and vigilance of trusted adults and leaders at the point of program execution.
Commit yourself to creating a safe and healthy environment by:
- Knowing and executing the BSA program as contained in our publications
- Planning tours, activities, and events with vigilance using the tools provided
- Setting the example for safe behavior and equipment use during program
- Engaging and educating all participants in discussions about hazards and risks
- Reporting incidents in a timely manner
Thank you for being part of the Scouting movement and creating an exciting and safe experience for every participant.
Sweet 16 of BSA Safety
As an aid in the continuing effort to protect participants in a Scout activity, the BSA National Health and Safety Committee and the Council Services Division of the BSA National Council have developed the "Sweet Sixteen" of BSA safety procedures for physical activity. These 16 points, which embody good judgement and common sense, are applicable to all activities.
1. QUALIFIED SUPERVISION
Every BSA activity should be supervised by a conscientious adult who understands and knowingly accepts responsibility for the well-being and safety of the children and youth in his or her care. The supervisor should be sufficiently trained, experienced, and skilled in the activity to be confident of his/her ability to lead and to teach the necessary skills and to respond effectively in the event of an emergency. Field knowledge of all applicable BSA standards and a commitment to implement and follow BSA policies and procedures are essential parts of the supervisor's qualifications.
2. PHYSICAL FITNESS
For youth participants in any potentially strenuous activity, the supervisor should receive a complete health history from a health-care professional, parent, or guardian. Adult participants and youth involved in higher-risk activity (e.g., scuba) may require professional evaluation in addition to the health history. The supervisor should adjust all supervision, discipline, and protection to anticipate potential risks associated with individual health conditions. Neither youth nor adults should participate in activities for which they are unfit. To do so would place both the individual and others at risk.
3. BUDDY SYSTEM
The long history of the buddy system in Scouting has shown that it is always best to have at least one other person with you and aware at all times as to your circumstances and what you are doing in any outdoor or strenuous activity.
4. SAFE AREA OR COURSE
A key part of the supervisor's responsibility is to know the area or course for the activity and to determine that it is well-suited and free of hazards.
5. EQUIPMENT SELECTION AND MAINTENANCE
Most activity requires some specialized equipment. The equipment should be selected to suit the participant and the activity and to include appropriate safety and program features. The supervisor should also check equipment to determine that it is in good condition for the activity and is properly maintained while in use.
6. PERSONAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT
The supervisor must ensure that every participant has and uses the appropriate personal safety equipment. For example, activity afloat requires a life jacket properly worn by each participant; bikers, horseback riders, and whitewater kayakers need helmets for certain activities; skaters may need protective gear; and all need to be dressed for warmth and utility depending on the circumstances.
7. SAFETY PROCEDURES AND POLICIES
For most activities, there are common-sense procedures and standards that can greatly reduce the risk. These should be known and appreciated by all participants, and the supervisor must ensure compliance.
8. SKILL LEVEL LIMITS
There is a minimum skill level requirement for every activity, and the supervisor must identify and recognize this minimum skill level and be sure that no participants are put at risk by attempting an activity beyond their ability. A good example of skill levels in Scouting is the venerable swim test, which defines conditions for safe swimming based on individual ability.
9. WEATHER CHECK
The risk factors in many outdoor activities vary substantially with weather conditions. These variables and the appropriate response should be understood and anticipated.
10. PLANNING
Safe activity follows a plan that has been conscientiously developed by the experienced supervisor or other competent source. Good planning minimizes risks and also anticipates contingencies that may require emergency response or a change of plan.
11. COMMUNICATIONS
The supervisor needs to be able to communicate effectively with participants as needed during the activity. Emergency communications also need to be considered in advance for any foreseeable contingencies.
12. PLANS AND NOTICES
BSA tour and activity plans, council office registration, government or landowner authorization, and any similar formalities are the supervisor's responsibility when such are required. Appropriate notification should be directed to parents, enforcement authorities, landowners, and others as needed, before and after the activity.
13. FIRST-AID RESOURCES
The supervisor should determine what first-aid supplies to include among the activity equipment. The level of first-aid training and skill appropriate for the activity should also be considered. An extended trek over remote terrain obviously may require more first-aid resources and capabilities than an afternoon activity in the local community. Whatever is determined to be needed should be available.
14. APPLICABLE LAWS
BSA safety policies generally run parallel or go beyond legal mandates, but the supervisor should confirm and ensure compliance with all applicable regulations or statutes.
15. CPR RESOURCE
Any strenuous activity or remote trek could present a cardiac emergency. Aquatics programs may involve cardiopulmonary emergencies. The BSA strongly recommends that a CPR-trained person (preferably an adult) be part of the leadership for any BSA program. Such a resource should be available for strenuous outdoor activity.
16. DISCIPLINE
No supervisor is effective if he or she cannot control the activity and the individual participants. Youth must respect their leader and follow his or her direction. | https://www.gulfstreamcouncil.org/safety |
Grant Nelson is a board-certified emergency physician, fellowship trained in emergency and critical care ultrasound. He currently serves as Emergency Ultrasound Director, Clinical Ultrasound Fellowship Director, and core faculty for the emergency medicine residency at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, CA. During his time at DRMC Dr. Nelson has received multiple awards and recognition for his creative and engaging teaching methods. An experienced game and web developer, he has channeled his passion to teach into the creation of novel projects including a science-fiction first-person exploration game based on learning bedside echocardiography and a grant-funded virtual reality emergency room treasure hunt orientation. Over the past four years Dr. Nelson has been exploring various approaches to simulate and improve ultrasound education including creation of an integrated web+VR ultrasound curriculum platform. Currently he is working closely with University of Minnesota’s Division of Cardiac Anesthesiology and The Visible Heart Lab to develop transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography simulators using anatomically-accurate heart models capable of teaching advanced techniques and principles. Emphasizing performance for standalone headsets, gamified feedback loops, assistive techniques, eye-tracking, and real-time multiplayer with voice chat, Dr. Nelson envisions a comprehensive longitudinal ultrasound education available for anyone, no matter where they are. | https://health23.ivrha.org/speaker/dr-grant-nelson/ |
OSCA stimulates interest, entertains, facilitates, and provides a community voice for the Indo-Canadian community.
The Om Sai Cultural Association (OSCA) is a registered Canadian not-for-profit organization which serves as a cultural hub and a collective voice for the South Asian Community in Canada and Globally.
OSCA was active as collective group since 2002 and became a registered entity in 2016. It was founded with a sole purpose of serving the arts, cultures, heritage and community development. With strong support from the stake holders, community members and volunteers we strive our best to promote local arts, culture and heritage through variety of programs and events such as musical shows, festivals, dramas, classes, and seminars both locally as well as internationally. Our programs involve seniors, women, youth, children and individuals with diverse ethnicities and abilities.
OSCA operates on values of integrity, professionalism, excellence, inclusiveness, and a committed responsibility to serve the diverse members of the communities.
OSCA operates on values of integrity, professionalism, excellence, inclusiveness, responsibility to Members and the Community… Read more.
Educating the South Asian and specifically Indian community on learning to live in Canada with dignity and making contribution to the canadian culture and heritages. | http://www.omsaicultural.org/ |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention relates with Sol-Gel coatings on a glass substrate. In particular, the present invention relates to a beam splitter with photocatalytic and optical coatings and a fabrication method thereof.
The human eye has different sensitivity to light spectrum composed of three main color lights: red, green and blue. In dark, the response of human eye to red and green light is stronger than the blue light. An antiglare rearview mirror or a blue mirror can modulate the artificial light irradiated from the headlamps of rear vehicles to day light by reflection of the optical coating on blue mirror. About 60% of the blue light of the artificial light from lamps of rear cars is reflected by the blue mirror, which reduces the green and red light and make the driver to see more clearly from blue mirror modulation and sensitivity of the human eye. Therefore, the blue mirror can greatly reduce the glare of] the light from head lamp of rear coming car, to present a clear and natural scene, and will not cause glare to drivers driving at night, so as to reduce driving risks and increase driving safety.
Due to the limited sensitivity to the spectrum of the headlights from the following vehicles at night, the human eye be glared by eye's sensitivity, can [see] only part of the spectrum. It is means, the visible light that the human eye responses to is red, orange, yellow, green, blue light, etc., and the human eye has different sensitivity to individual colors. The light temperature of blue light is close to the day light temperature, and the light temperature of orange and yellow is lower than the day light temperature, so the sensitivity of the human eye to orange light and yellow light is higher, especially in low light environments. For example, orange and yellow flames can be seen from 20 to 30 meters away in low light environments.
The blue mirror reflects wavelengths in the red or green light is lesser extent than the blue light. The blue mirror is fabricated by sol-gel dip optical coatings on two side glass to make the reflector of the required spectrum by optical interference technology. With the reflection spectrum which can enhance the blue light reflection and weaken the reflection of green, yellow, orange and red light to a bit, so as to reduce glare caused by orange light and yellow light from the following vehicles, thus improving the safety of driving at night. Therefore, the rear-view mirror modulate the light of headlamps to blue light as the main peak of the reflected light is referred to as “blue mirror”. Since most car headlamps are halogen lamps, the spectrum is mainly orange-yellow light. The blue mirror can reduce the reflection of orange-yellow light and strengthen the blue light reflection to produce a dimming effect, thereby reducing glare.
Conventionally, the blue mirrors on the market are made by vacuum coating techniques, which can be divided into: 1. multi-layer optical interference blue light reflective coating; and 2. blue pigment as color coating on the chrome-coated glass. Due to the weak bonding of the blue color coating of the later, optical multilayer coatings are mainly used. However, blue mirrors fabricated by vacuum coating have poor corrosion resistance and high production costs.
Although, there are many prior arts or patents of optical coating on glass, but blue mirror used as a rearview mirror on automobile is less, such as; U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,248, Reflecting mirror for automobile, U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,989, Multi-layered back reflecting mirror, U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,331 Multi-layered mirror, U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,705 Multi-layered back reflecting mirror, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,201, Low glare rear view mirror for vehicles. Most of them are made by vacuum deposition, but less of them made by sol-gel dip coating with high efficient method.
Some photocatalytic coating glass made by photocatalyst solution coating on glass for self-cleaning glass, such as: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,013,372 and 6,830,785, Method for photocatalytically rendering a surface of a substrate superhydrophilic, a substrate with a superhydrophilic photocatalytic surface, and method of making thereof, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,447,123, 6,789,906; 6,816,297 and 6,991,339, Electro-optic device having a self-cleaning hydrophilic coating, U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,570, Reflecting mirror. U.S. Pat. No. 7,419,718 Solution for forming ultrahydrophilic photocatalyst film construct provided with the film and process for producing the same. U.S. Pat. No. 7,655,274 Combustion deposition using aqueous precursor solutions to deposit titanium dioxide coating; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,201, Low glare rear-view mirror for vehicles, but the above-mentioned prior art references are not for blue mirror.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the invention to provide a method for fabricating an antiglare photocatalyst beam splitter that is particularly suited for the applications of exterior rearview mirrors for automobiles and the like, in order to solve the above-mentioned prior art shortcomings or problems.
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One aspect of the invention provides a method for fabricating a beam splitter with photocatalytic coating. A TiO—SiOsol, a SiOsol, and an anatase TiOpreform sol are prepared. A glass substrate having two opposite surfaces is provided. The two opposite surfaces of the glass substrate is dip-coated with the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol, and the anatase TiOpreform sol, thereby forming a coated glass substrate with a multi-layer optical coating on each of the two opposite surfaces. The multi-layer optical coating comprises a TiO—SiOcoating, a SiOcoating, and an anatase TiOpreform coating. The coated glass substrate is subjected to an anneal process. The coated glass substrate is cut, thereby thermal forming the beam splitter with photocatalytic coating.
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According to some embodiments, the dip-coating the two opposite surfaces of the glass substrate comprises: immersing the glass substrate in the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol, or the anatase TiOpreform sol; withdrawing the glass substrate from the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol, or the anatase TiOpreform sol at a constant withdrawal speed as requirements of each sol coating ; and baking the glass substrate at 150-250° C.
According to some embodiments, the final anneal process is performed at 400-600° C.
According to some embodiments, the multi-layer optical coating has reflection at blue spectral region.
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According to some embodiments, a thickness of the TiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×TiOcoating refractive index), a thickness of the SiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×SiOcoating refractive index), and a thickness of the TiO—SiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×TiO—SiOcoating refractive index).
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According to some embodiments, TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol use titanium alkoxide or silicon alkoxide as a precursor, and wherein the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol are prepared by hydrolysis, condensation and peptization in alcohol solvent.
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According to some embodiments, the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol are prepared to impart anti-glare effect to an automobile rearview mirror made for the blue mirror, which avoids glare from a following vehicle headlight to a driver, by adjusting a reflectance of the blue mirror, and by adjusting a solid content ratio of the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol between 1-0.
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According to some embodiments, a SiO/TiOsolid content ratio in the TiO—SiOsol ranges between 1-0, and wherein the blue mirror reflects blue light at 440 nm and a reflectance thereof is between 55-65%.
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According to some embodiments, an ambient air temperature and humidity is controlled and the withdrawal speed is adjusted according to a solid content of each of aid TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol, and wherein the glass substrate is baked at 150-250° C. for 10 minutes, and annealed at 400-600° C. for 1.0 hour, such that a peak of a reflective spectrum of the multi-layer optical coating is at 440 nm.
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According to some embodiments, a peak of a reflection spectrum of an optical coating of each of the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol is at 440 nm after baking and annealing, and then each sol is laminated and coated according to this condition to make optical coating as: anatase TiO/SiO/ SiO—TiO/glass substrate/SiO—TiO/SiO/anatase TiOfor blue mirror with a blue light reflectance at 440 nm between 55-65%.
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According to some embodiments, the anatase TiOpreform sol uses titanium alkoxide as a precursor, hydrolyzed and condensed in ethanol, peptized by HNO, so as to form the anatase TiOpreform sol, and wherein an anatase TiOcoating formed by the dip-coating, baking and annealing has photocatalytic, hydrophilic, and self-cleaning effects.
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According to some embodiments, the anatase TiO/SiO/ SiO—TiO/glass substrate/SiO—TiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror has the anatase TiOcoating on its outer surface, so under ultraviolet rays of sunlight, it has photocatalyst effects comprising hydrophilic phenomenon, chemical redox reaction, sterilization, mildew prevention, self-cleaning, and decontamination.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a schematic cross-sectional diagram showing an exemplary coating structure of a photocatalyst beam splitter according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2
shows the reflection spectrum of various beam splitter coating structures.
FIG. 3
is a flow diagram showing an exemplary process flow of making a photocatalyst beam splitter according to one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following detailed description of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention.
Other embodiments may be utilized and structural, logical, and materials changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be considered as limiting, but the embodiments included herein are defined by the scope of the accompanying claims.
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The present invention pertains to a beam splitter such as a blue mirror with a photocatalytic coating and a manufacturing method thereof. In general, a glass substrate is subjected to a dip-coating process including sequentially immersing the glass substrate into TiO—SiO, SiOand TiOcolloidal sol compositions to form multi-layer coatings on opposite surfaces of the glass substrate. Depending upon the optical requirements, various sol compositions are prepared. The coated glass substrate formed by dip-coating and baking processes may comprise a layered structure that may be represented by: TiO(anatase)/SiO/SiO—TiO/glass substrate/SiO—TiO/SiO/TiO(anatase). The coated glass substrate may be subjected to annealing, cutting, and bending with heat. In addition, a metal coating or glue may be formed or applied on the coated glass substrate, and the coated glass substrate may be mounted at a casing so as to form an exterior rearview blue mirror assembly for vehicles.
The vehicles emit exhaust, grease and particles when driving, and the ambient air contains various types of exhaust, grease and particles, which may fall on the surface of the vehicles and the exterior rearview mirror along with wind and rain. The grease and particles make the surface of the exterior rearview mirror become hydrophobic, and therefore the mirror surface is covered with rain droplets in rainy days, which make the vehicle driver difficult to clearly observe the environment on both sides of the vehicle through the exterior rearview mirror, which affects the safety of driving.
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The sol compositions of TiO—SiO, SiOand TiOare prepared with alcohol solvent. Durable tri-layer, double-sided optical grade coatings are formed by double-sided dip-coating, baking and annealing on the glass substrate. Depending upon the requirements, high-reflection coatings with broadband reflection at blue, green or red color may be fabricated. The fabricated coated glass substrate with tri-layer, double-sided optical grade coatings is particularly suited for the applications of rearview mirrors for vehicles, which can reduce the amount of reflected light emanated from the following car on the road, which is reflected to the driver's eyes through dusty air and dust on the car window and the rearview mirror. Due to the low frequency of the light spectrum of the vehicle headlights, the incident light is prone to be scattering and absorbed by the window glass and rearview mirror glass. The reflection spectrum that enters the driver's eyes is mostly low-frequency red-yellow spectral region, so the eyes will be more likely to produce low-frequency red-yellow light glare to the rear car lights.
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Conventional blue mirrors are mainly used in interior rearview mirrors, but not suitable for exterior rearview mirrors, which are disposed on the left and right sides of a vehicle. The present invention addresses this issue by providing the TiOcoating on the outer surface of the blue mirror glass, which contains a large amount of anatase TiOstructure. Such a blue mirror can produce a photocatalytic effect under the ultraviolet rays of sunlight and produce effects of super-hydrophilic phenomena, chemical oxidation and reduction, sterilization and mildew prevention, self-cleaning and decontamination. The present invention is particularly suited for the applications of exterior rearview mirrors disposed on both sides of a vehicle. In addition to the reduction of glare of the car headlights when driving at night, the mirror has a photocatalytic effect, which makes the mirror self-cleaning and hydrophilic. When driving on rainy days, the rain drops on the mirror surface form a water film because the mirror surface is hydrophilic, so that the driver in the car can clearly observe the environment on both sides of the car. Therefore, the driving safety is improved.
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The present invention provides TiOsol, which is anatase TiOpreform sol. The glass substrate is subjected to dip-coating in respective sol compositions to form coatings on both sides of the glass substrate. The glass substrate is immersed and baked three times with SiO—TiO, SiOand anatase TiOpreform sol, thereby forming a TiO(anatase)/SiO/SiO—TiO/glass plate/SiO—TiO/SiO/TiO(anatase) tri-layer, sol-coated glass substrate, which has reflection at blue spectral region. The coated glass substrate with anti-glare effect may be applicable to the interior rearview mirrors, which provides the driver with a clear view of the rear environment. The coated glass substrate with anti-glare effect may be particularly applicable to the left and right exterior rearview mirrors of vehicles, which provides hydrophilic and anti-fog effects on rainy days, so that the driver can clearly see the side view vision of the environment.
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The photocatalyst rearview blue mirror of the present invention has a TiOcoating on the outmost surface of the blue mirror, which is mainly of TiOanatase structure. The photocatalyst effect is produced under the irradiation of sunlight and ultraviolet rays, and effects including: super-hydrophilic phenomenon, chemical oxidation and reduction, sterilization and mildew prevention, self-cleaning and decontamination can be provided. Therefore, the physical function of the product of the present invention is represented by the blue mirror in the optical coating, and the photocatalyst in the chemical function. Therefore, the present invention beam splitter with photocatalytic and optical coatings is also referred to as a “photocatalyst blue mirror”. If the application of sol optical coating products is expanded, it can be applied to photocatalyst optical coating products.
According to the embodiments of the invention, the coatings on the blue mirror can be formed by sol-gel dipping. The glass substrate is dip-coated by the sol-gel dipping method, and the coatings are symmetrical on both sides of the glass substrate. The double-sided symmetrical optical coating may be formed by the following steps. First, the glass substrate is treated by acid, alkaline, water and alcohol solution. The glass substrate is then washed in ultrasonic bath. After drying, the glass substrate is hung vertically on an arm of a lifter. The cleaned glass substrate is then vertically immersed in the sol. When the sol is stationary, the glass plate is withdrawn from the sol at a constant speed such that coating occurs due to the vertical flow of sol onto the elevated surface of the glass substrate. At the same time, the solvent in the sol evaporates. Alcohol evaporation and sol gelized reaction occurs because the water vapor in the air reacts with the alkoxide in the sol. As the glass substrate is withdrawn at a constant speed, the coating is bonded to the glass substrate at a constant speed to form a gelized film that is designated by “(g)”. After the aforesaid sol coating, the coated glass substrate is took off the lifter, placed in an oven, and then baked at 150-250° C. for about 10 minutes, thereby producing a baked coating, which is designated by “(b)”. Subsequently, the coated glass substrate is subjected to cooling for subsequent sol coating.
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In order to fabricate the beam splitter with optical coating, the sol optical coating is performed as described above, and the TiO—SiOsol coating is first performed to obtain TiO—SiO(g)/Glass/TiO—SiO(g) coated glass; and then baking is performed to obtain TiO—SiO(b)/Glass/TiO—SiO(b) coated glass.
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Subsequently, SiOsol coating is perform to coat the TiO—SiO(b)/Glass/TiO—SiO(b) coated glass, thereby forming SiO(g)/TiO—SiO(b)/Glass/TiO—SiO(b)/SiO(g) coated glass, and then baked to obtain SiO2 (b)/TiO2—SiO2 (b)/Glass/TiO2—SiO(b)/SiO(b) coated glass.
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Subsequently, TiOsol coating is perform to coat the SiO(b)/TiO—SiO(b)/Glass/TiO—SiO(b)/SiO(b) coated glass, thereby forming TiO(g)/SiO(b)/TiO—SiO(b)/Glass /TiO—SiO(b)/SiO(b)/TiO(g) coated glass, and then baked to obtain TiO(b)/SiO(b) /TiO—SiO(b)/Glass/TiO—SiO(b)/SiO(b)/TiO(b) coated glass.
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FIG. 1
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Finally, the TiO(b)/SiO(b)/TiO—SiO(b)/Glass/TiO—SiO(b)/SiO(b)/TiO(b) coated glass is annealed at high temperatures or directly heated at 400-600° C., such that the baked coating is sintered into TiO(A)/SiO(a)/TiO—SiO(a)/Glass/TiO—SiO(a)/SiO(a)/TiO(A) coated glass, wherein “TiO(A)” represents anatase TiOand “(a)” represents “annealed” coating. As shown in , an exemplary photocatalyst blue mirror sol coating structure is illustrated. After subjecting the glass substrate to the sol optical coating, baking and annealing, the first layer is TiO—SiOamorphous coating , the second layer is SiOamorphous coating , and the third layer is anatase TiOcoating are formed. The anatase TiOcoating is a photocatalyst layer. According to various embodiments, the TiO—SiOcoating () may have different SiO/TiOratios, for example, SiO/TiOratio=1/1, SiO/TiOratio=2/1, SiO/TiOratio=3/1, or SiO/TiOratio=4/1.
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For the preparation of TiO—SiOsol, silicon alkoxide Si(OR)is first added to the alcohol solvent ROH. After stirring, it is mixed to form a silicon alkoxide solution. Ethanol EtOH can be used as the solvent. The silicon alkoxide used can be silicon ethoxide Si(OEt), silicon methoxide Si(OMe), silicon propoxide Si(OPr), silicon isopropoxide Si (OPr), or other silicon alkoxides. A mixture of HO:ROH=1:2 is prepared, and added dropwise into the stirred silicon alkoxide solution for Si(OR)hydrolysis to obtain an alcohol solution of Si(OR)OH. Take the equivalent of titanium alkoxide Ti(OR). The titanium alkoxides may comprise: titanium n-butoxide Ti(OBu), titanium isobutoxide Ti(OBu), titanium tert-butoxide Ti(OBu), titanium isopropoxide Ti(OPr), titanium n-propoxide Ti(OPr), titanium ethoxide Ti(OEt), or other titanium alkoxides. Si(OR)OH alcohol solution is added dropwise to the stirred N equivalent Ti(OR)titanium alkoxide to obtain (OR)SiOT[i](OR)and (N-1) equivalent Ti(OR)alcohol solution. Then, N equivalent of HO/ROH (1:2) mixed solution, which is adjusted to pH=1.0-2.0 with inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid HCl or nitric acid HNO, etc., is added dropwise into stirred alcohol solution of (OR)SiOT(OR)and 3Ti(OR), which is hydrolyzed by (OR)SiOT(OR)and (N-1) equivalent Ti(OR).
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For the preparation of TiOsol, titanium alkoxide Ti(OR)is added to the ethanol EtOH. After stirring, titanium alkoxide solution is formed. The titanium alkoxides may comprise: titanium n-butoxide Ti(OBu), titanium isobutoxide Ti(OBu), titanium tert-butoxide Ti(OBu), titanium isopropoxide Ti(OPr), titanium n-propoxide Ti(OPr), titanium ethoxide Ti(OEt), or other titanium alkoxides. A mixture of HO:ROH=1:2 is prepared and is adjusted to pH=1.0-2.0 with inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid HCl or nitric acid HNO. Thereafter, 1.0-2.0 equivalents of HO/ROH solution (pH=1.0-2.0) is added dropwise to 1 equivalent of stirred titanium alkoxide solution.
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The prepared TiOsol, SiOsol and TiO—SiOsol are used to perform double-sided dip-coating of a glass substrate. First, the TiO—SiOsol coating is performed, and the coated glass substrate is baked at 150-250° C. for 10 minutes so as to form TiO—SiO/Glass/TiO—SiOcoated glass. Then, SiOsol coating is performed, and the coated glass substrate is baked at 150-250° C. so as to form SiO/TiO—SiO/Glass/TiO—SiO/SiOcoated glass. Subsequently, TiOsol coating is performed, and the coated glass substrate is baked at 150-250° C. for 10 minutes so as to form TiO/SiO/TiO—SiO/Glass/TiO—SiO/SiO/TiOcoated glass, which is then annealed at 400-600° C. for one hour. Then, the coated and annealed glass substrate is cut and thermal bent to form automobile rearview blue mirrors.
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Taking the automobile rearview blue mirror as an example, the thickness of each layer of the TiO, SiO, and TiO—SiOcoatings may be adjusted so that the peak of the reflected light is at blue spectral region. For example, the thickness of the TiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×TiOcoating refractive index), the thickness of the SiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×SiOcoating refractive index), and the thickness of the TiO—SiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×TiO—SiOcoating refractive index). All of the three coatings of TiO, SiO, and TiO—SiOhave the peak of the reflected light at the blue spectral region. Therefore, the headlight of a following vehicle reflected by the mirror is mainly blue, so it is called blue mirror.
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The invention method for manufacturing the hydrophilic, self-cleaning photocatalyst automobile rearview blue mirror can be divided into sol preparation and photocatalyst automobile rearview blue mirror manufacturing. The sol preparation comprises TiOsol, SiOsol and TiO—SiOsol as described above. The preparation of anatase TiOpreform sol is the crucial part. For example, titanium butoxide Ti(OBu)is added in ethanol, stirred and mixed into a titanium alkoxide solution. HO/ROH solution is prepared and is adjusted to pH=0.5 with inorganic acid such as nitric acid HNO. Thereafter, 1.52.0 equivalents of HO/ROH solution is added dropwise to stirred titanium alkoxide solution to pH=0.11.0. The anatase TiOpreform sol was prepared. After coating, an anneal at 400-600° C. is performed, and the structure and effect of anatase TiOphotocatalyst are produced on the coated surface.
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1. anatase TiO/SiO/TiO—SiO/Glass/TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror
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2. anatase TiO/SiO/2TiO—SiO/Glass/2TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror
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3. anatase TiO/SiO/3TiO—SiO/Glass/3TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror
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4. anatase TiO/SiO/4TiO—SiO/Glass/4TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror
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5. anatase TiO/SiO/TiO/Glass/TiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror
The photocatalyst rearview blue mirror for automobiles is manufactured by using TiO—SiOsol, SiOsol and anatase TiOpreform sol on the glass substrate for sol optical coating. The required blue light reflection intensity can be selected and the required optical coating can be designed according to the type and spectrum of the car headlight. For example, the compositions of the first layer of TiO—SiOsol on the glass substrate may be replaced with TiOsol, 4TiO—SiOsol, 3TiO—SiOsol, 2TiO—SiOsol and TiO—SiOsol coating. Then, SiOsol coating and anatase TiOpreform sol coating are performed. The coated glass is baked and annealed to make a photocatalyst blue mirror. By providing different compositions of the first layer of TiO—SiOsol, the blue light reflection intensity can be adjusted. Five types of the coating material structures are listed as follows:
FIG. 2
As shown in , the reflection spectrum of the various beam splitter coating structures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 have blue light reflectance of 55%, 58%, 61%, 63%, and 65%, respectively, at 440 nm. According to the change of spectrum of various car headlights, appropriate car rearview mirror with suitable blue light reflectance can be chosen. Such beam splitter can be used as an interior rearview mirror and has anti-glare effect. Such beam splitter can be used on both sides of the car and can provide anti-fog, hydrophilic self-cleaning effects, in addition to anti-glare effect.
EXAMPLES
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Preparation of 4TiO—SiOSol (TS-41)
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Preparation of 3TiO—SiOSol (TS-31)
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Preparation of 2TiO—SiOSol (TS-21)
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Preparation of TiO—SiOSol (TS-11)
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Preparation of SiOSol (SD-01)
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Preparation of TiOSol (TD-01)
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Preparation of anatase TiOpreform Sol (TD-02)
Examples of Making Self-Cleaning Beam Splitter by Sol Coating Process
Fabrication of Photocatalyst Blue Mirror for Automobile Rearview Mirror
Blue Mirror Durability
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Examples of preparing sol for making self-cleaning beam splitter are provided. The exemplary methods of preparing TiOsol, 4TiO—SiOsol, 3TiO—SiOsol, 2TiO—SiOsol and TiO—SiOsol are illustrated as follows.
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Taking TS-41 as an example; the content ratio of TiO: SiOin the sol is 4:1. 1.0 mole tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) is added in ethanol EtOH, mixed by stirring so as to form silicon alkoxide solution. 1.0 mole HO is mixed with 2.0 mole alcohol, and added dropwise into the silicon alkoxide solution to obtain an ethanol solution of Si(OEt)OH. Then, 1.0 mole of Si(OEt)OH in ethanol solution was stirred and dropped into 4.0 mole of Ti(OBu)to obtain (EtO)SiOTi(OBu)and 3Ti(OBu)alcohol solution. Then, 3.0 mole water/alcohol mixture (HO/EtOH=1/2), titrate with concentrated HNOto adjust the pH to 1.5, is added to stirred (EtO)SiOTi(OBu)and 3Ti(OBu)alcohol solution, so as to perform hydrolysis and condensation of (EtO)SiOTi(OBu)and 3Ti(OBu), thereby form 4TiO—SiOsol, represented by the following formula:
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Taking TS-31 as an example; the content ratio of TiO: SiOin the sol is 3:1. 1.0 mole tetraethoxysilane is added in ethanol EtOH, mixed by stirring so as to form silicon alkoxide solution. 1.0 mole HO is mixed with 2.0 mole alcohol, and added dropwise into the silicon alkoxide solution to obtain an ethanol solution of Si(OEt)OH. Then, 1.0 mole of Si(OEt)OH in ethanol solution was stirred and dropped into 3.0 mole of Ti(OBu)to obtain (EtO)SiOT(OBu)and 2Ti(OBu)alcohol solution. Then, 2.0 mole water/alcohol mixture (HO/EtOH=1/2), titrate with concentrated HNOto adjust the pH to 1.5, is added to stirred (EtO)SiOTi(OBu)and 2Ti(OBu)alcohol solution, so as to perform hydrolysis and condensation of (EtO)SiOT(OBu)and 2Ti(OBu), thereby form 3TiO—SiOsol, represented by the following formula:
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Taking TS-21 as an example; the content ratio of TiO: SiOin the sol is 2:1. 1.0 mole tetraethoxysilane is added in ethanol EtOH, mixed by stirring so as to form silicon alkoxide solution. 1.0 mole HO is mixed with 2.0 mole alcohol, and added dropwise into the silicon alkoxide solution to obtain an ethanol solution of Si(OEt)OH. Then, 1.0 mole of Si(OEt)OH in ethanol solution was stirred and dropped into 2.0 mole of Ti(OBu)to obtain (EtO)SiOTi(OBu)and Ti(OBu)alcohol solution. Then, 1.0 mole water/alcohol mixture (HO/EtOH=1/2), titrate with concentrated HNOto adjust the pH to 1.5, is added to stirred (EtO)SiOTi(OBu)and Ti(OBu)alcohol solution, so as to perform hydrolysis and condensation of (EtO)SiOT(OBu)and Ti(OBu), thereby form 2TiO—SiOsol, represented by the following formula:
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Taking TS-11 as an example; the content ratio of TiO: SiOin the sol is 1:1. 1.0 mole tetraethoxysilane is added in ethanol EtOH, mixed by stirring so as to form silicon alkoxide solution. 1.0 mole HO is mixed with 2.0 mole alcohol, and added dropwise into the silicon alkoxide solution to obtain an ethanol solution of Si(OEt)OH. Then, 1.0 mole of Si(OEt)OH in ethanol solution was stirred and dropped into 1.0 mole of Ti(OBu)to obtain (EtO)SiOT(OBu)alcohol solution. Then, 1.0 mole water/alcohol mixture (HO/EtOH=1/2), titrate with concentrated HNOto adjust the pH to 1.5, is added to stirred (EtO)SiOTi(OBu)alcohol solution, so as to perform hydrolysis and condensation of (EtO)SiOT(OBu), thereby form TiO—SiOsol, represented by the following formula:
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—(OBu)Ti—O—Si(OEt)-OTi(OBu)-O—Si(OEt)-
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Taking SD-01 as an example, tetraethoxysilane is added in ethanol EtOH, mixed by stirring so as to form silicon alkoxide solution. HO is mixed with ethanol EtOH (HO/EtOH=1/2), wherein hydrochloric acid is used to adjust the pH. 2.0 moles of HO/EtOH solution (pH=1.5) is added in stirred 1.0 mole silicon alkoxide solution.
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Taking TD-01 as an example, Ti(OBu)is added in ethanol EtOH, mixed by stirring so as to form titanium alkoxide solution. HO is mixed with ethanol EtOH (HO/EtOH=1/2), wherein HNOis used to adjust the pH. 1.0 moles of HO/EtOH solution (pH=1.5) is added in stirred 1.0 mole titanium alkoxide solution, stirred to perform hydrolysis and condensation reaction, thereby forming TiOsol.
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Taking TD-02 as an example, 1.0 mole Ti(OBu)is added to 1 liter of ethanol EtOH, stirred to mix into titanium alkoxide solution. Concentrated nitric acid is used to adjust pH of 1.5-1.8 moles of aqueous solution (HO/EtOH=1/2) to pH=0.5. The aqueous solution is added dropwise into the titanium alkoxide solution, stirred for hydrolysis and condensation reaction, thereby forming anatase TiOpreform sol.
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The first optical coating of glass substrate by TiO, 4TiO—SiO, 3TiO—SiO, 2TiO—SiO, and TiO—SiOsol, respectively, followed by SiOsol coating, then anatase TiOpreform sol coating. The process flow of making a photocatalyst self-cleaning beam splitter is as follows.
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The fabrication process of anatase TiO/SiO/TiO—SiO/Glass/TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror is listed as follows.
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Glass→TS-11 sol coating>(TiO—SiO)g/Glass/(TiO—SiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(TiO—SiO)b→DS-01 sol coating→(SiO)g(TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(TiO—SiO)b(SiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(SiO)b/(TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(TiO—SiO)b/(SiO)b→TD-02 sol coating→(anatase TiOpreform)g/(SiO)b/(TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(TiO—SiO)b/(SiO)b/(anatase TiOpreform)g→500° C., 1 Hr→anatase TiO/SiO/TiO—SiO/Glass/TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiO
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The fabrication process of anatase TiO/SiO/2TiO—SiO/Glass/2TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror is listed as follows.
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Glass→TS-21 sol coating→(2TiO—SiO)g/Glass/(2TiO—SiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(2TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(2TiO—SiO)b→DS-01 sol coating (SiO)g(2TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(2TiO—SiO)b(SiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(SiO)b/(2TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(2TiO—SiO)b/(SiO)b→TD-02 sol coating→(anatase TiOpreform)g/(SiO)b/(2TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(2TiO—SiO)b/(SiO)b/(anatase TiOpreform)g-500° C., 1 Hr→anatase TiO/SiO/2TiO—SiO/Glass/2TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiO
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The fabrication process of anatase TiO/SiO/3TiO—SiO/Glass/3TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror is listed as follows.
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Glass→TS-31 sol coating→(3TiO—SiO)g/Glass/(3TiO—SiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(3TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(3TiO—SiO)b→DS-01 sol coating→(SiO)g(3TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(3TiO—SiO)b(SiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(SiO)b/(3TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(3TiO—SiO)b/(SiO)b→TD-02 sol coating→(anatase TiOpreform)g/(SiO)b/(2TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(3TiO—SiO)b/(SiO)b/(anatase TiOpreform)g-500° C., 1 Hr→anatase TiO/SiO/3TiO—SiO/Glass/3TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiO
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The fabrication process of anatase TiO/SiO/4TiO—SiO/Glass/4TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror is listed as follows.
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Glass>TS-41 sol coating→(4TiO—SiO)g/Glass/(4TiO—SiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(4TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(4TiO—SiO)b→DS-01 sol coating→(SiO)g(4TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(4TiO—SiO)b(SiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(SiO)b/(4TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(4TiO—SiO)b/(SiO)b→TD-02 sol coating→(anatase TiOpreform)g/(SiO)b/(4TiO—SiO)b/Glass/(4TiO—SiO)b/(SiO)b/(anatase TiOpreform)g-500° C., 1 Hr→anatase TiO/SiO/4TiO—SiO/Glass/4TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiO
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The fabrication process of anatase TiO/SiO/TiO/Glass/TiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror is listed as follows.
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Glass→TD-01 sol coating→(TiO)g/Glass/(TiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(TiO)b/Glass/(TiO)b DS-01 sol coating→(SiO)g(TiO)b/Glass/(TiO)b(SiO)g→200° C., 10 mins→(SiO)b/(TiO)b/Glass/(TiO)b/(SiO)b→TD-02 sol coating→(anatase TiOpreform)g/(SiO)b/(TiO)b/Glass/(TiO)b/(SiO)b/(anatase TiOpreform)g→500° C., 1 Hr→anatase TiO/SiO/TiO/Glass/TiO/SiO/anatase TiO
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The SiO/TiOratios in the TiO—SiOsol such as TD-01, TS-41, TS-31, TS-21 and TS-11 is 0/1, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1/1, respectively. Double-sided coating of the first layer of sol on the glass substrate is carried out. After baking at 200° C. for 10 minutes in the oven, TiO, 4TiO—SiO, 3TiO—SiO, 2TiO—SiO, or TiO—SiOcoated glass is obtained for adjusting the reflectance. The thickness of the sol coating may be adjusted to the desired optical thickness by setting the glass withdrawal speed. The second layer of SiOsol (SD-01) double-sided coating is then performed. The coated glass is then baked in the oven at 150-250° C. for 10 minutes. The third layer Anatase TiOPreform sol (TD-02) double-sided coating is then performed. The coated glass is then annealed at high temperatures of 400-600° C., and then cut and bent to make blue mirror.
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To make the photocatalyst blue mirrors for the automobile rearview mirrors, Ti(OBu)is added in ethanol, stirred to mix into titanium alkoxide solution, and added dropwise with 1.8 equivalents of HO/ROH solution, which is adjusted with concentrated nitric acid HNOto pH=0.5. The aqueous solution was stirred and dropped into the titanium alkoxide solution to prepare anatase TiOpreform sol. The anatase TiOpreform sol coating is carried out on SiO/TiO—SiO/Glass/TiO—SiO/SiOcoated glass, which is annealed to make anatase TiO/SiO/TiO—SiO/Glass/TiO—SiO/SiO/anatase TiOphotocatalyst blue mirror. The interior rearview mirror made by such beam splitter can provide anti-glare effect in the car. The exterior rearview mirror made by such beam splitter can provide anti-glare effect for both sides of the car, and anti-fog, hydrophilic self-cleaning effects.
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FIG. 3
Anatase TiO, SiO, TiO—SiOsol optical coating technology is applied on the glass by sol coating, as shown in . Taking the blue mirror as the target product and the coating thickness of each layer is controlled. The thickness of each layer of the TiO, SiO, and TiO—SiOcoatings may be adjusted so that the peak of the reflected light is at 440 nm. For example, the thickness of the TiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×TiOcoating refractive index), the thickness of the SiOcoating t=blue light wavelength/(4×SiOcoating refractive index), and the thickness of the TiO—SiO=blue light wavelength/(4×(TiO—SiO) coating refractive index). All of the three coatings of TiO, SiO, and TiO—SiOhave the peak of the reflected light at the blue spectral region. Therefore, the headlight of a following vehicle reflected by the mirror is mainly blue, so it is called blue mirror.
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The optical efficiency of the present invention product is represented by a blue mirror, and the function is represented by the photocatalyst. The function and durability test of the photocatalyst are carried out according to the anatase TiO/SiO/TiO/Glass/TiO/SiOanatase TiOblue mirror as the representative. Some characteristics of the blue mirror are listed in Table 1. (1) Hydrophilic contact angle: UVA 365 nm irradiation for 24 hours, contact angle <10°; dark place>48 hours, contact angle <30°; verified according to TN-004 nano-photocatalyst anti-fouling ceramic tile specification. (2) Fading rate: UVA 365 nm irradiation for 3 hours, methylene blue decomposition activity>7.0 nmole/(L×min); verified according to TN-031 nanophotocatalyst self-cleaning coating specification. (3) Durability: including salt water resistance, acid resistance and alkaline resistance tests, the hydrophilicity is more than 70% of the original function, the original hydrophilic contact angle is less than 10°, and the hydrophilic contact angle after the test is less than 15 verified according to TN-004
A. Salt water resistance test: After soaking the blue mirror in NaCl brine (3%) for 96 hours, wash it and dry it, UVA 365 nm irradiation for 24 hours, hydrophilic contact angle <15°.
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B. Acid resistance test; after soaking the blue mirror in HSOsulfuric acid aqueous solution (5%) for 24 hours, wash it and dry it, UVA 365 nm irradiation for 24 hours, hydrophilic contact angle <15°.
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C. Alkaline resistance test; after soaking the blue mirror in sodium carbonate (NaCO) aqueous solution (5%) for 24 hours, wash it and dry it, UVA 365 nm irradiation for 24 hours, hydrophilic contact angle <15°.
Verification according to TN-004 Nano Photocatalyst Self-cleaning Coating Specification.
TABLE 1
Test results of photocatalyst blue mirror
Blue
Durability
Durability
Durability
mirror
Dark
methylene
Salt water
Acid
Alkaline
structure
UVA24Hr
48 Hr
blue
resistance
resistance
resistance
Water
Water
decomposition
UVA24Hr
UVA24Hr
UVA24Hr
contact
contact
activity
angle
angle
Water
Water
Water
contact
contact
contact
angle
angle
angle
TA/S/TD1/G/
6.65°
18.43°
7.02
6.56°
6.61°
6.28°
blue mirror
nanoMark
TN-004
TN-004
TN-031
TN-004
TN-004
TN-004
(Taiwan)
TA/S/TD1/G/blue mirror = anatase TiO<sub>2 </sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub>/Glass/TiO<sub>2</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub>/ anatase TiO<sub>2 </sub>coated glass
The photocatalyst blue mirror developed by this sol optical coating technology has a physical hardness of 6H. Cross-cut adhesion test without falling off is 5B. Abrasion resistance test; sponge test, rubbing back and forth 2000 times, water drop contact angle 5.61°. Scrub resistance test; scrubbing machine back and forth 15 times, water drop contact angle 8.15°.
The product developed by this sol optical coating technology is not limited to the photocatalyst blue mirrors. If the application of sol optical coating products is expanded, the sol coating can be developed to make photocatalyst multilayer reflective glass and produce near infrared, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple or ultraviolet light strong reflective optical coated glass. Such glass with photocatalyst self-cleaning effect is suited for indoor or outdoor windows, mirrors, colored reflective self-cleaning glass, and can also be used in vehicles, ships, and aircrafts.
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To sum up, a method for fabricating a beam splitter with photocatalytic coating is disclosed. First, a TiO—SiOsol, a SiOsol, and an anatase TiOpreform sol are prepared. A glass substrate having two opposite surfaces is provided. The two opposite surfaces of the glass substrate is coated with the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol, and the anatase TiOpreform sol by the dip-coating method, thereby forming a coated glass substrate with a multi-layer optical coating on each of the two opposite surfaces. The multi-layer optical coating comprises a TiO—SiOcoating, a SiOcoating, and an anatase TiOpreform coating. The coated glass substrate is subjected to an anneal process. The coated glass substrate is cut, thereby forming the beam splitter with photocatalytic coating.
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According to some embodiments, the dip-coating the two opposite surfaces of the glass substrate comprises: immersing the glass substrate in the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol, [and] the anatase TiOpreform sol; withdrawing the glass substrate from the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol, or the anatase TiOpreform sol at a constant withdrawal speed as requirements and baking the glass substrate at 150-250° C.
According to some embodiments, the anneal process is performed at 400-600° C.
According to some embodiments, the multi-layer optical coating has reflection at blue spectral region.
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According to some embodiments, a thickness of the TiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×TiOcoating refractive index), a thickness of the SiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×SiOcoating refractive index), and a thickness of the TiO—SiOcoating=blue light wavelength/(4×TiO—SiOcoating refractive index).
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According to some embodiments, TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol use titanium alkoxide or silicon alkoxide as a precursor, and wherein the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol are prepared by hydrolysis, condensation and peptization in alcohol solvent.
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According to some embodiments, the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol are prepared to impart anti-glare effect to an automobile rearview mirror made from the beam splitter, which avoids glare from a following vehicle headlight to a driver, by adjusting a reflectance of the beam splitter, and by adjusting a solid content ratio of the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol between 1-0.
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According to some embodiments, a SiO/TiOsolid content ratio in the TiO—SiOsol ranges between 1-0, and wherein the beam splitter reflects blue light at 440 nm and a reflectance thereof is between 55-65%.
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According to some embodiments, an ambient air temperature and humidity is controlled and the withdrawal speed is adjusted according to a solid content of each of aid TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol, and wherein the glass substrate is baked at 150-250° C. for 10 minutes, and annealed at 400-600° C. for 1.0 hour, such that a peak of a reflective spectrum of the multi-layer optical coating is at 440 nm.
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According to some embodiments, a peak of a reflection spectrum of an optical coating of each of the TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol is at 440 nm after baking and annealing, and then each sol is laminated and coated according to this condition to make anatase TiO/SiO/SiO—TiO/glass substrate/SiO—TiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror with a blue light reflectance at 440 nm between 55-65%.
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According to some embodiments, the anatase TiOpreform sol uses titanium alkoxide as a precursor, hydrolyzed and condensed in ethanol, peptized by HNO, so as to form the anatase TiOpreform sol, and wherein an anatase TiOcoating formed by the dip-coating, baking and annealing has photocatalytic, hydrophilic, and self-cleaning effects.
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According to some embodiments, the anatase TiO/SiO/SiO—TiO/glass substrate/SiO—TiO/SiO/anatase TiOblue mirror has the anatase TiOcoating on its outer surface, so under ultraviolet rays of sunlight, it produces photocatalyst effects comprising hydrophilic phenomenon, chemical redox reaction, sterilization, mildew prevention, self-cleaning, and decontamination.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should not be constrained as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
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Because, the sol-gel coating with TiO—SiOsol, the SiOsol and the anatase TiOpreform sol, for the multi-layer optical coating to make photocatalysis blue mirror can be apply on other sol-gel optical coating: such as high-reflection, low-reflection, color filter with photocatalysis coating on surface. Those photocatalyst optical coating glass can be applied on building glass and ship glass with self-cleaning, hydrophilic, chemical redox reaction, sterilization, mildew prevention etc. | |
Minor file review fixes and minor enhancement to downloading of documents.
Fix to ensure hiding applicant names in the application review process also hides the name in the reviewer's workflow.
Fix issue where school user could not customize a global question and minor display issues with address questions.
Fix issue with applications not versioning properly after creating a new edit.
[SU-377] - List question allowing edit of non-client specific lookup table name.
Fix issue to ensure school users cannot edit the name of a global lookup list table.
Fix performance of lookup and adding school users to an organization/department.
Added the ability to add different types of items to an application; now features both questions and labels.
Added the ability to search questions by values found in their lookup tables.
Added the ability to add multiple donors to a scholarship.
Minor updates to questions and added additional scholarships to have ready to build a review pool and demo the notification page. | https://campuslogicinc.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/5000774755-release-notes-5-17-2018 |
Taping is a common modality used by many physiotherapists. Check out this article to read more about different taping techniques, and how it helps injury recovery.
Physiotherapy Blog Posts
Importance of Scapular (Shoulder) Stability
Your shoulder joint does not act in isolation to create movement in your arm. The muscles of your shoulder and scapula ( shoulder blade ) act together to create all movements of the arm.
Often the importance of strengthening the muscles controlling the shoulder blade is forgotten. Having a strong, stable, and well moving scapula is important for all baseball, basketball, swimming, overhead lifting or any sport involving the arm.
What is Text Neck? (6 Tips to Prevent Neck Pain)
Text neck, is an overuse injury caused by repetitively looking down at a cellphone or other device, that places excessive strain on the neck. Read more below to learn how this often the cause of neck, shoulder and upper back pain and how you can correct it.
Importance of Thoracic (Upper Back) Mobility (Top 3 Stretches Inside!)
A lack of thoracic (upper back) mobility can lead to neck, low back and shoulder pain, especially in office workers with sedentary jobs. Check out this article to learn more about why thoracic mobility is important and how to improve it.
Advantages of Sit/Stand Desks
Sitting all day is detrimental to your health, check out this article on how to get moving at work and the advantages of Sit/Stand desks
Do I have a Herniated Disc?
Many people who receive the diagnosis of a herniated disk worry how it will effect their ability to exercise or remain active. In the article below we will discuss what exactly is a herniated disk, what are the treatment options and how you can best remain active with a herniated disk.
The Role of Each Part of Your Spine
This article explains the function of different parts of your spine as well what are different spinal curve disorders and how exercise is important in the management of spinal curve disorders. Click to read more!
4 Exercises to Fix Back Pain
Check out this article to learn more about why exercise is crucial for the management of lower back pain.
How Do I Manage Low Back Pain?
This article discusses chronic low back pain and why core strengthening is important in the treatment of chronic low back pain. Click below to read more! | https://westcoastsci.com/blog/category/physiotherapy/page/2/?et_blog |
THE UNIVERSE Emily Kell paints is a place where everyday women are masters of their own universe—calmly in control and confident in themselves, no matter their shape or size. While pictured alone, they are anything but.
“When women are fully in their power or creating or following their hearts and doing awesome things, it creates this collective energy that adds up to the divine feminine,” Kell says.
“Divine feminine is the highest aspect of the collective of unconscious feminine energy. It’s all the highest aspects of each woman combined.”
In her paintings, the beauty of her subjects comes from within, radiating out into swirling mystical representations of power, peace and positive metamorphosis.
This meditation on transformation and exultation of women’s physical and mental beauty is more than a simple glorification—it is deeply personal for Kell.
She, as many young girls, struggled to embrace herself and her body. Her work is a vehicle to spread the self-acceptance she found after emerging from a dark place in her teenage years.[image-2]
“Growing up, I felt like there was no space for women who were not thin. It’s either you’re thin or you’re fat. I was like, ‘Okay, so I’m fat.’ That was hard and it made me feel less beautiful—insecure,” Kell recalls.
These feelings—fed by the media, peers, and the general pain of teenage years—resulted in Kell developing an eating disorder.
By the time she began college at SCAD in 2008, she says, “I was still psychologically healing. While I was physically healed and eating properly there was still a lot of trauma.”
While at SCAD, Kell uncovered a way to reclaim her body and her relationship to it.
“I started painting self-portraits. I realized how empowering it was to paint myself—paint the body the way that it is and not try to make myself conform to beauty standards,” she says.
Discovering this in herself, Kell was compelled to share this powerful transformative experience with others.
“I started painting all kinds of women feeling it was a really empowering project to paint them in their natural beauty and to add these empowering elements that made them look like a goddess or an ethereal creature but still stay true to their body,” she says.
Kell celebrates the feminine form of all body types and races, referencing the stylistic hallmarks of Renaissance masters, yet painting with honest intent to capture the body as is.
“I don’t try to edit—taking out fat rolls out or anything like that—but I think my sensibility of painting was affected by my youth and my mom’s love of Renaissance paintings,” she says.
The women she paints exude the wisdom and all-knowingness of ancient Goddesses. In galactic, spiritually charged spaces, otherworldly light defines the graceful curvature of their bodies.
Kell predominately paints her close friends, but occasionally is “stricken” by the beauty of a stranger and asks to paint them.
No matter the subject, she allows their essence, their life experiences to enter the work through the collaborative process of shooting reference images for her to paint from.
“A lot of times we talk about stuff to do with the divine feminine or just experiences we’ve had overcoming insecurities. It brings up all sorts of things like that, especially in nude photo shoots, because it’s just natural to talk about your insecurities and the process of overcoming them,” Kell says.
She sees her experience as common.
“I think probably everyone goes through a metamorphosis when they are coming of age and then again when they are figuring out what they want to do with their life and who they want to be,” she explains.
Kell also explores the same themes of acceptance and strength in her poetry.
She weaves these verses into her compositions, written in a secret language of her own creation. Beautiful ancient languages—Cuneiform, hieroglyphics, and Sanskrit—inspired the flowing script.
“I wanted a way to put my poetry into the paintings that was really visually appealing and that didn’t necessarily distract from the painting aspect of it,” she says.
While she plans to bring her language into spoken form one day, it’s clear Kell has already found a voice in her painting.
It’s a soaring voice she hopes will reach others who—as she once did—find the narrow ideas of conventional beauty limit them from seeing the beauty in them selves.
“Painting myself and owning my beauty was a big thing for me,” she says.
So Kell paints with purpose and passion reminding all women of the power and contentment that exists in self-affirmation. | https://m.connectsavannah.com/savannah/emily-kell-and-the-divine-feminine/Content?oid=2922745 |
The Chinese government announced a new target price for cotton grown in Xinjiang last month of 18,600 yuan per ton (approximately U.S. 122 cts/lb using current exchange rates), unchanged from 2016, and will be in effect through the 2019 planting season. In order to maintain a stable supply of cotton, the subsidy will also only apply to output less than 85% of the average annual production grown from 2012-2014 (around 7 million tons). The level of subsidy for extra-long staple cotton will remain unchanged at 1.3 times the price of upland cotton.
World cotton production is forecast to grow by 1% to 23.1 million tons in 2017/18 as high prices in 2016/17 encourage farmers to plant cotton. However, the average yield is expected to decline by 2% to 761 kg/ha, similar to the 4-year average. India’s production is projected to grow by 2% to 5.9 million tons while production in China could reach 4.8 million tons in 2017/18 as area expands by 3% to 3 million hectares after five seasons of contraction. High yields and firm prices will encourage farmers in the United States to expand d cotton area in 2017/18. However, production is expected to remain unchanged from 2016/17 at 3.8 million tons as the average yield is assumed to be closer to the 5-year average.
World cotton mill use in 2016/17 is expected to remain unchanged at 24.1 million tons due largely to weak global economic growth and competition from polyester. Global consumption may recover by 1% in 2017/18 to 24.4 million tons as cotton prices decrease, and growth in the global economy is expected to be much stronger in 2017 and 2018. After several seasons of decline, China’s mill use is projected to rise by 2% to 7.6 million tons in 2016/17 and by 1% to 7.7 million tons in 2017/18. The gap between China’s domestic cotton prices and international cotton prices has decreased, making yarn imports less attractive than in recent seasons. In addition, mill use in Xinjiang has expanded, and the proximity to the higher quality cotton grown in this region offers cost advantages over yarn imports. After declining by 3% to 5.1 million tons in 2016/17 due to high domestic and international cotton prices, India’s mill use is projected to recover by 1% to 5.2 million tons in 2017/18.
During the first seven months of 2016/17, China has imported over 600,000 tons of cotton, up by 6% from last season during the same time period. China’s total volume of imports is expected to rise by 2% to 983,000 tons in 2016/17. Imports by Bangladesh are expected to rise by 6% to 1.4 million tons, and Vietnam’s imports are projected to grow by 17% to 1.17 million tons in 2016/17. Given its large exportable surplus and the high quality of its crop this year, the United States is expected to export 2.9 million tons of cotton in 2016/17, accounting for 37% of global exports. India’s exports are projected to decline by 23% to 960,000 tons in 2016/17, partially due to the delay in harvesting earlier this season while China began selling cotton from its national reserve last month, and as at the time of writing, total volume sold reached 450,000 tons. If the level sales that occurred last month continue, a similar volume of cotton may be sold this year as well, bringing the total volume held by the government to around 6 million tons at the end of August 2017. At the end of 2016/17, China’s stocks are projected to fall by 17% to 9.3 million tons. World ending stocks in 2016/17, are expected to decline by 7% to 19.1 million tons.
Source: International Cotton Advisory Committee, press release, 2017-04-03. | http://news.bio-based.eu/china-refines-its-cotton-policy/ |
The purpose of this position is to support the development and implementation of best-in-practice programs for management and to supervise all maintenance and safety operations of neighborhood parks facilities and landscape areas. Schedules and assigns tasks, manages all expenditures, works with businesses and vendors, monitors resources, manages schedules and construction projects; interprets data and documents, researches trends, and develops goals and procedures, consults with internal and external departments and agencies, manages safety concerns, and ensures city and department goals, policies and objectives are followed. Selects, trains, supervises and evaluates staff. Manages workflow processes to measure performance and efficiency outcomes. Assists with managing open space and natural resources, assists with complex problem situations, coordinates programs, oversees graffiti eradication and painting programs, resolves customer service issues, reviews plans, recommends projects, coordinates purchasing activities, maintains records, prepares and delivers presentations.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
PREFERRED/DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
Additionally, our ideal candidate will be a highly skilled, safety conscious, punctual team player with a high work ethic. Someone that understands that they will be hired to perform a full time job that is schedule and work order driven. You will need to be comfortable and able to execute your essential functions in high traffic public use areas. Candidate must be self-motivated and able to work both individually and with a team. | https://careers.nbpts.org/jobs/14966746/neighborhood-parks-superintendent |
My home is my castle, and the bed in it is the main bastion. So say real homebody and make a terrible mistake. Indeed, besides them, millions of microorganisms live in their “fortress”, many of which can provoke serious diseases. So, before you hide from the horrors of the crisis, problems at work and love failures under the covers, make sure that there is no infection waiting for you.
Bacteria in bedding Continue reading
Lose 5 kg in a week without harm to health, is it real?
It is possible to get rid of 5 kg in a week, but it will not be fatty deposits. Some of these kilograms will be in the water. The Centers for Disease Control recommends losing weight on average per kilogram per week – this is safe and healthy weight loss. Those who manage to lose more than a couple kilos should know that this indicator of weight loss is unsustainable.
Rapid weight loss carries risks such as:
– increased likelihood of gallstones; Continue reading
It is worth to wait a little with these cosmetological procedures in summer.
Cosmetologists say that the effectiveness of procedures largely depends on the season, as the sun or its absence can have a serious impact on the result of the procedure.
What procedures are not for the summer period? | http://barbaragojzewska.com/list/improves-its-color |
368 S.C. 47 (2006)
627 S.E.2d 754
Phyllis J. LUKICH, Appellant,
v.
George Peter LUKICH, Respondent.
No. 4080.
Court of Appeals of South Carolina.
Heard November 8, 2005.
Decided January 30, 2006.
Rehearing Denied March 28, 2006.
*50 Margaret D. Fabri, of Charleston, for Appellant.
Peter D. DeLuca, Jr., of Goose Creek, for Respondent.
SHORT, J.:
Phyllis J. Lukich (Wife) appeals the family court's order barring her from using her decree of annulment of a prior marriage as a defense against George P. Lukich's (Husband) complaint to void their marriage as bigamous. Wife also contends the family court erred by holding Husband "technically in contempt" but ruling Husband did not have to comply with the temporary order pending the outcome of his motion to vacate that order. We affirm.
FACTS
In March 1985, Husband and Wife participated in a marriage ceremony and lived together as a married couple for eighteen years. In 1999, the parties began to experience difficulties after Wife suffered a debilitating stroke. Thereafter, on August 21, 2002, Wife filed a complaint in Berkeley County for separate support and maintenance, alleging physical cruelty and adultery and seeking spousal support, equitable distribution, and attorneys' fees. After a temporary hearing, Judge Jack Landis issued a temporary order awarding Wife $1350 per month in alimony, $3500 in temporary attorneys' fees, and restraining both parties from encumbering or disposing of marital property.
During the course of discovery, Husband began to suspect Wife never obtained a divorce from Charles Havron, whom she married in 1973. Therefore, Husband made a discovery request that Wife produce a copy of the divorce decree from Havron. Although the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control produced a marriage certificate for Wife and Havron, Wife could not produce a divorce decree for her marriage to Havron. On September 25, 2003 Husband filed a complaint in Berkeley County seeking to void his *51 marriage to Wife on the ground of bigamy, and a hearing was set for November 6, 2003.
On October 21, 2003, Wife filed a complaint in Charleston County to have her marriage to Havron annulled. An uncontested hearing was held on October 31, 2003 before Judge Frances Segars-Andrews. At the hearing Wife produced evidence that she and Havron were married during a night of heavy drinking, had never lived together as husband and wife, and shortly after the marriage Havron moved to Illinois. Havron submitted an affidavit corroborating Wife's testimony and did not contest the annulment. Judge Segars-Andrews granted Wife an annulment from Havron, declaring the marriage void ab initio.
After Wife faxed a copy of the order of annulment to Husband, Husband made a motion to intervene in Wife's annulment proceeding. Husband argued he had standing due to the effect the annulment would have on his pending action against Wife to void their marriage on the ground of bigamy. Judge Segars-Andrews denied Husband's motion to intervene, finding he did not have standing because he was not a party to the marriage.
On November 5, 2003, Wife filed a motion to dismiss Husband's complaint to void the marriage. Wife asserted that because her marriage to Havron had been annulled, Husband could no longer prove their marriage was bigamous, and, alternatively, Husband's complaint was procedurally defective. Judge Wayne Creech granted the motion to dismiss on the ground that Husband filed his complaint under the same case number as Wife's complaint for separate support and maintenance. However, Judge Creech ruled Wife was barred from using her order of annulment from Havron as a defense to Husband's action to void their marriage as bigamous. Wife appeals the ruling.
On January 14, 2004 Wife filed a rule to show cause, alleging Husband had failed to pay temporary support and was in violation of the temporary order. Judge Creech ruled that Husband was "technically" in contempt for failure to make support payments. However, Judge Creech (hereafter "the family court") ordered Husband "should not be sanctioned or required to make payment under the Temporary *52 Order until his Motion to vacate the alimony award is heard and determined by the Court." Wife's motion to alter or amend the order was denied. Wife appeals.[1]
LAW/ANALYSIS
I. ANNULMENT DECREE
Wife argues the family court erred by barring her from using the order of annulment from Havron as a defense to Husband's action to void their marriage as bigamous. Wife contends the annulment decree rendered her marriage to Havron void ab initio, which creates the legal fiction that the marriage never existed. Wife asserts that because her marriage to Havron was rendered a non-occurrence in the eyes of the law, her marriage to Husband is not bigamous even though she was, in reality, married to Havron at the time she and Husband participated in the marriage ceremony. We disagree.
Section 20-1-80 of the South Carolina Code Annotated sets forth the principle that "[a]ll marriages contracted while either of the parties has a former wife or husband living shall be void." This statute codifies the overriding public policy of this state against bigamy. Johns v. Johns, 309 S.C. 199, 203, 420 S.E.2d 856, 859 (Ct.App.1992) (holding the public policy of not recognizing bigamous marriages overrides the public policy supporting the finality of judgments). A person who is married cannot enter into a valid marriage by participating in a marriage ceremony with a new person. Day v. Day, 216 S.C. 334, 338, 58 S.E.2d 83, 85 (1950) ("A mere marriage ceremony between a man and a woman, where one of them has a living wife or husband, is not a marriage at all. Such a marriage is absolutely void, and not merely voidable.").
Therefore, we are left to consider the question of whether an annulment which decrees a pre-existing marriage void ab initio can be used as a defense to an action to void a marriage as bigamous because the annulment relates back so as to give validity to a prior bigamous marriage. Although our courts have not specifically addressed this issue, we have generally *53 held that because a bigamous marriage is void at its inception and not merely voidable, it cannot be ratified or confirmed and thereby made valid. Johns, 309 S.C. at 201, 420 S.E.2d at 858; see also Callen v. Callen, 365 S.C. 618, 623, 620 S.E.2d 59, 62 (2005) (holding when there is an impediment to marriage, such as one party's existing marriage to a third person, no common-law marriage may be formed and the relationship is not automatically transformed into a common-law marriage once the impediment is removed); Prevatte v. Prevatte, 297 S.C. 345, 349, 377 S.E.2d 114, 117 (Ct.App.1989) (holding a relationship illicit at its inception does not ripen into a common-law marriage once the impediment to marriage is removed and the parties must agree to enter into a common-law marriage after the impediment is removed) (quoting Yarbrough v. Yarbrough, 280 S.C. 546, 551, 314 S.E.2d 16, 19 (Ct.App.1984)); Kirby v. Kirby, 270 S.C. 137, 140, 241 S.E.2d 415, 416 (1978) (same).
Wife argues Joye v. Yon, 355 S.C. 452, 586 S.E.2d 131 (2003), supports her position in the case at bar. In Joye, the parties divorced and Husband was ordered to pay Wife periodic alimony. Id. at 454, 586 S.E.2d at 132. Thereafter, Wife entered into a new marriage with Vance, so Husband stopped making alimony payments to Wife. Id. However, two months into the marriage, Wife discovered that Vance had never divorced his former spouse, so she had the marriage annulled. Id. Wife then brought a contempt action against Husband for failure to make alimony payments, arguing that because her subsequent marriage was void ab initio, Husband's obligation to make alimony payments never terminated. Id. The supreme court considered the novel issue of whether an annulment of a remarriage reinstates a previous spouse's periodic alimony obligation. Id. at 454, 586 S.E.2d at 133.
After discussing several approaches taken by other jurisdictions, our supreme court held the family court should apply the principles of equity and utilize a case by case approach to determine whether the payor spouse's periodic alimony obligation is revived after the payee spouse's subsequent marriage is annulled. Id. at 456, 586 S.E.2d at 134. The court also held that regardless of whether the family court determined to reinstate periodic alimony or not, Husband had no obligation to pay retroactive alimony to Wife for the time period that *54 Wife was married to her bigamous Husband. Id. at 457, 586 S.E.2d at 134.
The Joye case, though not directly applicable to the facts in the instant case, leaves open the possibility that an annulment may operate to revive a previous spouse's alimony obligation. However, the supreme court did not hold the annulment created the presumption that the Husband's alimony obligation never terminated. Id. at 456, 586 S.E.2d at 134. Instead, the supreme court explicitly stated that Husband had no obligation to pay alimony for the time period Wife thought she was married to Vance, even though the marriage was void ab initio. Id. at 457, 586 S.E.2d 131, 585 S.E.2d at 134. Therefore, Joye does not support Wife's position and is not controlling.
As this case involves a novel issue of law in South Carolina, "we look to other jurisdictions for edification, enlightenment, and guidance." State v. Mitchell, 362 S.C. 289, 299-300, 608 S.E.2d 140, 145 (Ct.App.2005). In Scarboro v. Morgan, 233 N.C. 449, 64 S.E.2d 422 (N.C.1951), the North Carolina Supreme Court addressed the issue in a factually similar case. In Scarboro, Wife entered into a marriage with Husband while the Wife was lawfully married to another man. 233 N.C. at 451, 64 S.E.2d at 423. After Husband died, his heirs brought suit to declare his marriage to Wife void as bigamous. Id. at 450, 64 S.E.2d at 422. Wife argued her motion for nonsuit should have been granted for failure to make out a case of bigamous marriage against her. Id. at 451, 64 S.E.2d at 423. She asserted the trial court erred in refusing to permit her to offer into evidence an annulment decree that declared her previous marriage void ab initio. Id. at 451-52, 64 S.E.2d at 423. As in the case at bar, the judgment granting Wife an annulment from her previous marriage was rendered after the suit to have her marriage to Husband declared void was instituted. Id. at 452, 64 S.E.2d at 423. The North Carolina Supreme Court held that the underlying annulment decree was invalid because it was in conflict with a controlling statute. Id. at 452, 64 S.E.2d at 423-24. However, the court also stated: "But should we concede, arguendo, that the judgment is valid, it would be effective only from the date of rendition and would not affect the instant case so as to give retroactive *55 validity to a prior bigamous marriage." Scarboro, 233 N.C. at 452, 64 S.E.2d at 424.
Additionally, the general rule applicable in situations as before us is stated in 52 Am.Jur.2d Marriage 57:
[A]part from statute, bigamous marriage does not acquire validity when the prior subsisting marriage is legally terminated by divorce or by the death of the first spouse. The same rule is generally followed where the prior subsisting marriage is annulled after the second marriage is contracted, even though the purpose of an annulment proceeding is to declare that no valid marriage ever took place between the parties or that no valid marriage relation ever existed between the parties. Even where the annulment decree expressly declares the first marriage null and void ab initio, it does not relate back so as to validate the second marriage. In order for the subsequent marriage to be valid, it has been held that there must be a new ceremony following the termination of the earlier marriage.
Based on our strong public policy against recognizing bigamous marriages and our reading of relevant authority, we find an annulment that declares a pre-existing marriage void ab initio does not relate back so as to give validity to a marriage that was bigamous before the annulment was granted.[2] Here, Wife had a living spouse at the time she contracted for marriage with Husband. Because Wife's annulment was not granted until after she contracted for marriage with Husband, the annulment does not validate her marriage with Husband. Therefore, we hold the trial court did not abuse its discretion in barring Wife from using her annulment decree as a defense to Husband's bigamy action.
Additionally, Wife's argument that she had a good-faith belief she was not married to Havron does not change the rule *56 that the bigamous marriage was void. Even if Wife was acting under a good-faith belief, South Carolina will not recognize her bigamous second marriage because to do so would violate public policy. See Johns, 309 S.C. at 202-03, 420 S.E.2d at 858-59 (citations omitted).
Wife contends the family court should have considered additional information in her motion to alter or amend because to do so would have shed light on the circumstances surrounding her marriage to Havron. Wife also argues the family court, without explicitly stating so, barred her from using her annulment decree as a defense to Husband's action to void the marriage because she did not notify Husband she was not divorced from Havron and she did not notify Husband of the annulment hearing. However, it is undisputed Wife had not divorced or obtained an annulment from Havron at the time she contracted for marriage with Husband. Having held Wife may not use her annulment decree as a defense to Husband's bigamy action on the basis that an annulment that declares a pre-existing marriage void ab initio does not relate back so as to give validity to a marriage that was bigamous at the time the annulment was granted, we need not address these issues. Rule 220(c), SCACR ("The appellate court may affirm any ruling, order, or judgment upon any ground(s) appearing in the Record on Appeal."); see also I`On, L.L.C. v. Town of Mt. Pleasant, 338 S.C. 406, 417, 526 S.E.2d 716, 722 (2000).
II. CONTEMPT
Wife argues that although the family court ruled Husband was "technically in contempt for failure to make support payments as ordered," the ruling was tantamount to finding Husband was not in contempt because the court ordered Husband was not required to comply with the temporary order pending the outcome of his motion to vacate that order. We disagree.
A decision on contempt rests within the sound discretion of the trial court. Tirado v. Tirado, 339 S.C. 649, 654, 530 S.E.2d 128, 131 (Ct.App.2000). "On appeal, a decision regarding contempt should be reversed only if it is without evidentiary support or the trial judge has abused his discretion." Stone v. Reddix-Smalls, 295 S.C. 514, 516, 369 S.E.2d *57 840, 840 (1988). Our review of the order reveals the family court found Husband in contempt. The court declined to impose sanctions against Husband because the validity of his alimony obligation was in question and Husband had a pending motion to vacate the alimony award. Because there is no requirement that sanctions be imposed upon the finding of contempt, we find no abuse of discretion in the family court's ruling. Sutton v. Sutton, 291 S.C. 401, 409, 353 S.E.2d 884, 888-89 (Ct.App.1987) ("Although the Family Court is empowered to find and punish for contempt, there is no requirement that sanctions be imposed upon a finding of contempt.").
The family court ordered Husband "should not be ... required to make payment under the Temporary Order until his Motion to Vacate the alimony award is heard and determined by the Court." The court also ruled that alimony would continue to accrue in the meantime and retained personal jurisdiction to determine whether the temporary order should be vacated. Wife also contends the family court was without authority to stay enforcement of the temporary order sua sponte. We disagree.
Wife contends the court had no authority to stay the enforcement of the temporary order because the only issue before the court was whether Husband was in contempt. However, Wife essentially raised the issue in bringing the rule to show cause. Wife claimed Husband was in contempt for failing to make alimony payments in violation of the temporary order. Husband defended, asserting he had filed a motion to vacate the award approximately four months earlier, but the matter had not been set for hearing. Based on these facts, the issue of whether the temporary order should be enforced pending the outcome of Husband's motion to vacate the alimony award was incidental to the court's determination of contempt. See Taylor v. Taylor, 294 S.C. 296, 299, 363 S.E.2d 909, 911 (Ct.App.1987) (holding the issue of child support arrearages was necessarily raised by a rule to show cause; therefore, the family court had authority to find father had purged himself of arrearages in the contempt proceeding). Therefore, we find the family court did not err in staying the enforcement of the temporary order.
AFFIRMED.
*58 GOOLSBY J., concurs.
ANDERSON, J., dissents in a separate opinion.
ANDERSON, J. (dissenting):
I disagree with the reasoning and analysis of my fellow judges in the case sub judice. I VOTE to reverse and remand for a new trial.
After perturbation and disquietude resulting from my analysis of the evidentiary record, I have come to the ineluctable conclusion to dissent. My concernment is nexed to the lack of viability given to the annulment declaring the marriage "void ab initio" by the majority.
The annulment ruling the marriage "void ab initio" was an arbitrament by a family court judge. The family court had subject matter jurisdiction at the time of the issuance of the annulment.
The majority has misconstrued and misapplied the efficacy of the annulment order of the family court. The Latin phrase "ab initio" has definite and certain meaning. "Ab initio" in Latin means "from the beginning." An agreement is said to be "void ab initio" if it has at no time had any legal validity.
The majority opinion fails to recognize that the family court judge had the authority and power to issue the annulment and to order the marriage "void ab initio."
I VOTE to REVERSE.
NOTES
[1] The parties made a motion to consolidate the two appeals and we granted the motion.
[2] We note that our holding is limited to the facts of the case at bar, e.g. the situation where the annulled marriage would be valid but for an annulment decree declaring the marriage ab initio. Our holding is not meant to affect a party who enters into one of the three types of marriages that never have legal validity in South Carolina, namely marriages that are void ab initio by operation of statute: (1) bigamous marriages, S.C.Code Ann. § 20-1-80 (Supp.2004); (2) same sex marriages, S.C.Code Ann. § 20-1-15 (Supp.2004); and (3) marriages of minors under the age of 16, S.C.Code Ann. § 20-1-100 (Supp.2004).
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Womb Space is a container dedicated to bringing a greater sense of consciousness to the journey of becoming parents. My work in midwifery has shown me how for so many parents, despite all the reading, classes, apps, and practical tools that might be acquired throughout the gestational journey, many still feel ill-equipped to deal with the very real transformation that takes place as one steps over the many thresholds that the journey presents. From the initial dream of conceiving a child, there is an activation of one’s own conditioning around parenting. As an example, we may say ‘I am not going to be how my mother, or father were with me,’ and whilst that recognition is noble, and expresses a desire to parent well, most of the time, we find ourselves swimming in the same patterns that we inherited from our own family systems.
We were all conceived and carried within the wombs of our mother, we all birthed ourselves into the world, and we all carry the imprints of our early experiences. These imprints live as memories in our bodies, in our direct experience. Our rational, left-brained ways of knowing are useless here, as these early experiences took place well before we developed a capacity for rational thinking. Rather, they live in our feeling, emotional sense of the world, influencing our perception of whether the world is a safe place to be. We may also call it our ‘implicit memory’. Implicit memory is not conscious, and it forms a foundational imprint upon which we continue to be ‘conditioned’ in our lives. Approximately 90% of what we think, feel, and how we act in the world, is strongly influenced by our unconscious conditioning. How we experience these sacred initiations, how we transition and how we welcome our little ones as they arrive, is the focus of this work.
Womb Space work is an opportunity to explore your own imprinting (conditioning) and how it influences your perception of becoming/being a parent and your relationship to Self and the world around you. This is a type of guided self-enquiry that provides a roadmap for navigating the unconscious terrain of implicit imprinting as it shows up in the everyday world of our relationships.
This work has benefited others in several ways:
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Facilitates understanding and Integration of ones’ own imprinting
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Enhances your capacity to attune to & bond with your growing baby
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Supports and develops your capacity to trust in your innate wisdom
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Provides resources to meet intense emotions without shutting down
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Develops your innate capacity to move at your own unique pace & rhythm
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Supports body-mind integration
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Enhances embodiment of authentic experience
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May clear inter-generational patterns of abuse and neglect so they are not passed on to future generations
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Supports empowered labour, birth, and bonding experiences for all involved
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Provides the tools to navigate challenging experiences with grounded presence
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Strengthens the capacity for authentic relating with others
There are no requirements to participate in this work and no prior understanding necessary. Come as you are. You may be parents, parents to be, planning to conceive, or simply curious about early life imprinting and seek to live in greater alignment to the innate natural wisdom and intelligence that you are.
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Coronavirus in Algeria: Change may have to wait
On 17 March, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune addressed the nation to announce a series of measures to fight coronavirus, including tightened restrictions on freedom of movement.
The measures included closing nurseries, schools, universities and mosques, as well as shutting land borders, suspending sea and air connections, and banning marches and rallies.
Days later, Health Minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid announced that Algeria would “have to prepare for the worst”. Benbouzid said at the time that 15 people had died from Covid-19 and 139 had tested positive, but the figures were questioned by many Algerians, who doubt the transparency of their public authorities.
Since his speech, numbers of contaminated people have surged as of April 7 to reach 1468 contaminated and 193 deaths from the coronavirus
Lack of trust
For the Algerian regime, the pandemic comes at the worst possible time. Shaken by a popular and peaceful movement that has resisted time, divisions, intimidation and a presidential election, the country’s leadership lacks trust - but above all, it lacks the sanitary and economic means to face the disease.
Public trust in Tebboune and his government is so low that despite calls from Algerian authorities to cease demonstrating, protesters recently took to the streets for the 56th Friday. Despite Covid-19’s impact worldwide, thousands ignored the government’s social distancing rules and advice to remain home, thinking it was a dirty political trick to scare people and to break the movement.
Trust in Algerian authorities is very low, and if the Covid-19 crisis is poorly handled, public confidence will plummet further
It is only thanks to the calls of artists, influencers, journalists, intellectuals and civil society activists that the 57th demonstration was eventually cancelled.
Trust in Algerian authorities is very low, and if the Covid-19 crisis is poorly handled, public confidence will plummet further. Any missteps in managing the pandemic will cost the Algerian government what remains of its meagre legitimacy.
Yet, the health system, coupled with a dysfunctional bureaucracy, has been in a poor state for years, with severe shortages. The country is unprepared to respond in a coordinated manner to a public health emergency.
The healthcare sector in Algeria is mainly state-run, developed with a focus on guaranteeing free access to all citizens, but it faces major challenges: poor and inconsistent services, a lack of operational medical equipment, a shortage of medication, and weak planning, organising and monitoring mechanisms.
In the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak, despite a low number of infections, hospitals and medical staff were overwhelmed and lacked protective gear. To denounce the lack of resources, practitioners staged symbolic protests, while continuing to treat affected people.
Economic consequences
At the same time, the economic consequences of Covid-19 will be bad for Algeria. The regime’s financial resources are limited, which will have a direct impact on its ability to respond to the health crisis.
The country has been severely hit by falling oil prices, and foreign exchange reserves have been depleted, expected to drop from $62bn to $51bn by the end of the year. With oil prices reaching a historic low of $19.46 a barrel this month, the real picture will likely be even worse.
Algerians are already hurting. The depreciation of the dinar by 49 percent between 2014 and 2019 dramatically affected their purchasing power. According to a 2019 study by the National Office of Statistics, consumer prices increased by 1.3 percent and food prices by 2.3 percent, while salaries and wages have remained largely stagnant since 2012.
With the average monthly salary estimated at around $300, it is becoming more and more difficult for most Algerians to make ends meet. The wage-price gap is so deep that it is also eroding the purchasing power of the middle class.
Moreover, since the beginning of the pandemic, consumer prices have increased dramatically. The prices of masks and hand sanitisers have soared by 200 percent, while food prices have also risen, causing Trade Minister Kamel Rezig to threaten price caps.
Unemployment is also a major issue, and if the Covid-19 pandemic drags on, more people are likely to lose their jobs.
Looming backlash
As the crisis bites, Algeria, which once gave an estimated $20bn in financial support to the International Monetary Fund, is likely to call for assistance and resort to external debt, as it did in the 1990s.
Tebboune and his government will be forced to impose unpopular measures that will endanger social and political stability, leading to backlash against a regime that has long derived its legitimacy from social and economic handouts.
The consequences of the Covid-19 crisis will further expose the perceived incompetence of Tebboune and his government. Yet, popular street protests will halt as Algerians remain confined to their homes, drained by economic hardships and fear of contamination.
Change may have to wait in Algeria. But the pandemic will eventually end - and only then can Algerians return to the streets to continue asking for change.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here. | https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/coronavirus-algeria-amid-economic-crisis-street-protests-will-have-wait |
Q:
How to pick multiple array elements in swift 4.2?
Currently making a little quiz app and I store questions in an array.
This is the method that I`m trying out, but it only shows a single question.
var questionList = ["Question1","Question2","Question3","Question4","Question5"]
print(questionList.randomElement()!)
How to pick several random elements from there?
Let`s say I have 100 questions, and I only want to show a group of random 10 questions??
A:
Shuffle the array and get the first 10 elements using prefix(_:)
If the maximum length exceeds the number of elements in the
collection, the result contains all the elements in the collection.
let arr = Array(1..<100)
let shuffledArr = arr.shuffled()
print(shuffledArr.prefix(10))//[35, 61, 9, 80, 68, 37, 22, 79, 57, 32]
Make sure the array length is greater than the subarray count
let questionList = ["Question1","Question2","Question3","Question4","Question5"]
print(questionList.shuffled().prefix(2))//["Question5", "Question2"]
| |
PURPOSE: To provide a sloping platform in which the sloping surface can be slanted to any direction and at any angle optionally without rotating the sloping board, by installing a sloping direction control mechanism around the axis Z, a sloping angle control mechanism around the axis X, and a deflection prevention mechanism to restrict rotation of the sloping board around the axis Z, allowing its rotation around the axis X.
CONSTITUTION: The device has a sloping part 20 with a support point in the support surface on which the axes X and Y are included, the first support part 21 which supports the sloping part rotatably around the axis X, the second support part 22 which holds the support part 21 rotatable around the axis Z crossing at right angle with the axis X, and a sloping direction control mechanism 23 which controls the rotation angle around the axis Z of the support part 21 with the support part 22 between the support parts 21 and 22. And the rotation angle around the axis X of the sloping part 20 with the first support part 21 is controlled by the sloping angle control mechanism 24, and the sloping board 12 is held rotatable at a support point on the surface of the sloping part 20 in parallel to the support surface. A deflection prevention mechanism 25 restricts rotation of the sloping board 12 around the axis Z and allows its rotation around the axis X.
COPYRIGHT: (C)1995,JPO | |
If walls could talk in a city like Dublin, they would tell you the story of a rich and vibrant history, rooted in creativity in the face of hardships and adversity. From the great writers of old to the no less controversial artists of new who are using the walls of our city as a canvass, Dublin is a grey city literally exploding with colour and imagination. Here is a list of some of the most beautiful, provocative and thoughtful Dublin street art and the artists behind them.
ADW
ADW is an Irish street artist who started working on the streets in 2008. His work tends to emulate a dark and humorous approach to social and political issues that are current in Ireland. His satirical murals can be found all over Ireland, but a lot of them can be found in Dublin too. He describes his work as an artistic portrayal that draws attention to negative issues by ultimately makes us smile.
What: The Miss based on Gustav Klimpt’s The Kiss, part of the artist’s #Unsocialmedia series
Where: Liberty Lane, Dublin
What: Piece in support of Subset’s Grey Areas project
Where: Jolin’s Vietnamese coffee house, Clanbrassil Street Upper
Solus
Solus is one of the few Dublin street artists who is actually on the good side of Dublin City Council. As many artists do, Solus shows us through his vibrant and cheery work how art can be a positive counterpart to negativity. He is known for creating large outdoor murals that encapsulate a disregard for the inner demons that torment us when facing life’s challenges. You can now view his work in other cities such as New York, Miami and Montreal.
What: Trust Me, You’re Lovely
Where: The Hive, 1 Dame Lane
Subset
Subset is an Irish street art collective that is known for their outspoken voice and defiant attitude in the face of creative censorship. They are in constant battle with the Dublin City Council over the legitimacy of their murals, many of which have been painted over despite having permission from building owners, public support and celebrity attention (look up Stormzy in Smithfield taking a selfie with a mural of himself). Their most recent initiative, the Grey Areas Project protests the council’s determination to paint over the city streets’ vibrant walls. The censorship of Dublin street art is an issue that many local artists feel strongly about and are getting involved with the project. If you’re interested in their work or this movement, try and find some of their pieces before they’re painted over or check out their website here.
What: Make Dublin Grey Again
Where: Hangar, St Andrew’s Lane
What: Sir David Attenborough mural, erected in honour of his 93rd birthday
Where: Longwood Avenue
Fintan Magee
Fintan Magee is an Australian street artist who is known for his distinctive style of street art that tells the stories of society. His work holds a mirror up to the realities of our modern world; to the plight of refugees, the economy and the state of our political and ecological climate. A lot of his work is inspired by personal experience, such as the Brisbane floods in 2011, and his topics are always relevant to the environments in which he is painting. Although he tackles morbid issues, the tender stroke of his brush can really be felt when gazing into his work.
What: Sink or Swim? A collaboration between Maser and Magee
Where: The Bernard Shaw, Richmond Street
What: The Letter
Where: The Bernard Shaw, Richmond Street
Joe Caslin
When we say that Joe Caslin’s work is unavoidable, we really mean it. After the Irish Marriage Equality bill was passed Caslin’s work became iconic and he, a household name. However like all iconic pieces of art, of course, it didn’t sit well with everyone. Caslin is a teacher and a social change advocate, and his simple yet powerful pieces are incredibly poignant.
What: Claddagh Embrace or Marriage Referendum Mural
Location: Drury Street
Maser
Maser is another famous Irish street artist who is known for his bold and vibrant work that usually harbours a pertinent social or political message. Famous works of his, such as his Repeal the 8th mural, albeit painted over after much controversy in this rather ideologically split country, are notorious and renowned. Although Maser is now based in the US, you can find lots of his art lighting up your walk to work here in Dublin. Some of them are even quite new.
What: You Are Alive, collaboration between Maser and Aches
Where: Saint Kelvin’s, Portobello
James Earley
Here is another Irish contemporary showcasing his talents to us for free (free in Dublin? Are you mad? No wonder the council wants to shut it all down). With a rich family history rooted in stained glass painting and fine art, you can see the link in his work, especially in his animal murals which is where he first started exploring the depth of this connection and branching away from the graffiti scene. Distinctive and colourful, his work is recognisable in Dublin’s graphic jungle from a mile off.
What: Earley’s “Joycean Makeover” of the Blooms Hotel
Where: Blooms Hotel, Temple Bar
Insane51
Now this artist is somewhat of a phenomenon on the street art scene. Insane51 is a Greek street art muralist who is pioneering the 3D street art world. That’s right. This guy’s work literally pops out of the walls… but not in the way you may expect. Remember those blue and red 3D glasses you used to wear when you were a kid? Well, you may need to dig those out again. With 3D pieces already scattered across the globe, this is a street artist you definitely want to keep tabs on.
What: No name [click on the picture or here to see its magic!]
Where: Tivoli Theatre Car Park, Francis St
So there you have it, a little insight into the creative soul of this city and those who are constantly transforming it into something beautiful and provocative for us to enjoy. Hopefully, this article will help you recognise these artists if you happen to stumble across their work, old or new. Remember, this city is always changing. New Dublin street art will always replace the old and as this city changes, grows and faces new challenges, it will always be reflected in the walls.
If you’re looking for more vibrant hotspots of Dublin street art to wander through check out Love Lane which is adorned with love letters to Dublin, ceramic tiles and famous words by street artist Anna Doran, Temple Bar, Dame Lane and the Bernard Shaw on Richmond Street. We promise you won’t be disappointed. | https://babylonradio.com/dublins-thriving-street-art-scene/ |
Operational Modelling menu in MOHID Studio allows the user to configure his own MOHID and other models to run operationally (gathering initial and boundary conditons at each run and storing results in database without human interaction) or to mport and export hdf's to database and check hdf and timeseries results from database.
Here the user can check what model domains exist (or add/remove), the hdf files indexed in database and hdf datasets present.
Here the user can import and export hdf to database and extract timeseries from database (from hdf).
Top impor files into database on "File" box select the files from disk (may select several).
On Model Domain select the model domain that the hdf belong to. If importing fiels from a new model domain, please go first to "Model Results" and press "Domain" button and add the new model domai first.
On Options select if the results have a spin-up period (the results on this period will not be stored in database)
Click on "Import" to start importing files.
To Export hdf files to disk on "Source" select the model domain and the dates to export.
On "Target" select the output file in "Output File" box.
If want to interpolate results to a different grid use the checkbox "intepolate to new grid" and choose a target grid and an interpolation method.
In "Exporr" press the button to start the process.
To Export timeseries files to disk from hdf results on "Select model domain" select the model domain and the dates to export.
On "Location" select the locaton to export either by providing coordinates in WGS84 or by picking in the Map.
On "Process" may select to save the time series to file by selecting the checkbox "Create ASCII file" and providing the output filename or/and see the timeseries in a graph by selecting the checkbox "Create Time Serie GRaph" and the graph will open in Studio "XY Graph"
In file watcher the user can import timeseries and hdf automatically from a folder to database as soon as new files arrive (e.g. in external operational models that write results in a defined older), by specifying the folder, the file filter expression, and what to do with the file after import (delete, copy to a folder, move to a folder).
In Operational Models the user may convert their MOHID Studio projects into operational ones. For external models (e.g. WRF not yet integrated inside MOHID Studio) the model can be configured to run inside a specified working folder.
Remark
In case of MOHID models, the operational model can run in same project as existing in Studio where user works day-by-day, but the operational model will automatically create simulations at the end of the project (after a few days of user work adding new simulations, they will be in the middle) and may run at the same time as user simulations (and compete to access to some files) so it is advised to create a new project just for operationalization.
Pre-requisites:
1) The user needs to have installed ActionServer (windows sevice) so that the model configured to run are launched at the specified hour(s) every day without any human interaction (the only condition is that the computer is ON, no login is required).
Check the page on Action Server Install to install the ActionServer.
2) In case of MOHID models, the standard for a project to be accepted to operationalization is to have two or more simulations, but needs to have exactly two template simulations, and one needs to be a parent and the other child (continuation run). This two runs define the cold start and hot start simulations, respectively, and the user can prepare them as needed.
See Figure 1) for operational model simulation definition.
In "Local Model Domain" window the user may add/edit/remove an operational domain that will run in his machine.
The user may choose the new Domain Name and type (MOHID Water, MOHID Land and other types of models) and if type is MOHID the user can choose the MOHID Studio project where to work. This project needs to have the pre-requisite nº2 or the interface will warn the user when trying to save the model domain.
See Figure 2).
The user may also choose to clean the project by selecting checkbox "Clean Up at End". If this is checked, after each simulation finish the process deletes the simulation created, the result files from res folder (hdf and timeseries) and stores hdf files in a storage folder defined by user. If this is not checked, nothing is done and MOHID runs are not touched, meaning that simulation folders and files will pile up in windows explorer and MOHID Studio inside the project and the results will remain in res folder. The latter can be used for first simulations to check results inside MOHID Studio but it is advised to chek the clean up option after.
For nested domains, create a model domain per MOHID domain and select the checkbox "Parent Domain" and select the parent domain in the child domains. For running, only the father domain should be checked "Enable Scheduling". All sons domains will run from father.
The next step after Model Domain Configuration is to define initial or boundary conditions (that change in time and are dynamic (e.g. results from other models as meteorological)). Constant and climatological conditions are not defined here but in the two template simulations datafiles since they will be immutable trough all the simulation period.
Each boundary condition will write to one file ("Target File") and this file will be updated every run with the most updated results in database for the simulation dates. This file needs to be used in template simulations (e.g. referenced in Atmosphere data file or Discharge data file) so that it has any impact on the operational simulations!!
See Figure 3) for configuring boundary condition type.
By Pressing "Edit Providers" the providers available for the selected type of file and property will be loaded.
The boundary conditions may be fetched from providers where the providers are all model domains in the database. These model providers can be user operational models (e.g. MOHID Land providing flow for MOHID Water or MOHD Water providing level for MOHID Land, MOHID Land watershed providing flow for MOHID Land inundation areas, etc.) or by using ActionServer download capabilities, these providers can be other external models (e.g. GFS, MeteoGalizia, Maretec Models) that are stored in database.
Check the page on Action Server Download Guide to configure model results downloads from external sources with ActionServer.
The user may choose to force the model with timeseries, hdf with only one property, or hdf with all model domain properties available. In all cases, the user can define several variable source providers and his priority (e.g. different meteorological models). If the first fails to give data to the complete simulation duration, than it goes to the next and so on.
Both TimeSeries and hdf with only one property can also have failback providers, meaning that if all the variable source providers do not have data to the complete simulation duration, than the user can choose:
See Figure 4) for configuring boundary condition providers.
For the operational models to run they need to have sceduling ON ("Enable Scheduling) and ActionServer service needs to be running (as a windows service).
See Figure 5) for searching Services.msc in Start Menu (in Windows 8, is similar in previous versions).
Press the services.msc to see all windows services. Action Server should be at the start (if ActionServer was installed).
See Figure 6) for Starting ActionServer service.
Whenever a model domain is changed need to restart ActionServer service.
Here are the configuration with the executables to use with operational models.
In Layers is possible to load grid based and vector properties from database to the map. Just need to select which model domain, property and mapping to use and the layer is added to the map. | http://wiki.actionmodulers.com/wiki/index.php?title=MOHID_Studio_-_User_Guide_-_Operational_Modeling_-_v.2.0 |
Dr Rhonda Millikin is the head of the habitat assessment and data management unit at the Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Since she began working in the shrub-steppe ecosystem of British Columbia in the mid-‘90s, when measuring tape and topographic maps were all you had to mark your study area, technology has evolved significantly and now provides researchers with remote sensing devices like hand-held GPS and drones.
For Millikin — and other scientists — drones offer new observations of species and their habitats. While most wildlife react to humans who are nearby, duringtrials with waterbirds at coastal estuaries in British Columbia Canadian Wildlife Service researchers found that drones can record undisturbed wildlife behaviour. Walking into undisturbed habitats can also inadvertently introduce invasive species, which can be avoided by using drones. Mapping and monitoring habitats is easier with drones as well. “We can resample areas over a larger landscape and compare parcels with different land uses, to determine if a habitat change is happening because of climate or development, for example” says Millikin.
At the NCC Sage and Sparrow Conservation Area near Osoyoos, British Columbia, Millikin recently used drones to study sage thrasher habitat.
For Millikin and her team, the question was whether drones could be a more efficient and effective way to identify nest bushes of the size required by endangered sage thrashers. “To find rare birds like the sage thrasher, people tend to go back to the same place where they know the birds will be. But with the change in climate, ideal habitats for the sage thrasher may shift further north. Drones help us get ahead of the curve and find these places.
Beyond helping Millikin and her team find new habitat areas, they will test the potential for drones to assess whether habitat management and restoration measures are working in protected areas.
Based on combined data from the past 100 years and field observations of sage thrashers, Millikin and her team created a grid for the drones to fly within. “We knew there would be nest bushes in critical habitat areas. We weren’t sure how high the drone should fly above the ground, or how to detect the nest bushes in the landscape. Todd Manning used remote sensing to develop a 3D model of the vegetation. He found a height that worked well for detection of ideal nesting shrubs.” Millikin’s team confirmed the validity of the approach by “training” the remote sensing software on the drone on an actual nesting site in the field so it could better recognize other nesting shrubs in the areas.
The height in which drones fly is also important to ensure that the birds remain undisturbed. To determine the ideal altitude from which to detect sage thrasher nests and not disturb nesting birds, Millikin and her team looked at ways to minimize the number of times the drone passed over an area and experimented with different altitudes. Ultimately, they found 30 metres to be the ideal drone cruising altitude to capture the information they needed without disturbing the birds below.
Drever, Mark, Dominique Chabot, Patrick D. O’Hara, Jeffrey D. Thomas, André Breault, and Rhonda L. Millikin 2016. Evaluation of an unmanned rotorcraft to monitor wintering waterbirds and coastal habitats in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems.
Simply stated, a rotary drone resembles a helicopter, while a fixed-wing drone has wings like an airplane.
To humans the difference may appear strictly technical, but for the study of sage thrashers using fixed wing versus rotary drones could be a perceived as a life-and-death question. Why? In the eyes of birds hunted by hawks, fixed-wing drones can look like predators. While a fixed-wing drone’s “predator-like” appearance upset waterbirds in the wetland habitat that Canadian Wildlife Service researchers tested, a rotary drone made observations nearly without incident.
Section of Old Man on His Back project area (approx. 39.5217 ha) taken by eBee Sensefly with a Sony WX220 RGB camera and processed using Pix4D and ArcGIS. Courtesy of the Natural Resources Technology Applied Research Group at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Dave Halstead is a senior research associate with Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Natural Resource Technology department and another old hand at UAVs. He eschews the term “drone” since it’s not commonly used in professional circles.
Halstead’s team was asked to participate because they have the technical expertise, equipment and required certification for doing this kind of work. To get a comprehensive picture of the Ranch, Halstead and research technologist Leila Benmerrouche flew the UAV over the six large pastures that NCC staff had identified, at about 35 hectares at a time. NCC will use the data that Halstead and Benmerrouche have gathered from the UAVs to examine grazing patterns — which vegetation is being selected by plains bison and cattle — as well as the types and the condition of vegetation on OMB. Along with OMB’s work with animals outfitted with GPS collars , this will give NCC staff an accurate picture of what grazers are eating, and where they are eating it — valuable information not just for the conservation of the property, but for ranchers.
In the three days that Halstead and Benmerrouche were at Old Man on His Back, they flew 12 missions with the eBee and seven with a DJI Phantom UAV. Since Halstead knew his colleague Marchand couldn’t be there, he used the 4K video camera on the DJI Phantom to capture overhead and closeup views of the vegetation so she could review it for her study. The result was a stunning 4K video, which can be viewed below, with beautiful, big vistas of open country.
Like Millikin, Halstead believes drones can’t replace humans, and that the work of flying them should be done by professionals. “There are many hazards and regulatory components associated with flying UAVs, and when you’re an operator, you’re essentially a pilot. You take ground school and flight school in order to fly these craft, as well as apply to Transport Canada for your flight operator’s certificate.” So while it is serious business to fly a drone, they yield staggering results that may make the learning curve — and necessary licenses — worth it.
The drone will be purchased by the end of the year, and Lafferty says “We’re getting our ducks in a row to run the program properly. We’re getting training on how to fly the drone, flight operation certificates, and everything else we have to do to get ready to fly for the 2018 field season, which is usually from May to September.” The name J Lo was inspired by John Lounds, president and CEO of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
UAVs are much more than exciting gadgets. They offer an efficient way to collect a treasure trove of data that can be used for conservation. They will help NCC to do a better job of managing our properties and the species and habitats we are working to protect. | https://www.placesworthprotecting.ca/stories/why-drones-are-flying-high-in-conservation-efforts |
Critical thinking is about keeping an open mind when reading, listening or writing about something. It is about carefully examining a piece of knowledge by questioning the surface appearance of material, identifying assumptions, assessing the evidence and coming to conclusions using a variety of sources.
When being critical in an academic sense, we question whether there are other ways of interpreting evidence and identify the validity or flaws in a line of argument.
Top Tips on Critical Thinking
Identify the argument
In order to critically evaluate a piece, you need to identify the argument. What are the statements used to justify a position in the writing?
If you are writing a piece, outline in draft form a summary of the key statements you plan on using to argue your point, including the conclusion. Think about whether your argument is logical and valid. Ensure the person reading your final piece can easily identify the line of argument.
Evidence
Read your piece again and identify each piece of evidence presented to support the conclusion. Here are some questions to ask of your evidence
- Is it reliable and valid?
- If there is research presented, is it recent?
- Were the numbers of people studied large enough to have a broader application?
- Were there comparison groups?
- Were the populations studied biased in any way like using everyone from the same area/age group/gender?
These questions can be applied to the work of others, or our own writing. Depending on your discipline, some questions will have more or less relevance. Read around the topic in your discipline to see how others have approached the area.
Opinion versus Fact
When reading, you need to identify which parts are opinion and which parts are fact. You must spot any assumptions, assertions or statements that might not be correct.
When writing, review your draft and do the same. Identify what is opinion and what is fact, supported by evidence from academic or other reliable sources. Read around your subject at this stage to help identify opinion from fact.
Biases
Look again at the piece you are reading. Who is the author? Is it possible she or he may have a reason for thinking the way they do? Is the author sponsored by a company. Does she or he have some other personal characteristic that may compromise the research?
When writing about something, it can be hard to identify your own biases. Reading widely will help this. Ensure your piece evaluates the evidence for and against your point of view. Does your argument make sense or is there research you are over-looking? If there is an area of uncertainty in the literature, acknowledge this. Ask another person to review your work to help see a different point of view or check for bias.
Conclusion
Consider whether the conclusion follows logically from the premises and evidence outlined. Ask yourself
- Does the evidence actually support the conclusion?
- Does each piece of evidence logically lead to the conclusion the author has made.
- Are they stretching the impact of the evidence?
- Are there any alternative conclusions the evidence could point to?
- What further impact will this conclusion have on the wider discipline or society?
These questions apply to both the work of others and any work you are creating yourself.
Core concepts of Critical Thinking
A premise is a statement used to support an argument, line of reasoning, theory or position.
An argument is made up of a set of statements used to justify a position, point of view or theory. It generally includes at least one statement and a conclusion.
An assumption is presenting a statement as fact or truth in order to build an argument.
A conclusion is the final point or summary set out by an author to prove his or her argument. It should follow logically from all previous premises and evidence.
Recommended Reading
- The Study Skills Handbook byCall Number: 371.30281 COTISBN: 9781137610898Publication Date: 2019Practical guide, with exercises, for a range of study skills required at university. It includes a chapter on Critical Thinking.
- Critical Thinking Skills byCall Number: 370.152 COTISBN: 9781137550507Publication Date: 2017
- The Quick Fix Guide to Academic Writing byISBN: 9781526405883Publication Date: 2018Good chapters on reading and critiquing the literature and coming up with gaps in the research.
- Critical Thinking from University of EdinburghIncludes a nice list of questions to ask when thinking critically.
- Critical Thinking from the University of LeedsSimple explanations as well as a lovely video by academics on what critical thinking is. | https://libguides.ucd.ie/academicintegrity/criticalthinking |
A beautiful Pub, in a gorgeous setting, serving exquisite food. You may not want to go home! So why not stay over in one of the comfortable rooms in our Bed & Breakfast wing. The rooms are accessed through a dedicated entrance, and we will even give you a key to the door so you can come and go as you please. We have a single, a double, a twin and a family room, all with TV, tea/coffee-making facilities and limited en-suite options. Our extensive menu includes everything from traditional home-cooked bar meals through to more contemporary dishes, and in the evenings we offer an A la Carte menu. A wide range of child-friendly dishes and desserts plus vegetarian options are available. We also have ample parking and an outside eating area by the lake.
4 Bedrooms: Price Per Person Per Night £32.50. Under 14’s negotiable. Under 3’s Free. | http://www.visitsouthmolton.co.uk/portfolioentry/stags-head-inn-2/ |
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - May 12, 2016) - Glacier Media Inc. ("Glacier" or the "Company") (TSX:GVC) reported cash flow, earnings and revenue for the period ended March 31, 2016.
The following results are presented on an adjusted basis(1) to include the Company's share of its joint venture operations on a proportionate basis, because this is the basis on which management bases its operating decisions and performance. For a reconciliation to results in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), refer to the "Reconciliation of IFRS to Adjusted Results" as presented below and in Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A).
(1) The adjusted consolidated financial results have been adjusted to include the Company's share of revenue, expenses, assets and liabilities from its joint venture operations on a proportionate accounting basis as this is the basis on which management bases its operating decisions and performance evaluation. IFRS does not allow for the inclusion of the joint ventures on a proportionate basis. These results include additional non-IFRS measures such as EBITDA, cash flow from operations and net income attributable to common shareholders before non-recurring items.
The adjusted results are not generally accepted measures of financial performance under IFRS. The Company's method of calculating these financial performance measures may differ from other companies and accordingly, they may not be comparable to measures used by other companies. Refer to the MD&A for a reconciliation of these non-IFRS measures and adjusted results.
(2) Net income attributable to common shareholders and cash flow from operations have been adjusted for non- recurring items.
Glacier Media Inc. ("Glacier" or the "Company") completed the first quarter with stronger financial results. Adjusted EBITDA(1) increased to $8.2 million for the period ended March 31, 2016 compared to $6.9 million for the same period in the prior year, a gain of 19.0%. Both of the Company's operating segments, business information and community media, experienced EBITDA increases compared to the same period in the prior year. In particular, FarmMedia, REW.ca and a number of community media operations generated EBITDA gains in the period as compared to the same period in the prior year.
Adjusted consolidated revenue(1) was $58.5 million for the period ended March 31, 2016 compared to $65.8 million for the same period in the prior year. Approximately 29% of the total $7.3 million adjusted revenue decline resulted from planned closures and restructuring of newspaper and printing operations. These restructurings resulted in stronger and more efficient operations and improved profitability. Revenue for the period was impacted by weaker energy and commodity markets in Western Canada as well as continued softness and structural changes in community media. Excluding the Company's energy information division, JuneWarren-Nickle's Energy Group ("JWN"), the business information segment's adjusted revenues grew by 7.2% compared to the same period in the prior year; a wide variety of sales initiatives resulted in the business information revenue performance.
It is also important to note that the Company's operations not adversely impacted by the weaker energy and mining sectors generated adjusted EBITDA increases of 26.0% overall and 8.9% in the business information segment.
On an adjusted basis(1), including the Company's share of its joint venture interests, Glacier's consolidated debt net of cash outstanding before deferred financing charges was 2.1x trailing 12-months EBITDA as at March 31, 2016.
(1) For a reconciliation of adjusted results to results in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), refer to the "Reconciliation of IFRS to Adjusted Results" as presented in the Company's Management Discussion & Analysis.
Many Glacier FarmMedia ("GFM") segments experienced growth despite low agricultural commodity prices, which continue to create a difficult environment.
Weather INnovations Consulting ("WIN") operates the largest weather network in Canada and provides decision support tools to growers and agri-businesses based on localized weather and associated modelling. WIN experienced solid revenue and EBITDA in the first quarter.
Both Farm Business Communications ("FBC") and Western Producer experienced growth in EBITDA for the period. During the quarter, FBC successfully launched Farm Show East (a product of Wheel & Deal and AgDealer), a publication for sellers to advertise farming products for crop production and livestock.
Ag In Motion ("AIM"), the Company's second annual Western Canadian agricultural technology demonstration show is scheduled for July 16-19th. A sister show to the successful Canadian Outdoor Farm Show ("COFS"), AIM has already sold over 90% of its revenue target.
Glacier's energy information group, JuneWarren-Nickle's ("JWN"), continues to be adversely impacted by the extremely difficult oil and gas environment in Western Canada. JWN continues to enact substantial cost reduction measures while concurrently pursuing new revenue initiatives. For example, during the quarter, JWN and General Electric hosted a workshop exploring the challenges of cyber security in the energy industry.
The Company continues to invest in its database of energy companies, properties and assets, CanOils, adding new data sets and features; the operating investments are starting to pay off as Q1 2016 sales exceeded those of Q1 2015.
Environmental Risk Information Services ("ERIS") continues to execute on its North American expansion plan. Growth in the U.S. continues to be robust with growth coming from increased orders from existing customers and the onboarding of many new customers. Operating investments have been made over the period to allow ERIS to scale to the next revenue tier.
Benefits from the signing of two significant new customers contributed to a strong first quarter for Specialty Technical Publishers ("STP"). Revenue and EBITDA for the period increased compared to the prior year. The Company is benefiting from the increased importance of environmental, health and safety regulation and the trend towards large companies implementing firm-wide risk management platforms or EMIS systems; STP's offering integrates well into EMIS systems and the Company is increasingly working with EMIS vendors on joint sales and marketing initiatives.
REW.ca, the Company's online real estate portal, continued to grow rapidly with increased traffic and features. In March 2016, the site grew to a visit level of 1.6 million visitors per month, an 88% increase over the same period in the prior year, and 12 million page views per month. Revenues continue to scale more than doubling versus the same period in the prior year. The Company continues to invest in site features and relevant data.
Fundata Canada Inc. ("Fundata") experienced another strong quarter and successfully launched a new Point of Sales Fund Facts offering that allows financial institutions to remain compliant with new mutual fund point of sale disclosure regulations.
Overall, the Company's community media segment experienced revenue declines but a sizeable increase in EBITDA.
Several of the Company's community media operations experienced reductions in revenues and EBITDA, with declines driven by a combination of the maturing nature of print advertising and the impact of continued weak commodity prices on many Western Canadian communities.
Glacier continues to realize savings from the restructurings implemented throughout 2015 and in Q1 2016 in the community media operations. In many cases the changes have resulted in improved products for both readers and advertisers as more substantial editions are published.
The Company continues to pursue cost-reduction initiatives in all markets, where practical while maintaining product quality and sales effectiveness.
The qualitative discussion of the first quarter 2016 results in this Press Release is relevant and applicable for the adjusted results and the IFRS results.
The Company's financial performance has improved over the past six months. While adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2016 was higher than the same period last year, as stated above, significant near-term uncertainty and market risk persists. The continued overall downward trend in commodity and energy prices have negatively impacted the Company's financial performance. While clearly a cyclical downturn, it is unclear as to the timing of a commodities recovery. In addition, the community media operations, while still profitable, are maturing. Operational restructurings that improve profitability have and will continue to be implemented but the Company expects that the industry will continue to mature.
A number of the Company's businesses, however, are experiencing high growth and have significant market opportunities. Businesses including ERIS, REW.ca, WIN, Fundata and STP have all experienced substantial revenue growth. In order to maintain this growth and capitalize on the significant market needs and potential, additional operating and capital investments are required. The Company will therefore continue to invest in these high growth businesses as well as other valuable data and information products such as CanOils, eduMine and AgDealer.
As a result of the foregoing, the Company is undertaking a rights offering to reduce financial leverage, allowing free cash flow from operations to be available to support investments in the high value, high growth businesses. The net proceeds of the rights offering will be used to reduce debt thereby reducing financial risk and debt service costs. While the Company completed a new two-year banking facility on favourable terms in late 2015, a reduction in leverage is advisable given market uncertainties, the mature nature of the community media business and the need to maintain targeted investments in growth businesses. See separate press release for further information regarding the rights offering.
Although faced with a challenging environment, many opportunities exist to stabilize, build and grow the Company's operations.
Shares in Glacier are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol GVC.
About the Company: Glacier Media Inc. ("Glacier" or the "Company") is an information & marketing solutions company pursuing growth in sectors where the provision of essential information and related services provides high customer utility and value. Glacier's strategy is implemented through two operational areas: content and marketing solutions; and data, analytics and intelligence.
To supplement the consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), Glacier uses certain non-IFRS measures that may be different from the performance measures used by other companies. These non-IFRS measures include cash flow from operations (before changes in non-cash operating accounts and non-recurring items), net income attributable to common shareholders before non-recurring items, net income from continuing operation attributable to common shareholders before non-recurring items, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and all 'adjusted' measures which are not alternatives to IFRS financial measures. Management focuses on operating cash flow per share as the primary measure of operating profitability, free cash flow and value. EBITDA per share is also an important measure as the Company has low ongoing capital expenditures and depreciation and amortization largely relates to acquisition goodwill and copyrights and does not represent a corresponding sustaining capital expense. These non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS and accordingly they are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.
The adjusted consolidated financial results have been adjusted to include the Company's share of revenue, expenses, assets and liabilities from its joint venture operations on a proportionate accounting basis as this is the basis on which management bases its operating decisions and performance evaluation. IFRS does not allow for the inclusion of the joint ventures on a proportionate basis. These results include additional non-IFRS measures such as EBITDA, cash flow from operations and net income attributable to common shareholders before non-recurring items.
This news release contains forward-looking statements that relate to, among other things, the Company's objectives, goals, strategies, intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations and estimates. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements relating to our expectations regarding revenues, expenses, cash flows, future profitability and the effect of our strategic initiatives and restructuring, including our expectations to grow our business information operations, to complete a rights offering and use the proceeds to reduce debt, to generate new revenues, to implement cost reduction measures, the sale of assets and utilization of the proceeds, to launch new information products, to generate new business acquisitions, to improve profitability, to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to meet anticipated working capital, capital expenditures, and debt service requirements and to reduce debt levels. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, including continued economic growth and recovery and the realization of cost savings in a timely manner and in the expected amounts, and successful completion of the rights offering, which are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these expectations include failure to implement or achieve the intended results from our strategic initiatives, the failure to implement or realize cost savings in a timely manner or in the expected amounts, the failure to negotiate or complete the sale of assets, the failure to identify, negotiate and complete the acquisition of new businesses, the failure to develop or launch new products, failure to complete the rights offering and the other risk factors listed in our Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors" and in our annual MD&A under the heading "Business Environment and Risks", many of which are out of our control. These other risk factors include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Company to sell advertising and subscriptions related to its publications, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the agricultural and energy industry, discontinuation of the Department of Canadian Heritage's Canada Periodical Fund's Aid to Publishers, general market conditions in both Canada and the United States, changes in the prices of purchased supplies including newsprint, the effects of competition in the Company's markets, dependence on key personnel, integration of newly acquired businesses, technological changes, tax risk, financing risk and debt service risk.
About this company Glacier Media Inc. | http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/glacier-reports-first-quarter-results-2124634.htm |
Dear Diary...
"Magic is a mystery that doesn't need solving." That's what illusionist Drake Lonestar told me when I saw him perform. I was skeptical that the famous magician could really make the River Heights courthouse disappear, but I was wrong.
It turns out that the courthouse wasn't the only thing that vanished. So did important evidence relating to a jewel heist - and all signs point to Lonestar as the thief! Now the magician himself has disappeared into thin air - and all of River Heights is looking at me to track him down. I just hope I can do it soon, because I have a feeling Lonestar has one last trick up his sleeve....
Customer Reviews
The great mystery
This book was fun and full of surprises. Definitely worth every penny. It’s exciting and suspenseful. Some chapters short, some long but the story telling was at a good pace. | https://books.apple.com/ca/audiobook/the-magicians-secret-nancy-drew-diaries-book-8/id1414040176 |
Over the weekend, over on another private website the old chestnut of the fake moon landings was raised, and sensibly put in the bin where it belongs.
As part of the discussion, I mentioned one of the things I learnt when I was able to go on a tour of 10 Downing Street in 2006 and that is in the waiting area at the top of the famous staircase is a small Union Jack Flag along with a few pieces of moon rock – and the sign next to it said that the flag had been taken up on that famous Apollo 11 mission and been on the moon.
Blimy I thought at the time, the British Flag has been to the moon and back – and now sits in a small display case inside 10 Downing Street.
In an odd way – it was actually one of the most notable things for me of the entire visit around the place.
Anyhow, I realised that next year will be the 40th anniversary of the lunar landings, and considering that the UK government recently signed a deal to develop and send probes to the moon – wouldn’t it be an ideal opportunity to put the flag and moon rocks on display for everyone to see?
It could be quite an inspirational thing to show to school children – to say that, even if as just a passenger, the Union Flag has also been to the moon.
If you agree, then why not sign this petition I set up on the Number 10 website and lets see if we can get that display case out into the public – after all, it was a gift to the British people, so let some Brits see it!
..and tell your friends as well. | https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the-british-flag-flying-on-the-moon-209/ |
Online colleges may charge less money per credit hour compared to all schools.
-
College classes are typically three credit hours for students on a semester system, but this varies.
-
A college credit typically equals three weekly hours of students' time in class or completing coursework outside of class.
The average college tuition is close to $19,000 a year for full-time students at four-year colleges. But what if you're a part-time student or just taking a few classes? That's when it's important to know your school's cost per credit hour.
Credit hours correspond to how much work you're expected to do for a college course per week. One credit hour typically equals one hour of class time and two hours of work outside of class, such as homework, lab work, or a student internship.
Colleges and universities often have thresholds for when students pay tuition by the credit hour versus paying a flat rate. A part-time student might pay by credit hour. Meanwhile, a full-time student might pay the same flat rate once they reach a certain number of credits regardless of whether they take extra classes to graduate early.
It's helpful to know your school's policy because it can make getting your degree more affordable. Keep reading to find the average cost colleges charge for credit hours, so you can better balance your course load and your budget.
Table of Contents
Average Cost Per Credit Hour
Below, we've calculated the average cost per credit hour based on the average cost of college in the U.S. with a couple of assumptions:
- Most schools use semesters versus quarters. Semester-system schools have two 15-week terms, one in the fall/winter and one in the spring. Quarter-system schools have four 10-week terms, including an optional summer term. If you're in a semester system, you need fewer credits to earn your degree (120 for bachelor's) compared to students in the quarter system (180).
- Students complete 30 credits per year. Most accrediting bodies require students to complete 120 credits for a bachelor's degree, which typically takes four years. Associate degree programs require at least 60 credits and last about two years.
Tuition Per Credit Hour
Across all school types, the average college cost per credit is $456. However, credit hours are priced differently across institution types.Footnote
- At four-year institutions, the average cost of tuition and fees per credit hour is $554.
- Credit hours are over $400 cheaper at two-year schools, where the average tuition per credit hour is $126.
- The most affordable college credits are at community colleges. The most expensive are at four-year private nonprofit schools. Credits at these schools cost over 10 times more than at two-year public schools.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Total Cost Per Credit Hour
College students encounter expenses beyond the cost of tuition alone. Textbooks, transportation, and room and board add up. To find the all-in cost of college per credit hour, we divided the average total cost of one year of college by 30.
- The average total cost of college per credit hour for students living on campus at four-year colleges is $1,185.
- The average cost per credit hour at all two-year schools is about half that of four-year schools, assuming similar living situations.
- Across school types, students save the most money when they can offset dorm expenses or rent by living with family.
Source: NCES
Source: NCES
Net Cost Per Credit Hour
Many college students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships or grants. Their net cost of college equals their total college price tag minus the amount of aid they receive.
In 2019-2020, the average net price of college per credit hour was $621 at four-year institutions and $303 at two-year institutions.
The net cost of college credit hours varies across institution types, as seen in the graph below. It also depends on students' income level. Lower incomes typically correspond to more financial aid.Footnote
Source: NCES
Historical Tuition Per Credit Hour
Fifty years ago, the average cost of college tuition per credit hour was about $147 — ranging from $42 at two-year public schools to $349 at four-year private schools.
Tuition per credit hour has grown over the years. Across all schools, the average cost of one credit hour has tripled since 1970. Two-year schools, including private schools and community colleges, have remained the most affordable option.
Source: NCES
Cost of Online College Per Credit Hour
Students may try to save money by earning credit hours online, and sometimes they can. Thirty-three distance-learning-only institutions report their net price in the National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator database. Their average net price for a credit hour was $516. That's about $100 cheaper than the average for all schools in 2019-2020.
When comparing costs for online college credit hours, the type of school makes a difference. Online college credit hours are the most affordable at public institutions. Private for-profit schools charge the most.
Source: NCES College Navigator Database
Cost Per Credit Hour by State
Two-year public schools offer the most affordable college credits to in-district students. Community colleges in six states charge less than $100 a credit hour for in-district students:
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Texas
When it comes to public four-year schools, Florida offers the least expensive college credits for in-state students at $149. Vermont charges the most at $569. Even so, Vermont's four-year public schools are less expensive per credit hour for in-state students than the average four-year private nonprofit school.
Average Tuition Per Credit Hour at Public Colleges by State
Source: NCES
Take a Closer Look at College Cost Statistics
Frequently Asked Questions About College Credit Hours
What does "per credit hour" mean in college?
When colleges list tuition costs "per credit hour," the amount students pay depends on how many college credits they enroll in for a given term. Usually, once a student is enrolled in a certain number of credits that's considered a full-time load, they pay a flat fee.
How many credits is one college class?
On a semester system, it's typical for college classes to equal about three credits. That way students can take an average of five courses per term to earn an associate degree (60 credits) in two years or a bachelor's (120 credits) in four.
That said, the amount of credits you earn for one college class varies. It depends on how much work you're expected to do for the class. One credit hour equals at least three hours of work per week, including class and out-of-class time.Footnote
How much do college classes cost?
The cost of taking one college class usually depends on how many credits it's worth. On average, one college credit costs about $600 — that's $1,800 for your typical three-credit course. However, there is a massive difference in costs between college types.
Four-year private nonprofit universities might charge $1,200 or more per credit hour. In comparison, community colleges charge around $120 per credit hour, on average. That's $360 for a class. If you're wondering if you can afford to go back to school, make sure to consider all of the budget-friendly options.
How much is a college credit at community college?
On average, public two-year colleges charge $117 per credit hour. However, community college costs vary across states. | https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/college-cost-per-credit-hour/ |
Q:
Efficient algorithm to calculate the sum of all k-products
Suppose you are given a list L of n numbers and an integer k<n. Is there an efficient way to calculate the sum of all products of k distinct numbers in L?
As an example, take L=[1,3,4,6] and k=2. Then the number I am looking for is
1*3 + 1*4 + 1*6 + 3*4 + 3*6 + 4*6.
Can you think of a way of doing it which avoids generating all the subsets of size k?
A:
Let F(X,k,n) be the k-product sum of first n elements of array X.
F(X,k,n) = F(X,k,n-1)+F(X,k-1,n-1)*X[n]
which you can solve using dynamic programming. Complexity = O(kn).
End conditions for F(X,k,n): When n=k F(X,k,k) = X[1]* X[2]*...*X[n]
More details:
F(X,1,1) = X[1]
F(X,1,i) = F(X,1,i-1)+X[i] for i=2...n
For j=2..n:
For i = 1..k:
if i<j:
F(X,i,j) = F(X,i,j-1)+F(X,i-1,j-1)*X[j]
else if i==j:
F(X,i,j) = F(X,i-1,j-1)*X[j]
else:
pass
A:
Yes, there is a way. Consider the polynomial
(X + a[0]) * (X + a[1]) * ... * (X + a[n-1])
Its coefficients are just the sums of the k-products, its degree is n, so you can calculate the sum of all k-products for all k simultaneously in O(n^2) steps.
After s steps, the coefficient of Xs-k is the sum of the k-products of the first s array elements. The k-products of the first s+1 elements fall into two classes, those involving the (s+1)st element - these have the form a[s]*((k-1)-product of the first s elements) - and those not involving it - these are the k-products of the first s elements.
Code such that result[i] is the coefficient of Xi (the sum of the (n-i)-products):
int *k_products_1(int *a, int n){
int *new, *old = calloc((n+1)*sizeof(int));
int d, i;
old[0] = 1;
for(d = 1; d <= n; ++d){
new = calloc((n+1)*sizeof(int));
new[0] = a[d-1]*old[0];
for(i = 1; i <= d; ++i){
new[i] = old[i-1] + a[d-1]*old[i];
}
free(old);
old = new;
}
return old;
}
If you only want the sum of the k-products for one k, you can stop the calculation at index n-k, giving an O(n*(n-k)) algorithm - that's good if k >= n/2. To get an O(n*k) algorithm for k <= n/2, you have to organise the coefficient array the other way round, so that result[k] is the coefficient of Xn-k (and stop the calculation at index k if you want only one sum):
int *k_products_2(int *a, int n){
new[0] = 1;
for(i = 1; i <= d; ++i){
new[i] = old[i] + a[d-1]*old[i-1];
}
free(old);
old = new;
}
return old;
}
| |
Discussions of diagnosis in mental illness are still beset by the suspicion that ‘value judgements’ are in some special sense ‘subjective’. The history of the debate about the reality of mental illness has seen a divide between those who accept that diagnosis is ‘value-laden’ and therefore accept a relativist/subjectivist account of mental illness, and those who feel the need to deny the value-laden nature of diagnosis to defend the reality of mental illness. More nuanced analyses note that (a)all medical diagnosis is arguably value-laden & (b)this does not imply that medical conditions are unreal. All judgement (about value or fact) requires a subject, but it does not follow that it is ‘subjective’ in any sense implying ontological relativity. The implications are substantial: either all medical judgement is relative (a thesis we argue is counter-intuitive and deeply problematic) or realism about value is true. To justify our claims in diagnosis, we need to discuss and defend our value-judgements. We must reject ‘scientism’ for an openly value-laden account of human functioning.
Medical epistemology (including the epistemology of mental illness) requires value-realism. The contentious nature of the value-judgements in the case of mental illness should not mislead us into concluding they are relative. | https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/5122/ |
In some of the older series, so many partial runs of star notes were produced, with many gaps in their serial number ranges, that I have adopted an abbreviated format for their listings.
The most important fact to remember is that, no matter whether a full run or a partial run of star notes was printed, a full standard run worth of serial numbers was always set aside for it. Thus, whenever a partial run was produced, some serial numbers were skipped over entirely. These "missing" numbers were not used in the next run; they were simply omitted from the series.
The numbering can continue in this way through as many as 31 runs before running out of serial numbers, but no more than nine 100,000-sheet runs of star notes were needed for any district, denomination, and series listed in the data on these pages.
In the monthly production tables, I have listed each run of star notes by its district and its run number. Thus, for example, a listing of "F#4" indicates printing of notes with serial numbers F 096 00001 * through F 128 00000 *.
Note that, within each position, the last 20,000 serial numbers are the ones used, because the numbering machines count downward within each run. If the partial run had been 10,000 sheets, the serial numbers used for position A1 would have been F 096 90001 * through F 097 00000 *, and likewise for the other positions. Similarly, if the partial run had been 50,000 sheets, position A1 would have used serials F 096 50001 * through F 097 00000 *. In general, a run of N sheets will always use the last N of each 100,000 serial numbers in the run's assigned range. | http://www.uspapermoney.info/serials/84stars.html |
New in Luminous: Dashboard
The Ceph manager service (ceph-mgr) was introduced in the Kraken release, and in Luminous it has been extended with a number of new python modules. One of these is a simple monitoring web page, simply called `dashboard`.
Enabling the dashboard module ¶
The dashboard module is included in the ceph-mgr package, so if you've upgraded to Luminous then you already have it! Enabling the dashboard is done with a single command:
$ ceph mgr module enable dashboard
The dashboard module runs on port 7000 by default. The output of "ceph status" will tell you which of your mgr daemons is currently active, so to view the dashboard simply point your browser at ``http://
Because the dashboard is read-only, if you are running on a local network then you might choose to do no further network configuration. However, for a higher level of security, you may configure the dashboard module to listen only on a local port, and then install a proxying web server of your choice to provide TLS or access control for remote access.
A tour of the dashboard ¶
The front page displays the health of the cluster, this is similar to the `ceph status` command in the CLI. The cluster log display is showing log messages in a format that hides debug and audit messages: the command line equivalents have also been updated in Luminous to show the log this way by default.
Pages for each subsystem are accessible using the menu on the left (you can expand this menu by clicking the menu icon at the top).
The "Cluster" menu section includes a list of servers and a list of OSDs. The server list shows which services are running on which server, and the list of OSDs shows the OSDs by server, with their up/down, in/out status.
The "Filesystem" section expands to show a list of any CephFS filesystems in the cluster. Clicking on a filesystem will take you to a display of that filesystem's status. A list of clients using the filesystem is also available by clicking "Detail" next to the client count at the top of the filesystem page.
The manager keeps a short in-memory history of the last few minutes of performance counters. This enables the dashboard to present some simple charts even if no separate time series database has been installed -- for example, the filesystem page shows a short history of MDS operation rate and cache size.
The "Block" section provides information about RBD images, and about the status of any rbd-mirror or iSCSI services that are running.
What's next? ¶
Look out for RGW support in the dashboard in the Mimic release.
Hacking ¶ | https://ceph.com/community/new-luminous-dashboard/ |
Pierre Reviewed on Dec 31, 2018, 8:27 PM
I booked 2 SUVs for my family vacation to DR and when got to Santo Domingo airport I was told there were no SUVs but they could offer us 2 small cars. When I protested I was met with a shrug and told “it’s the holiday season. There are no SUVs”. It’s clear that there was never an intention to rent us SUVs and we were lured into renting from Hertz. There are beach roads in DR that need SUVs. We had to avoid those. I previously rented from Avis with no issue.
US Traveler Reviewed on Oct 25, 2018, 9:46 PM
They tel you none of your US insurance is valid and it’s “the law” to purchase insurance in Dominican. Keep in mind this can be 2x the price of your car rental rate. So be careful. | https://www.carrentals.com/Hertz-SDQ-Las-Americas-Intl-Car-Rentals-v-tla.d5325907-c136.Car-Rental-Deals |
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (1MB) | Preview
Abstract
Most mammals have whiskers; however, nearly everything we know about whiskers derives from just a handful of species, including laboratory rats Rattus norvegicus and mice Mus musculus, as well as some species of pinniped and marsupial. We explore the extent to which the knowledge of the whisker system from a handful of species applies to mammals generally. This will help us understand whisker evolution and function, in order to gain more insights into mammalian behaviour and ecology. This review is structured around Tinbergen’s four questions, since this method is an established, comprehensive, and logical approach to studying behaviour. We ask: how do whiskers work, develop, and evolve? And what are they for? While whiskers are all slender, curved, tapered, keratinised hairs that transmit vibrotactile information, we show that there are marked differences between species with respect to whisker arrangement, numbers, length, musculature, development, and growth cycles. The conservation of form and a common muscle architecture in mammals suggests that early mammals had whiskers. Whiskers may have been functional even in therapsids. However, certain extant mammalian species are equipped with especially long and sensitive whiskers, in particular nocturnal, arboreal species, and aquatic species, which live in complex environments and hunt moving prey. Knowledge of whiskers and whisker use can guide us in developing conservation protocols and designing enriched enclosures for captive mammals. We suggest that further comparative studies, embracing a wider variety of mammalian species, are required before one can make large-scale predictions relating to evolution and function of whiskers. More research is needed to develop robust techniques to enhance the welfare and conservation of mammals.
Impact and Reach
Statistics
Additional statistics for this dataset are available via IRStats2. | https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/627847/ |
Small Businesses Add 32,000 Jobs in February
The ADP National Employment Report for February shows small businesses added 32,000 jobs for the month, but it was much lower than January, at 51,000 jobs. This as the U.S. continues to accelerate the vaccination for COVID-19 and cities across the country start easing restrictions they have in place. And so far, the recovery in the labor market is sluggish at best.
Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP, echoed this very sentiment in the release for the report. Adding, “We’re seeing large-sized companies increasingly feeling the effects of COVID-19, while job growth in the goods-producing sector pauses. With the pandemic still in the driver’s seat, the service sector remains well below its pre-pandemic levels; however, this sector is one that will likely benefit the most over time with reopenings and increased consumer confidence.”
And the service sector will play a great role in reviving many small businesses.
February 2021 ADP Small Business Report
When the ADP report for January came out with 51,000 there was reason for celebration. This because of the bleak -13,000 jobs in December. However, February put a damper on the celebration because there were 19,000 fewer jobs for the month.
In the ADP report, very small businesses (1-19 employees) managed to generate 21,000 jobs while those with 20-49 employees created 12,000 jobs.
According to the report, there was a total of 48,000 jobs created in the service-providing sector. But this was revised because the goods-producing sector lost a total of 16,000 jobs.
A Great Spike from Franchises
At 35,500 jobs, franchises were responsible for gaining just under 25,000 new jobs for February over the January numbers. And most of the jobs came from restaurants at 30,000. This number highlights the statement from Richardson regarding the growth in the service sector industry.
In addition to restaurants, auto parts and dealers created 9,400 jobs with business services and real estate franchises adding 300 and 200 jobs respectively. The other franchise segments, food retailers and accommodations were -1,800 and -900 jobs respectively for the month.
The National Report
The national total for February is down to 117,000 jobs compared to the 174,000 in January.
Small (1-49 employees), midsized (50-499 employees), and large (500 or more employees) all managed to create positive net jobs in February. Small businesses came with the aforementioned total, while midsized and large businesses added 57,000 and 28,000 jobs respectively.
Once again, the service-providing sector led the way with 131,00 jobs. Trade, transportation, and utilities, as well as education and health, led the way with 48,000 and 35,000 jobs in that order. The goods-producing sector didn’t fare well, losing 14,000 jobs in manufacturing and 3,000 jobs in construction.
Michael Guta is a Staff Writer for Small Business Trends focusing on business systems, gadgets and other small business news. He has a background in information and communications technology coordination.
Small Business Trends
Founded in 2003, Small Business Trends is an award-winning online publication for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the people who interact with them. Our mission is to bring you "Small business success... delivered daily." | |
The utility model discloses a soundproof room which comprises a wall body and a roof arranged at the top of the wall body. The wall body comprises a resonance elimination layer, a buffer layer, a sound absorption layer and a sound insulation layer which are sequentially sealed and glued, resonance is efficiently eliminated through the resonance elimination layer, and sound wave energy transmittedinto the wall body of the sound insulation room is reduced. The buffer layer efficiently reduces vibration caused by the resonance elimination layer, and noise is prevented from being generated again;the sound absorption layer efficiently absorbs the energy of sound waves through the honeycomb plate and the sound absorption material filled in the honeycomb holes; a plurality of sound insulation pipes of the sound insulation layer further efficiently absorb and hinder sound wave transmission; the base layer is used for improving the bearing capacity of the soundproof room; therefore, the purposes of resonance elimination, efficient sound insulation and high bearing capacity maintenance of the sound insulation room are achieved. | |
What’s the difference between the SAT Reading and ACT Reading sections?
What’s the difference between the SAT Writing and ACT English sections?
What’s the difference between the SAT Math and ACT Math sections?
What is the ACT Science section about?
How does the testing calendar affect my choice?
What are the differences in score reporting policies between the ACT and SAT?
Should I take practice tests for each?
What’s the difference between the SAT Reading and ACT Reading sections?
The most salient difference between the SAT and ACT has always been the pace of the tests, and that difference is even more stark on the new test. Take the reading section, for example: SAT test takers have 65 minutes to negotiate approximately 400 lines of text and 52 questions, while ACT students have only 35 minutes for 350 lines and 40 questions. That breaks down to around 52 seconds per question for the ACT and 75 for the SAT. That’s a whopping 20 extra seconds per question or, put another way, 40% extra time for the SAT! And the ACT Science section is just as paced, if not more so. Students who read quickly are much more at home on the ACT, while those who don’t may never be able to successfully cope with the pace of the ACT, no matter how much they prepare.
While the ACT Reading section is faster, the SAT Reading section tends to be deeper. The ACT readings are generally more concrete and the questions are more literally answered in the passage, many times even using the same words as in the correct answer. In contrast and by design, passages of different textual complexities comprise the SAT reading section: most students will find some passages easier and others certainly more difficult. These more difficult passages tend to be more abstract, employ higher levels of diction, and require students to read quickly but more deeply. On the ACT, a typical student refrain when approaching a difficult question is “Oh, right… I kind of remember that in the passage but I can’t find it.” Complaints on the SAT reading usually sound more like “Ugh… a question about that paragraph? I didn’t really get what they were saying there.”
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What’s the difference between the SAT Math and ACT Math sections?
Besides the pace of the tests, the second historical difference between the tests has always been trickiness or lack thereof. The SAT styled itself a reasoning test, the ACT an assessment test. Although those labels are no longer formally used, they remain quite useful in understanding the differences between the tests – especially the math sections. Now that the SAT encompasses more than Algebra 1 and Geometry, it can feature questions that are difficult because of their advanced content rather than simply because they’re tricky. That being said, old habits die hard. Test writers still delight in presenting students with questions that are worded differently from what they’ve seen in school or those that have a long way and a short way to answer them. The SAT still favors students who are looking for the angle and want to work smarter and not harder.
The math section on the ACT, however, rarely rewards students for seeing a shortcut method, instead rewarding them for having spent the last several years paying attention in math class and knowing how to answer the most commonly asked questions. The questions students face on the ACT math section look more like those seen in school, and students who do well in their math classes typically find themselves well prepared for this section. The ACT features lots of geometry, plenty of algebra 1 and 2 and some harder precalculus level questions at the end of the section. While the redesigned SAT now does include questions on more advanced topics, those are few in comparison to its primary focus: linear equations, systems & inequalities and data analysis & modeling. The ACT math section is thus a more complete assessment of most students’ high school math curricula.
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What’s the difference between the SAT Writing and ACT English sections?
The English section of the new SAT has received the greatest overhaul in its recent revision and now is a nearly identical to the ACT English section. That means that it’s less useful for students deciding which test to take. For what it’s worth, the English section is one of the most consistent sections on either test and thus typically the easiest for students to improve with practice. So no matter which test students choose, the English section will likely be just fine!
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What is the ACT Science section about?
Those who love (or hate) science class in school may be leaning towards (or away from) the ACT based on the presence of its Science section, but that would be a mistake. The ACT Science section actually doesn’t test students on science. Just like the Reading section doesn’t ask questions about The Great Gatsby or The Grapes of Wrath, the Science section doesn’t test a student’s knowledge of biology, chemistry or physics. The ACT is a standardized test and as such can’t depend too much on students’ high school curricula. Were the test writers being more honest, they might have titled this section the Reading Charts & Graphs section, because that’s exactly what students need to do. The real challenge of the ACT science section is twofold: working at the fast pace required and dealing with the fact that the questions can be answered from the given information without really understanding the experiment or what the data mean.
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How does the testing calendar affect my choice?
As the content of the tests grows more similar, test administrations and policies play an increasingly important role in determining which test is a better match. The better test may be the one that aligns most helpfully with a student’s personal calendar, affording him or her the opportunity to thoroughly prepare yet also be well rested (and hopefully not too stressed out). While the SAT and ACT are offered 7 and 6 times per year respectively, they are often offered during different months. Students should look at their junior year calendars with a view to what works best for them. Do they have time in the summer before junior year to begin preparing? Is wrestling season totally out? Is the SAT offered the week of the big school play? Students who are taking AP exams or SAT Subject Tests in the spring should also think about how those dates may limit their availability for an SAT or ACT.
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What are the differences between the score reporting policies between the ACT and SAT?
Another important policy is the way in which the different tests handle score cancellation and deletion. While the SAT allows students to cancel scores before the test results are known (by the Wednesday following the test to be exact), the ACT allows students to delete scores, but only after the test has been scored and, thus, there are scores to delete. In practice, this important factor strongly favors the ACT since students can complete all of their testing and decide which scores to retain or delete depending upon how they scored. Knowing scores can always be deleted is often crucial in reducing test anxiety so that students can perform their best on test day.
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Should I take practice tests for each?
In the final analysis, there’s one sure-fire way to know which test is better: take practice tests. Students may not embrace the proposition of giving up a weekend day each to a practice SAT and ACT, but that investment of time is beggared by the potential time-savings that results from finding the right test. Additionally, students are the ones who are doing all the heavy lifting here – attending sessions, doing homework and taking practice tests – so their feedback is essential to the process. In many cases, scores on the tests may be equivalent but students preferences may not be. Armed with the experience of having taken the tests, the students themselves are often in the best position to decide which test is better – or sometimes which is the lesser of two evils! | http://prepmatters.com/resources/act-vs-sat/ |
Copyright ? 2006-2013 Scientific Research Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.
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Journal of Signal and Information Processing, 20 11 , 2, 59 - 71
doi:10.4236/jsip.2011.22009 Published Online May 2011 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/jsip)
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
59
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with
Colored Particles
Christian Bendicks1, Dominique Tarlet2,3, Christoph Roloff2, Robert Bordás2, Bernd Wunderlich2,
Bernd Michaelis1, Dominique Thévenin2
1Institute of Electronics, Signal Processing and Communication Engineering, University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany;
2Institute of Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics, University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; 3Laboratoire de Thermocinétique,
Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.
Email: [email protected]
Received January 13th, 2011; revised February 25th, 2011; accepted March 2nd, 2011.
ABSTRACT
The present work introduces an extension to three-dimensional Particle Tracking Velocimetry (3-D PTV) in order to
investigate small-scale flow patterns. Instead of using monochrome particles the novelty over the prior state of the art is
the use of differently dyed tracer particles and the identification of particle color classes directly on Bayer raw images.
Especially in the case of a three camera setup it will be shown that the number of ambiguities is dramatically decreased
when searching for homologous points in different images. This refers particularly to the determination of spatial parti-
cle positions and possibly to the linking of positions into trajectories. The approach allows the handling of tracer parti-
cles in high numbers and is therefore perfectly suited for gas flow investigations. Although the idea is simple, difficult-
ties may arise particularly in determining the color class of individual particle when its projection on a Bayer sensor is
too small. Hence, it is not recommended to extract features from RGB images for color class recognition due to infor-
mation loss during the Bayer demosaicing process. This article demonstrates how to classify the color of small sized
tracers directly on Bayer raw images.
Keywords: Particle Tracking Velocimetry, Color Recognition, Artificial Neural Network, Photogrammetry
1. Introduction
Over the last 20 years Particle Tracking Velocimetry
(PTV) has been established as an interesting tool for 3-D
flow measurements, cf. [1,2] and references within. PTV
relies on the stereoscopic recognition and subsequent
tracking in time of small particles in an illuminated vol-
ume using a multi-camera system. In this way, the flow
information is contained in reconstructed particle trajec-
tories. Typical applications cover pure liquid flows, pure
gas flows and multiphase configurations. Concerning
gas-eous flows PTV measurements are still considered a
major challenge. First, as a consequence of the high
temporal and spatial resolution required by measure-
ments in gas flows [3,4], it is necessary to employ a suf-
ficiently high particle number density. Additionally, the
trajectories have to be long enough for a Lagrangian flow
analysis: interesting physical results can only be deter-
mined if long correlation lengths have been recorded
[5-7].
A flow chart for a typical procedure of the measure-
ment process is shown in Figure 1. Assuming the cam-
eras are properly calibrated and corrected for lens distor-
tion, the algorithm consists of five major modules that
process the tasks:
1) Image pre-processing: Correction of inhomogene-
ous illumination and noise reduction.
2) Segmentation: Making a decision for each pixel
whether it belongs to a particle or to the background.
3) Locating particle centers: Computing particle cen-
ters from results of segmentation.
4) Determination of 3-D coordinates and intrinsic pro-
perties: Determining spatial particle locations for each
frame from corresponding locations in camera images
and calibration data; detecting also properties like color
in the present case.
5) Use of the obtained information in a post-treatment
specific to Fluid Dynamics, for instance for Particle
Tracking.
Ambiguities constitute the major problem. They occur
first when trying to reconstruct the 3-D coordinates of par-
ticles out of different camera perspectives; ambiguities
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles
60
Figure 1. Usual design of a measurement system to perform
particle tracking veloc i metry.
are found again when assigning successive particle posi-
tions in time using the tracking algorithm (cf. Maas et al.
in ). To reduce the number of ambiguities the simplest
approach would be to use a low seeding density, but this
would also reduce the spatial resolution of the system
and the basis for an accurate analysis. A more sophisti-
cated way of reducing ambiguities is to build classes of
particles with distinctive properties, such as size ,
shape or color (Figure 2). The first two criteria are
not useful because proper particles for seed- ing in gases
have to be very small to follow the flow. Using color as a
distinctive criterion has already been proposed and in-
vestigated in detail by the research group of Prof. Brod-
key [11,12]. Colored particles of a diameter of 38-44 µm
were recorded on a 16 mm film and the pictures were
digitized with considerable effort in several steps. To
identify the color of a particle, particle pixels were aver-
aged to create an RGB intensity vector which was com-
pared to signature RGB vectors corresponding to one of
the applied colors. Because of associated problems the
use of color information has been found to be very diffi-
cult, if not impossible, using this post-processing strategy
.
Instead of digitizing analog film material, today, digi-
tal high-speed cameras based on one CMOS or CCD
sensor are commonly used to image the flow of particles.
But since such type of sensor responds to all frequencies
in the visible spectrum, it is unable to produce color im-
ages. Therefore, a color filter array is placed in front of
the sensor of single chip color cameras, which allows
only the light of a specific range of wavelengths to pass
through each photodetector. The most commonly used
color filter array is the Bayer filter array which is based
on the human visual system. It consists of three kinds of
filters, one for each primary color (red, green and blue).
Green is sampled as twice the frequency of the other col-
ors since the human visual system is most sensitive to the
Figure 2. Reducing the apparent particle number density
with the help of color classes.
green range of the spectrum. In addition, to ensure full
image resolution, missing samples must be reconstructed
through a process called demosaicing. This leads to sig-
nificant color artifacts especially in high spatial fre-
quency and/or small image structures. As a consequence,
the assignment of a particle to its color class simply
based on reconstructed RGB images is not reliable, when
a particle projection covers only a few pixels.
In the following, the practical application of colored
particles for digital PTV is demonstrated using classify-
cation of color classes prior to 3-D localization by the
method of epipolar lines based on a three-camera setup.
Note, in general the idea shown in Figure 2 is applicable
for PTV experiments with two or more than three cam-
eras. First, the experimental setup is described, including
the choice of appropriate tracers and their coloring. An
important step consists of image pre-processing and lo-
calization of particle centers on camera images. This in-
formation will subsequently be used for color classifica-
tion, and will feed the correspondence solver to obtain
3-D localizations. The classification of small-sized col-
ored particles (Ø ≈ 20 µm) is obtained by means of Arti-
ficial Neural Networks (ANNs). For the investigation of
larger particles (Ø ≈ 70 µm), successful application of
ANNs has been reported in . The use of other classify-
ers like Support Vector Machines (SVM) is also possible
and has been investigated by Bendicks et al. . Here,
ANNs have been retained because of the considerable
experience of our group with this technique and of the
huge amount of collected data for training and tests .
ANNs are highly flexible and are robust against slight
variations in feature space. After the description of parti-
cle assignment to color classes, camera calibration is
presented for the experimental setup. Then, the advan-
tage of using color classes is shown in combination with
the epipolar constraint for particle assignment among
camera views. This is used as a basis for computing 3-D
particle locations in each time frame. Quantitative meas-
urement results (for example, proportion of successful
correspondences with the same color) are finally dis-
cussed for three cases involving 3-D PTV.
2. Experimental Setup: Particles and
Imaging Method
2.1. Choosing and Dyeing Tracer Particles
The material of the tracer particles is important since it
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles 61
determines their density ρp and their agglomeration
property. Ideally, a tracer particle of neutrally buoyant
density is preferred. This is relatively easily realized in
liquids [5,6,15]. In gas, smaller particle diameters are
needed to keep the ability to follow the flow. However,
the minimum diameter of the particles is limited by the
production process and by optical considerations. A
minimum number of pixels is needed on the camera sen-
sor for each tracer particle to allow proper localization.
In the present situation involving color recognition, the
minimum number of pixels is about nine. Thus, a diame-
ter of 20 µm is at least required for the particles with the
present setup. The physical properties of the tracer parti-
cles finally retained for the present study are reported in
Table 1. The choice of suitable tracers is discussed in
detail in other publications (see [1,16]).
Expanded Micro Spheres (EMS) have been finally
identified as being the most suitable material due to ap-
propriate size, low density, acceptable price, and good
dyeing properties with low electrostatic loading. Dyeing
of the particles is realized according to a standard, man-
ual protocol. A small quantity (70 mg) of EMS particles
with a diameter of 20 µm is introduced into a polyethyl-
ene container that has a volume of 4 cm³. Then, 250 mg
of a mix of 50% dye mass (in the present case Edding
T25 liquid ink of color red, green or blue), and 50%
ethanol is added to the particles. This ethanol mix is re-
alized in order to obtain a brighter color for the particles,
in comparison with a non-diluted dye. Five minutes of
careful mixing by means of a laboratory spatule ensures a
homogeneous repartition of the dye through transport and
diffusion within this porous medium. The dyed particles
are then spread onto a cardboard layer for a day, during
which they are turned three times. After drying the ob-
tained colored particles are sieved through a metal filter
of 25 µm in size in order to remove possibly agglomer-
ated particles. A microscopic check confirms that the
particles have kept their original structure and that the
increase in diameter is at most equal to 3 µm. This dye-
ing process results finally in a density of 320 kg/m³ for
the colored EMS particles with diameter of 23 µm. Only
the three primary colors (red, green and blue) are used
for the present study, allowing an easier recognition
through a Bayer-Pattern sensor, composed of pixels of
these 3 primary colors. The same method is nevertheless
applicable to other colors as well as shown by further
tests.
2.2. Imaging of Particles in the Flow
For suitable test measurements some small-sized (typical
scale: mm) flow patterns seeded with colored tracer par-
ticles have to be generated within the focal depth of the
cameras. Figure 3 shows a drawing of the employed
Table 1. Properties of employed tracer particles.
Density (kg/m³) Mean diameter (µm)
Name
availableused here availableused here
Expancel® (EMS) 24 - 70 70 20 - 12020
Colored EMS 320 23
Figure 3. Pe rspective view of the eiffe l wind tunnel used for
all measurements.
wind tunnel and the arrangement of cameras and lighting
in front of the observation window (an anti-reflective
glass). The depth of the wind tunnel is 8 mm and is tai-
lored to match the possible measurement depth (z coor-
dinate). The air flow is seeded with the tracer particles at
its open extremity on the left (air intake). Beyond the
right extremity (outflow), an electric fan entrains the air
flow through a filter tissue with a pore size of 11 µm.
This filter tissue captures the tracer particles and regular-
izes the flow induced by the fan in the wind tunnel. The
optical setup is discussed in detail in the next section.
Lamps and cameras are typically placed 20 to 30 cm
away from the window giving optical access to the mea-
surement section.
On top of the mainstream velocity, suitably tailored
bluff bodies are placed in the measurement section to
create a variety of flow properties. In Case 1 a set of
three polyethylene winglets (length: 17 mm, see Figure 4)
simultaneously induce in the measurement volume large
streamline curvature, continuous flow acceleration and
small-scale recirculations. In Case 2, a transverse hori-
zontal cylinder with a diameter of 6 mm creates a large
recirculation zone downstream. These two flow patterns
are mostly two-dimensional. To complete this experi-
mental campaign of 3-D PTV, Case 3 relies on a rotating
asymmetric device (width: 5 mm, 10 rotations per second)
leading to spiraling flow structures in the measurement
section. In what follows, all aspects pertaining to color
recognition and 3-D localization of the tracer particles
are discussed.
To acquire the images three cameras (CMOS sensor
with 1280 × 1024 pixels) are focused on the measure-
ment section by means of a LINOS Apo-Rodagon D-2x
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles
62
Figure 4. Set of three winglets (Case 1).
object lens with a focal length of 75 mm used at an
f-number of 11 and located at a distance between 20 and
23 cm from the measurement section. For later calcula-
tions of 3-D coordinates, synchronization of the camera
images - always acquired at 500 fps during this project -
is of high importance. This synchronization is checked
by simultaneously imaging a blinking light diode and
verifying that illuminated states appear on the same
frame. The cameras are designed to obtain a close-up
image of the employed tracer particles with a diameter of
23 µm. Recording in monochrome mode enables to cap-
ture raw information from the CMOS sensor (Bayer Pat-
tern of type G-R/B-G) that has a resolution of 1.3 mega-
pixels (1280 × 1024). As later discussed, color recogni-
tion will be based on these Bayer raw data. Table 2 sums
up the properties of the employed optical systems. It is
important to note that the measurement section is of a
size 25 × 25 × 8 mm, which is less than the field of view
of a 2-D image since all the areas of the 2-D images (es-
pecially the edges) have to intersect for 3-D localiza-
tion.
For illumination four light heads are employed, based
on halogen lamps emitting a light of color temperature
between 3000 and 3400 K. They are located at a distance
of about 30 cm from the measurement section. Addition-
ally, the light heads are equipped with hot mirrors and
daylight filters, which are actively air-cooled to prevent
loss of filtering properties resulting from excessive heat.
In this way, the daylight filters and the measuring vol-
Table 2. Properties of the DEDOCOOL lamps and the
BASLER A504kc cameras.
4 DEDOCOOL Lamps
Color temperature (K): 5300 (Halogen + Daylight filter)
Distance (cm): 20 30 40
Light intensity (lux):24 × 106 1.1 × 106 0.58 × 106
Footcandle: 222 000 105 000 54 000
Illum. area ø (cm): 6.5 7 9
3 synchronized BASLER 504kc cameras
Size of a pixel (µm):12 × 12 Bayer Pattern: G-R/B-G
Sensor size (mm): 15.36 × 12.29 Resolution: 1280 × 1024
f-Number: 11 Object dist.(cm): 20 - 23
Focal length (mm):75 Depth of field (mm):≈ 6
Recording rate (fps):500 Exposure time (ms): 0.8 - 1.0
ume are protected against heat produced by the illumine-
tion. Furthermore, the resulting illumination spectrum is
similar to a light source with a color temperature of 5300 K
(daylight). Therefore, Bayer sensor elements are not af-
fected by near-infrared or reddish light, which would
hinder color recognition. Properties of the lamps for dif-
ferent working distances are given in Table 2. Using
three light heads placed between the cameras would lead
to a more homogeneous illumination. However, tests
revealed that the particle and color class recognition rate
is higher with four light heads arranged as in Figure 3.
3. Image Pre-Processing and Locating 2-D
Particle Centers on an Image
3.1. Image Pre-Processing
For each camera channel, an averaged image is first cre-
ated over 20 consecutive images of the measurement
section without seeding, which is later used to perform
background subtraction on the entire Bayer image se-
quence. This ensures the removal of irrelevant structures
like the winglets or dust deposition on the window. Since
the algorithm employed to detect particle center consid-
ers grayscale images as input, Bayer images need to be
converted in an intermediate step to RGB color images
using a bilinear interpolation. This is performed with a
demosaicing algorithm . After that the images are
converted to grayscaled ones using equal weights for red,
green, and blue components to compute the intensity
value.
The following pre-processing stage on grayscale im-
ages (introduced by Crocker and Grier ) deals with
two problems complicating particle detection: 1) long
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles 63
wavelength modulations of the background intensity due
to non-uniform sensitivity of the camera pixels or uneven
illumination and 2) unavoidable digitization noise in the
camera. To solve the first problem the background is
removed by a boxcar average (ba) over a square region
with a side length of (2w + 1) pixels:
2
1
,
,
21
ww
ba
jwiw
Ixy Ixiyj
w
.
(1)
The user-defined parameter w denotes a number of
pixels larger than the apparent particle radius but smaller
than the smallest interparticle separation. Digitization
noise is modeled as uniformly Gaussian with a correla-
tion length of λ = 1 pixel. Thus, the convolution of image
I with a Gaussian surface results in the suppression of
such noise without excessively blurring the image:
22
2
1
,,exp
4
ww
fba
jwiw
ij
IxyI xiyj
b
(2)
with normalization
2
2
2
exp .
4
w
iw
i
b
(3)
The application of Equations (1) and (2) to image I can
be combined into one single convolution with the kernel
22
2
2
0
11 1
, exp.
421
ij
Kij Kb w
(4)
The normalisation constant
2
2
02
2
1exp 221
w
iw
i
Kbw
b
,.
(5)
can be used to compare filtered images with different
values of w. The improved image is given by:
,,
ww
f
jwiw
IxyIxiyjKij
(6)
3.2. Locating 2-D Particle Centers
To estimate particle center positions in a filtered image If
a connectivity analysis is performed as described by
Maas . This method can also handle overlapping par-
ticles. The goal is to find local maxima and assign sur-
rounding pixels over a defined threshold to one maxi-
mum. Assigning a pixel to a maximum means assigning
a pixel to an individual particle. The algorithm starts the
search in the image pixel by pixel. When the pixel value
is greater than a given threshold the pixel is tested to
check if it is a local maximum. There is a local maximum
when the pixel value is greater than or equal to the values
of the eight neighboring pixels. If this is not the case, the
search is continued. The local maximum is used as a
seeding point for a region-growing operation in order to
associate and label all pixels belonging to the particle.
For this purpose, a so-called discontinuity threshold D is
introduced to decide if a pixel is assigned to a maximum
or not. Suppose a pixel at location p0 with intensity I(p0)
is already assigned to a maximum and the exploration is
continued at one of the unlabeled neighbors, called p1
with intensity I(p1). Then, pixel p1 is assigned to the cur-
rent maximum if the following two conditions are true: 1)
I(p1) ≤ I(p0) + D and (2) there are one or more pn1 which
satisfy I(p0) ≥ I(pn1) – D, where pn1 identifies one of the
other seven neighbors of p1.
The operator described above considers the following
rules:
1) All pixels belonging to a particle have values great-
er than the threshold.
2) A particle has exactly one local maximum.
3) The grayscale gradient within a particle projection
is continuous.
4) A pixel, which represents a local minimum and
could be assigned to several neighboring pixels, is as-
signed to the neighbor pixel with the largest value.
The second and the third rule can be weakened or
strengthened by changing the discontinuity threshold D.
Discontinuities up to D grayscale values are tolerated
within a single particle.
During the region-growing search process, the n pixels
belonging to the current local maximum are stored in a
pixel list. Finally, particle coordinates are computed by
the center of mass method:
11
00
11
00
,,
,.
,,
nn
iii iii
ii
nn
ii ii
ii
x Ixyy Ixy
xy
Ixy Ixy
(7)
4. Color Classification by an Artificial
Neural Network (ANN)
In the present application color classification is needed.
Directly using RGB images created by a Bayer conver-
sion algorithm and working with thresholds is not possi-
ble since this conversion leads to artifacts (see Figure 5).
For our purpose, when attributing for instance the color
“blue”, the exact shade or brightness of the observed
colored particle should not be taken into account since
those will vary in time and space and differ slightly from
particle to particle. As a consequence, the use of an Arti-
ficial Neural Network (ANN) is an appropriate solution
for attributing particle color class . ANNs are robust
and able to learn and adapt according to training data
associated with a given context. Other adequate classify-
ers like Support Vector Machines have been tested as
well but could not beat ANNs for the present appli-
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles
64
cation.
The proposed network design is a fully connected
back-propagation network illustrated in Figure 6. It con-
sists of
an input layer with 10 neurons;
a first hidden layer with 8 neurons;
a second hidden layer with 8 neurons;
an output layer with 3 neurons (corresponding to
the number of applied color classes).
The number of output neurons is determined by the
number of color classes used in the measurement ex-
periment. Hence, the network has to be adapted when
more or less colors are employed. All neurons in hidden
layers and the output layer use sigmoid activation func-
tions. In this way the network is able to make a predict-
tion based on fuzzy logic about the color class of a parti-
cle. The output neuron with the largest response value is
considered as indicator of the particle color. In Figure 6
the outputs are denoted with C1, C2 and C3 corresponding
respectively to blue, green and red color classes. This
notation is introduced to remind the reader that these are
only color classes that have been determined without
considering the exact shade and brightness. In the present
work all experiments are performed only with blue, green
and red particles. Nevertheless, other tracer colors like
cyan, magenta or yellow have been tested as well and are
in principle suitable for further measurements.
The features used for network input are obtained di-
rectly from Bayer raw images (“input data”, see Figure
6). Once a particle is localized on the grayscale image (as
described in section 3.2) the values of the red, green and
blue pixels (integer values of brightness between 0 and
255 - 8 bit) of the Bayer Pattern around its center are
used to build the feature vector. The location of the cen-
ter of the tracer particle given in integer coordinates (x0,
y0) is taken into account as being located either on a red,
a blue or a green pixel of the Bayer Pattern. Green pixels
are subdivided into two categories of green, due to their
different localizations between red or blue pixels on the
Bayer Pattern (cf. Figure 5). Finally, the feature vector
includes ten components, the first one being a function Φ
of the color associated with the center of the particle (x0,
y0):
00
00
00
00
00
0, if , is Green 1
1, if , is Red
Φ,2, if , is Blue
3, if , is Green 2
xy
xy
xy xy
xy
(8)
The nine others are the intensity values I(x,y) at the
particle center pixel and at the eight neighboring pixels,
in a clockwise scheme reported in Table 3. As explained
previously, the image of the tracer particle must cover a
Figure 5. Appearance of different colored tracer particles
(23 µm) in Bayer images (upper row) and in resulting RGB
images created by bilinear demosaicing (lower row). On the
right there is the arrangement of color filters (Bayer pat-
tern) on the CMOS-Chip. Color distortions appear on the
RGB images as a consequence of demosaicing. Therefore,
the RGB color space cannot be used for color classification.
Figure 6. Principle of color classification with an Artificial
Neural Network based on particle center position and sur-
rounding Bayer data. Here, the network is designed for the
use of three particle colors (therefore 3 output neurons).
Table 3. Feature vector definition.
Feature vector component value
f1 Φ(x0, y0)
f2 I(x0, y0)
f3 I(x0 + 1, y0)
f4 I(x0 + 1, y0 – 1)
f5 I(x0, y0 – 1)
f6 I(x0 – 1, y0 – 1)
f7 I(x0 – 1, y0)
f8 I(x0 – 1, y0 + 1)
f9 I(x0, y0 + 1)
f10 I(x0 + 1, y0 + 1)
minimum area of 3 × 3 pixels in a Bayer Pattern in order
to recognize particle color classes.
The training procedure consists in arranging the weights
among the neural network (connections between neurons
of adjacent layers, cf. Figure 6) in such a way that the
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles 65
color class resulting from the neural network is uniquely
related to the actual color class of the particle. This color
class is known in the case of training data, since three
separate measurement passages are made in the wind
tunnel, each with exclusively red, green, or blue particles.
When acquiring training data, the measurement section
has been fully equipped with the flow pattern device (i.e.
winglets, cylinder or swirl generator). This ensures that
the ANN is trained under the same flow and optical con-
ditions as found during the later, actual measurements
with a mix of colors.
After seeding the wind tunnel exclusively with red,
green or blue EMS-particles of 23 µm diameter, the im-
age processing as well as localization of the tracer parti-
cles is realized as explained previously. At the end, the
collected feature vectors constitute a training file com-
posed (in each camera channel A, B and C) of 15 000
feature vectors for each primary color class; this means
45 000 feature vectors in a single training file for each
camera channel. The training algorithm is based on the
principle of Back Propagation during 30 000 train-
ing steps, so that a global squared error below 10% is
finally attained.
The resulting ANN is then tested upon another set of
45 000 feature vectors of each color, collected separately
from the data used for training. For each color class, the
percentage of correctly recognized vectors is called the
recognition rate. Good results are obtained, with a typical
recognition rate between 80 and 90%, as detailed respect-
tively in Table 4 (Case 1: winglets), Table 5 (Case 2:
cylinder), and Table 6 (Case 3: swirl generator). The
recognition rate is only slightly lower than in experi-
ments performed with larger particles (Ø ≈ 70 µm) as
reported in with a typical recognition rate of 85% -
97%.
Considering these results, a preference for some colors
seems apparent among the mistakes. For example, green
particles are mistaken with blue 5 or 10 times more often
than with red. This point requires further investigations.
The highest recognition rate is always for the red color.
This could be attributed to the halogen lamps, emitting a
color being slightly reddish in spite of the heat mirror.
This would lead to a shift in the spectrum of light re-
flected by particle surface. Hence, the influence of blue
and green Bayer pixel types in the feature vector would
be reduced. Consequently the classification would main-
ly be based on intensity values of red pixel types, only.
Also, in feature space the distance between green and
blue color classes would be too small to separate these
classes clearly by the neural network. To avoid this
problem an ideal light source is needed, which emits all
wavelengths of the visible spectrum in the same amount:
white light. In respect of coloring particles it is important
Table 4. Performance of color recognition for each camera
(Case 1: winglets).
Color classCameraP(C1) P(C2) P(C3)
A 82.21% 14.98% 2.81%
B 73.3% 23.94% 2.76%
C1(blue)
C 76.33% 22.07% 1.6%
A 23.48%
72.1% 4.42%
B 10.66%
84.0% 5.34%
C2(green)
C 11.5%
80.82% 7.68%
A 5.54% 6.39%
88.07%
B 1.38% 5.53%
93.09%
C3(red)
C 0.8% 7.77%
91.43%
Table 5. Performance of color recognition for each camera
(Case 2: cylinder).
Color classCameraP(C1) P(C2) P(C3)
A 73.22% 24.84% 1.94%
B 68.69% 28.81% 2.5%
C1(blue)
C 83.05% 15.43% 1.52%
A 15.1%
82.76% 2.14%
B 12.08%
84.68% 3.24%
C2(green)
C 27.06%
69.98% 2.96%
A 2.44% 4.93%
92.63%
B 1.89% 6.42%
91.69%
C3(red)
C 6.59% 7.48%
85.93%
Table 6. Performance of color recognition for each camera
(Case 3: swirl generator).
Color classCameraP(C1) P(C2) P(C3)
A 84.74% 14.59% 0.67%
B 90.18% 9.18% 0.64%
C1(blue)
C 79.93% 19.05% 1.02%
A 5.97%
93.05% 0.98%
B 20.03%
78.66% 1.31%
C2(green)
C 7.92%
90.47% 1.61%
A 0.54% 1.58%
97.88%
B 1.39% 2.32%
96.29%
C3(red)
C 0.83% 2.54%
96.63%
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles
66
to choose ink that can be distinguished well under the
prevailing light conditions. This is all the more difficult
the more color classes to be used.
5. Locating Particle Centers in 3-D
5.1. Camera Calibration
The purpose of calibration is the determination of all
extrinsic (6 unknowns: location and orientation of the
camera) and intrinsic (5 unknowns: principal point, cali-
brated focal length, lens distortion parameters) parame-
ters of the used camera model. The mathematical formu-
lation of the camera model is expressed by the collinear-
ity equations which describe the transformation of 3-D
world coordinates to 2-D image coordinates . To
compute all unknowns a set of well-known 3-D coordi-
nates is needed (reference points), which can be mapped
to their corresponding positions in camera images. For
each reference point two equations are set up (one for
each image coordinate). This leads to an overdetermined
system of equations, solved by the least squares method.
For calibration a two-level calibration target (shown in
Figure 7) with 25 reference points is used. In contrast to
a plane target field, reference points are spatially distrib-
uted in all three dimensions and the calibration becomes
more reliable . First, the target is imaged in eight
different orientations to determine the intrinsic parame-
ters of each camera precisely. Then the target is placed in
the center of the observation volume so that it faces the
observation window. One snapshot is taken by each
camera and is used to calibrate extrinsic parameters
while keeping the intrinsic parameters fixed. This posi-
tion of the calibration target determines the origin of the
world coordinate system.
5.2. Particle Assignment among Camera Views
Figure 8 illustrates the whole process of solving the spa-
tial correspondence problem for a single particle. The
particle of interest is marked by a surrounding red square
in Camera A - hence classified as a red one. Now, one
Figure 7. Two-level calibration target (dimensions: 20 mm ×
20 mm × 5 mm; level height: 2 mm) with 25 reference
points of known coordinates (Ø = 0.5 mm).
Figure 8. Reducing the number of ambiguities using epipo-
lar geometry and color information.
corresponding partner should be found in Camera B and
Camera C. There are eight possible candidates near the
epipolar line (red, from Camera A) which is constructed
in Camera B, which means that their distance to the line
is smaller than the tolerance value ε. Because the obser-
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles 67
vation volume is limited in depth (8 mm), only a small
segment of the epipolar line is considered. This leads to a
further restriction of the search space, shown as a red box.
Only four candidates are located in this red box and only
two of them are classified to be red. In Camera C an ep-
ipolar box is constructed from the chosen particle in
Camera A, and two additional boxes are constructed
from the red candidates in Camera B. When looking at
the two intersection areas of the epipolar boxes, it is ap-
parent that only one red particle can serve as a corre-
spondence partner. If there is more than one candidate,
the one with the smallest distance to one of the epipolar
line intersections is chosen. The approach works very
well as long as the tracer particles can be clearly assigned
to their real color class.
The advantage of the proposed method is quantified in
Table 7. The search for corresponding particles was per-
formed as described above for four sample frames with
different particle number densities obtained from the real,
full-scale experiments. Here, n denotes the number of
particles in Camera A to which one or more possible
correspondences have been finally found in Camera B
and C. The columns Na and Nac contain the average
number of ambiguities for each particle association when
assuming all particles as monochrome (i.e., without con-
sidering color: Na), respectively taking into account the
color information (Nac). These real measurements differ a
little bit from the theoretical calculations presented in the
appendix (see later Figure 10) but the trend is very simi-
lar. Using the color information it is possible to reduce
considerably the number of ambiguities, which is of the
utmost importance for successful PTV measurements.
5.3. Reliability of Color Class Recognition in
Full-Scale Experiments
The process employed to recognize a tracer particle is
closely linked to the recognition of color classes. Indeed,
the candidates should belong to the same color class
when searching for correspondences in camera images B
and C to a selected particle in A. Nevertheless, in con-
flicting situations where only two of the three corre-
sponding particles in the camera images are of the same
color, the particle position in 3-D is assigned to this color
class. If all three color classes are different, no 3-D posi-
tion is assigned.
In Table 8, statistics resulting from three full-scale
experiments associated with Case 1, 2 and 3 are pre-
sented. The number of possible matches in all three cam-
era views, denoted here by n, is limited by the camera
image containing the smallest number of detected parti-
cle centers for the selected frame. This number is further
separated into the numbers of successful matches, where
three (n3/3) or two (n2/3) of the three correspondences be-
Table 7. Measured number of ambiguities without ( Na) and
with (Nac) considering color classes.
n Na N
ac
572 2.59 1.24
756 3.34 1.28
952 4.66 1.44
1535 9.27 2.02
Table 8. Matching particle color statistics in three camera
views for the different configurations. The number of possi-
ble matches is denoted by n. The notation ni/3 is used for the
number of matches where i of 3 correspondences belong to
the same color class. The number of lost matches is denoted
by nlost.
Case 1: WingletsCase 2: Cylinder Case 3: Swirl
N 1020 1478 929
n3/3 460 675 224
n2/3 455 694 554
n1/3 27 21 33
nlost 78 88 118
long to the same color class. In this table the correspond-
dences associated with three different colors (n1/3) and
therefore not considered further, and the number of lost
matches, which cannot be determined at all by epipolar
geometry (nlost) are also listed. In Cases 1 and 2, n2/3 is
similiar to n3/3 due to the occurrence of overlapping par-
ticles on the different camera images. Case 3 (highly
three-dimensional flow in the transverse direction) leads
of course to a particularly challenging situation. Tracers
in the foreground move transversally in the opposite di-
rection compared with particles in the background. The
probability of overlapping particle images rises and color
classification becomes more difficult because of un-
known/untrained particle patterns. One may notice in
Table 8 that in all three Cases, epipolar associations with
three different colors (n1/3) are very rare; about 2 to 4%
only. This is one more indication of the reliability of the
developed algorithm for color class recognition. Indeed,
a failure of the algorithm is much more often the result of
an impossible epipolar association (nlost) and not of a
failed color association.
5.4. Calculation of Spatial Tracer Coordinates
The spatial location of a tracer p can be computed if ho-
mologous points are found in at least two different cam-
era views. In this subsection the index i = 13 is used
to indicate the three different camera views. Note that be-
cause of small imprecisions due to the calculated coordi-
,,
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles
68
nates of homologous points si and camera parameters the
viewing rays do not necessarily intersect exactly in 3-D
space. Accuracy and reliability increase when corre-
spondences are found in all three camera views. The
viewing rays from the homologous points si given in
world coordinates on the sensor plane of camera i in di-
rection di = oi – si to the projection center oi should al-
most intersect at the spatial point p searched for, where
si + tidi = p, i.e.:
.
si di
sii di
si di
x
xx
yty y
zz
z
(9)
Since there are three equations and one unknown, one
still gets an overdetermined system of equations when
performing a triangulation between two cameras only (6
equations → 3 unknowns x, y, z + 2 unknowns t1 and t2).
If the solution is computed by adjustment of direct ob-
servations , this approach can easily be extended to
three or more cameras. When rearranging (9) to
di si
idi si
di si
x
xx
yty y
zzz
(10)
the unknowns can be separated and (10) can be expressed
in matrix form
100
010 .
001
di si
di si
di si
i
x
x
x
y
y
z
zz
t
y
(11)
Combining all viewing rays results in an overdeter-
mined equation system of the form:
.Axy (12)
The design matrix is denoted by A, vector x contains
all unknowns x, y, z and the negative scaling parameters
–ti, and vector y contains all observations of xsi, ysi and zsi.
If there are three corresponding points the system of equ-
ations results in
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
22
1
22
2
33
3
33
33
1000 0
0100 0
0010 0
10000
010 00.
001 00
10000
010 00
001 00
s
d
s
d
s
d
s
d
ds
ds
ds
ds
ds
x
x
y
yxz
zyx
xz
yy
t
zz
t
xx
t
yy
zz
(13)
Finally, the calculation of the unknowns in x can be
performed using the least squares method:
1.
TT
xAAAy
(14)
5.5. Experimental Determination of the
Localization Uncertainty
To get a reliable order of magnitude for the measuring
error, a reference plate with circular 49 marks was fixed
on a translation stage with manual adjustment of mi-
crometer accuracy. It was placed inside the observation
volume, so that all marks can be imaged from each cam-
era. The 3-D coordinates of the marks were calculated as
described above. The new 3-D positions of the marks
were determined when the plate was moved 5.98 mm
towards the cameras using the translation stage. Ideally,
the shift should be the same for all 49 marks. In fact the
measurement of 49 shifted marks resulted in a mean shift
value of 5.98 mm and a standard deviation of 0.0069 mm.
The maximum measured shift within the set of marks
was 5.9953 mm and the minimum was 5.9677 mm. This
results in a difference of 0.0276 mm. This tiny value in-
dicates that the uncertainty is below 0.5% in terms of
distance between actual and measured localization.
To track the particles in time a 3-frame algorithm
based on Minimum Acceleration algorithm is employed
[2,24]. The computation of trajectories is described in
detail in a separate publication . Figure 9 demon-
strates the ability to obtain PTV data within the whole
three-dimensional volume of observation around three
winglets (Case 1). There is a factor 20 between the high-
est and the lowest measured velocity, which already
represents a challenge for 3-D PTV .
6. Conclusions and Perspectives
Dense trajectory bundles have to be reconstructed to re-
solve small flow patterns in PTV experiments. Therefore,
a high number of tracer particles is necessary. But this
will increase the occurrence of ambiguities leading to
problems when searching for corresponding particle lo-
cations in different camera views. The relative number of
the particles can be reduced if particles can be distin-
guished e.g., by color. An original procedure has been
developed to dye, localize in 3-D, and identify the color
class of small tracer particles on Bayer raw images, used
to investigate three different flow patterns by Particle
Tracking Velocimetry. A post-processing strategy using
Artificial Neural Networks combined with a standardized
procedure for particle dyeing results in high color recog-
nition rates, typically between 80 and 90%. Furthermore,
based on the huge amount of available training data Arti-
ficial Neural Networks are robust enough so that the de-
veloped procedure can be rapidly adapted to different
conditions. The described method for classifying particle
color is recommended when particle projections cover
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles 69
Figure 9. Visualization of trajectories in gas flow for case 1
(winglets).
only a few pixels. Then, classifying the color in RGB or
HSI color space is erroneous, because of artifacts due to
the demosaicing process. Finally, the feasibility of the
particle recognition in 3-D gas flows has been demon-
strated. Typically, 90% of all tracer particles can be fi-
nally localized with high precision (spatial uncertainty
about 0.5%) using 3-D photogrammetry. When using
color information, more tracers can be applied for seed-
ing the flow, as required for PTV to resolve small-scale
flow patterns.
In future measurements, further color classes (starting
with yellow) will be added for seeding. Also, first tests
involving smaller fluorescent tracer particles appear to be
even more interesting, but also challenging. While the
employed EMS particles are suitable for present condi-
tions and slow gas flows with low Reynolds number,
smaller particles are needed to investigate real turbulent
flows with higher velocities. Furthermore, using fluores-
cence will eliminate the effect of specular reflection on
the particle surface, which could be a reason for deterio-
rated color classification.
7. Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the DFG (Deutsche For-
schungsgemeinschaft, Schwerpunktprogramm 1147) for
the financial support of this project. Interesting discus-
sions with R.V. Ayyagari, and T. Ruskowski are grate-
fully acknowledged.
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Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles 71
Appendix: Theoretical Prevision of
Ambiguities
A significant problem when using imaging measurement
methods in 3-D flows is the occurrence of ambiguities
during the spatial correspondence analysis. This is par-
ticularly true when a high number density of tracer parti-
cles is required i.e., when resolving small-scale flow
structures. The correlation of particles between different
images at a given time is mainly based on geometrical
conditions such as the epipolar geometry. The intersect-
tion between the image plane and a plane formed by the
object point and the perspective centers of the cameras
should form a line. A corresponding tracer can only be
found along this line. This decreases the search area from
2-D (the whole image) to 1-D (a line in the image). Using
more than two cameras, the search space becomes small-
er and smaller. Nevertheless, the ambiguities cannot be
completely avoided in practice.
The same problem arises when correspondence analy-
sis is performed in time to deduce information concern-
ing the Lagrangian description of the flow field. Trajec-
tories should be as long as possible without any interrupt-
tion . A restriction of the search space when consider-
ing successive time steps can be derived from physical
considerations, taking only into account acceptable varia-
tions of velocity and acceleration and the local correla-
tions between velocity vectors.
In what follows, the spatial correspondence problem is
analyzed in greater detail. The formula to calculate the
total number of expected ambiguities Na in a three-cam-
era arrangement is given by (15) and is also illustrated
in Figure 10.
22
12 12
23 13
41
sin
a
nn bb
NFb
b
(15)
with
n total number of tracers in image
F image size
α intersecting angle between epipolar lines in the third
image
ε tolerance of the epipolar band
bxy distance between camera x and camera y
The number of ambiguities becomes minimal when the
cameras are arranged in an equilateral triangle so that
b12 = b13 = b23, and α = 60˚. Under this condition, used in
the present experimental setup, the term in brackets is
simply replaced by the factor 3. Note that the number of
ambiguities grows with the square of the number of trac-
ers. An introduction of color classes for tracers acts like a
reduction of the tracer particle number density. This re-
duces the number of ambiguities when the set of particles
s separated by color into individual subsets. Assuming i
n = 1000
n = 1500
n = 500
n = 572
n = 992
n = 1535
Figure 10. Theoretical reduction of the number of ambigui-
ties when using up to six color classes (cf. Table 9). For
comparison, the actual measured number of ambiguities for
different numbers of particles (n = 572, 952, 1535) when
using three color classes is also plotted (cf. Table 7).
Table 9. Number of ambiguities predicted by (16), see also
Figure 11.
c 1 2 3 4 5 6
Nac(c, n = 500) 2.640.66 0.29 0.16 0.10 0.07
Nac(c, n = 1000) 10.562.64 1.17 0.66 0.42 0.29
Nac(c, n = 1500) 23.775.94 2.64 1.48 0.95 0.66
that the colored particles are uniformly distributed in
camera images, the number of tracers nc of a particular
color in each subset is n/c, where c is the number of used
colors. Since the correspondence problem is solved for
each subset, the number of ambiguities Nac decreases as
the square of the number of color classes (replacing n by
nc = n/c in (15)):
22
12 .
sin
cc
ac
nn
NF
(16)
Results obtained from this equation are listed in Table
9 and plotted in Figure 10 using the parameters used in
the present experiments: F = 1280 × 1024 pixels, α = 60˚
and ε = 1 pixel considering up to six color classes c and
three different values for the number of tracers n (500,
1000 and 1500). It can be seen in Figure 10 that the
number of ambiguities is theoretically reduced by typi-
cally 80% when 3 color classes are taken into account.
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JSIP
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IIT-Madras stomps students with his CSK googly
CHENNAI: IIT-M Students Who Took A Semester Exam On Monday Were Asked To Write Whether They Would Recommend Batting Or Fielding For CSK Skipper M S Dhoni If he Won The Toss In Tuesday's IPL Qualifier Against The Mumbai Indians.
The Question, Part Of The Material And The Energy Balance, Gave An Overview Of Possible Conditions Based On The Weather Forecast And Asked The Students To Calculate Whether The Dew Would Affect Bowling Second.
It Went Viral After His Retweet On The Official Twitter Handle Of The International Cricket Council Who Although He Praised IIT-M For Relevant Exams, Asked Followers To Help Dhoni Make Decision The Skipper Chose To Win The Toss.
The Question Said That The Humidity At The Start Would Be 70% At The Start Of The Game, While The Temperature Would Be 39 ° C And Would Drop To 27 ° C By The Time The Second Inning Started. Students Were Asked To Give Their Recommendations By Applying The Condensation Concept.
Most Students Find The Question Exciting, Get An Answer Well
" If The Relative Humidity Is 70% At A Temperature Of 39 Degrees Celsius, The Humidity Will Continue To Increase As The Temperature Drops. It Will Reach Saturation At A Certain Temperature," Said Vignesh Muthuvijayan, Department Of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.
As Soon As The Temperature Drops Below A Certain Point, This Would Lead To Condensation Of Water Molecules Called Dew Point.
" If The Temperature Drops, There Will Be Dew On The Surface," He Added.
The Dew Point Can Be Calculated Using A Simple Formula Or A Psychrometric Graph (also Called Humidity Graph) That Students Were Allowed To Use In The Exam Room.
" The Dew Point For The Given Conditions Is 32 Degrees C To 33 Degrees C. With The Temperature At The Beginning Of The Second Innings Expected 27 Degrees Celsius, We Can Expect Substantial Dew. So It Would Be Wiser To Shed First," Said Vignesh.
Excessive Dew On The Outfield Would Wet The Ball And It Would Be Difficult For Spinners To Grab The Ball. Even Fast Bowlers Would Find It Difficult, He Said.
" Instead Of Immediately Asking If The Temperature Would Drop And If There Was Condensation Of Water From The Air, I Made A Question About Cricket," Vignesh Added.
Although The Question Did Not Really Have A Direct Application To Cricket, Many Students Said That The Question Was Interesting And That They Could Answer The Question. | https://newsjizz.in/792-iit-madras-stomps-students-with-his-csk-googly.html |
Owls are one of the few birds that have been found in prehistoric cave paintings.
Unknown. Owls in Mythology: In ancient Greek mythology the owl was the preferred bird of Athena, daughter of Zeus, the Goddess of Wisdom and War (see Athena - Gods and Goddesses (Greek Mythology) .
She is the author of Daily Spellbook for the Good Witch, Wicca Practical Magic and The Daily Spell Journal.
Dating from a Sumerian tablet (2300 to 2000 BC). There were also beliefs about events predicted by the number of owl hoots (similar to seeing numbers of magpies in this country) : It is believed that over 1000 owls, including the endangered Brown Fish Owl (Ketupa zeylonensis), are killed very year during Diwali by black magicians in the hope of warding off bad luck & gaining magical powers. They bring messages through dreams.
According to Artemidorus, a second Century soothsayer, to dream of an Owl meant that a traveller would be shipwrecked or robbed.
The Barn Owl has also been used to predict the weather by people in England.
I consider myself lucky when visited by this wise creature. In Lady Charlotte Guest’s 1877 translation of the 12 th Century Mabinogion, the Owl’s origins are described in detail. death. The Inuit believed that the Short-eared Owl was once a young girl who Unlike most of the North American hummingbirds which are known to migrate long distances, the Anna’s is considered an exception to this rule.
Predating the Greek cult of Athene, for whom the owl was an animal attribute, were images of these mysterious birds in Celtic lands. It can help unmask those who would deceive you or take advantage of you. Virgil writes that the hoot of an owl foretold the death of Dido. name for the Burrowing Owl is Ko'ko, which means "Watcher of the dark" A large owl hanging around a house is believed to indicate that a powerful shaman lives within. Owl had the ability to light up Athena's blind side, enabling her to speak the whole truth, as opposed to only a half truth. became Great Horned Owls. Acropolis museum, (fifth-century BC.) Work with the owl familiar spirit (or the Owl spirit guide) in your practice to honor Lilith and explore the occult […], […] The Owl Spirit Guide and Mythology […], […] The Owl Spirit Guide & Owl Mythology Around the World […]. 1994. Eventually, the owl repeated the rabbit's words. It’s rarely mentioned in myth, legend, or folklore, but when it is it’s usually spoken of in hushed whispers – accompanied by a warning. Pliny reports great confusion and fear in the Forum when an owl entered. Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom had a companion Owl on her shoulder, which revealed unseen truths to her.
The idea of the 'wise old owl' may have come into being from the association of the Little Owl with the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athene. If an Owl flew over Greek Soldiers before a
Presented here are some of those beliefs.
guardian of fires and tender of all underground things, including seed germination. As such, the Burrowing Owl, called Ko’ko, was a protector of the underworld, and things that grew in the earth, such as seeds and plants. They also believed that the Great Horned Owl helped their Peaches grow. Throughout the history of mankind, the owl has featured significantly in mythology & folklore. The owl repeated, "Dark, dark..." If one mistakenly spoke the other's word, the erring one would lose the contest. This carving is on display at Horsethief Lake State Park, Washington. In the Lorraine region of France, owls are believed to help spinsters find husbands.
Allow Voting Cookie. If you find an owl feather, it can be used for a variety of purposes. 1987. Some Native American tribes looked to owls for wisdom and protection and wore their feathers as talismans.
(Cailleach, Oidhche, Comachag)The word "cailleach" in the Scottish-Gaelic means old woman!, "coileach-oidhche" is the word for owl, believe it or not it means "night-cockerel"!
Much of Appalachian tradition can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands (where the owl was associated with the cailleach) and English villages that were the original homes of mountain settlers.
California Newuks believed that after death, the brave and virtuous Zuni mothers place an Owl feather
Owl feathers and internal organs were found in magical potions and pharmaceutical remedies.
The imbiber was
out in the twentieth century - in the West at least - the Owl has returned to its position The Hopis Indians see the Burrowing Owl as their god of the dead, the
Owls have the ability to see in the dark and fly noiselessly through the skies. Hooting and shrieking" (from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar"). The specific owl that represented Athena was called the Little Owl, Athene noctua, and it was a species found in great numbers inside places like the Acropolis.
hand. Otherworldly wisdom is brought to the individual visited by the owl spirit guide.
Mythology from other parts of the world often give owls a more sinister role. If one saw an owl or heard its hoot, someone was going to die.
The owl also contained unique powers. They consider them as the harbinger of misfortune. will be their future". Axia Wildlife. Avenue Press. July 01, 2020, Birding During the Pandemic by Jon Friedman Owls' eggs, cooked until they turned into ashes, were also used as a potion to improve eyesight.
protection against drunkenness. In the Middle East, China, and Japan, the Owl is considered as both a bad omen and an evil spirit. become their guardian.
On his death, Llew was transformed into an eagle, but was healed & returned to human form by Gwydion.
March 29, 2019, Copyright © 2020, wildbirdsonline.
Where Has Irika Sargent Been, Ya Kafi Al Muhimmat, Ghostcrawler Wow Spawn Timer, Placement Agent Salary, Netflix 10k Annual Report 2019, How To Spawn A Brown Panda In Minecraft, Osomatsu San Movie Takahashi, Terraria Crate Potion, Arie And Lauren 2020, Splatterhouse Ps4 Remastered, Kimi Kalimba Acrylic Thumb Piano, Piers Cavill Instagram, Pug Breeders Texas, Perry Bamonte Net Worth, Aries Man Negative Traits, Who Is Grant Reynolds Married To Now, Steep Canyon Rangers Honey On My Tongue, Friendship In The Kite Runner Essay, Amazon Leadership Principles Github, Origen De Mi Apellido Y Escudo, Tierra De Cus, David Draiman Height, Amirah Meaning In Islam, | https://tux.in.ua/site/viewtopic.php?54c82a=owls-in-mythology |
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|Title:||
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Tunable continuous wave and femtosecond mode-locked Yb3+ laser operation in NaLu(WO4)2
|Authors:||García-Cortés, Alberto; Cano-Torres, José María CSIC ORCID; Han, Xiumei CSIC; Cascales, Concepción CSIC ORCID; Zaldo, Carlos CSIC ORCID; Mateos, Xavier; Rivier, Simón; Griebner, Uwe; Petrov, Valentín; Valle Fuentes, Francisco José CSIC||Keywords:||Laser tuning
|
Laser mode locking
Sodium compounds
Lutetium compounds
Solid lasers
Optical pumping
|Issue Date:||27-Mar-2007||Publisher:||American Institute of Physics||Citation:||Journal of Applied Physics 101(6): 063110 (2007)||Abstract:||Continuous wave and femtosecond mode-locked laser operation of Yb3+ in the tetragonal NaLu(WO4)2 crystal host is demonstrated by pumping with a Ti:sapphire laser. Pumping with 1.8 W at 974 nm, a maximum output power of 650 mW was achieved at 1029.6 nm. The slope efficiency was in excess of 60%. The laser performance was similar for the two polarizations. By inserting a birefringent filter the output wavelength was tunable from 1010 to 1055 nm. Pulses as short as 90 fs with an average power of 50 mW were generated by passive mode locking at a repetition rate of 95 MHz. These attractive laser properties of NaLu1−xYbx(WO4)2 are related to the inhomogeneous broadening of the Yb3+ spectral features resulting from the local disorder of the host crystal. We report the spectroscopic properties of Yb3+ in the 5–300 K temperature range and the optical properties of the host at room temperature.||Description:||7 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables.-- PACS: 42.55.Rz; 42.60.By; 42.60.Fc||Publisher version (URL):||http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.2490382||URI:||http://hdl.handle.net/10261/21769||DOI:||10.1063/1.2490382||ISSN:||0021-8979|
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You are watching: Which of the following statements best describes a compound?
Transcribed picture text: Which of the adhering to statements best defines a compound? A) A compound is a solution. B) A compound is exemplified by sodium. C) A compound has 2 or even more different aspects in a resolved ratio. D) A compound is a pure facet. Which of the complying with statements concerning issue is false? A) All life is written of matter. B) All matter exists in the form of compounds. C) All matter has mass. D) All issue is written of elements. Which of the adhering to hypotheses would be sustained if liquid water were uncovered on Mars and also consisted of evidence of bacteria -favor organisms? A) The chemical advancement of life is possible. B) Life should evolve in the presence of oxygen. C) Life on Planet need to have originated on Mars. D) Life is guided by intelligent architecture. Clots in our blood can bring about a heart attack or stroke by blocking blood flow. If a clot were consisted of of a mass of proteins, what changed in the proteins to cause them to form the clot? A) The proteins were no much longer soluble in the blood. B) The proteins came to be even more soluble in the blood. C) The blood came to be saturated via proteins. D) The proteins ended up being even more polar. The four many common aspects in living organisms are A) C, H, O, Na. B) C, H, O, Fe. C) C, H, O, N. D) C, N, O, Na. Cows can derive nutrients from cellushed because A) they transform cellushed into starch, which is conveniently damaged down in the intestinal tract. B) they develop the enzymes that break down cellushed. C) they chew their food so thoroughly that cellushed fibers are broken down D) their intestinal tract has cellulose-hydrolyzing microorganisms. A scientist suspects that the food in an ecosystem might have actually been through radioactive nitrogen over a duration of months. Which of the adhering to substances could be examined for radiotask to test the hypothesis? A) the cholesterol in the cell membranes of organisms living in the ecosystem B) the hair developed by human beings living in the ecomechanism C) the cell walls of plants growing in the ecodevice D) the sugars produced during photosynthesis by plants thriving in the ecodevice Proteins cannot be denatured by A) freezing.
See more: Why Does Dell Take So Long To Ship 2019, The Con Of Delivery Times With Dell
B) warmth C) transforms in salt concentration. D) changes in pH. | https://soimg.org/which-of-the-following-statements-best-describes-a-compound/ |
Arizona is a state that spans two time zones. The state is divided by the Colorado River, which runs through the middle of the state. The eastern part of the state is in the Eastern time zone for Arizona, while the western part of the state is in the Pacific Time Zone. When is it in Arizona? The state of Arizona spans two time zones, so it is important to know which time zone you are in. The eastern part of the state is in the Eastern Time.
Arizona is a beautiful state in the southwest of the United States. The state is known for its natural beauty and its many sunsets. It is also known as the Grand Canyon State. Arizona is also the sixth largest state in the country.
Arizona is home to the Grand Canyon National Park, which is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and over a mile deep. It’s 3:15 pm on a Wednesday in Arizona. If you’re in Connecticut, it’s 12:15 pm; in Tennessee, it’s 11:15 am. In Arizona, it’s 3:15 pm.
What is a Time Zone?
A time zone is an area of the world that observes a uniform standard time. This time is typically based on the mean solar time of a particular meridian. Most countries observe a single time zone, while others have multiple zones. The time zone is commonly expressed as a local time (for example 8:00 am). The local time differs from the time by the offset of the time zone. The time zone is the time difference between an arbitrary longitude, the prime meridian, and the local time.
Does Arizona Have 2 Time Zones?
California is the most populous state and Arizona is the least populous. Nevada is in between California and Arizona, while Utah is the least populated of all four states. It is clear that there is a logical explanation for the US time zones, particularly the time zone in Arizona. In Arizona, it can be difficult to determine the time because of the various factors involved.
- Both California and Nevada have adopted Pacific Time, making the states one hour behind the East Coast.
- Arizona and Utah have both decided to adopt Mountain Time as their official time zone. This change will go into effect on October 14th, 2014.
The time zone for Arizona of a location is determined by two factors: the time zone of the location’s geographic center and daylight saving time.
The time zone of a location is determined by its geographic center and whether or not it uses daylight saving time.
- Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, so the time remains the same throughout the year. California, Nevada and Utah, on the other hand, do observe daylight saving time.
- Arizona has another deciding factor, which is that the Navajo Nation, which is mostly in Arizona, has decided to adopt daylight saving time. This differentiation will help the Navajo Nation stand out from the rest of Arizona.
Arizona is in the mountain time zone. This means that Arizona observes mountain standard time during the winter and eastern standard time in the summer.
How are Time Zones Represented?
There are 24 time zones represented on earth, each identified by a letter of the alphabet. The time zone in which you live is determined by your geographical location and the time within that zone. UTC, or Coordinated Universal Time, is the global time standard and is used to compare the time in different time zones.
UTC is not used for standard time in any one time zone but is instead used to establish the time for the world. For example, the time zone in which you live may be Eastern Standard Time in North America and Central European Time in Europe. You will receive an error message if you try to view content that includes UTC.
Difference Between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time?
Standard time is the time that is set by the government and daylight saving time is the time that is set by the government and moved one hour ahead during the summer. The United States does not participate in daylight saving time. The sun rises later in the summer and the sun rises earlier in the summer. To make it easier to go to work and come home from work the government moves the clock ahead one hour.
The world has organized time zones, or time zones that are fifteen degrees apart or thirty minutes. If a person wishes to know what time it is when it is dark at home, and it is light at work they can look at a clock at work. It will show the local time, which is an hour later than the home time. The person then can add or subtract an hour to get the right time at the home or business. There are 24 hours in a day, so the answer is easy to calculate.
How Many Time Zones Are in The United States?
There are six time zones in the United States. They are Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska, and Hawaii. The Eastern time zone is the most populous, and it covers the eastern part of the country. The Central time zone covers the central part of the country and its second-most populous. time zone.
The Mountain time zone (or the Mountain standard time zone) covers the western part of the country, as well as parts of the northeastern part. The Pacific and Alaska time zones cover smaller areas. Puerto Rico also has a time zone.
Arizona: Time Zone for Arizona
The difference between Page and Monument Valley is that Page is a landscape while Monument Valley is an iconic formation.
Arizona has two time zones, one for the north and one for the south. Daylight saving time is in effect in the north from March to November, and it’s an hour ahead of the rest of Arizona. The south has a standard time zone all year long.
The paragraph tells about a traveler’s experience visiting Page, Arizona, and the nearby Antelope Canyon. The traveler goes on to say that this canyon is definitely worth visiting and that it is run by the Navajo people but that it isn’t within the boundaries of their nation. The time zone used in other parts of Arizona is also applied here so travelers don’t have to worry about confusion.
Why Does Arizona Not Follow Daylight-saving Time?
A bill was put forth in Arizona to keep the state’s clocks on the same time year-round. The argument for observing daylight-saving time is that it gives workers more light in the evenings and less light in the mornings through spring and summer.
Arizona’s legislature decided that since Arizona has more sunny days and daylight than other states, we don’t need an extra hour of sunlight in the hot summer months. Most Arizonans would agree; not having to change the clocks twice a year is a nice perk!
Most phones and cars can automatically change time zones, making road trips across state lines more convenient. | https://www.topplanetinfo.com/arizona-what-time-is-it-in-arizona/ |
How big was the universe one second after the Big Bang?
1 Answer
May 21, 2016
Explanation:
My estimate is attributed to other estimates. Our universe has had expanded through 13.8 billion light years in 13.8 billion years.
So, I have reference for okaying my estimate.. | https://socratic.org/questions/how-big-was-the-universe-one-second-after-the-big-bang#268148 |
Well, since issa can mean "yes", I think you are supposed to take that from the context, since it is a more natural English sentence. But your translation is valid, so you could report that it should be accepted.
| |
Could the Kavanaugh Accuser be Lying?
I recently penned a commentary on DimWitPolitics hypothesizing what it might mean if Judge Brett Kavanaugh actually did assault Christine Blasey Ford. In all fairness, it seems reasonable to consider the possibility that Ford is making a totally false accusation. I am not looking at it as if she misidentified Kavanaugh, but actually that nothing of that sort ever happened.
In that case, there are two possibilities: that for some reason she has come to believe in an event that never happened, or she is knowingly lying. While it is not politically correct to ever suggest a woman is lying, it happens enough that it is reasonable to consider that possibility.
If she is imagining something that never happened, she is suffering from some level of mental illness. In that regard, it is what we do not know that makes it difficult to draw a conclusion. We do know that she has suffered degrees of mental illness throughout her life. She has testified to that and sought therapy from time to time. She said it was the result of the sexual assault. What we do not know is if she suffered any problems before the alleged assault.
Whether she, herself, has come to believe what she says, or she is lying, one has to look at her statements and any evidence to try to determine if there is validity to her accusations.
First, of course, is motive. Her defenders claim she could only have one motive. That would be to tell her story as a civic duty. They argue that she did not want to come out in public and therefore she is a woman of great courage for doing so. That is knitting together two unsubstantiated assumptions.
On the other hand, she is a hardline liberal Democrat who has participated in protests against Trump. It is beyond refutation that her letter was intended to block the Kavanaugh confirmation. Her desire to make such a serious accusation anonymously is not the mark of a courageous person. Quite the contrary.
It is also questionable that a woman of her intelligence and political savvy would really expect that such a bombshell accusation put in writing and given to two members of Congress would remain private. If she did not intend the letter to be used, why write it?
The motivation issue cannot be empirically resolved, so to make the case that she has testified falsely – either by self-deception or willful fabrication — it is necessary to examine the strength of other evidence in support of her claims. Therein lies some problems for Ford.
Much has already been said about the fact that she cannot recall even the approximate date. In various written documents, Ford has suggested the event happened in the early 1980s, the mid-1980s and the late 1980s. That means any time within a ten-year range.
At one time, she said it occurred in her “late teens” and at another time when she was 15. But as her testimony developed – and after getting strategy advice from hardline anti-Trump operatives and attorneys – her recollections seemed to improve, at least to the season and the year.
She was unable to locate the house and how she arrived and departed. She recalled every detail following the event – including hiding in the bathroom, hearing the boys stumble down the stairs, her escape to the lower lever of the house, her exiting the house – and then suddenly nothing. This is not only suspicious but can be a strategy to avoid getting caught in a lie. The location of the house and the identity of her chauffeur would provide specific factual evidence. But, if one is lying, it would be a roadmap to refutation because it could be checked out.
Imagine being accused of doing something at some time at some place. Specific details could lead to evidence that it was not possible for the accused to be at that place at that time. This is exactly what led Ford and her attorneys to shop Kavanaugh’s calendar for an entry that COULD have been the occasion. And if not that one, then another on the calendar might have been selected.
When Ford did get specific, she undermined her own case. None of those said to be in attendance had any recollection of the event. Ford’s defenders make a specious distinction between not recalling and actually refuting. It is a distinction without a difference. They did not corroborate her story – essentially refuting it.
Mostly she said Mark Judge was a witness, but also testified that he had jumped in, literally – at which time they all rolled onto the floor and she escaped.
In the court-of-public-opinion, it was argued by Democrats and the media that she had told any number of people about the assault long before the Kavanaugh nomination. But they fail to mention that in those alleged conversations, she never mentioned Kavanaugh’s name – even as he gained prominence in the White House and the federal courts. She claimed to have been terrified by his rise to power. It was alleged that she left Washington to get away from Kavanaugh and recently told her husband that she would have to leave the country if he was seated on the Supreme Court.
Ford said she had told her therapist of the attack, but never mentioned the name Kavanaugh. Her story to her therapist differs from the story she now tells as to the number of witnesses to the attack — and she blames that on the therapist’s mistaken notes. In addition, she refuses to allow the more detailed notes by the therapist to be released.
Then there is the polygraph test. On the surface, this contradicts her reluctance to remain anonymous. Also, any prosecutor will tell you of the weakness of polygraph evidence – and especially when paid-for by a client of the person administering the test – although she could not recall who actually paid for the polygraph test. It is significant that she, on the advice of counsel, will not reveal the actual test information and the procedures – only a superficial report.
In the hearing, Ford stated that she was unfamiliar with polygraphs and that it was a very stressful experience. A six-year boyfriend of Ford submitted a letter that Ford had coached a mutual friend on how to take the polygraph test. According to the boyfriend’s letter, Ford was very familiar with the procedures.
Ford’s credibility was also hurt by her claim that the hearing had to be delayed because of her fear of flying further – a claim that tied her directly to the Democrat political strategy. In fact, it was shown that she is a frequent flyer and ultimately did fly to D.C.
She claimed that she was unaware of the offer made to her attorneys to interview her in California despite the fact that the offer had been broadcast by the news media for days ahead of time. And it seems unlikely that a competent attorney would have not told her.
She alleged that the peculiarity of having two front doors was because of Kavanaugh. That claim made no sense on the surface and was demolished by later evidence that the second door had nothing to do with the alleged incident. It accommodated room renters.
The fact that she received and took the recommendation from Senator Diane Feinstein in selecting legal advice is extremely suspicious. It means that Ford and Feinstein were conspiring to support the accusation. Ford was actively working with those opposing the confirmation. Ford was vague on who was paying for various elements of her defense – or about her GoFundMe page. The fact that she had assembled very partisan advisors and funders – and took days to prepare — casts doubt on her portrayed naiveté.
There was also an apparently unrecognized inconsistency in her testimony – an inconsistency that seemed to suggest an effort to make her case more emotionally horrifying that it was. We can recall that when Senator Patrick Leahy asked of her most memorable moment, she referred to the laughter – creating a chilling image of contemptible behavior by her alleged assailants. But earlier in her same-day testimony, she said the most terrifying moment was when the perpetrator pressed his hand on her mouth and prevented her from breathing. It was at that moment, she testified, that she feared she would be killed. The fact that her most terrifying moment became transactional to the different questions creates doubt in her veracity.
It was said that her performance at the hearing was powerful and convincing – credible – mostly by those in support of her allegation. That is only a matter of opinion. It is just as easy to see her anxiety as a result of worrying about being caught in a lie that would collapse her entire claim. She seemed to be “playing” for sympathy with a confession of being terrified.
She is an accomplished public speaker and lecturer. She is comfortable in front of audiences – on the platform or in the classroom. And yet, she came across as a scared, tight-throated little girl. Yes, it is true that there was a much bigger deal, but I found both her and Kavanaugh to be a bit concocted in their self-portrayals and mannerisms.
In posing this brief, as I did conversely with Kavanaugh previously, I readily admit that the evidence is inconclusive because neither Ford nor Kavanaugh have provided conclusive arguments and none of the evidence – condemnatory or exculpatory — is totally convincing.
Just as many wanted the FBI to answer more questions regarding corroboration of the accusations, I would have liked to have seen the FBI dig deeper into Ford’s credibility. There was too much accepted without challenge. It may seem unseemly to aggressively question the accuser – or “victim” as her supporters claim – but that is what I would expect from a competent and complete investigation. She should be grilled – at least in private by law enforcement — just as someone accusing another of robbery or vandalism.
More and more, it is obvious that the Kavanaugh vote will not be on factual history, other than his established record on the Appellate Court. Rather it will be decided on political parameters divined from narratives of dubious value and accuracy. The outcome of the vote will establish whether our politicians believe in innocent until proven guilty or guilt by accusation alone. | http://dimwitpolitics.com/2018/10/04/could-the-kavanaugh-accuser-be-lying/ |
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