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The invention discloses an unmanned plane flight control system which comprises unmanned planes and multiple navigation beacons, wherein each unmanned plane is provided with sole first authorization information; the navigation beacons are arranged on a predetermined air line at preset intervals, and when the multiple unmanned planes fly on the predetermined air line, the navigation beacons are made to be in communication with the unmanned planes, so that accurate positional information of the unmanned planes is obtained, realness of the first authorization information of each unmanned plane is verified, and based on the verification result and the obtained accurate positional information of the unmanned planes, the flight states of the multiple unmanned planes on the predetermined air line are controlled. The invention further discloses a control method based on the system. Neither the system nor the method adopts a traditional GPS for positioning and various maps, positioning deviation in the prior art is avoided, thereby flight accuracy control is guaranteed, high-density and high-frequency unmanned plane flight formation can be achieved, and the system and method can be widely applied to the industries such as logistics transportation. | |
Thanks to the amazing grant of £1000 given to us by the Royal Astronomical Society, we’ve been able to hire writers for our blog posts on POC science. This incredible article was written by the wonderful Abigail Frost!
When you think of ancient astronomy, your mind may quickly go to the ancient Greeks. The influence of ancient Greek astronomy runs deep in western society, with the nomenclature we use for the constellations based on their constellations and mythology, and the names we give to stars often derived from Greek. As a result, ancient Greeks are often presented as the quintessential ancient astronomers. To an often much lesser degree, the contributions of Babylonians and Islamic astronomers are also noted, but most POC contributions to ancient astronomy are overlooked. Despite this, indigenous civilisations also looked up to the stars and did astronomy. In this blog post I want to highlight the observations of one such indigenous population – the First Nations peoples of Australia.
Also known as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the culture of the First Nations people of Australia is rich and ancient, stretching back approximately 50,000 years. Astronomy is and has been a rich part of their culture, potentially making them some of most ancient astronomers to ever have existed. An instance of this is the Kaurna people, who use stellar brightness to govern seasons: for example, they recognise when autumn (Parnatti) is coming due to the star Parna (Formalhaut) being visible in the morning. The Boorong tribe of Victoria had the star Arcturus represent the spirit of Marpeankurrk who pointed them to where to find wood-ant pupa to eat in times of drought and for whom the star Vega represents the spirit of the Mallee hen who pointed the way to her eggs (Stanbridge 1861). The Euahlayi and Kamilaroi Aboriginal people used patterns of stars on the skies as references for travelling close to 1000km distances for festivals, with each star marking an important point on a route such as a waterhole or turning place on the landscape (Fuller 2014). For the Torres Strait Islander people, the stars of the Tagai (represented by the stars of a number of constellations including Scorpius, Lupus and Hydra, amongst others) were of great importance, as their cycle provided them with a seasonal calendar that allowed them to organise their fishing and agriculture as well as social, ritual and cultural activities (Bhathal 2006).
The First Nations people did not just use the stars for orientation and as markers of time, however. They observed stellar behaviour and recorded this by weaving what they found into their oral traditions. An oral tradition is a collection of spoken words used to convey information down the generations. As such, oral traditions form a sort of inheritance, taking the form of poetry, prayers, speeches, songs, stories, history and more. Oral traditions are regularly repeated and are thought to be a primary method of cultural transmission. Within the oral traditions of the First Nation people of Australia, astronomical information has been passed down over tens of thousands of years.
One example of an astronomical phenomena being incoprorated into oral traditions concerns the variability of stars. Stars change over extremely long timescales as they evolve and grow. As an example, our Sun is currently in its longest life-cycle phase, called the ‘main sequence’, but will eventually swell into a so-called ‘red giant’ star which will change its colour and brightness. Some stars also undergo other kinds of variability within their different evolutionary stages depending on their internal processes. One star, Betelgeuse, went through a dimming event in 2019-2020 which gained a lot of media attention (Dupree et al 2020). Betelgeuse is one of the brightest reddest stars in the sky and is easily distinguishable in the constellation Orion. Ultimately researchers determined that the dimming event was due to a large ejection of plasma from the star in a direction towards the Earth. When this material cooled it formed dust which in turn caused the dimming.
While this variability of Betelgeuse resulted in a number of recent press releases, Aboriginal Australians have long detected the variability of Betelgeuse and other red-giant stars like it. The variability of Betelgeuse is encoded in an oral tradition of the Kokatha people of the Great Victoria Desert. Nyeeruna (Orion) is considered a hunter or a group of hunters, whilst the star cluster Yugarilya (Pleiades or colloquially known as the Seven Sisters) describes a group of women or sisters. The Kambugudha stellar cluster (Hyades) lies between the two, serving as a barrier. The story goes that Nyeeruna wants to make the women of Yugarilya his wives and eventually becomes enraged as he is prevented from reaching them. As he becomes angry, the club in his right-hand fills with fire magic. This club in the story refers to the star Betelgeuse. Additionally, the story continues that Kambugudha, standing between Nyeeruna and Yugarilya defensively lifts her left foot and fills it with fire magic too. Her foot here is represented by the star often referred to as Aldebaran, which is also a variable star. It continues that Kambugudha kicks dust into Nyeeruna’s face causing his fire magic to dissipate. Eventually, Nyeeruna’s magic returns and Betelgeuse increases in brightness again. This tradition is found across Australia, with similar traditions present in (White 1975) and across the Central Desert (Mountford 1976). Similar traditions are also associated with another variable giant star, Antares. Subsequent measurements of the stars by astrophysicists are in agreement with the variability described in oral traditions (Hamacher et al 2017). This documentation of the brightening and dimming of red-giant stars within the oral traditions of the First Nations people therefore constitutes some of the most ancient records of stellar variability.
Other astrophysical phenomena have also been incorporated into oral traditions. One such star, Eta Carinae, is marked by its huge nebula (the Homunculus Nebula) and the explosion that created it. This ‘Great Eruption’ was documented across the globe and was included in the oral traditions of the Boorong clan of the Wergaia people of western Victoria (Hamacher & Frew 2010). The retrograde (backwards) motion of the planets is also described in the oral traditions of the Wardaman people, who depict their motion as old spirits who walk a path both forwards and backwards (Hamacher & Banks 2019).
Through the practice of oral traditions, the First Nations people have a view of the Universe that modern astronomy cannot touch. All of this highlights the value in considering non-written methods of a data transfer and displays how the ancient astronomy of the First Nations supports and can assist modern astronomy. Given the huge history of the Aboriginal Australian people, there is potentially huge untapped resource of Aboriginal astronomical knowledge within the oral traditions of the First Nations people. By working to understand and appreciate the history, culture and practices of indigenous cultures, we may better understand the history of many interesting astrophysical phenomena.
References
- 💻 Stanbridge W. `Some particulars of the general characteristics, astronomy and mythology of the tribes in the central part of Victoria and South Australia’, Transactions of the Ethnological Society of London, 1861, vol. 1 (22) (pg. 286-304)
2. 💻 Fuller, R.S., Trudgett, M.M., Norris, R.P., and Anderson, M.G. (2014). Star maps and travelling to ceremonies: the Euahlayi People and their use of the night sky.Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 17(2), pp. 149–160, 2014.
3. 💻 Bhathal. R, 2006 Astronomy & Geophysics, Volume 47, Issue 5, Pages 5.27–5.30, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-4004.2006.47527.x
4. 💻 Norris, R.P. and Harney, B.Y. (2014). Songlines and navigation in Wardaman and other Australian Aboriginal cultures. Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 17(2), pp. 141–148.
5. 💻 Dupree et al (2020), The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 899, Issue 1, id.68, DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aba516
6. 💻 White, I. M. 1975 Sexual conquest and submission in the myths of central Australia, in (ed) L. R. Hiatt Australian Aboriginal Mythology. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, pp. 123–42.
7. 💻 Mountford, C. P. 1976 Nomads of the Australian Desert. Adelaide: Rigby.
8. 💻 Hamacher, D.W. (2018). Observations of red-giant variable stars by Aboriginal Australians. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, Vol. 29(1), pp. 89-107.
9. 💻 Hamacher, D.W. and Frew, D.J. (2010). An Aboriginal Australian record of the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae. Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 13(3), pp. 220-234.
10. 💻 Hamacher, D.W. and Banks, K. (2019). The Planets in Indigenous Australian Traditions. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. | https://poc2.co.uk/2021/04/19/ancient-aboriginal-astronomy/ |
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Working paper
This article examines the details of biography of the historian Alexander Nikolaevich Savin (1873-1923), specialist in English agrarian history of the XVI-XVII c. Article is based on the archival sourses and articulates on the significance of the two countries - Great Britain and Russia for his personal and intellectual life.
Added: Apr 25, 2013
Working paper
Scientific Fact between New Science and scienza nuova: Giambattista Vico’s factum and John Toland’s Matter of Fact
The article deals with the syncretic construction of fact which took shape in Early Modern Times at an intersection of biblical exegesis, political science, esthetics, historiography and natural sciences epistemology. The study attempts a comparative analysis of Giambattista Vico’s ‘new science’ and John Toland’s ‘travesty philosophy’, outlining shared reference points and structural similarities in their political epistemology: procedure of the authorization of facts, modal implications of the fact, economy of political dissimulation.
Added: May 15, 2013
Working paper
This article analyzes the history of the concept “ugolovnoe prestuplenie” (criminal offences) in the penal drafts of Catherine II as an integral part of the penal policy that transformed and modernized the Russian legal system. Based on published and unpublished legal sources, materials of the legislative commissions, and acts of civil and military legislation, the paper focuses on the new language of the law. New legal terms and concepts defined an individual as a legal entity and marked a shift in the relations between subjects and the state which in securing the personal safety and property rights of every citizen led toward the political liberty of a modern state.
Added: Apr 22, 2014
Working paper
THE IMAGE OF THE OTHER IN EARLY MODERN IMPERIAL DISCOURSES: VENETIAN DISCOURSE ABOUT ISTRIA AND ENGLISH DISCOURSE ABOUT IRELAND
This paper is focused on the image of the Other in early modern European imperial discourses as exemplified by Venetian discourse about Istria and English discourse about Ireland, which have not been previously compared, in the narratives by Pietro Coppo, Fynes Moryson, John Davies and Barnabe Rich. The authors of the article have analyzed mechanisms of construction of the Image of the Other and political or rhetorical context of its instrumentalization. The examination of English imperial discourses about Ireland and Venetian discourse has demonstrated instrumentalist nature of early modern ethnographic discourses of the Other. Imperial discourse of the Other justified sovereignty of the metropole over the periphery and also communicated knowledge about the Other in order to suggest possible solutions to the problems of governance.
Added: Dec 12, 2020
Working paper
THE ISSUES OF CULTURAL HIERARCHIES IN EARLY MODERN ETHNOGRAPHY BASED ON THE ACCOUNTS BY PETRUS PETREJUS, PAUL RYCAUT, FYNES MORYSON, AND JOHN DAVIES
This paper is focused on the issues of cultural hierarchies in early modern European imperial discourses in all-European discourse about Muscovy and Ottoman Empire and English discourse about Ireland, which have not been previously compared, in the narratives by Petrus Petreus, Paul Rycaut, Fynes Moryson and John Davies. The authors of the article have analyzed mechanisms of building the cultural hierarchies and compares different traditions of ethnographical descriptions with each other. The authors under consideration not only create cultural hierarchies, but also instrumentalize the image of the Other to some extent. They focus on government, laws, religion and manners. The choice of these aspects aims to highlight problems important not for (or not only for) the Other, but for authors` societies themselves. The fact that most accounts describe relative barbarians rather than absolute also can be a consequence of such instrumentalization, because comparison between “us” and the Other becomes important.
Added: Dec 14, 2020
Working paper
The preprint is dedicated to the Ukrainian architectural features of 18th century Russsian buildings. Many of these were built in the milieu of intense cultural exchange between Russia and Ukraine. The research aims to discuss how exactly and why Ukrainian elements were used in Russian architecture. Volume organization and decoration of Russian buildings having Ukrainian features are analyzed and compared. The results reveal a clear distinction between the buildings which intentionally copy Ukrainian models or singular elements and those unintentionally using some Ukrainian features as elements of architectural fashion. The detailed analysis of such cases is invaluable for the understanding of Russian architectural transformation in the 18th century. | https://publications.hse.ru/en/preprints/page2.html?search=d235c0161bfaa91d269fd7a1ae3fbdef |
This set of Civil Engineering Drawing Questions and Answers for Aptitude test focuses on “Residential Accommodation for Various Classes of Employees”.
1. For type 3rd what will be the pay range?
a) 251/- to 400/-
b) 500/- to 700/-
c) 350/- to 780/-
d) 290/- to 600/-
View Answer
Explanation: Accommodation is two rooms, kitchen, store, verandah, bath and W.C.
Floor area = 48.5 sq. m
Plinth area = 58 sq. m S.S; 65 sq. m D.S.
2. What should be the minimum size of bath?
a) 1.5 m * 1.25 m
b) 4.5 m * 2.5 m
c) 115 m * 125 m
d) 0.5 m * 2.5 m
View Answer
Explanation: Minimum size of W.C. – 1.5 m * 1.1 m and minimum size of combined bath and W.C.- 37 sq. m.
3. You are asked to construct a massive dam, the type of cement you will use, is?
a) Ordinary Portland cement
b) Blast furnace slag cement
c) White cement
d) Low heat cement
View Answer
Explanation: Dam construction will involve mass concreting where heat of hydration is the major concern which if not monitored will cause crack in the bulk of the dam which is undesirable, hence low heat cement is preferable in this type of concreting.
4. The expected out turn of cement concrete 1 : 2 : 4 per mason per day is ________
a) 6.5 m3
b) 1.5 m3
c) 2.5 m3
d) 5.0 m3
View Answer
Explanation: 1 : 2 : 4 concrete, 1m3 need Labour constant.
Mixing concrete – 3.00 hour/m3.
Lifting and carrying concrete – 1.20 hour/m3.
compacting concrete – 0.80 hour/m3.
leveling surface of concrete – 0.10 hour/m3.
Total = (3+1.2+0.8+0.1) = 5.
5. Residential building for officials are used to be planned on the basis of the income which is 10% of their salary.
a) True
b) False
View Answer
Explanation: Due to tremendous increase in the cost of construction it is not possible to plan the building on the basis of income from rent as it will be a too small building.
6. For pay range below Rs.110/- accommodation will be a room and cooking verandah room, bath and W.C.
a) True
b) False
View Answer
Explanation: Floor area = 22.5 sq. m
Plinth area = 30 sq. m S.S; 34.5 sq. m D.S.
7. For low income group houses, sufficient shelving arrangement with storage space shall be provided in the kitchen.
a) True
b) False
View Answer
Explanation: A cup board with fly proof wire netting will be a very useful amenity in the kitchen. In the living room a cup board in one of the internal partition walls with shutters opening in the moving space should be provided.
Sanfoundry Global Education & Learning Series – Civil Engineering Drawing.
To practice all areas of Civil Engineering Drawing for Aptitude test, here is complete set of 1000+ Multiple Choice Questions and Answers. | https://www.sanfoundry.com/civil-engineering-drawing-questions-answers-aptitude-test/ |
In the framework of the fifth transnational meeting that took place in January 28-29 2021, the Tourism-friendly Cities (TFC) URBACT network focused at one key element for consolidating sustainable tourism practices: the health and safety of tourists, and, of course, of residents. As the TFC cities are beginning to develop their Integrated Development Plans (IAPs) on sustainable tourism, in a co-creation process within their own URBACT Local Groups (ULG), we wanted to reflect at this theme that was not so visible on our radar in 2019 when we imagined the initial peer-to-peer learning and exchange workplan of the network.
For this, we asked top policy-makers and city practioners to join us in an online introductory thematic panel discussion on Thursday January 28th 2021. This live streaming session (full recording available here) was afterwards followed by a workshop where TFC cities representatives further exchanged on how their communities are actively adapting measures to integrate health and safety in their tourism practices and their effect on industry, residents and the city since the outbreak of the pandemic. Below are some key takeaways that summarize main actions and emerging trends on what we are learning in real time from the COVID-19 pandemic.
If it’s good for residents, it’s good for tourists: Key takeaways from the live streaming discussion
Laura Gaggero- the Deputy Mayor for City Marketing and Tourism, Genoa Municipality, Italy- offered concrete examples on how Genoa Municipality is working together with key tourism stakeholders for making sure that at local level safety and health protocols can be implemented in order to open the city for a new touristic season. Examples included the work conducted together with the cruise companies and port authority in order to preserve cruise safety bubbles when conducting city centre guided tours and the development of local tourism packages that promote and integrate services from neighbourhood businesses. Most importantly, it offered a concrete viewpoint on how important is for city leaders to be committed to finding solutions and acknowledging that these solutions can only be developed in partnership with key stakeholders.
Dr. Miia Palo, Chief Medical Officer, Lapland hospital district, Rovanimeni, Finland- explained the work they conducted as medical professionals to collaborate and be available for local entrepreneurs, especially tourism businesses, to understand how they can follow health and safety guidance. The visible part of this work is accessible within this platform, which contains updated information for both tourists and tourism businesses about COVID-19 safety procedures in Rovaniemi area. The invisible part of this work was the understanding that trust is a precious and essential element that needs to be preserved for any collective response and that building networks, supporting effective communication and availability for finding solutions together is crucial for that. Most significantly, was the underlying understanding that it is not a fight between medical VS economical mindsets, but rather a common one: without businesses, livelihood and wellbeing of residents will be impacted, without health and safety measures, livelihood and wellbeing of residents and tourists will suffer.
Jane Stacey - Head of Tourism Unit, Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs. Regions and Cities, OECD- highlighted that the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important tourism is at local level and how much it is missed when it is gone. This opens up a significant opportunity to address its current challenges (the risk or realities of overtourism) and build a better practice for tourism. In this context, businesses which can make a business case of sustainable and eco practices will probably have a strong possibility for growth. Moreover, careful consideration should be given to how to ensure the safety of the entire tourism ecosystem, as it is not enough to guarantee that only one service is safe. For this, stronger coordination between national, European and international entities is essential to order to ensure safe international mobility.
Andrea Verdiani, Head of Commercial Office - Marine Stations S.p.A, Genoa, Italy and Nur El Gawohary, Press and External Officer, Airport of Genoa, Italy- offered the local perspective of two of the most important tourism mobility entities in Genoa- the port authority and the airport. For both entities, safety protocols have become the norm long before the current pandemic, and this is why their current work is on how the added health protocols can became part of the current norm. Due to the strong commitment to safety, the port authority has managed to already open operations for tourist cruises, while the airport is working closely with airlines to involve them also in communication with tourists on new norms and protocols and how to enjoy Genoa as a safe destination.
Balancing action with caution: Key takeaways from the TFC cities workshop
TFC cities are constantly adapting to the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are making significant changes for their 2021/2022 season:
Visual summary of workshop discussion where TFC cities representatives exchanged on how their communities are actively adapting measures to integrate health and safety in their tourism practices and their effect on industry, residents and the city since the outbreak of the pandemic.
1. Adjusting local budgets to support local tourism businesses and local entrepreneurs. Several cities, such as Dubrovnik and Dún Laoghaire, are planning to allocate municipal funds in order to support local and small and medium business comply with the new safety protocols. Braga is exempting local businesses from all city taxes for 2021, while Dubrovnik is also taking into consideration financing PCR tests.
2. Valuing local assets and their effects on residents and visitors health and wellbeing. Druskininkai, as a spa resort city, is currently planning rehabilitation treatment packages for people who overcame COVID-19. Dún Laoghaire has recently completed one of its capital infrastructure projects, the new cycle route, which now enables a safe and active mobility option for both residents and visitors to enjoy the centre and surrounding areas.
3. Focus on online promotion of their attractions and their city as a destination. Genoa is promoting the city card for better planning of tourist flows, while Braga has launched a new app and video on local agents and is currently in the international competition for best European tourist destination for 2021 (LE: Braga just won the first place in this competition).
4. Hosting regular meetings and coordination communication with tourism stakeholders. Krakow is hosting a monthly meeting and has been transferring some takeaways in its new development plan for Krakow 2021- 2028 (to be approved in February). Rovaniemi is organizing dedicated workshops on how to sustain sustainable tourism practices, while Dubrovnik and Venice are advocating for tourist stakeholders to develop joint activities to be offered on the market and a focus on green tourism and green tourism businesses, respectively.
5. Focus on outdoor activities and placemaking events. Dún Laoghaire (DLR) is working on supporting placemaking activities in order to encourage people to visit the DLR area and feel safe to dine and meet outside. Genoa is promoting safe touristic city tours with groups of few people, and has taken the waste collection points out of the city center streets, while Caceres organizes regular bike tours and is aiming to adapt most of its cultural programming for the season to outdoor activities.
6. Proactively thinking on the future of events. Rovaniemi is encouraging learning from all the tourism ecosystem on how to combine live and online events and Venice started planning how to organize safe international events and fairs. Caceres is focusing on how to encourage visitors to visit other parts of the city outside of the historical centre in order to avoid crowds.
7. A label for quality: Krakow will start research on the introduction of the Quality Krakow service, together with local entrepreneurs. The Quality Krakow service could become a label that can guarantee that health and safety protocols are respected at the highest standard.
8. Monitoring and understanding local concerns of tourism businesses. Both Braga and Krakow have experienced local protests from some local restaurants and hotels against national lockdown rules. The situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is and will continue to bring personal and financial loss, as well as different levels of understanding and support that can be granted at local, regional and national level. This is why, open communication channels at local level are crucial for building and maintaining trust and finding a collective answer to a collective challenge. | https://urbact.eu/insights-tourist-friendly-cities-network-integrating-health-safety-new-model-sustainable-tourism |
(A) In the very near future, Spending must match Revenue. This will happen either by design - through sound planning and careful long-term management; or by default – in an economic implosion as Revenue stalls and Government gets hit with the same problem that slammed into Barbados. Today, at the Press Conference, the Minister is on record as saying that he does NOT anticipate a balanced Budget by 2018.
(B) Without further borrowing or use of already borrowed funds, and as long as GDP sits under $5,900 million [$5.9bn] with Government’s total tax uptake staying at a high 17% of GDP, Net Spending will fall to a low $850 million.
(C) For Government’s total revenue to rise, GDP must rise. As long as GDP sits under $5.9bn, at a high 17% tax uptake, Government’s total Revenue will stay under $1,000 million [$1.0bn] and Net Spending will float down to under $850 million. Chart Two shows that planned NET spending in 2014/15 is lower than in 2007/08. Chart Two also shows that the Minister projects that NET spending will go even lower, and that by 2016/17, NET spending could be lower than in 2005/06.
(D) GDP can only rise if on-Island consumer demand rises. On-Island consumer demand can only rise if ResPop rises. ResPop can only rise if more people – Bermudians and/or non-Bermudians - come to live in and work from Bermuda. The Minister has restated and re-emphasised this.
(E) Even a rapid 25% uptick in Tourism revenues [from the $392 million of 2012 to $500 million by 2015] will be insufficient to offset the negative effect of these and near future NET reductions in Government spending [NET spending falling from $1,080 in 2013/14 to $904 million by 2016/17].
(F) The universal arithmetic of Debt has forced Government into trying to run year 2014 Bermuda with year 2006 dollars.
The Fix? Grow ResPop. It is Bermuda’s only way up and out of its freshly re-identified and re-described economic hole.
Charts explained. Chart ONE - Figures from Financial Year 2000/01 to 2011/12 are the audited figures. From 2012/13 to 2016/17, the figures are as reported in this 2014/15 Budget Statement. These numbers will be explained later.
Chart TWO - Net annual spending from 2000/01 to 2011/12 is verified by the audited accounts. From 2012/13 to 2016/17, as reported in this Budget Statement.
Government Revenue – Total revenue received by Government in that Financial Year [FY]. All the figures from 2000/01 to 2011/12 are from audited figures. From 2012/13 to 2016/17, from this Budget Statement.
Government Spending– Total spent by Government. Includes all Capital, Current, and Debt Servicing. 2000/01 to 2011/12 are audited figures. 2012/13 to 2016/17 are Budget Statement figures, or based on the Budget Statement, calculations for 2015/16 and 2016/17.
National Debt as Reported – The maximum Debt [Senior Notes and Overdrafts] reported in audited accounts and in this Budget Statement for that FY. No increase by 2016/17. Paying off $120 million in June [$75m] and December [$45m] of this year.
Total National Debt Service Costs [The Elephant] – TDSC includes all Interest payments and Sinking Fund contributions. KEMHPPP payments as agreed in 2010 in NOT shown or accounted for in this Budget Statement.
Net Government Spending – What Government actually spends IN BERMUDA on Personnel, Operations, and Services. It is what’s left after meeting TDSC. It is separated and shown, all by itself, in Chart TWO. Net Government Spending shows a rising trend up to 2008/09; then a declining trend from 2009/10. The chart shows that in 2014/15, Government will be spending LESS money [$1,007.8 million] on Personnel and Operations and Services than it spent seven years ago in 2007/08 when $1,041 million was actually spent.
Debt Service as percentage of Revenue– Shows the percentage of every Revenue dollar that must be used to pay TDSC. Thus 2.0% [as in FY 2001/02] means that $2.00 out of every $100.00 was used to pay TDSC, leaving $98.00 to be re-spent as NET Spending. Note that in 2013/14 this has risen to 14%. Note also that is is heading higher and may reach 18% by 2016/17.
Reported and Projected GDP – GDP is Gross Domestic Product. GDP figures for 2000 to 2012 are as already reported and accepted. The 2013 figure is the Minister for Finance’s estimate. For 2014 - 2016, the Minister’s projection.
Year-on-year change in GDP – Shows year-on-year increase or decrease. From 2000 to 2008, GDP was rising. From 2009 to 2013, GDP was declining. The Minister anticipates only 6% growth by 2016 with a hoped-for 3% growth in each of 2015 and 2016.
Overspend (Deficit/Surplus) – The difference between spending and revenue. If the sum TotRev – TotSpe is negative, then Spending has exceeded Revenue and the result is a Deficit. If the sum TotRev – TotSpe is positive, then Spending has been less than Revenue and the result is a Surplus. The chart shows Surpluses from 2000/01 to 2002/03; then a series of Deficits which are expected to continue into 2016/17.
Have Crockwell’s travels cost as much as a referendum ? | http://www.bermudasun.bm/Content/OPINION/Marc-Bean/Article/Budget-analysis-Growing-our-population-is-the-only-way-out-of-this-mess/4/1331/75284 |
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Church and State
Where to begin? Cathedrals are meant to inspire awe by their
nature but St Paul’s Cathedral has the added responsibility of demonstrating
the authority of the monarchy at a time when it’s power was absolute. The spectacle begins before the cathedral
comes wholly into view. One first sees
its massive dome in the distance, standing over 30 stories in the sky; We were fortunate to have the bonus of the
sound of bells beckoning people to come forth.
It is a siren sound that is difficult to resist investigating today and
must have been more so a few centuries ago.
When approaching the cathedral from the front,
the magnitude of the structure becomes apparent. Two tall towers on the ends with two stories
of paired columns lining the entrance and, of course, the famed dome. I had a sense of unworthiness when entering
such a magnificent building. I wondered
if this was intentional. If the idea is
to make the person feel small in this house of worship and make it easier to
give them self over to the message being preached.
Once inside I was met by bright
whites on every surface save for the ceiling.
The ceilings were adorned with brightly
painted images that I cannot attempt to describe but the meaning of these
paintings seemed apparent to me. They are meant to keep a person’s glance
upward. We are small, the almighty is
great and you are in his house, in his presence. This was mimicked with the window placement
and choices of glass as well. Light
shines in from above and we are bathing in this light.
As I walked around the cavernous
space, I found it noteworthy that the monuments located in the cathedral are
not of the religious variety but rather national. There were monuments to the Duke of
Wellington, Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Lord Nelson and many other military
officers in the British armed services.
This struck me as a grand propaganda, worthy of the spectacle the
building is meant to inspire. The imagery
between the Anglican church and England as a country merged seamlessly to say
“Our military is carrying out our divine right to rule.” This makes perfect sense as the head of the
church and the head of state are one in the same.
The spectacle of the service was not
foreign to me having attended a handful of catholic masses. The organist plays, the procession enters
while the choir sings, etc. All meant to
create a grand scene to take the individual out of being one and giving themselves
over to something greater. It is beautiful to be in that moment, to be
released from self, to be at peace. While
I don’t get it, I do believe I understand it.
It is a grand spectacle
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Job Purpose: The Senior Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is to provide support to specific schools and/or programs, consulting with teachers of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and/or significant social-emotional-behavioral challenges, designated support staff, and school administrators. The primary function of the Senior Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is to plan, develop, and monitor a variety of behavior support service delivery options. The Senior Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is responsible for ensuring implementation of ABA services in accordance with best clinical practice.
Major Responsibilities:
- Designing, implementing, and training staff to implement behavior data collection systems and behavior support/intervention plans.
- Conducting assessments (e.g. functional behavior assessments, ecological) to inform the development of individualized behavior intervention plans
- Conducting skill assessments (e.g. VB-MAPP, AFLS) as needed
- Collecting, summarizing and presenting data on students that best reflects their current progress
- Maintaining appropriate records such as data collection and consultation notes
- Providing professional development to staff on behavior interventions and supports
- Participating in Planning and Placement Team meetings as needed
- Collaborating with general education/special education teachers, related services staff and district/building administrators to address student and program specific needs
- Providing family/guardian training on implementation of behavior plans, as needed
- Providing on-going supervision and training to Registered Behavior Technicians as needed
The Senior BCBA works under the supervision of the Coordinator of BCBA Services
Qualifications:
- Experience working in a public school
- Master's Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, education, psychology, human services or related field
- Current Board-Certified Behavior Analyst credential
- CT state Licensure as a Behavior Analyst
- Candidate must be proven to be responsible and reliable, able to perform a physical restraint, possess strong communication skills, and have a valid CT driver's license and insurance
Salary Range
- Based on experience and highly competitive benefits package
EdAdvance does not discriminate in any of its programs, activities or employment practices on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, religion, age, disability, veteran, marital or familial status. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA Director, Office of Civil Rights, Washington, DC 20250-9410. | https://veterans.careerarc.com/job-listing/edadvance-jobs-senior-board-certified-behavior-analyst-31561771 |
Data Analytics, part of the division of Innovation & Performance Management, is responsible for fostering a data-informed NYC Parks by leveraging data to produce insights that cross divisional perspectives, and to create a culture of data use throughout the agency. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. www.nyc.gov/parks.
For external applicants, please apply through www.nyc.gov/careers
1) Go to www.nyc.gov/careers/search
Search for Job ID#: 429074
For details about NYC Parks: www.nyc.gov/parks
Skills and responsibilities
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
• Under direct supervision of the Director of Data Analytics, with latitude for independent initiative and judgment, perform applied research and conduct analyses to detect and predict patterns, answer complex questions and extract insight.
• Acquire, clean, integrate, analyze and interpret disparate data sets using a variety of geospatial and statistical data analysis and data visualization methodologies, reporting and authoring findings where appropriate.
• Improve agency data analysis capacity by supporting the data analytics training program, assisting data users with projects, identifying data sources and helping choose and use appropriate techniques and software tools to answer questions.
• Advance NYC Parks’ Open Data initiative by working with Legal, Parks IT, Communications and division data owners to identify data sets, conduct data audits and assist in the development and implementation of processes to improve data interoperability and support data quality and data publication.
• Communicate analytical and scientific processes and results to internal and external stakeholders.
Residency in New York City, Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Putnam or Westchester counties required for employees with over two years of city service. New York City residency required within 90 days of hire for all other candidates.
Details
-
Location:
New York,NY
-
Salary:
$65,000.00-$75,000.00yearly, Plus excellent benefits
-
Deadline:
2020-03-31
Qualifications
Minimum qualifications
A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
Preferred qualifications
1. Demonstrated expertise in statistical, analytical and data visualization software, especially ArcGIS, SQL tools and relevant Python libraries.
2. Experience supporting users with the above software tools, as well as Excel-based charting, statistical and analytical functions.
3. Proven track record of conducting quantitative and/or geospatial research.
4. Knowledge of relevant industry standards, best practices and scientific literature.
5. High level of proficiency in communicating and presenting both verbally and visually to stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
6. Ability to apply independent judgment on complex technical and data issues and to resolve problems effectively.
7. Prior experience and leadership working in interdisciplinary teams bridging information technology and subject matter expertise.
8. Familiarity with open-source packages and prototyping skills such as experience with d3.js. | https://jobs.codeforamerica.org/job-postings/1611-data-analytics-specialist |
Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who used politics in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights movement and protest the war. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame for humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title. He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racial barriers.
The first African American to play Major League baseball once said, “a life is not important, except in the impact it has on other lives”; this was, of course, Jackie Robinson. Similar to Muhammad Ali, he faced problems head on a...
... middle of paper ...
...ese militaristic ideals is just a way to show the utmost respect for our military. At the beginning of each sporting event all the players and fans, despite their teams/affiliations, join together to sign the National Anthem. This is to say we are all Americans first and players/fans second. For this short moment, football does not matter; neither does corporatism or commercials, but for this instant we are celebrating America and those who fight for our freedom.
Works Cited
Andrews, David. "Sports and Militarism- A Symbiotic Relationship." www.personal.psu.edu. 26 Mar. 2012.
Stergios, Jim, and Joshua Archambault . "Mixing Sports With Politics." The Washington Times. 26 Mar. 2012.
Zelizer, Julian E. "Sports and Political Oversight Do Mix ." CNN . 26 Mar. 2012.
Need Writing Help? | https://www.123helpme.com/sports-and-politics-preview.asp?id=229324 |
Sheri Berman warns that, however self-evident the crisis of this neoliberal phase of capitalism may appear, it will not automatically collapse.
Over recent years, the negative consequences of neoliberal capitalism have become impossible to ignore. It contributed to such traumatic events as the 2008 financial crisis as well as such destructive long-term trends as rising inequality, lower growth, increasing monopsony and growing social and geographic divides. Moreover, its impact has not been limited to the economic sphere: these events and trends have negatively influenced western societies and democracies as well. As a result, damning critiques of neoliberal capitalism, by academics, politicians and commentators, have proliferated.
Yet if the aim is not to chip away at the rough edges of neoliberalism, but rather fundamentally to transform it into a more equitable, just and productive system, more than a recognition of its flaws and downsides is necessary. As the old saying goes, ‘you can’t beat something with nothing’.
Two-stage process
If we want to understand what it would take to get rid of the neoliberal ideas and policies which have negatively affected western economies, societies and democracies for decades, we need to recall how ideological transformations occur. The rise and fall of economic paradigms or ideologies can be conceptualised as a two-stage process.
In the first stage, dissatisfaction with, or a recognition of the inadequacy of, a dominant ideology grows. These perceived failings create the potential—what political scientists refer to as a ‘political space’—for change. But even when such a space has opened, the question remains of whether another ideology—and, if so, which—will replace the old one. For an existing ideology to collapse, things must progress beyond the stage where it is criticised and attacked, to a second stage where a new, more plausible and attractive ideology rises to replace it.
This process is clearly reflected in the rise of neoliberalism itself.
During the postwar period a social-democratic consensus reigned in western Europe. This rested on a compromise: capitalism was maintained, but it was a very different capitalism from its early 20th-century counterpart. After 1945 west European governments promised to regulate markets and protect citizens from capitalism’s most destabilising and destructive consequences, via a variety of social programmes and public services.
For decades, this order worked remarkably well. In the 30 years or so after the second world war, western Europe experienced its fastest ever economic growth and liberal democracy became the norm across the region for the first time.
Beginning in the 1970s, however this order began running into problems, as a nasty combination of rising inflation, increasing unemployment and slow growth—‘stagflation’—spread across western economies. These problems created the potential, a political opening, for change. But for this to be exploited, a challenger was needed. That challenger, of course, was neoliberalism.
Alternative prepared
During the postwar decades a neoliberal right had been thinking about what it saw as the downsides of the social-democratic consensus and what should replace it. These neoliberals didn’t gain much traction before the 1970s, since the postwar order was working well and there was accordingly little demand for fundamental change. When problems and discontent emerged, however, the neoliberals were prepared—not only with critiques but with an alternative.
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As Milton Friedman, intellectual godfather of this movement, put it, ‘only a crisis – actual or perceived – produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable.’ That the left, at the time, was unable to offer distinctive explanations for, or viable solutions to, the problems facing the social-democratic order eased neoliberalism’s triumph.
That triumph was also facilitated and cemented by a purposeful process of ideological diffusion. Neoliberalism’s central precepts became widely accepted within the economics profession, and think tanks and educational programmes helped spread neoliberal ideas across the policy-making, legal and other communities.
So pervasive and effective was this process of diffusion that it swept over parties of the left as well. Stephanie Mudge has shown that by the end of the 20th century the Keynesian economists who dominated economic policy-making within most left parties during the postwar period had been replaced by ‘trans-national finance-oriented economists’ and products of neoliberal think tanks who viewed themselves as interpreters of markets and saw their mission in technocratic, efficiency terms—urging the left to embrace globalisation, deregulation, welfare-state retrenchment and other reforms.
In the years leading up to the 2008 crisis, voices robustly opposed to the reigning neoliberal ideology were few and far between. As Marion Fourcade and Sarah Babb put it, during this period the triumph of neoliberalism ‘as an ideological force’ was complete, ‘in the sense that there “were no alternatives” simply because everybody believed this, and acted upon [neoliberal] beliefs’.
Pendulum swing
The financial crisis and growing recognition of the negative long-term consequences of neoliberalism have now caused the pendulum to swing back. A broad appreciation that many ideas and policies advocated by neoliberals since the 1970s are responsible for the economic, social and political mess in which the west finds itself has opened a political space for transformation. But for that to occur, the left would need to be ready with an alternative—not just criticisms.
It is entirely possible for growing numbers of people to become aware of problems with an existing order, weakening it perhaps but yet not causing its collapse and replacement. Indeed, such periods have names: interregnums. Historically, interregnums fell between the reign of one monarch and the next; lacking strong, legitimate leaders, such periods were often unstable and violent.
From a contemporary perspective, an interregnum is a period when an old order is crumbling but a new one has not taken its place. Just as in the past, however, such periods tend to be disordered and volatile. Or, as Antonio Gramsci more poetically put it—reflecting from his prison cell in 1930 on how fascism, rather than the left, had been the beneficiary of the crisis of capitalism in Italy—during interregnums ‘a great variety of morbid symptoms appear’.
Whether the many ‘morbid symptoms’—economic, social and political—characterising our current age will be transcended depends on whether the left is able to move beyond attacking neoliberalism. It has to come up with, and then build support for, viable, attractive and distinctive alternatives.
This article is a joint publication by Social Europe and IPS-Journal
Sheri Berman is a professor of political science at Barnard College and author of Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe: From the Ancien Régime to the Present Day (Oxford University Press). | https://socialeurope.eu/interregnum-or-transformation |
2023 Leadership Team
Each fall the Lay Leadership and Nominations Committee is responsible for identifying, recommending, and training our leadership team for the coming year. It helps the work of our committee if we know people have a particular interest in certain areas of leadership. Keep in mind that while our Leadership Team consists only of the committee members, the work of those ministry areas takes many more people than those who do the planning and preparation for the area. Some of the committees and areas of ministry in which there is opportunity to serve are:
The Administrative Board– our governing body that approves the work of all committees
The Ministry Council- the chairs of program committees to meet bi-annually to do assessment and visioning work.
The Staff Parish Relations Committee– oversees the church staff
The Board of Trustees– oversees all property and assets
Wesley Gardens Committee– oversees our Retreat Center on Moon River
The Finance Committee– plans our budget and oversees our finances
Endowment Committee– oversees our church endowments and planned giving
Communications Committee– works in internal and external communication
Evangelism/Hospitality– works on our church’s outreach to guests and new members
Worship Committee– helps coordinate our worship (also ushers, greeters, preparing the sanctuary)
Altar Guild– prepares our sanctuary for worship including flower arrangements
Communion Stewards– prepares communion for worship
Prayer Committee– coordinates the prayer ministry of our church
Children’s Ministry Committee– plans children’s ministry (Nursery, Early Childhood, Elementary)
Eli’s Place Committee– oversees our Early Child Development Center
Missions Committee– plans our mission budget and work
Youth Ministry Committee– oversees our youth ministry
Senior Adults Committee– plans and works on our ministry to senior adults
Music Ministry Committee– oversees our music ministry
Office Volunteers Group– fills in for our office staff, helps with large mailings, etc.
As you can see it takes lots of people to plan and implement our ministry. And in addition to the committee members, there are countless places to serve with your time and talent.
Email me today if there is a particular area in which you are willing to offer your time and talent. | https://www.wesleymonumental.org/2022/09/we-need-you/ |
Ireland and the british isles were once rich in nuts of various sort it was these mainly and oats flours and cattail flours are ancient celtic ancestors relyed on before the comming of wheat and later on in times of famine. before the arival of sugar honey was the only sweetener besides fruit juice. on the isles
chestnut flour can be found in european grocery stores especially french or italian ones. acorn flour can be found only in asian markets/ grocery stores. if you have beechnuts available you can grind those yourself to make homemade nut flour.
irish butter can be found in the specalty cheese section of the grocery store oddly enough.
- Yield
- 6
- Active Time
- 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 100 grams hazelnut flour or (50 grams hazelnut 50 grams acorn flour)
- 160 grams chestnut flour
- abt 8 tbsp honey
- 175 grams irish butter, softened
Preparation
- Sift nut flours together in a medium-large bowl. 2.Add butter and honey. Mix with hands until soft dough forms. If you feel that it's still too wet just add a little more chestnut flour. Refrigerate one hour. 3.Preheat oven to 150 C / Gas 2. Cover a baking tray with greased baking parchment. Shape dough into 2.5cm balls. Place about 5cm apart on greased parchment, then flatten with lightly floured fork. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. | https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/gluten-free-irish-nut-shortbread-52026211 |
Oak Ridge Associated Universities Funding
ORAU provides innovative scientific and technical solutions to advance national priorities in science, education, security and health. Through specialized teams of experts, unique laboratory capabilities and access to a consortium of more than 100 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to advance national priorities and serve the public interest. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
History and Purpose
In 1946, ORAU began as an outgrowth of the Manhattan Project. Over the years, through its university consortium, it has provided countless opportunities for the nation’s leading scientists. Since those early years both the mission and reach of ORAU have grown significantly. What began with fourteen universities in the southeast has grown to over 100 top research institutions located all over the U. S. plus one international university.
ORAU provides innovative, scientific, and technical solutions to its customers, which include the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 20 state and federal agencies and especially Oak Ridge National Laboratory, by advancing national priorities in science, health, educations, and national security. We do this by integrating unique laboratory capabilities, specialized teams of experts, and the research prowess of our consortium members. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, which supports government agencies who value an integrated solution incorporating state of the art science and technology in an era of consolidated government contracts requiring research informed delivery of critical services.
In addition to support for government agencies, ORAU provides many opportunities for teachers and students through a variety of fellowships, grants, scholarships, workshops, and joint-faculty appointments. Many of these programs are especially designed for underrepresented minority students pursuing degrees in science and engineering fields. Participation and financial support for science education programs now exceeds 8,000 participants and $196 million. The ORAU University Partnerships Office supports new faculty just beginning their careers through the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, individual faculty collaboration with other scientists at member universities and ORNL, and member schools with larger collaborative efforts.
All correspondence with ORAU is managed through one point-of-contact, the member institution’s ORAU Councilor. For USU faculty and students, initial contact should begin with Jeri Hansen ([email protected] or (435) 797-3437).
Recurring ORAU funding opportunities are described below.
Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award
The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award provides seed money for research by junior faculty and is intended to enrich their research and professional growth and result in new funding opportunities.
The award amount provided by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is $5,000, with matching of at least $5,000 provided by the faculty member’s institution. The award is for one year (June 1 – May 31). The research project must be in one of the following six disciplines:
- Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Life Sciences
- Mathematics/Computer Science
- Physical Sciences
- Policy, Management, or Education
- Health Disparities/Equity*
*New Research Category: As a result of ORAU’s partnership with The MITRE Corporation, a new research discipline has been added to the list for you to select from: Health Disparities/Equity. MITRE is interested in promoting multi-disciplinary research that focuses on understanding and addressing health disparities and promoting health equity. The following examples are representative of potential research topics:
- How can emerging medical technology innovations in areas like digital health, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics drive to create more equitable health outcomes? What potential pitfalls exist in these technologies to exacerbate inequities?
- How does climate change affect health outcomes of different populations and what measures can be taken to address inequitable outcomes found in underserved populations?
Full-time assistant professors at ORAU member institutions are eligible to apply if they are within two years of their initial tenure track appointment at the time of application.
A member institution can nominate only two faculty members per year. Nominees are selected via USU’s internal limited submission process each fall.
For more information about this program and how to apply, contact Jeri Hansen at [email protected] or (435) 797-3437.
Events Sponsorship Program
The Events Sponsorship program provides funding up to $4,000 to support an in-person or virtual event that involves participants from more than one ORAU member institution, including students. Event applications should focus on workshops/conferences that highlight USU's strategic STEM research and education growth areas, and where collaborations with other member universities would add value. ORAU is specifically interested in events that can bring more thought leadership in building a national strategy for STEM education and workforce development. Member universities are encouraged to collaborate around this topic in anticipation of federal funding initiatives.
Events Sponsorship Grant program applications are due beginning September 1 for events occurring before September 30 the following year. The Events Sponsorship Grant application window will remain open throughout ORAU's fiscal year depending on available funds. All events must be completed by September 30.
An ORAU representative must be invited to the event and will attend when possible.
A member institution is limited to one event sponsorship request per ORAU fiscal year (October 1 – September 30). Applicants must coordinate with the Office of Research to determine eligibility to apply.
For more information about this program and how to apply, contact Jeri Hansen at [email protected] or (435) 797-3437.
ORAU-Directed Research and Development (ODRD) Grants
The ORAU-Directed Research and Development (ODRD) Program provides a path for funding innovative research-based approaches/solutions that fall within the intersection of core capabilities of ORAU and member universities’ research interests. Successful ODRD-funded projects result in proposals that can generate new sponsored research jointly performed by ORAU and partner universities. ODRD funding, distributed through a competitive process, serves as seed money for exploratory research and collaboration opportunities among ORAU subject matter experts and university partners. This seed money and exploratory research provides greater potential for significant funding from external sources.
Led by ORAU subject matter experts, ODRD projects will strengthen and expand the scientific and technical capabilities of ORAU programs and enhance ORAU’s ability to address current and future customer needs. By leveraging the talents and strengths of member universities, ODRD supports university-engaged, applied research while increasing the potential for significant external research funding.
What kinds of projects will be considered?
The ODRD Program is comprised of core and cross-cutting initiatives focused on developing or advancing strategic capabilities at ORAU. ODRD resources will be invested in strongly-focused portfolios of fewer, larger scale projects for greater impact. Researchers are encouraged to formulate innovative concepts that offer the potential to achieve breakthrough advances to support ORAU’s priority focus areas. Check the ODRD web page for current priority focus areas.
The ODRD Program invests in research projects that will:
- advance the study of hypotheses, concepts, or innovative approaches to scientific or technical problems,
- produce research and analyses directed towards “proof of principle” or early determination of the utility of new ideas and concepts, and
- enhance ORAU and member university research capabilities.
Projects should be achievable in one year, and up to $150,000 is shared between ORAU and the university partner.
How can I collaborate with ORAU on an ODRD project?
ORAU has subject matter experts (SMEs) with unique experience and education specific to a particular research topic. ORAU SMEs serve as the project lead and are responsible for submitting proposal applications through an internal ODRD application process. The SMEs represent ORAU’s thought leaders and are the best resource to determine the value of a collaborative ODRD project.
University faculty interested in collaborating on the next round of ODRD projects will have an opportunity to submit a brief interest statement, to be shared with our ORAU SMEs. Check the ODRD web page for information on the next round of proposals. You may also refer to ORAU’s SMEs listed around our website, and contact them directly. | https://research.usu.edu/rd/orau-funding |
Dedicated and responsive teacher with proven skills in classroom management, behavior modification and individualized support. Comfortable working with students of all skill levels to promote learning and boost educational success. Serves as role model by using growth mindset to develop young minds and inspire love of learning. Attentive and adaptable. Skilled in management of classroom operations. Effective in leveraging student feedback to create dynamic lesson plans that address individual strengths and weaknesses. Dedicated and motivated to encourage student growth through carefully monitored academic progress. Adaptable and focused teacher with demonstrated success in managing organized classrooms, updating records and providing both group and individualized instruction. Proficient in helping advanced, struggling and special needs students enhance learning. Experienced with special education instruction.
Resumes, and other information uploaded or provided by the user, are considered User Content governed by our Terms & Conditions. As such, it is not owned by us, and it is the user who retains ownership over such content.
Companies Worked For:
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© 2021, Bold Limited. All rights reserved. | https://www.livecareer.com/resume-search/r/substitute-teacher-3942376fa6fd486bbbd892b8241d3b71 |
BACKGROUND
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
File copying can be considered as the creation of a new file that has the same content as an existing file. Computer operating systems include file-copying commands that users can employ. Operating systems having graphical user interfaces (GUIs) can provide for file copying via copy-and-paste or drag-and-drop techniques, and operating systems may provide command-line interfaces (CLIs) in which commands like “cp” or “copy” can be used. Operating systems may expose application-programming interfaces (APIs) to perform local file copying, and which can be used by application programs running on the operating systems.
As noted in the background, operating systems permit users and application programs to copy files using commands exposed at command-line interfaces (CLIs), using graphical user interface (GUI) techniques, and/or using exposed application-programming interfaces (APIs). A user or a computer program, for instance, may copy a file from one logical directory or folder of a storage device of a computing device, like a hard disk drive, to the same or different directory or folder on the same or different storage device connected the device. After file copying is performed, there are thus (at least) two instances of the file: the original file that was copied, and the copy of the original file that was created by the file copying operation.
Modern operating systems running on modern computing systems can spawn multiple threads of a process. A process may be considered as an instance of program code that is being executed. A thread is a sequence of programmed instructions, and may be considered as a component of a process. On a computing system having multiple single- or multiple-core processors, or which has a single multiple-core processor, the threads of a process may execute concurrently on the various processing cores, sharing resources such as memory, to complete the process.
An operating system can have a parameter denoting the number of threads that a corresponding process will spawn when copying multiple files. While adjustable, this default thread count is infrequently modified by the end user, or by different computer programs that leverage the operating system's built-in file copying functionality. In general, this is because it is difficult to surmise the optimal number of threads for copying a given set of files, where the optimal number of threads may be considered as the number of threads a process should use to copy the files in the shortest amount of time.
A complicating factor, for instance, is that the optimal number of threads depends on a variety of different parameters, including the size and type (e.g., file format or a group of file formats) of the files to be copied. Other parameters include characteristics of the underlying computing system, such as storage device performance, processor speed, the number of threads the operating system can support, the speed at which processes are executable within the system, and so on. Furthermore, while increasing the number of threads may at first decrease file copy time, setting the number of threads too high may in actuality increase file copy time.
Techniques described herein employ machine learning to determine the optimal number of threads to use to copy files. Specifically, a temporal difference learning, reinforcement learning approach, in which file copy time serves as feedback reward reinforcement, is used to determine the optimal number of threads for copying files of each of a number of different discrete file sizes and of a particular file type. A continuous function can then be fit onto the determined optimal numbers of threads for the different discrete file sizes for this particular file type. This process is repeated for each of a number of different file types, such as different file formats or different groups of file formats. Thus, when copying a set of files having a given file size and of the same particular file type, the number of threads output by the continuous function for the particular file type can be employed.
FIG. 1
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shows an example method for using a temporal difference learning, machine learning approach to determine the optimal number of threads to use to copy file. A training computing system may perform parts and of the method , whereas a different, production computing system may perform parts and . In other implementations, the same computing system may perform the method in its entirety.
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The training computing system determines, for each of a number of different file types, optimal numbers of threads to use to copy files of different discrete file sizes, using a temporal difference learning, reinforcement learning approach (). That is, for a particular file type, each of a number of preselected file sizes, the optimal number of threads to use to copy files of the particular file type and having the discrete file size in question is determined. For example, the file sizes may range from bytes to several thousand bytes, in varying increments. For the particular file type, test files of each file size may be generated, or existing files of the discrete file sizes may be employed. The files of a given discrete file size may be different files of the same size, or may be copies of the same file.
This process is then repeated for each particular file type. For example, the file types may be different file formats, such as executable files (e.g., files having names ending in “.exe”), image files of various formats (such as PEG files having names ending in “.jpeg” or “.jpg,” PNG files having names ending in “.png,” and so on), as well as other file formats. As another example, a file type may correspond to a group of file formats that are similar to one another. For instance, a file type may correspond to the tar, zip, mp4, and avi file formats in one implementation.
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The files are of discrete file sizes in that optimal numbers of threads are not determined for files of all possible file sizes, which in any case is tractably difficult if not impossible. The greater the number of different discrete file sizes selected in part , however, the more likely that the method can determine the optimal number of threads to copy files of any file size. Furthermore, the discrete file sizes are desirably selected so that they span across a range of sizes of files that are likely to be subsequently copied by users and application programs. The discrete file sizes may continue to be selected until the optimal thread count for copying files of a selected discrete file size is one for a particular.
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How the optimal number of threads is determined for each particular file type to copy files of each discrete file size and of this file type is described later in the detailed description. However, the training computing system performs part using a reinforcement learning approach. Reinforcement learning is a type of machine learning relating to how software agents take actions in an environment to maximize a cumulative reward, and differs from other machine learning techniques, like supervising learning and unsupervised learning. In the context of part , the processes performing the copying can be considered as the software agents, and the environment is the training computing system in which the copying is performed. The cumulative reward used in part is based on the file copy time to copy a file, as feedback reward reinforcement.
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More specifically, the training computing system performs part using a temporal difference learning approach. Temporal difference learning is a type of reinforcement learning approach that does not use a model.
Rather, learning occurs by bootstrapping from the current estimate of a value function. In temporal difference learning, predictions as to maximizing the value function are adjusted to match later, more accurate, predictions before a final outcome is known.
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More specifically still, the training computing system can perform part using a Q-learning approach. Q-learning is a specific type of temporal difference learning, and thus is also model-free. The goal of Q-learning is for an agent to learn a policy, which instructs the agent what action to take under what circumstances. Q-learning finds a policy that is optimal in that an expected value of the total reward is maximized over all steps, or actions, from the current state. As noted above, how part can be performed to determine the optimal number of threads for copying files of a given discrete file size using a temporal difference learning, reinforcement learning approach, like Q-learning, is described later in the detailed description.
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The result of part is, for each file type, a set of data points, which are the optimal numbers of threads to use to copy files of this file type and having various discrete file sizes. That is, each data point corresponds to a particular discrete file size and particular file type, and is the optimal number of threads for copying files of the particular file type and having the discrete file size in question. The data points determined part can be considered the original data points, as opposed to subsequently added data points to the set of data points.
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The training computing system can, for each file type, fit a continuous function onto the set of data points for the file type (). The continuous function for each file type may be a polynomial function, for instance. The function for a particular file type, for a given file size of files of the particular file type to be copied, outputs the number of threads to use to copy the files. Therefore, whereas part determines the optimal numbers of threads to use to copy files of each particular file type and having particular discrete file sizes, part effectively permits this set of determined optimal numbers of threads for each file type to be used to determine the optimal number of threads for any file size.
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The continuous functions determined in part can be provided to the production computing system . The production computing system can then use these functions to determine the numbers of threads to use to copy files of varying file sizes and types (). For instance, when a production computing system is to copy files having the same file type and of a particular size, the particular size is input into the function corresponding to the file type of the files. The output of the function is the number of threads that the production computing system should use to copy the files. Each function may provide a non-integer real number, in which case the function output may be rounded or truncated to determine the number of threads to use to copy the files.
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The production computing system can differ from the training computing system in constituent components if not in actual workload. The continuous functions may accurately provide the optimal number of threads to use to copy files of differing files sizes on the training computing system , at the time the optimal numbers of threads were determined for the discrete file sizes in part . However, the functions may not be as accurate over time or on the production computing system .
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Therefore, periodically, the continuous functions may be updated at the production computing system so that the functions more accurately predicts the optimal numbers of threads to use to copy files of different file sizes at the system itself (). As described in more detail later in the detailed description, each continuous function may be re-fitted onto an updated set of data points. The updated set of data points can include the original data points determined for the function in question at the training computing system in part , as well as additional data points subsequently collected at the production computing system .
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For instance, periodically when a set of files is to be copied at the production computing system , a number of threads different than that which the function corresponding to the file type of the files prescribes may be used to copy the files. If the result is less variance in storage device utilization, then this number of threads is added for the file size of the file in question as a new data point to the set of data points corresponding to the file type. When a sufficient number of data points have been newly added to the set of data points corresponding to the file type, the continuous function for this file type may then be re-fitted onto the updated data points set to tune the function to the production computing system .
FIG. 2
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shows example states and example actions used in a temporal difference learning, reinforcement learning approach to determine an optimal number of threads to copy files having the same file type and of a discrete file size. A software agent, such as the process that an operating system spawns to copy files of a particular file type and of a particular file size, transitions among different states by performing actions over multiple iterations of copying the file, until a stable state has been reached. There are states A, B, , . . . , N, collectively referred to as the states . The states correspond to numbers of threads that can be used to copy the set of files.
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The number of states can be equal to the maximum number of threads that an operating system supports in copying files. For example, in some types of operating systems, between one and threads can be used to copy files. Therefore, there are states. The state A corresponds to one thread, the state B corresponds to two threads, and so on, through state N, which corresponds to N=128 threads.
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Between each iteration of copying files of a particular file type and of a particular discrete file size, the software agent (e.g., an operating system-spawned process) transitions from a current state to a next state by performing an action. The current state corresponds to the number of threads most recently used to copy files of a particular type and having a particular discrete file size, in the current iteration. The next state corresponds to the number of threads to be used to copy files of this file type and having the particular discrete file size in the next iteration.
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One of three different actions can be performed from every state (except the first state A and the last state N) to transition to another state . Using the state C corresponding to eight threads as an example, there are three actions A, B, and C, collectively referred to as the actions , to transition to a next state . The action A corresponds to maintaining the current number of threads; as such, the next state C is the same as the current state C. The action B corresponds to incrementing the current number of threads by one; as such, the next state corresponds to nine threads. The action C corresponds to decrementing the current number of threads by one; as such, the next state corresponds to seven threads.
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The number of threads cannot be decremented below using one thread to copy the files. Therefore, the first state A can perform one of just two actions to transition to a next state : maintain the current number of threads, such that the next state remains the state A; or increment the current number of threads, such that the next state is the state correspond to two threads. Similarly, the number of threads cannot be incremented above using more threads than the maximum number that the operating system in question supports. Therefore, the last state N can similarly perform one of just two actions to transition to a next state : maintain the current number of threads, such that the next state remains the state N, or decrement the current number of threads, such that the next state is the state corresponding to N-1 threads.
FIG. 3
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shows an example Q-learning table that can be used in a Q-learning approach to determine the optimal number of threads to copy files of a particular file type and of a discrete file size. The Q-learning table is used to probabilistically select the action to transition from the current state to the next state in the next training iteration in copying files of each discrete file size for the particular file type. After each training iteration, the Q-learning table is then updated. There is a Q-learning table for each discrete file size and for each particular file type. It is noted that the Q-learning table is a temporary table that is created and used during the training process for each file type and for each file size, and once stable state is identified for combination of file type and discrete file size, it can be deleted.
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The Q-learning table stores cumulative values (CVs), or cumulative rewards, for state-action pairs. The cumulative value for each pair of a particular state and a particular action is the expected cumulative reward for taking the action in transitioning from the particular state to another state . Since there are three actions that can be taken from each state (other than the first state A and the last state N) to another state , there are thus three state-action pairs for each state other than the first and last states A and N. There are two state-action pairs for each of the first and last states A and N.
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The Q-learning table therefore includes rows A, B, C, . . . , N, collectively referred to as the rows , and which correspond to the states . The number of rows of the table is equal to the number of states , which is equal to the number of different threads that an operating system process can deploy to copy the set of files (of a particular file type and having a particular discrete file size). The Q-learning table includes four columns A, B, C, and D, collectively referred to as the columns , for each row . The column A indicates the number of threads to which a given row , and thus a given state , corresponds. The columns A, B, and C, by comparison, store the cumulative value for transitioning from the state of a given row to a next state by respectively performing the actions A, B, and C.
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Specifically, the column A thus stores the cumulative value for transitioning from the state of a given row to a next state by maintaining the number of threads (such that the next state is the same as the current state ). The column B stores the cumulative value for transitioning from the state of a given row to a next state by incrementing the number of threads. The column C stores the cumulative value for transitioning from the state of a given row to a next state by decrementing the number of threads. There is no cumulative value for column C of the row A, because the number of threads cannot be decremented to less than one. There is likewise no cumulative value for column B of the row N, because the number of threads cannot be incremented to greater than the maximum number of threads,
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As such, at each training iteration when copying files of a particular discrete file size for a particular file type, the action to take to transition from the current state to a next state is probabilistically selected based on the Q-learning table for the discrete file size in question. Specifically, the action is probabilistically selected from the cumulative values of columns A, B, and C for the row corresponding to the current state . In general, the action having the highest cumulative value of any state-action pair for the current state is selected. However, the action is probabilistically selected, which means that there is a random chance that the action will be selected as an action other than that having the highest cumulative value.
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For each pair of a discrete file size and a particular file type, files of the discrete file size and for the particular file type are copied over training iterations. At each training iteration, the number of threads to use to copy the files in the next training iteration is selected by selecting an action to transition from the current state (corresponding to the most recently used number of threads) to the next state . The files are then copied using the number of threads corresponding to the next state , and the cumulative value for the current (not next) state-selected action pair updated. This process is reiterated until a given state has been stably reached.
FIG. 4
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shows an example method for using the Q-learning table to determine the optimal number of threads to use to copy files of a particular discrete file size. The method is performed for each pair of a discrete file size and a particular file type. The training computing system can thus perform the method a number of times equal to the number of different discrete file sizes multiplied by the number of particular file types to realize part of the method .
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The number of threads to use to copy files of the discrete file size in question and having the particular file type is probabilistically selected from the Q-learning table (). That is, an action is selected from the state-action pairs corresponding to the current state . The current state is the state corresponding to the number of threads most recently used to copy the files of the discrete file size and having the particular file type.
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When part is first performed, there is no current state , since the files of the discrete file size and having the particular file type have not yet been copied. Therefore, the number of threads may be randomly selected, or set to a default number of threads, such as the default number indicated by a corresponding operating system parameter of the training system. In the next iteration, the current state is thus the state that corresponds to this randomly selected or default number of threads.
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When there is a current state , an action to transition to a next state is selected from the cumulative values stored in the columns A, B, and C for the row corresponding to the current state . This action is probabilistically selected from these state-action pairs. This means that generally the action having the highest cumulative value of any state-action pair for the current state is selected to transition to a next state .
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However, there is a random chance that an action other than that having the highest cumulative value of any state-action pair for the current state is selected. This is why it is said that the action is probabilistically selected from the state-action pairs in question. The chance that an action may be selected as one other than that having the highest cumulative value of any state-action pair for the current state may decay over time, with increasing iterations of the method .
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Furthermore, prior to the first iteration through the method , the Q-learning table may be reset so that the cumulative value of each column A, B, and C, for every row is set to zero. That is, prior to performing the method for any discrete file size and any particular file type, the cumulative values for taking actions from the states to reach different states have not been determined, and thus can be reset to zero. It is noted that selecting a particular action based on the cumulative value in any unvisited state may be problematic, because the cumulative values for all the state-action pairs will initially be zero. In such situations, one action may be given priority over other actions to avoid any initial condition bias. The cumulative values stored in the columns A, B, and C will then be adjusted as iterations of the method transition from the states corresponding to the rows to different states.
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Files of the discrete file size in question and having the particular file type are copied using the selected number of threads (). For the first iteration, the selected number of threads is the randomly selected or default number of threads, as described. For subsequent iterations, the selected number of threads is the number of threads corresponding to the next state . The number of threads corresponding to the next state is equal to the number of threads of the current state after the probabilistically selected action has been taken on this number of threads. For example, if the current state corresponds to eight threads, and the probabilistically selected action is to decrement the number of threads by one, then the next state corresponds to seven threads, and the files of the discrete file size and having the particular file type are copied using seven threads.
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The files of the discrete file size in question and having the particular file type may be copied a number of times. That is, in each iteration of part , the files may be successively copied over a number of copying processes. In each copying process, the files are copied using the selected number of threads. While the files of the given discrete file size and having the particular file type are copied using the selected number of threads, file transfer time is monitored (). The file transfer time can be averaged over the number of file copying processes that have been performed.
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The Q-learning table is updated based on the monitored file transfer times (). Specifically, for the row corresponding to the current state , the column corresponding to the action that was probabilistically selected to transition from the current state to a next state is updated within the Q-learning table . This state-action pair is updated using file copy transfer time as reward reinforcement. Generally, with decreasing file copy transfer time in the next state compared to the current state , the cumulative value of the selected action in transitioning from the current state to the next state is increased.
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It is noted that the column corresponding to the action that was probabilistically selected is updated for the row corresponding to the current state , and not to the next state . For instance, the current state may correspond to seven threads. The probabilistically selected action may be to increment the number of threads by one, such that the next state corresponds to eight threads. The files of the discrete file size and having the particular file type are copied using eight threads in part , and the file transfer times monitored in part . The column of the Q-learning table that is updated in part is the column corresponding to this probabilistically selected action for the current state corresponding to seven threads, and not for the next state corresponding to eight threads.
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Mathematically, the cumulative value for the state-action pair of a column A, B, or C for a record can be expressed as Q(s,a) for state s and action a. To transition from a current state sto a next state s, an action ais probabilistically selected in part as the action of the column A, B, or C for the record corresponding to the current state shaving the greatest cumulative value Q. Once the action ahas been thus selected, files of the given discrete file size are copied in part , using the number of threads corresponding to the next state sreached by taking the selected action aat the current state s. The file transfer times are monitored in part as the files are copied using this number of threads. The cumulative value Q(s, a) for the state-action pair including the current state sand the selected action ais then updated in the column A, B, or C corresponding to the selected action at for the record corresponding to the current state s.
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In the Q-learning approach, Q (s, a) is expressed as follows,
<math overflow="scroll"><mrow><mrow><msup><mi>Q</mi><mrow><mi>n</mi><mo></mo><mi>e</mi><mo></mo><mi>w</mi></mrow></msup><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>s</mi><mi>t</mi></msub><mo>,</mo><msub><mi>a</mi><mi>t</mi></msub></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow><mo>←</mo><mrow><mrow><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><mn>1</mn><mo>-</mo><mi>α</mi></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow><mo>·</mo><mrow><mi>Q</mi><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>s</mi><mi>t</mi></msub><mo>,</mo><msub><mi>a</mi><mi>t</mi></msub></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></mrow><mo>+</mo><mrow><mi>α</mi><mo>·</mo><mrow><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>r</mi><mi>t</mi></msub><mo>+</mo><mrow><mi>γ</mi><mo>·</mo><mrow><munder><mi>max</mi><mi>a</mi></munder><mo></mo><mrow><mi>Q</mi><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>s</mi><mrow><mi>t</mi><mo>+</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub><mo>,</mo><mi>a</mi></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></mrow></mrow></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow><mo>.</mo></mrow></mrow></mrow></mrow></math>
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In this expression, Q(s, a) he updated cumulative value that replaces the current value Q(s, a) in the column A, B, or C corresponding to the selected action a, for the record corresponding to the current state safter the action ahas been taken. Furthermore,
<math overflow="scroll"><mrow><munder><mi>max</mi><mi>a</mi></munder><mo></mo><mrow><mi>Q</mi><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>s</mi><mrow><mi>t</mi><mo>+</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub><mo>,</mo><mi>a</mi></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></mrow></math>
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is an estimate of the optimal future value of the next state sacross all possible actions a. That is,
<math overflow="scroll"><mrow><munder><mi>max</mi><mi>a</mi></munder><mo></mo><mrow><mi>Q</mi><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>s</mi><mrow><mi>t</mi><mo>+</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub><mo>,</mo><mi>a</mi></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></mrow></math>
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is an estimate the maximum cumulative value of the cumulative values of the column A, B, and C for the record corresponding to next state sthat results from taking the selected action aat the current state s).
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The expression for Q(s, a) noted above includes a learning rate parameter a between zero and one, such as 0.2 in one implementation. The learning rate parameter indicates how quickly learning occurs—that is, how quickly the cumulative values Q are updated. Setting the learning rate parameter to zero, for instance, means that the cumulative values Q are never updated, whereas setting the parameter to one means that cumulative values Q are updated most quickly but may fail to reflect critical information during training. The learning rate parameter may decay over subsequent iterations, reflecting increased confidence of the cumulative values over the iterations.
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The expression for Q(s, a) noted above also includes a discount factor parameter γ between zero and one (or greater), such as 0.5 in one implementation. The discount factor parameter denotes the importance of future rewards. A discount factor parameter of zero indicates that just current rewards are considered, whereas a discount factor approaching one means that long-time higher rewards may continue to be sought. The discount factor parameter may be increased towards one over multiple iterations to accelerate learning.
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As noted above, the action ataken to transition from the current state sto a next state sis probabilistically selected, which means that there is a chance a random action will be taken regardless of the action that has the maximum cumulative value of any action for the current state. This probabilistic selection is controlled by a parameter ε, which is 0.1 in one implementation. This means that a random action is selected with ε probability regardless of the actual cumulative values of the actions for the current state. Setting this parameter to zero means that the action having the highest cumulative value is always selected, which can result in a locally but not maximally optimal stable state. The parameter ε may decay over subsequent iterations to improve stabilization at a current state, however.
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The expression for Q(s, a) noted above includes a reward value r, which is the reward received when moving from the current state sto the next state sby performing action a. The reward value is based on the monitored file copy, or transfer, times when copying files of the discrete file size with the number of threads corresponding to the next state s, such as the average or median monitored file copy, or transfer, time. As such, file copy time (i.e., file transfer time) is used as a feedback reward reinforcement in the Q-learning approach of .
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In one implementation, the reward rcan be expressed as follows.
<math overflow="scroll"><mrow><mrow><msub><mi>r</mi><mi>t</mi></msub><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>s</mi><mi>t</mi></msub><mo></mo><msub><mi>a</mi><mi>t</mi></msub></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow><mo>=</mo><mrow><mo>{</mo><mtable><mtr><mtd><mrow><mfrac><mrow><msub><mi>k</mi><mn>1</mn></msub><mo></mo><mrow><msub><mi>k</mi><mn>2</mn></msub><mo>·</mo><mrow><mi>g</mi><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>min</mi></msub><mo>-</mo><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></mrow><mo></mo><msub><mi>f</mi><mi>nd</mi></msub></mrow><msqrt><mrow><mn>2</mn><mo></mo><mi>π</mi><mo></mo><msup><mi>σ</mi><mn>2</mn></msup></mrow></msqrt></mfrac><mo>,</mo></mrow></mtd><mtd><mrow><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>min</mi></msub><mo>-</mo><mrow><mn>2</mn><mo></mo><mi>σ</mi></mrow></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow><mo>≤</mo><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><mo>≤</mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>min</mi></msub><mo>+</mo><mrow><mn>2</mn><mo></mo><mi>σ</mi></mrow></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></mtd></mtr><mtr><mtd><mrow><mrow><msub><mi>k</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>min</mi></msub><mo>-</mo><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow><mo>,</mo></mrow></mtd><mtd><mi>otherwise</mi></mtd></mtr></mtable></mrow></mrow></math>
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In this expression fis the normal distribution function
<math overflow="scroll"><mrow><msup><mi>e</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mfrac><msup><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><mo>-</mo><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>min</mi></msub></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow><mn>2</mn></msup><mrow><mn>2</mn><mo></mo><mstyle><mspace width="0.3em" height="0.3ex" /></mstyle><mo></mo><msup><mi>σ</mi><mn>2</mn></msup></mrow></mfrac></mrow></msup><mo>,</mo></mrow></math>
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and indeed, the first term of ris similarly a normal distribution. The reward r(s|a) is the reward of performing action aat the current state s. The parameters kand kare scaling factors for the reward function itself and for the normal distribution function, respectively.
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Furthermore, Tis the monitored file copy or transfer time most recently observed in part in taking the action ato transition from the current state sto the next state s. By comparison, Tis the minimum file copy or transfer time observed thus far in part in any iteration in taking the action ato transition from the current state sto the next state s. The value σ is the standard deviation of the distribution, which can be set to a percentage of T, such as 10%. Finally, g(T−T) can be set to positive one (+1) if Tis greater than or equal to T, and to negative one (−1) if Tis less than T.
FIG. 4
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Still referring to , once the Q-learning table has been updated in part , if a stable state has not yet been reached in the current iteration (), then the method is repeated with another iteration at part , with the current state sbeing set to the next state s. Whether a stable state has been reached can be determined in a number of different ways. For example, if in a predetermined number of most iterations the next state sis equal to the current state smore than (1−ε) percent of the time, then it may be deemed that a stable state has been reached. As another example, it may be deemed that a stable state has been reached if in a predetermined number of most iterations in which a random action was selected, the next iteration results in reversion to the prior (i.e., stable) state, unless frequent visit to that state continues to provide a better reward.
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Once a stable state has been reached (), then the method concludes with setting the optimal number of threads for the combination of the particular file type and the discrete file size in question to the number of threads corresponding to the stable state (). In the method , then, a Q-learning approach, as one type of temporal difference learning, machine learning approach, is used to determine the optimal number of threads for copying files of a particular discrete file size. For each particular file type, the method is repeated for each of a number of particular discrete file sizes, yielding a set of data points for each file type, with each data point corresponding to the determined optimal number of threads for a specific discrete file size and a particular file type.
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As noted above in relation to part of the method , once the optimal numbers of threads have been determined for the discrete file sizes for a particular file type, a continuous function for each file type is fit onto the resulting set of data points corresponding to the file type. This permits the optimal number of threads to be computed for files of any file size and that have a file type to which a continuous function has been determined. Each continuous function may be a polynomial function. As such, polynomial regression or interpolation may be employed to fit a continuous function onto the set of data points corresponding to a particular file type. The cutoff for the polynomial function can also be recorded, which is the minimum file size for which the optimal thread count is one. The polynomial function is thus evaluated for file sizes beyond this point. The function will output one if the input file size is greater than the cutoff.
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As noted above, the method is repeated for each combination of a file type and a discrete file size. That is, for each file type, there may be a number of different discrete file sizes. Therefore, if there are X file types and Y discrete file sizes for each file type, then the method is performed X*Y times. Once the method has been repeatedly performed in this manner, there is a set of Y data points for each of the X file types, such that X continuous functions corresponding to the X file types are generated.
FIG. 5
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shows an example method for using the continuous functions determined in the method to copy files. The method can be performed at the production computing system to realize part of the method . As such, after the method has been performed at the training computing system to realize part of the method , the continuous functions are fit onto the resulting sets of data points. The continuous functions may be fit at the training computing system as well, in which case the continuous functions are provided to the production computing system to utilize to perform the method .
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The file size of the files to be copied is input into the continuous function corresponding to the file type of files (), and the output of this function is received, as the number of threads to use to copy the files (). As noted above, the continuous function provides a rational number that may not be an integer. Because the number of threads has to be an integer, the output of the continuous function may be rounded or truncated to yield the number of threads. The set of files in question is then copied using the function-specified number of threads ().
FIG. 6
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shows an example method for using and periodically updating a continuous function in the method . Whereas the method depicts how the continuous function can be used to copy the files, by specifically using the function corresponding to the files' file type to determine the number of optimal threads that a process should spawn in copying the files, the method also provides for periodically updating this function. The production computing system can thus perform the method to realize both parts and of the method .
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The production computing system receives files to be copied (), and determines whether to use a number of threads to copy the files different than the function-specified number of threads (). For instance, a parameter may be set indicating the probability or chance that the function-specified number of threads will not be used to copy the files. The parameter may be set to 0.05, as one example, indicating that each time a file is to be copied, there is a 5% chance that the file will be copied by using a number of threads other than that specified by the function corresponding to the files' file type for the file size of the files in question.
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If the production computing system determines that the files are to be copied using the function-specified number of threads (), then the files are copied using the number of threads specified by the continuous function for the file type of the files (). For instance, the method can be performed to implement part . However, while the files are being copied, the storage device utilization mean and variance are monitored (). The storage device utilization mean and variance are described in more detail below. The method is then repeated at part the next time a set of files have to be copied.
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If the production computing system determines that the files have to be copied using a number of threads other than that specified by the continuous function corresponding to the files' file type (), then the number of threads to use to actually copy the files (i.e., different than the function-specified number) is selected (). For instance, the function for the file type of the files may be employed to first determine the number of threads to use to copy the files. Rather than use this number of threads, the production computing system may instead select a number of threads that is one more or one less than the function-specified number of threads. There may be an equal probability as to whether the function-specified number of threads minus one or whether the function-specified number of threads plus one is selected.
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The files are copied using the selected number of threads different than the continuous function-specified number of threads (), and the storage device utilization mean and variance again monitored (). The storage device utilization mean and variance are used as a type of feedback variable to determine whether a selected number of threads different than the continuous function-specified number of threads is more optimal than the function-specified number of threads. The continuous function predicts the optimal number of threads based on the data points determined at a particular point in time at the training computing system for files of discrete file sizes. However, the production computing system may vary in its constituent hardware components as compared to the training computing system , and even if the systems and are the same system, over time the continuous function may decrease in accuracy at predicting the optimal number of threads to use.
While file copy time is used as feedback reinforcement to determine the original set of data points onto which the continuous function is fit, file copy time may not be able to be used as feedback reinforcement to subsequently update the function. This is because files that are copied in a production setting—as opposed in a training setting to just generate the original set of data points—have varying file sizes, and the likelihood that many files of the same discrete file size are copied is low over any given length of time. Therefore, storage device utilization is instead employed for feedback reinforcement, because such utilization is meaningful for files of different sizes.
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Each time files are copied in part or , the storage device mean and variance is monitored, or determined, in part or , respectively. The variance may be specified by the expression
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i
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where i is a time instance and tis the throughput at time instance i. The value μ is the mean of the throughput (i.e., the storage device mean) over all iterations i in which files have been copied by performing the method , whereas N is the total number of samples (viz., disk utilization at each time instance i) that have been recorded
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If, after the files are copied using a number of threads different than the function-specified number of threads in part , the storage device usage variance monitored in part does not decrease (), then the method is repeated at part the next time files of the same file type have to be copied. That is, if the storage device variance vfor copying the current set of files having a given file type is not less than the variance vwhen the previous set of files of this same given file type was copied, then the method is repeated at part . In one implementation, if v(v−v)<thresh then the method is repeated at part , where thresh can be an above-zero threshold. This means that so long as the variance does not decrease by more than the threshold, the method is repeated at part .
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However, if storage device usage variance does decrease (), then a data point is added to the existing set of data points for the file type in question (). The existing set of data points is the original set of data points determined in part of the method and on which basis the continuous function for the file type of the files that were copied in part was determined, along with any other data points that have been added in prior iterations of part for files of this file type. The data point that is added in part is the number of threads (different than the function-specified number of threads) used in part to copy the files, for the file size of this file. It is noted that the production computing system thus receives the original set of data points for each file type from the training computing system so that the system can later supplement the data points set and ultimately update the continuous functions based on the supplemented sets.
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When a data point is added to the set of data points for a given file type, the production computing system determines whether the continuous function corresponding to this file type should be re-fit onto the newly updated data points set (). For example, a continuous function may be re-fit periodically, such as once a predetermined number of data points have been added to the set of data points for the file type to which the function corresponds since the last time the function was re-fit (or since the time the function was first fit onto the original set of data points for this file type). If the continuous function for the file type in question is not to be re-fit onto the updated set of data points (), then the method is repeated at part the next time files are to be copied.
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However, if the continuous function for the file type is to be re-fit onto the updated set of data points (), then the production computing system re-fits the function (). The production computing system can fit a continuous function onto the updated set of data points for the file type in the same manner as the training computing system initially fit the function onto the original set of data points for the file type in part . By adding data points reflecting file copying that was performed at the production computing system itself—as opposed to at the training computing system —the function for the file type is thus adapted to the production computing system , and further to the conditions (i.e., the context) of the system as they vary over time.
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The function adaptation described in relation to the method thus leverages the usage of a feedback variable—storage device utilization variance and mean—that can be realistically employed in the production computing system . File copy time, which is used for feedback reinforcement at the training computing system in part , is not practically usable at the production computing system , because files that will be copied in a production environment in all likelihood will vary in file size. By comparison, in part , training files of particular discrete file sizes can be employed for each file type. However, storage device utilization mean and variance are meaningful across files of different file sizes for the same file type, and thus can be used to determine whether to add new data points to the existing set of data points for this file type in the method .
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In the temporal difference learning, machine-learning techniques that have been described, for each file type, the optimal numbers of threads to use to copy files of different discrete file sizes are determined by using just file copy time as an input parameter (i.e., for reward reinforcement). That is, other factors, such as the number of processors and other attributes of the training computing system , as well as attributes of the source and/or target storage device, are not explicitly considered as input parameters in these techniques; as these parameters indirectly affect an agent's performance, the agent will learn from its experience to find the optimal thread count. Furthermore, for each file type, a continuous function is fitted onto the optimal numbers of threads that have been determined. Each continuous function can be subsequently updated by taking into account just storage device utilization mean and variance (specifically as a reward variable). Other factors are similarly not explicitly considered as input parameters when determining whether a new data point should be added, on which basis a continuous functions is then updated.
FIG. 7
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shows an example method . The method can be performed by one or more computing systems. For instance, parts and may be performed by the training computing system , whereas part may be performed by the production computing system . The method can be performed for each file type of a number of different file types.
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For each of a number of discrete file sizes, the optimal number of threads to copy files of the discrete file size in question is determined using a temporal difference learning, machine learning approach (), as has been described. A continuous function is then fitted onto the determined numbers of threads for the discrete file sizes (). A set of file can thus be copied using the number of threads output by the function for the file size of the file ().
FIG. 8
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shows an example non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium . The computer-readable data storage medium stores program code that is executed by a computing system to perform processing. For instance, the production computing system may perform the processing. The processing can also be performed for each file type of a number of different file types.
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The processing includes receiving a continuous function that has been fitted onto determined optimal numbers of threads to use to copy files of discrete file sizes (). In one implementation, part may include receiving the optimal numbers of threads for the discrete file sizes, as a set of data points. The continuous function may then be generated at the computing system executing the program code —e.g., such as by the computing system , in lieu of by the training computing system . The processing includes copying a file using the number of threads output by the function for the file size of the file ().
FIG. 9
FIG. 3
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shows an example computing system . The computing system includes a memory and a processor . The memory stores a Q-learning table , such as the Q-learning table of . The Q-learning table stores cumulative values for state-action pairs. Each state-action pair includes one of a number of states and one of a number of actions. The states correspond to different numbers of threads, whereas the actions include incrementing the number of threads, decrementing the number of threads, and maintaining the number of threads. The memory can store a Q-learning table for each file type of a number of different file types.
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The processor performs parts , , and for each file type. Specifically, the processor , for each of a number of different discrete file sizes, determines an optimal number of threads to use to copy files of the discrete file size by iteratively performing the following processing until a stable state has been reached (). The processing includes probabilistically selecting an action to transition from a current state to a next state, using the Q-learning table (). The action is probabilistically selected based on the action, of the state-action pair including the current state, which has the highest cumulative value within the table . The processing includes copying files of the discrete size in question using the selected number of threads, and monitoring file transfer (i.e., copy) times (). The processing includes updating the Q-learning table (). Specifically, the cumulative value for the state-action pair corresponding to the current state and the selected action is updated based on a reward value taking into account the monitored file transfer times.
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The processor thus sets the optimal number of threads for each discrete file size to the number of threads corresponding to the stable state that has been reached (). The processor fits a continuous function onto the determined optimal numbers of threads for the discrete file sizes (). The continuous function of a particular file type outputs the number of threads to use to copy files of any input file size that have this file type, and thus can be used when to determine the number of threads that should be employed when files of the particular file type are subsequently copied.
The techniques that have been described provide for a temporal difference learning, reinforcement learning approach to determine the optimal number of threads to use to copy files. In one implementation, the approach can be a Q-learning approach. For a given file type, once a continuous function has been fit onto the optimal numbers of threads for various discrete file sizes, the function can be periodically updated to adapt to a production computing system different than a training computing system on which the optimal numbers of threads for various discrete file sizes were originally determined. Periodically updating the continuous function also ensures that the function can reflect changing conditions of the production computing system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a flowchart of an example method for using a temporal difference learning, machine learning approach to determine the optimal number of threads to use to copy files.
FIG. 2
FIG. 1
is a diagram of example states and example actions used in the temporal difference learning, reinforcement learning approach of to determine an optimal number of threads to copy files of a particular file type and having a particular discrete file size.
FIG. 3
is a diagram of an example Q-learning table that can be used in a Q-learning approach, as one type of temporal difference learning, reinforcement learning approach, to determine the optimal number of threads to copy files of a discrete file size.
FIG. 4
FIG. 3
is a flowchart of an example method for using a Q-learning table of to determine the optimal number of threads to use to copy files of a particular discrete file size.
FIG. 5
FIG. 1
FIG. 4
is a flowchart of an example method for using a continuous function determined in the method of or to copy a file.
FIG. 6
FIG. 1
FIG. 4
is a flowchart of an example method for using and updating the continuous function determined in the method of or .
FIG. 7
is a flowchart of an example method.
FIG. 8
is a diagram of an example computer-readable data storage medium.
FIG. 9
is a diagram of an example system. | |
The graphic objects on a canvas are created by using the default stroke and fill color. However, you can use colors other than the default color for creating the graphic objects.
The fillStyle property is used to define a color that will be used to fill any closed shape drawn on the canvas. The default value of the fillStyle property is solid black. The following syntax is used to apply fill style on a graphic object: fillStyle="color"; In the preceding syntax, you can specify the color as red, green, or blue. In addition, you can also specify the hexadecimal value of the color ranging from 000000 to FFFFFF.
The preceding code creates a rectangle of size 150 x 100 filled with red color at the position, (20, 20), on the canvas, as shown in the following figure.
The strokeStyleproperty is used to set the outline color of a shape drawn on the canvas. The default value of the strokeStyleproperty is solid black. The following syntax can be used to apply stroke style on a graphic object: strokeStyle="color"; In the preceding syntax, colorspecifies the name or hexadecimal value of the color.
The preceding code will create a rectangle of size 150 x 100 with its outline colored in blue at the position, (20, 20), on the canvas, as shown in the following figure.
Once you have drawn a shape on the canvas, you may want to make it more stylish by casting a shadow on it. To cast a shadow of a graphic object on the canvas, you need to specify the color of the shadow. In addition, you need to specify how blurred you want your shadow to be. The shadowColorproperty is used to set the color for the shadows appearing on the graphic objects and the shadowBlurproperty is used to set the blur level for the shadows. You can use the following syntax to use the shadowColorproperty: shadowColor="color"; In the preceding syntax, colorspecifies the color that will be applied on shadows. The default value of the shadowColorproperty is solid black. You can use the following syntax to define the shadowBlur property: shadowBlur=number; In the preceding syntax, numberspecifies the blur level of the shadow. It can accept the integer values, such as 1, 2, and 20. Its default value is 0.
In the preceding code, the blur level of the shadow of graphic objects is set to 40. In addition, the shadow color for the first rectangle is set to black and the shadow color for the second rectangle is set to blue. The output derived by using the shadowBlurand shadowColor properties is displayed in the following figure.
position: Specifies a value between 0.0 to 1.0 to represent the position from where to start and end the gradient color.
color: Specifies the color that needs to be applied on the respective position.
The addColorStop()method is used along with the createLinearGradient()or method to display the createRadialGradient() gradients.
x0: Specifies the x-coordinate of the start point of the gradient.
y0: Specifies the y-coordinate of the start point of the gradient.
x1: Specifies the x-coordinate of the end point of the gradient.
y1: Specifies the y-coordinate of the end point of the gradient. After creating the linear gradient object, you need to create the gradients by using the addColorStop()method.
Fill the graphic object with the linear gradient by using the fillStyleproperty. -Apply the linear gradient on the outline of the graphic object by using the strokeStyle property.
In the preceding code, a gradient object is created by using the createLinearGradient()method. Further, the addColorStop()method is used to specify different colors to the gradient object, and then, the gradient object is passed to the fillStyle property.
To shade the rectangle in three different colors from left to right. The output derived by using the createLinearGradient()method is displayed, as shown in the following figure.
y0: Specifies the y-coordinate of the start point of the gradient. (x0,y0) specifies the center coordinate of the first circle of the cone.
y1: Specifies the y-coordinate of the end point of the gradient. (x1,y1) specifies the center coordinate of the second circle of the cone.
Fill the graphic object with the radial gradient by using the fillStyleproperty.
Apply the radial gradient on the outline of the graphic object by using the strokeStyle property.
In the preceding code, a gradient object is created using the createRadialGradient()method. Further, the addColorStop()method is used to specify different colors to the gradient object and then, the gradient object is passed to the fillStyleproperty to shade the rectangle in three different colors along the radius given for the circle. The output derived by using the createRadialGradient()method is displayed in the following figure.
The createPattern()method is used to create a pattern by displaying an image repeatedly on a canvas in the specified direction. For example, consider the following image.
If the preceding image is repeated vertically and horizontally, you can create a pattern, as shown in the following figure.
img: Specifies the image or video to be used to create a pattern.
repeat: Specifies that the pattern should be repeated horizontally and vertically.
repeat-x: Specifies that the pattern should be repeated horizontally.
repeat-y: Specifies that the pattern should be repeated vertically.
no-repeat: Specifies that the pattern should be displayed only once.
The preceding code snippet repeats the pattern.png image horizontally and vertically in the rectangular area on the canvas, when the user clicks the Repeat button, as shown in the following figure.
The canvas element in HTML provides a drawing surface that allows you to add text, shapes, and images to the websites dynamically. | http://mrbool.com/canvas-element-how-to-create-graphic-objects-in-html5/28949 |
AUTHORS:
Committee on Private-Public Sector Collaboration to Enhance Community Disaster Resilience, Geographical Science Committee, National Research Council
SUMMARY:
Natural disasters--including hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods--caused more than 220,000 deaths worldwide in the first half of 2010 and wreaked havoc on homes, buildings, and the environment. To withstand and recover from natural and human-caused disasters, it is essential that citizens and communities work together to anticipate threats, limit their effects, and rapidly restore functionality after a crisis.
Increasing evidence indicates that collaboration between the private and public sectors could improve the ability of a community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Several previous National Research Council reports have identified specific examples of the private and public sectors working cooperatively to reduce the effects of a disaster by implementing building codes, retrofitting buildings, improving community education, or issuing extreme-weather warnings. State and federal governments have acknowledged the importance of collaboration between private and public organizations to develop planning for disaster preparedness and response. Despite growing ad hoc experience across the country, there is currently no comprehensive framework to guide private-public collaboration focused on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
Building Community Disaster Resilience through Private-Public Collaboration assesses the current state of private-public sector collaboration dedicated to strengthening community resilience, identifies gaps in knowledge and practice, and recommends research that could be targeted for investment. Specifically, the book finds that local-level private-public collaboration is essential to the development of community resilience. Sustainable and effective resilience-focused private-public collaboration is dependent on several basic principles that increase communication among all sectors of the community, incorporate flexibility into collaborative networks, and encourage regular reassessment of collaborative missions, goals, and practices. | http://star-tides.net/documents/building-community-disaster-resilience-through-private-public-collaboration |
Morris Hylton III: Save Old Mount Carmel Church
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the closing of Gainesville’s Lincoln High and Alachua County’s other segregated black schools. Among the many residents who organized local civil rights activities and worked to end segregation, The Rev. Thomas A. Wright stands out as a leader.
Wright became pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in 1962, the same year he began leading the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Located in the historically black neighborhood of Pleasant Street, Mount Carmel Church became an epicenter for civil rights, hosting the meetings and housing the activities of a number of organizations including, among others, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Gainesville Women for Equal Rights.
In describing the protests and picketing that led up to the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Rev. Wright described the church as “a kind of headquarters” where “University of Florida faculty members, students and also people from the community” gathered to organize.
From his office on the second floor of the church, Wright and others, including UF professors Ruth McQuown, Paul Hahn and Marshall Jones, devised a strategy for integrating the public schools. A critical part of the strategy was the filing of a lawsuit in 1964.
Wright’s daughter LaVon was one of the named plaintiffs and, at her own urging, became one of the first three black students to attend and the first to graduate from Gainesville High School. Complete integration, however, would not occur for another six years. During this time, Rev. Wright would also become the first African American to run for the Gainesville City Commission since Reconstruction.
The historical and cultural significance of Mount Carmel Church and the work of Rev. Wright and other community activists are to be honored as part of a Heritage Trail. The project was originally proposed in 2009 by the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area or CRA (formerly known as the Community Redevelopment Agency).
The project has recently been revived as part of a strategic planning initiative where the CRA has engaged residents and others through a series of public meetings. The Trail has been part of the dialogue.
Currently, with support from a local consultant, the CRA is evaluating as many as 60 possible Heritage Trail sites along Fifth Avenue and in the Pleasant Street neighborhood (from Northwest 13th to Northwest First streets and Northwest Eighth to West University Avenue). The initial list of sites was assembled with the help of a group of residents and stakeholders selected by the CRA.
Draft evaluation criteria are being developed to narrow down the “points of interest” for the Trail and identify neighborhood buildings and sites that will ultimately be linked through way-finding aids and interpretative signage. While participants could begin anywhere along the Trail, specific sites like the A. Quinn Jones Museum and Cultural Center might serve as “trailheads” providing maps and more information. The CRA intends to hold public meetings to seek resident input. Dates are forthcoming.
Identified as a “key point of interest” along the Heritage Trail, the building now referred to as Old Mount Carmel (located at 429 NW Fourth St. and Fifth Avenue) is among the best opportunities to interpret Gainesville’s civil rights history. Construction took as many as 10 years and was a true community effort with congregants and neighborhood residents and businesses donating materials.
The two-story brick structure is unusual in that the large, double-height sanctuary with a balcony and elevated baptismal pool occurs on the second floor. On April 7, 1968, some 600 people, both black and white, crowded into the sanctuary for a memorial service for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Their presence and the struggles of the era still reverberate throughout the space.
Unfortunately, one of the city’s most significant civil rights era landmarks is endangered. After years of benign neglect, Old Mount Carmel Church is threatened by water intrusion and termite infestation. Prayers by Faith Family Ministries, led by Pastor Gerard Duncan, is working to stabilize and rehabilitate the building and adaptively use it as a public amenity.
Old Mount Carmel Church could once again be a place where people gather and strategize how to overcome the issues that still divide our community, racial or otherwise. The UF Historic Preservation Program is helping to document the building’s history and assist with a vision and reuse plan.
Morris (Marty) Hylton III is director of the UF historic preservation program. For more information, visit saveoldmountcarmel.org or contact Hylton at [email protected] or at 352-219-4122. | https://www.gainesville.com/story/opinion/columns/more-voices/2020/03/13/morris-hylton-iii-save-old-mount-carmel-church/1531634007/ |
The immune system plays a central role in our health. It not only defends against bacteria, viruses or fungi, but also controls "inwards," such as in the destruction of cancer cells, which occur daily in our body, or in the removal of age-altered cells.
The development of allergies can be directly linked to the state of the immune system. In contrast to a weak immune system, allergies provoke an overreaction in the immune system. Only when the immune system is balanced can a person be healthy.
The state of our immune system dictates whether we stay healthy or become ill. It is influenced and damaged by a variety of factors, such as psychological stress, environmental toxins, lack of exercise, medication, and body toxins, which are mainly caused by poor nutrition.
Emotions play an important role. Psychological stress has a negative effect not only hormone production but also directly on the immune system.
Factors influencing the immune system
One's emotional state can directly and indirectly influence the hormonal control loops and the immune system. | https://dr-barbara-hendel.com/en/diagnosis-therapy/immune-system/ |
The Person and the Mind
This paper will address the general form of the argument for the identity of the person (mind) with the body (brain). This argument will be found unsound because it is both invalid and because the premises on which the argument is based are, in fact, false. This analysis will include a critical examination of Logical Behaviorism, a theory that supports this argument.
The argument is based on two premises (P):
P1: The mind is subject to understanding and control by science.
P2: Only what is quantifiable and sense-perceptible is subject to control by science.
Therefore, based on these two premises, the following two conclusions (C) can be reached:
C1: The mind is quantifiable and sense-perceptible.
C2: The mind is the same thing as the body (brain).
The validity of an argument is found when, if the premises are true, then the conclusions would follow logically from those premises. According to the premises established in the argument, the first conclusion would naturally follow. The argument seems to be logical and the conclusions do indeed follow from the premises. In addition, the second conclusion can also be reached from the premises, but only with the assumption that the body is the part of the person which is quantifiable and sense-perceptible. Because this assumption is taken as truth, the second conclusion follows in the argument. Therefore, it would seem that the overall form of the argument is valid. That, however, is not the case because the argument is begging the question.
Begging the question is a logical fallacy in which the conclusion is assumed before it has been proved. In this case, the first premise, by claiming that the mind is subject to control by science, is pre-supposing that the mind is only physical - it is the body, the brain, the neurons. That, however, is the first conclusion of the argument. Therefore, in order to achieve the first premise, one needs to have already established the first conclusion and vice-versa. This argument, therefore, is faulted by circular reasoning because one aspect cannot be discussed without the other. Neither the premise nor the conclusion can stand alone without the other. Therefore, the overall argument is shown to be invalid.
Soundness, however, also requires that the premises of the argument be true. While the second premise is generally taken as truth since science is self-described as controlling and understanding its subjects, the first premise is untrue because it does not take into consideration aspects of the person and the mind which cannot be explained. These aspects, which are used to describe the mental, include qualia, content, and self-knowledge.
Qualia, or "raw feelings" refers to sensations and feelings experienced by the person. For example, when a person says "I feel sick to my stomach" they are referring to the sensation of nausea that overtakes their body, a sensation of which they are... | https://brightkite.com/essay-on/the-person-and-the-mind |
The invention discloses a system and a method for recognizing identification codes of solar components. The system comprises an identification code recognizing module and a plurality of junction boxes, wherein the junction boxes correspond to the solar components one by one, the plurality of junction boxes and the identification code recognizing module are connected in series by recognizing lines;and the identification code recognizing module is configured to allocate, by the recognizing lines, code numbers for the solar components corresponding to the plurality of junction boxes one by one,and read identification codes of each solar component by the recognizing lines. In the embodiments of the invention, the plurality of solar components are connected in series by the recognizing lines,and the junction boxes are triggered to upload the identification codes by combining a recognizing trigger signal and a recognizing command to sequentially acquire the identification codes of each ofthe solar modules, thereby automatically collecting identification codes, code numbers and physical locations of the solar components, and automatically associating the three. | |
The symptoms of this chronic disease evolve over time:
Sympoms of the first stage of of COPD
Tired man after walking
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The patient notices that he/she runs out of air before others (dyspnea). This is especially true when exercising, climbing stairs or cycling. These people usually give up exercise, so the disease is still latent but without obvious symptoms. However, dropping out of physical activity is not advisable.
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Fatigue after performing daily activities.
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Wheezing or whistling, which may occur with light or resting exercise.
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Persistent cough, with or without phlegm: usually cough with mucus (sputum). Mucus is the result of secretions that form in the lungs to fight inflammation.
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Shortness of breath
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Fatigue due to lack of air and persistent cough
- Wake up at midnight with cough or lack of air.
Symptoms of the second stage of COPD
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Bluish coloration on the tips of the fingers and lips (cyanosis)
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Weightloss
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Edema in the ankles and legs
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Recurrent respiratory infections
- Need for an inhaler (bronchodilator)
Symptoms of advanced COPD (complications)
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Malnutrition (pulmonary cachexia syndrome): Due to fatigue, anorexia may appear in these people. It is important to take care of one’s diet to prevent malnutrition, since it accelerates the course of the disease and can lead to complications.
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Pneumonia
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Need for oxygen respirator
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Respiratory insufficiency: Difficulty breathing or dyspnoea causes high concentrations of carbon dioxide in the blood (hypercapnia), and not enough oxygen reaches all parts of the body. Because of the lack of oxygen, cyanosis (bluish limbs or lips) may occur.
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Pneumothorax: presence of air or gas in the pleural cavity
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Heart failure: the heart can not provide blood to tissues, due to vasoconstriction of the lungs that causes a poor oxygenation. The heart muscle needs oxygen to pump blood, and it does not receive enough to make such an effort. This perpetuated situation is what causes heart failure.
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Raised red blood cells: RBCs are the components of blood that carry oxygen. The body detects that there is lack of oxygen in the tissues and makes more red blood cells to increase the oxygen uptake of the lungs. Excessive red blood cells are known as polyglobulin, which increases the risk of blood clots, thrombosis, varicose veins, and vascular accidents.
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Osteoporosis: induced by lack of exercise, malnutrition and medication with corticosteroids. To prevent osteoporosis you should avoid physical inactivity and perform the following practices: sunbathing, walking, taking vitamin D, eating foods rich in calcium and magnesium.
More information on COPD characteristics, remedies and diet. | https://www.botanical-online.com/en/natural-medicine/copd-symptoms |
INNOVATION FUND: LOW CARBON INNOVATION
The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), is the largest carbon pricing system in the world and will provide revenues to the IF programme through the auctioning of 450 million € of emission allowances from 2020 to 2030, as well as any of the funds not implemented in the NER300 programme. For the period 2020-2030, funding may amount to around € 20 billion, depending on the price of the carbon credits issued.
Innovation Fund aims to contribute to the economic recovery of the EU in an environmentally sustainable way, helping companies to invest in energy and clean industries and boost their economic growth, create new local jobs and generate a competitive advantage for the EU’s industrial sector.
The first call for large scale innovative proposals was open until October 2020 and the first to submit projects with a total capital expenditure between 2,500,000 and 7,500,000 euros (Small scale) was open until March 10, 2021. Now it is the turn of the second call for large-scale projects which will open on 26 October 2021, with an estimated budget of between €1.3 and €1.5 billion, depending on the carbon price. The application and selection process will have a single stage.
The project evaluation methodology will remain largely similar to that of the first call and the call documents will be improved to better guide applicants. The deadline for submitting an application is expected to be 1 March 2022. Information on the evaluation results will be provided in July 2022 and grants will be awarded in the last quarter of 2022.
Projects will be selected based on Efficiency to avoid greenhouse gas emissions, Degree of innovation, Project maturity, Scalability and Cost efficiency.
The Innovation Fund focuses on the following initiatives and types of projects:
- Innovative low-carbon technologies and processes in energy-intensive industries, including carbon-intensive substitutes.
- Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU)
- Construction and operation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems
- Innovative generation of renewable energy
- Energy storage
|CALL: Innovation Fund|
|APPLICATION DEADLINE:estimate from 26 October to 1 March 2022|
|ORGANISING ENTITY: European Commission|
|OBJECTIVE:
|
The Innovation Fund (IF) program is one of the most important global initiatives in financing for the development of innovative low-carbon technologies. IF focuses on truly innovative technologies and large flagship projects with European added value that can bring significant reductions in CO2 emissions. The aim is to share the risk with the project promoters to help them in the demonstration phase of highly innovative and unique projects (first-of-a-kind highly innovative Projects).
Successor to the NER 300 program (2012-2014) funded by the EU Emissions Trading System includes the following improvements:
BENEFICIARY
- Applicants must be legal entities: private, public or international organizations.
- Applicants must be directly responsible for the implementation and management of the project (no intermediaries)
- Applicants may apply on their own or within a consortium.
TYPE AND AMOUNT OF FUNDS
This call has two types of funding depending on the volume of expenditure of the project:
|Large (July 2021) (open)||Small (close)|
|Size of the project||> 7.5M€ CAPEX||< 7.5M€ CAPEX|
|Eligible Activities||Energy-intensive industry
|
Renewables
Storage
Carbon capture, use and storage
|Application process||One phase||One phase|
|Volume of support||Up to 60% of the additional costs||Up to 60% of total CAPEX|
ELIGIBLE COSTS
- Activities to support innovation in low carbon technologies and processes in the sectors listed in Annex I of the ETS Directive, including
environmentally safe carbon capture and utilization (ECC) that contributes substantially to climate change mitigation, as well as to substitutes.
- Activities that help stimulate the construction and operation of projects that aim to capture and geologically store CO2 in an environmentally safe manner (CCS)
- Activities that help stimulate the construction and operation of renewable energy and energy storage technologies
The possible eligible applications for the projects are very varied: | https://www.euro-funding.com/en/blog/innovation-fund-innovative-low-carbon-technology/ |
The Warren Buffett investment philosophy calls for a long-term investment horizon, where a ten year holding period, or even longer, would fit right into the strategy. How would such a strategy have worked out for an investment into MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM)? Today, we examine the outcome of a ten year investment into the stock back in 2010.
|Start date:||05/07/2010||
|
|End date:||05/06/2020|
|Start price/share:||$13.12|
|End price/share:||$13.91|
|Starting shares:||762.20|
|Ending shares:||807.15|
|Dividends reinvested/share:||$1.59|
|Total return:||12.27%|
|Average annual return:||1.16%|
|Starting investment:||$10,000.00|
|Ending investment:||$11,223.17|
The above analysis shows the ten year investment result worked out as follows, with an annualized rate of return of 1.16%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 10 years ago into $11,223.17 today (as of 05/06/2020). On a total return basis, that’s a result of 12.27% (something to think about: how might MGM shares perform over the next 10 years?). [These numbers were computed with the Dividend Channel DRIP Returns Calculator.]
Dividends are always an important investment factor to consider, and MGM Resorts International has paid $1.59/share in dividends to shareholders over the past 10 years we looked at above. Many an investor will only invest in stocks that pay dividends, so this component of total return is always an important consideration. Automated reinvestment of dividends into additional shares of stock can be a great way for an investor to compound their returns. The above calculations are done with the assuption that dividends received over time are reinvested (the calcuations use the closing price on ex-date).
Based upon the most recent annualized dividend rate of .01/share, we calculate that MGM has a current yield of approximately 0.07%. Another interesting datapoint we can examine is ‘yield on cost’ — in other words, we can express the current annualized dividend of .01 against the original $13.12/share purchase price. This works out to a yield on cost of 0.53%.
Here’s one more great investment quote before you go: | https://mmjstockwatch.com/2020/05/10k-invested-in-mgm-resorts-international-in-2010-is-worth-this-much-today/ |
These industries appear to have returned to pre-pandemic levels
In the August sequel of the manufacturing and non–manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index report, the CBN reported that two sub-sectors in the manufacturing space expanded substantially, with the PMI of these subsectors going above the levels reported in February 2020. This development is attributable to the eased lockdown restrictions as operations in these sub-sectors are currently back at pre-pandemic levels.
In the same vein, Plastics & rubber products, Transportation equipment, Chemical & Pharmaceutical products and Textile, apparel, leather & footwork subsectors expanded in the period under review, though the expansion was low when compared with pre-pandemic periods.
Cement and Non-metallic mineral products sub-sector remain resilient
The latest figures released by the apex bank suggest that the manufacturing sector continues to grapple with the knock-on-effect of COVID-19, owing to global and domestic supply chain disruptions, foreign exchange illiquidity, weak consumer spending and high operating costs.
Notwithstanding, activities in the Non-metallic mineral products and Cement sub-sectors remain resilient, as the Purchasing Managers Index for these sub–sectors stood at 66.0 and 64.4 index points respectively, higher than the 65.3 and 62.5 index points reported in February, before the pandemic induced disruption.
Back story
Nairametrics had earlier reported that manufacturing PMI for August stood at 48.5 index points, indicating contraction in the sector for the fourth consecutive month. Also, out of the 14 surveyed subsectors, 6 sub–sectors reported expansion (above 50 index pointsthresholds), while the others contracted.
It is imperative to note that this is an improvement when compared to manufacturing activities in May, June or the performance in July which saw 12 sub–sectors decline with one reporting no change, while one expanded.
The drivers
The impressive performance of theNon-metallic mineral products and Cement sub-sectors, according to the manufacturing PMI report, is attributable to the expansion in production, new orders, employment and raw materials’ inventories.
This is evident in the subsectors’ production which expanded substantially, as the production PMI for Non-metallic mineral products and Cement expanded by 26.9 and 22.3 index points respectively during the month under review.
The new order PMI, a very important component of the index which tracks the level of new orders received for the month, rose sharply by 20.3 and 22.2 index points respectively.
Despite the headwinds which resulted in the contraction of the manufacturing sector, it is important that two sub-sectors are back to operating at pre-pandemic levels, while four others continue to thrive and expand.
In conclusion, this development indicates recovery as manufacturers continue to benefit from the relaxation of the lockdown, other sub-sectors are expected to expand in subsequent periods as the economy continues to recover.
Nigeria to post bigger contraction in Q3, as PMI deeps further
Nigeria’s Manufacturing sector is expected to witness further contraction by the end of third quarter and end of 2020, as the manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) contracted consistently in the last four months.
According to the latest data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria, manufacturing PMI stood at 48.5 index points, against 44.9 points recorded in July, 2020.
Back story: On Wednesday, Nairametrics reported that out of the 14 subsectors surveyed, 6 subsectors reported expansion (above 50% threshold) in the review month in the following order:
What this means
PMI is a survey that is conducted by the Statistics Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria to show the changes in the level of business activities in the current month compared with the preceding month.
For each of the indicators measured, this report shows the diffusion index of the responses, which is computed as the percentage of responded with positive change, plus half of the percentage of those reporting no change; except for supplier delivery time which is computed as the percentage of responses with negative change plus half of the percentage of those reporting no change.
The latest PMI figure below 50 for the fourth consecutive months implies that Nigeria may post a bigger than expected contraction in the third and fourth quarters of 2020.
“The economy would witness further decline in the second half of the year, even till first quarter of 2021. I expect the scarcity of dollar, depressed oil prices and limited fiscal support to put pressure on the economy.”
In all, as key sectors continue to suffer contraction, unemployment may surge in the economy.
GDP: Nigeria’s manufacturing sector on tight ropes
It is no longer news that Nigeria’s manufacturing sector contracted by 8.78% in the second quarter in real terms. This is a major decline when compared with a marginal growth of 0.43% reported in Q1 2020, and a contraction of 0.13 reported in the corresponding quarter of 2019.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, only two sub-sectors in the manufacturing space – chemical & pharmaceutical products and motor vehicles & assembling, reported real growths of 3.79% and 6.95%, respectively. This is higher than the real growths of 0.58% and 1.04% in the first quarter, and a contraction of 1.27% and 1.5% in the corresponding quarter of 2019.
Among the sectors that contracted were eight subsectors that reported double digits contraction, with oil refining activities contracting the most by 67.6%, extending the streak of contraction by six quarters. It should be noted that the last time the sub-sector reported a major expansion was during the fourth quarter of 2018 (33.6%).
The contraction in the activities of these subsectors is attributable to global & domestic supply chain disruptions, foreign exchange illiquidity, weak consumer spending, and high operating costs. Subdued operations caused by the lockdown and other containment measures to combat the pandemic also affected manufacturing activities.
The contraction in the manufacturing sector during the second quarter is consistent with analysts’ expectations, at least based on the CBN’s recent Manufacturing PMI reports. These reports signalled the contraction of the manufacturing sector in the second quarter, with the Manufacturing PMI for May and June standing at 42.4 and 41.1; well below the benchmark index of 50%.
Expert’s perspective
The Director-General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and industry, Dr Amuda Yusuf, maintained a cautious stance on the economy. He said that “although there has been a gradual reopening of the economy, business and commercial activities would remain subdued”.
He emphasized that with the protraction of the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of a vaccine, there is a high possibility that the economy would contract, though marginally, in the third quarter. | |
The century-old Quanjude roast duck restaurant at Beijing's Qianmen area has formally been closed for a six-month renovation.
Jiang Junxian, president of Quanjude Group Holding Company, said that Quanjude Qianmen restaurant is 143 years old and the fire at the restaurant's furnace has never been extinguished since 1864 because they believed that the continuation of the fire is of great significance to the company.
The renovation of Quanjude is said to be part of the entire renovation of the Qianmen Avenue area, but the restaurant side says that it is also a good chance for them to upgrade their facilities and capacities. Jiang said it is urgent for them to improve the environment and reception capacity to better meet the demand during the 2008 Olympic Games. According to Jiang, the reconstruction of the restaurant will be completed before the National Day holiday this year and by the time the restaurant will have an additional 1000 meters of business area.
Quanjude Qianmen is the first Quanjude restaurant in Beijing. Currently Quanjude operates eight direct-run restaurants across Beijing and some other chartered franchise restaurants. | https://www.chinaretailnews.com/2007/04/26/591-quanjude-qianmen-restaurant-closes-for-renovation/ |
Imagine having a conversation with a celebrated First Lady, a survivor of the Titanic disaster, or an aviation pioneer. Or delving deep into the story of a renowned department store or legendary film.
I give voice to stories from the past. As entertaining as they are educational, these programs bring history alive in a fun, inspiring and educational way.
See all Lectures
2018 Commemorations
Bringing History
to life...
See all Portrayals
2017 Commemorations
Queen Elizabeth II
A lecture (not a portrayal) about the life of Britain's longest serving monarch
Louisa May Alcott
Newly updated and revised portrayal of the author of Little Women
Click HERE to like me on Facebook. Or go to www.facebook.com/lesliegoddardpresents
Hamilton's Women
Meet the wife of Alexander Hamilton and her sisters Angelica and Peggy
150th anniversary
-- Publication of Little Women in 1868 [Program: Louisa May Alcott portrayal]
What's new?
It's my life's work to bring memorable women from the past alive and to tell historical stories so that lessons from the past are more meaningful and powerful.
80th anniversary
-- Amelia Earhart disappears over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937 [Program: Amelia Earhart portrayal)]
100th anniversary
-- Alice Paul organizes the first White House picketing demonstrations [Program: Alice Paul portrayal]
-- Queen Elizabeth II’s family formally becomes the House of Windsor [Program: Queen Elizabeth II lecture]
180th anniversary
-- Victoria, at age 18, became Queen of England on June 20th, 1837, succeeding her uncle William IV [Program: Queen Victoria lecture]
Want to stay up-to-date? | http://www.lesliegoddard.info/ |
Article by: Mary Kennedy
Ninth grade Human Geography students at Blue Earth Area Schools (BEAS) had a chance last month to learn about some of the exciting projects going on in their community when CEDA team member, Mary Kennedy was invited into their classroom to speak about local economic development.
Mary, who serves as both the City of Blue Earth, MN and Faribault County, MN EDA Specialist, was able to provide unique insight into local economic development efforts including a new housing development, two new business parks, and an exciting downtown redevelopment project. Mary was provided with the unit’s four (4) learning outcomes and was able to use those to guide her presentation to the students. Topics included: 1) acquiring, processing, and reporting information within a spatial context, 2) Geographic Inquiry, 3) distinguishing between physical and human characteristics that identify places, 4) identify, organize, and analyze areas of the earth’s surface.
The students were engaged, interested, and had thoughtful questions, while also providing useful feedback about what they feel is needed in the community and what they would like to see and do in the future.
Mary was able to walk the students through an activity using a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool. A favorite moment for both Mary and the students was when the class was able to see how GIS is often used to identify places, acquire information, process data, and create maps.
It was a great experience and great information was shared by both the presenter and the students! | https://www.cedausa.com/ceda-staff-presents-project-updates-to-high-school-students-in-blue-earth-mn/ |
Study finds that only 17 percent of children create these deep imaginary worlds.
In a landmark new study into the childhood behavior of creating imaginary parallel worlds, researchers found that just 17 percent of children become involved in these creative activities, and that these worlds are often described with deep complexities, reports MedicalXpress.
Imaginary worlds, also known as paracosms, are related to, but not to be confused with, imaginary friends. In the study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Oregon, paracosms were identified in 16 of the 92 children studied. By contrast, imaginary companions were reported by as many as 51 participants. While most of those who had developed parallel worlds also reported having had imaginary friends, the converse was not necessarily also true.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study found that children who experience paracosms exhibit higher levels of creativity. More specifically, though, it found that these children were more apt at open-ended thinking. But this apparently also came at a cost. The most creative kids also struggled with inhibitory control tasks, which is another way of saying that they had trouble focusing their attention.
But that's not necessarily a bad thing; it's just that inhibition and creative thinking appear to be at different ends of a spectrum. Excelling at one requires a cost with the other. At least, that's what this study seems to suggest. All of the children in the study were aged 8-12 years old.
"[Paracosms are] a positive thing associated with creativity and storytelling," said lead author Marjorie Taylor, who has been studying children's imaginary friends and paracosms for some 25 years. "These are kids who are coming up with very complex stories that they really enjoy and that many will share with others."
One of the surprises of the study was that it also found that many of these creative children do not develop their imaginary worlds alone. Several of them shared and even developed their worlds together.
"We thought paracosms would a private thing," said Taylor. "Surprisingly, that was not always the case. It can be a very social activity. Often, we found that many kids would be involved together in building the parallel worlds."
To reach their results, researchers asked children in a non-leading way about their imaginary friends and paracosms. To further evaluate the children, the subjects were given five creativity tasks tied to social skills, as well as assessments of their coping strategies and verbal comprehension.
While the parallel worlds described by the children varied widely in content, they all included details about an environment (forests, lakes, caves, etc.), inhabitants of the worlds (bandits, goblins, animals, etc.) and mystical components (one example involved a fountain that sprayed honey).
"This needs more research to better understand how we generate ideas and come up with new things, unlocking creativity," Taylor said. "We can be really impressed by the creativity of children left to their own devices. It is important to give them some time free of a schedule because they will come up with things to do that they really enjoy and will share with others." | |
Sucking marshes, desiccating deserts, frigid tundra, and crushing ocean depths may seem the height of inhospitable terrain to new explorers, yet such relatively mundane terrestrial biomes represent only a fraction of the galaxy’s impossibilities.
Nascent worlds rage with volcanic activity as their crusts cool, their semisolid surfaces ablaze with fresh lava. Rogue planets exiled by their exploding suns wander the lightless expanses. Aberrant lifeforms grow as large as planetoids, slumbering with unspoken aspirations as unsuspecting creatures carve out a life on their miles-thick carapace. Cosmic forces that could never support life in a mundane multiverse arise in arcane nebulae and star systems born from divine will. Across the galaxy’s billions of planets, the impossible becomes merely improbable, birthing biomes best described as weird.
In a science fantasy setting, weird biomes exist in part to provide a counterpoint to familiar Earth-like realms. What qualifies as weird may simply be a planet, star, or system encountered at an extreme point of its life cycle, such as newborn molten planetoids, realms so decrepit that they’re practically crumbling, or stubborn occult echoes of worlds that have long since disintegrated. More often, though, weirdness borrows from the outlandish tropes of planar travel, made even more jarring because weird biomes aren’t monolithic, infinite, divine realms; they exist within and are a natural extension of the Material Plane, reinforcing that the strangest destinations lie unsettlingly close to home. Unlike in mountains and deserts, adventurers can’t just turn on environmental protections to forget their surroundings; a weird biome presents a constant threat that could absorb, consume, or melt the complacent traveler. More than any other environ, these worlds aren’t just the setting; they’re the story itself.
Given their dangers, why hazard even approaching these worlds? In the case of living worlds, visitors might have no choice; these planets and colossal creatures often hunt down nearby starships, space stations, and whole worlds to consume or corrupt in the perpetuation of their million-year life cycles. Those who survive this predation often establish the beachheads for future exploration. What’s more, alighting on such a beast’s surface might be the only way for heroes to neutralize the behemoth and save their own homes.
More often, weird realms hide many of the setting’s greatest secrets: lifeless tracts preserve ancient knowledge for eons, tremendous living worlds are inimitable biological case studies, regions with aberrant physics might prove a critical testing ground for the next great technologies, and time-locked sanctums hypothetically exist where clues from the Gap survive into the modern era. In other cases, eccentric realms promise extraordinary resources. Intense pressures cause crushing atmospheres to rain diamonds. Magically warped nuclear fission yields supernatural elements key to building ever more powerful computers. Certain inorganic lifeforms might even photosynthesize raw UPBs, fulfilling that fanciful dream of money growing on trees. Through a combination of physics and magic, anything is possible, and each possibility is a scientific treasure, attracting unconventional adventurers with the promise of novelty and riches.
Weird Inhabitants
Source
Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 92
Where life exists in weird biomes, always consider how the creatures navigate, subsist, breath, reproduce, and survive. After all, even an utterly alien realm benefits from internal logic that makes its oddities more plausible. What’s more, these inhabitants might view PCs as the truly unnatural beings, establishing an unsettling dynamic for first-contact encounters.
Native species are often as strange as the terrain itself, and by necessity, such organisms have adapted to survive—and even thrive—under bizarre circumstances. Life in a volcanic expanse is likely virtually immune to heat, either naturally breathing the otherwise-toxic gases or being able to swap between different forms of respiration like aberrant lungfishes. Dead planets might lack true life, populated instead by undead or outsiders. Those dwelling on or within immense planet-beings must weather their host’s tremendous movements, with sustenance as likely to be parasitized from the planetoid’s body as captured through photosynthesis.
Inhabitants who originate offworld must have advanced technology, magic, or utter fortitude to survive, and they rarely settle these realms as a first choice. Instead, exile, desperation, or refuge drive immigration, and many of these creatures suffer in inhospitable surroundings that will never truly be home. Aucturn’s toxicity illustrates the trend, as any cultists and exiles who don’t choke in the toxic atmosphere inevitably mutate beyond recognition.
Most ominous of all are those creatures that can’t thrive in a weird biome’s current conditions—yet like seeds awaiting rain, these organisms can unfurl or hatch if the status quo changes, potentially creating an even stranger ecosystem!
Weird Adventurers
Source
Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 92
Player characters are exceptional, and no origin’s more exceptional than growing up on a weird world. These planets rarely appeal to mainstream residents, instead attracting an eclectic mix of the desperate, the academic, and the opportunistic—all shaped into rugged survivors by the experience. The “sea legs” of a child raised on an immense living creature’s surface give them extraordinary balance, represented by Acrobatics skill, and for those living worlds that can listen, learning the planet’s language and honing one’s Diplomacy can outright avert earthquakes. On volcanic worlds, freshly hardened rock formations can block paths, and a keen eye is critical to spotting solid ground, requiring capable Athletics, Perception, and Physical Science training. The weirder the world, the more likely magic is involved, and Mysticism is often more valuable than Life Science or Survival when navigating enchanted turf.
Weird Worlds
Source
Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 93
Weird biomes defy expectation; they tend to feel most natural when experienced in isolation, with an entire world being uniformly weird, rather than including an eccentric ecosystem on an otherwise mundane planet. Any monolithically weird world becomes a study in what-ifs. If a planet isn’t roughly spherical, how might that affect gravity? If a planet is truly dead, does it lack a magnetic field that would deflect cosmic rays? If a planet is largely molten, does it instead have an overwhelming electromagnetic field? For a living planet, does it need to feed or respire, and if so, how does that drive its weather? For utterly bizarre realms, does matter consist of completely alien elements or operate under aberrant physics?
Unpacking all the potential ramifications isn’t necessary when presenting a weird world; however, the GM should prepare at least three of these consequences as a way of illustrating the weirdness and making the world more believable. Thick skeletons could allow the native fauna to weather unexpectedly heavy gravity. Creatures on a dead world might shelter underground during the day to avoid irradiation, emerging at night to compete for ever-dwindling resources on the dying surface. Their counterparts on a molten world might be silicon-based or soar high above the lava, with visitors’ computer equipment malfunctioning almost immediately from overwhelming radiation. A living planet might exhale regularly, blasting air from crater-sized geysers that travelers exploit with sturdy gliders, reaching lofty ecosystems sustained by these updrafts.
Even where a world’s explanation is “it’s magic,” it needs an underlying logic. Identify and apply that logic consistently, and even the most bizarre planet can come alive—sometimes literally!
Weird Rules And Reference
Source
Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 93
Nearly anything can be true on a weird world, which affords a GM vast freedom in deciding which rules to apply from a vast array of possibilities. These planets might be utterly hostile to life, in which case abnormal atmospheres are ideal—anything from the corrosive, toxic, and strange atmospheres on pages 395–396 of the Core Rulebook to no atmosphere at all. Erratic orbits, rapid rotation, and worse could beget extreme weather, using the rules on pages 398–400 as a starting point. Gravity (pages 401–402) could range from extreme to erratic, applying inconsistently across some worlds. Even terrestrial worlds, partly warmed by radioactive decay in their cores, might weep radiation (pages 403–404) across whole continents. For those worlds where physics simply doesn’t work as expected, the physical and mental disease tracks (pages 414–415) can represent explorers’ gradual degradation. Most crucially, remember that weird worlds are exactly that: weird. If ever there’s a time to apply strange circumstances, modify existing rules, or invent your own, this is it.
Weird Toolbox
Source
Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 94
See Biome Subsections on page 46 for advice on how to use the following tables.
Weird Inhabitants
D%
Sapient
Threat
1–4
Android
Bryrvath
5–8
Astrazoan
Cloud ray
9–12
Bodysnatcher slime
Colour out of space
13–16
Bone trooper
Deh-nolo
17–20
Borais
Demon, pluprex
21–24
Calecor
Diatha
25–28
Cerebric fungus
Dinosaur, radioactive
29–32
Contemplative
Frujai colony
33–36
Copaxi
Glass serpent
37–40
Corpsefolk
Herd animal, thermic
41–44
Dessamar
Ignurso
45–48
Dragon, void
Irokiroi
49–52
Entu colony
Magma ooze
53–56
Genie, efreeti
Mi-go
57–60
Hallajin
Moonflower
61–64
Hanakan
Plague ooze
65–68
Hortus
Protean, rifti
69–72
Hulsa
Psychic abomination
73–76
Jinsul
Quantum slime
77–80
Kami, chinjugami
Robot, mining
81–84
Oracle of Oras
Thermatrod
85–88
Orocoran
Thermophilic ooze
89–92
Quorlu
Troll, void
93–96
Shirren
Undead minion
97–100
Urog
Vermin, necropede
Weird Adventure Hooks
D20
Adventure Hook
1
Centuries-long volcanic eruptions cease in the course of a single day, and lava worldwide begins to drain back underground in a deafening torrent. Where is all of this molten rock going, and what subterranean realms is it uncovering in its wake?
2
A dead zone blasted to lifelessness millennia ago unexpectedly hides stasis pods or dormant eggs, the last vestiges of a forgotten past. Biologists’ excitement fades to panic when these lifeforms awaken, enraged by their barren environs and intent on destroying all other life.
3
Ghost-haunted ruins have continuously replayed millennia-old, pre-Gap scenes, yet recently, the ghosts began speaking of their experiences with the Drift as if the plane existed in their time.
4
With little warning, tectonic plates have taken flight like spacefaring manta rays, carrying continents on their backs and leaving behind a molten core. Where is this convoy of immense aliens traveling, and what is the fate of those stuck on their backs?
5
An inverted planet, with a molten exterior and a hollow, inhabitable interior, cracks open once every 96 years, allowing traffic for several weeks before closing. The planet has just reopened. What lies within?
6
After disgorging lava for eons, several volcanoes have run dry. Passageways lead deep into the planet’s core, where cooling caverns bear prophetic inscriptions in Ignan warning of an apocalypse “when the halls grow cold.”
7
Slain in an ancient age, an amorphous planet is actually the curled corpse of a dead god. Literal veins of precious metals have long attracted prospectors, yet recent pilgrims have developed inexplicable spellcasting powers. Is the god coming back to life?
8
Tens of thousands of miles long, an immense angler fish beast swims through space, its glowing lure heating its back like a miniature sun. The people living atop its back recently learned how to steer the beast, urging it to gobble up planets in their quest for resources.
9
Rather than seasons, a rocky world experiences phases where rifts open to particular planes. The season of Maelstrom dawns, and the planet seems to be mutating as proteans swarm the surface.
10
Seven planets, each carefully carved with miles-wide runes, orbit a star with clockwork precision. Astronomers predict that all seven will align perfectly later this year, but it’s unclear whether this event might open a portal, trigger a miracle, or something stranger.
11
Five titanic, insectile limbs project from a planet, each bursting through at the beginning of a new age. A deafening tapping has begun under one continent. Is a sixth leg approaching, and does this mean the planet might fully hatch at long last?
12
Nearly a third of a moon’s mass consists of vast servers, processors, and other computers, all whirring busily while tended by robotic minions. It’s clear the moon is calculating something, and more ominously, a large display appears to be counting down to an imminent date.
13
A nearby star emits trace amounts of siccatite, which has accumulated in thick layers on an orbiting world over billions of years. Corporations now clash on the planet’s pyro-taiga to control the mineral rights.
14
The souls of those who die in this biome become comfortable ghosts, never judged by Pharasma. Psychopomp starships patrol the skies to fend off scoundrels who would die here rather than languish in Abaddon. The PCs must brave the blockade to question a dead murderer’s spirit.
15
Flung from its sun eons ago, a rogue planet’s frigid surface encases millions of undead inhabitants. As the planet approaches a new star system, the ice thaws, releasing the undead to pillage nearby worlds.
16
An aberrant world abducts anyone in the galaxy who dreams of its haunted surface. A mysterious holovid circulates widely, showing these landscapes to the unwary, who wake from terrible nightmares to find themselves trapped untold light years from home.
17
Paleontologists uncover countless layers of mass extinctions that occurred like clockwork on a vibrant world, and the evidence suggests another die-off is imminent. They’re desperate to uncover what keeps killing off all life before this unique ecosystem is lost forever.
18
A barely sentient expanse of the Abyss manifested on the Material Plane during the Gap, only to be settled by skittermanders who adore the living planetoid, confusing and calming its demonic instincts. A recent raid by off-worlders has riled the planetoid, threatening its residents and nearby worlds alike.
19
Haunting dreams plague anyone who alights on a lifeless planet, causing visitors to transform into the planet’s long-dead, once-dominant species. Exceptionally strong and smart, they’re operating from a gutted metropolis, hoping to abduct and transform more victims.
20
An immense ring world surrounds a mystic portal through which nothing has ever returned, including those rim inhabitants with fatal curiosity. Suddenly, an explorer missing for millennia emerges from the portal, carrying tales of untold riches and a growing threat on the other side. | https://aonsrd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=1754 |
We both care really care about each other and want to stay in each other’s life.The issue now is figuring out how and in what capacity.
But when those unique dating situations suddenly become your present reality, you still feel like a deer caught in headlights no matter how many books about polyamory or open relationships you may have read.
I’ve been dating a guy I met online for almost six months, but he won’t delete his online dating profile.
It’s a dilemma that’s more common than you think when online dating turns into an offline relationship.
The funny thing about being in a relationship when you’ve been single for so long is that you go into it having all these preconceived ideas on how you would react to certain dating situations, and you prejudge your future relationships based on your past ones.
If any other girl came to me with the same dilemma, I’d tell her the exact same thing dating expert Evan Marc Katz would say.
He’s not that into you if he’s still looking at other women online. Katz makes a great point in one of his blog posts about this very dating dilemma online. There is simply no viable, reasonable, acceptable response he can make – even if, somehow, he has not met ANY new women since “committing” to you,” argues Katz.
Given how much time we spend together, it’s really difficult for me to make a case against him keeping his online dating profile up if his ridiculousness of a truth is, in fact, a truth at all.
He says he likes to read other people’s profile summaries for entertainment purposes while taking a crap on the toilet. I don’t buy it for a second, but in the spirit of trusting him, I went along with it anyway despite my own common sense. Why mess it up with my own emotional hangups and insecurities?
When you meet someone online and you start spending more and more time together, the last thing you’re thinking about is your online dating profile, let alone updating or deleting it.
After all, you don’t want to jinx the relationship before it even has a chance to start.
My heart sank as the truth I had already known finally started to come out. A man can frame it any way he likes, but the simple truth is that a man doesn’t keep his dating profile up unless he wants to keep his options open. | https://on-off-group.ru/21470the-whole-point-of-dating.html |
The new year seems to be the ideal time to set countless goals and make an insane number of lists. I decided to share my resolutions for 2022 and a few tips for you all.
Nikki’s New Year Resolutions
Prioritize rest
Take more risks
Get back into my health journey (not prioritizing weight loss)
Visit new places
Clean up raggedy money habits
Enhance my PM skills
Get back to therapy
Tips
Do not try to change too many things at once
Do not give in to pandemic fatigue
Do not take any people baggage into the new year
Remember to check your dates (2022 not 2021)
Make self-care a priority
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venus-in-september/id1585922094?i=1000540995581
https://open.spotify.com/episode/05yjLSFjdVMeINY9QtUm8U?si=ggVspdERTFab28coH6AsuA
https://anchor.fm/nikki1844/episodes/Episode-7-Is-It-Time-For-Something-NewTalking-About-The-Job-Search-and-Interviewing-Process-e19s57n
The job search and interview process can be difficult. It’s important to know exactly what you are looking for and how to secure that role. Some tips I have for the process are below.
Job Search and Interview Tips
1. Write down a list of what you are looking for in a new job and your dealbreakers
2. Revise your resume and cover letter/customize for each job
3. Use a professional email
4. Set a limit for the number of jobs you will apply to per week
5. Apply to different tiers of jobs (easy, moderate and hard)
6. Send thank you notes after each phase of the interview process
7. Decline same day interviews
8. Test out your connection before the interview
9. Study the company and job posting
10. Write down a list of possible questions/answers
11. Write down follow up questions for the interview
12. Negotiate your salary
It is important to ask questions at the end of each interview. Some questions I suggest are below.
Interview Questions
1. What is the workplace culture in the company/department?
2. Can you describe what a typical day looks like in the position?
3. What would you expect me to accomplish within the first 90 days of the position?
4. What are the most important qualities a person would need to possess in order to be successful in the position?
5. How is the performance evaluated?
6. What is the potential for growth in this role?
7. Are there any existing team building methods for the team?
Check Out Episode 4 of My Podcast!
Check out my podcast, Venus in September, on Anchor! https://anchor.fm/nikki1844
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venus-in-september/id1585922094?i=1000538294069
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7bzHhcz8Z0As4qzT7yPa0N?si=k89MBKBrTsa0xbDwnA4mcQ&dl_branch=1
I’ve used dating apps/websites off and on for around 8-9 years to supplement my in person interactions. Of my at least 75-100 first dates, most have been from online websites/apps. From those dates, I’ve been in 3 relationships that started from online dating (including my current one).
So what are some of the good things about online dating? As an introvert, it is a good way to meet people in local and in different areas. I’ve been on some really good dates. I’ve also been able to date outside of my “type”.
There’s also the bad…I’ve had some horrible dates. I’ve had some guys not take rejection well. I’ve invested time in people who were not interested in the same thing. That can SUCK!!!
Here are some tips:
• Use 3 to 5 up-to-date photos including full body
• Keep your bio effective and concise
• Do not overshare personal information
• Make sure (as much as possible) that you and the person you are communicating with have similar intentions for being on the site
• Communicate with the person for at least a few days to a week on the site before taking your communication off-line
• When initially exchanging contact information, do not give out your personal cell phone number. Give the person a Google voice number, a WhatsApp contact or something similar.
• Do not send anyone money
• Google that man or a woman before meeting
• Do not let them pick you up from your house. Try to arrange for a Uber or a Lyft if you do not have your own transportation.
• Meet in a public setting when you feel comfortable. Do not let the person pressure you into meeting any sooner than that.
• Pay attention to behaviors during the date
• Don’t be discouraged if this person doesn’t work out or if you only go on one date.
• Keep your options open until you find someone who you really like and have formed some type of relationship with them or until you feel comfortable with ceasing communication with others
• Stay optimistic, there’s at least one lid for every pot
Suggested free websites
• Okcupid
• Tinder
• Bumble
Have you tried online dating? | https://venusinseptember.com/author/venusinseptember/ |
Read the Conversation
EF: 2020, the focus was on diagnostics; 2021 on vaccines and increasing access; what do you think 2022 will be the year of?
SM: Mexico is administering vaccines for free; as a result, we do not commercialize vaccines. Generally, vaccines are preventative measures created by the healthcare sector. In Latin America and Mexico, most insurance companies do not cover prevention medicines or treatments.
EF: Moving forward, what would you like to focus on?
SM: 2022 was the year of getting patients back to care in general. Mental health has to be prioritized more than before because of the pandemic. Depression and anxiety increased exponentially here in Mexico. Several people have been affected by mental health issues, impacting productivity. An estimated one trillion dollars is lost every year due to a reduction in productivity caused by mental illnesses.
There is a lot of stigma around mental conditions, so we have to work together toward a better consensus about mental health. We have to work on the importance of mental health to create better mental health.
EF: What is the role of mental health in developing the economy, and do you think the awareness trends are positive in Mexico?
SM: In terms of productivity, we have lost approximately one trillion dollars in the last year alone. A study is currently taking place in the UK that demonstrates the benefits of treating people with schizophrenia from the very first episode. Every cent invested in treatment generates five dollars back. If nations and companies take care of people with mental health, there will be less investment in the future. Therefore, the earlier a mental condition is diagnosed and treated; the less severe its impact will be in the future. It is something we have to invest in continuously.
In Mexico this year, there has been less investment into mental health. More and more countries are investing more in mental health. Mental health awareness has increased tremendously here in Mexico. Therefore, although investments have decreased, awareness has grown tremendously. After the pandemic, people are now more health-conscious, and they know the importance of mental health because many people have people around them that possibly suffer from mental illnesses.
EF: Do you see a gap that needs to be covered between the investment and awareness of mental health?
SM: Absolutely, there is a big gap. If more people fall ill mentally without treatment, more people will need support, so yes, it is a challenge we need to overcome. I believe it is a challenge that we can overcome with time.
Last month public schools here shut their doors. There are a lot of kids at home, which has increased the parents’ burden. This creates isolation for both the parent and child. Schools must open as soon as possible because education is critical for the country's development.
Now one in three people are taking medicine for mental health. People understand the importance of personal mental health, but we still need to raise the government's awareness.
EF: How do you see progressive mind platforms evolving in the future?
SM: There are many more people engaged in our progress mind platforms. There is also an increase in people that are seeking support. Since there is an increase in people that need help, we have to follow the guidelines and the law. We have support systems for our employees. These support systems include physicians that increase mental health awareness. We are also doing a lot of activities with some associations.
The media can be a great source of information on mental health with better knowledge and understanding. This will lead to better coverage of mental health. When journalists write about mental illness, there is stigmatization. We have to consider how we communicate about the problems with mental health because we can subconsciously criminalize or create more stigma against mental health. Communication is key. How we communicate is important as we want to deliver the right message.
EF: What are your expectations for Lundbeck in Mexico and the region you manage?
SM: Lundbeck’s markets are in 17 countries from Mexico to Peru. Our performance has been growing year on year. Last year alone, we grew by 9%, which is an improvement from previous years. Our growth has allowed us to help people be their best and healthier selves. Our importance has improved the quality of life of people suffering from psychiatric and neurological disorders.
It is important to have innovative products and products that improve people’s quality of life. I am proud to work in Lundbeck with its mission and people.
EF: With your current growth, what would you like to achieve next?
SM: We have new launches coming up in the next few years, one in neurology and another in biology. The idea is to launch new therapies that cover our patients' current needs. We do not want to launch products for needs already being met. We want to create products that support people not covered by the currently available medications.
Some people think there is no evolution in mental health. Thirty years ago, people with schizophrenia would be admitted to an institution. Now people with schizophrenia, depression or other mental conditions can live completely normal lives. People with severe mental illnesses can live normal lives. It has evolved with the help of both medical science and psychology. It is not only about medication but also about therapy that supports people and improves their quality of life.
Our mission is to improve the quality of life for people that need it, especially people with psychiatric and neurological diseases. We want to give everyone the best opportunity to live their best life. | https://www.executiveforecast.com/conversation/sara-montero-managing-director-lundbeck-mexico-central-america-and-andean-countries |
Programs will be held virtually over Zoom with meetings beginning at 6pm and programs beginning at 6:30pm.
September 22nd, 2021 - Horseshoe Crabs and Red Knots by Dr. Lawrence Niles
This
program is presented by Dr. Lawrence Niles who received a BS and MS at
Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University,
Program in Ecology and Evolution, focusing on migratory raptors. He
began his 40-year career as a regional game biologist
in the Okefenokee region of Georgia. He spent 25 years working as an
endangered species biologist, then as chief of the NJ Endangered and
Nongame Species Program, where he led the NJ Bald Eagle Recovery
Project, Cape May Migratory Bird Stopover Project, the
Delaware Bay Shorebird Project. In 2006, Dr. Niles retired from the NJ
Fish and Wildlife and started his own company to pursue independent
research and management projects on shorebird ecology and conservation
and habitat conservation through planning and
restoration. He has many peer-reviewed scientific articles, has
published a monograph on shorebirds, and two books, one on NJ Endangered
Species and a second on Shorebirds of Delaware Bay. He and his wife
Amanda Dey were part of the PBS Nature
documentary “Crash: A Tale of Two Species”. Please join us via zoom on
September 22nd at 6pm for Dr. Niles Program on “Horseshoe Crabs and Red
Knots”. | http://www.lycomingaudubon.org/p/programs.html |
Debate Digest: Teacher-student friendships on Facebook, Law school, Balanced budget amendment, US debt ceiling deal.
Debate: Mass migration
From Debatepedia
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Is mass migration, especially from developing to developed countries, a good force?
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Background and context
International migration can take place for economic as well as non-economic (e.g. political, religious) reasons. Since the end of World War II most international migration has been motivated by economic reasons - by the prospect of earning higher real wages and income abroad. The costs and benefits of foreign labor is one of the most controversial issues in international economics. Floods of asylum seekers created by wars are also a very pressing issue, particularly for the United States, Australia and the European Union. These governments have committed to ensuring the human rights of refugees through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and through other international agreements. However, today it appears that although bound by international conventions, governments find themselves unable to cope with more and more immigrants for economic and social reasons. Governments generally seek to make a distinction between welcoming asylum seekers fleeing war or persecution, and turning away economic migrants seeking better opportunities abroad, unless they are especially skilled or wealthy already. The attitude of the countries of origin for migrants varies. Some see it as an issue of political and social control and seek to prevent, or at least severely restrict, any emigration. Others allow it but have policies which, intentionally or otherwise, create disincentives for potential migrants, for example by making it illegal for non-residents to own property, making it hard for migrants to later return. Still others rely heavily upon the income generated by emigrants sending remittances back home.
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Economics overall: Are there overall global economic benefits from migration?
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Yes
Free, market-driven migration leads toward a higher net productivity of labour in the world: Labour is a factor of production that is becoming more and more mobile in the age of globalization, especially with modern advances in transport facilities. It is only natural that labour is moving from areas where it cannot be used to the places where there is a big labour market. As for any factor of production, the effects on countries of immigration and emigration can be analysed mathematically. Such analyses prove that although output in the country of emigration decreases, it increases in the host country in a larger scale, thus counting for a net increase in the world output.
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No
Contention that wealthy countries benefit most from migration (and need such benefits least), whereas poorer countries lose out: Economic migrants leave their countries not because they cannot find jobs but mainly because they are seeking higher income. Thus, they are only widening the gaps in their home countries’ labour markets, condemning them to further economic decline.Both economically and socially it is not sound to seek for an increase of some countries’ welfare, mostly the countries where the standard of living is already high, at the expense of underdeveloped countries. Thus, international labour migration further skews distribution of income in the world.
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Home economies: Do the economies of home countries benefit from the migration of their natives abroad?
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Yes
Remittances benefit home economies: The higher real wages that migrant workers earn abroad and transfer to their families at home can be compared to dividends from successful capital investments. Migrants’ remittances to their families abroad and investments in their home country’s economy are all gains for a migrant’s native land. In some cases private investments from emigrants is worth 50% of these countries’ commodity export income.
Home country save on health care and other social benefits because they are spent on a migrant by his host country.
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No
Often migrants move with their families, so there cannot be any income for a home country. While the head of the family benefits a host country, his children and elderly parents become a burden on this country’s taxpayers. An unqualified illegal labour force lowers the real wages of local workers and makes the unemployment problem in their host country worse.We should instead attempt to improve the situation in poor countries rather than just allowing anyone with the drive to leave. This proposal will cause a brain drain of talent from the countries that most need it in order to build up their own economies condemning them to permanent underdevelopment. It will take away working age people from countries who already lack them because of AIDS and high birth rates. Further, it will distract from our real aim, which must be to build up the economies of poor countries through training and investment.
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Destination economies: Do destination economies benefit from influxes of immigrants?
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Yes
International migration can bring new knowledge and technologies to some countries. For instance, the huge migration from Europe to America in the late 19th century did boost the growth rate in the US, and contributed to its economic take-off. Not only America, but also Australia and New Zealand emerged out of immigration flow. The reverse is also true, migrants returning from years or decades abroad often bring back with them money, along with new skills, knowledge and attitudes which can invigorate the economy of their country of origin.
Inflows of low-paid migrants lowers the need for outsourcing: Outsourcing is largely driven by a demand to cut costs by paying workers less. This presumes that domestic sources of labor are too costly (wages are too high). Yet, because migrants are often willing to work for less, their influx can allow companies to hire them and avoid outsourcing. For those that see outsourcing as undesireable or harmful, migrants provide something of a solution.
Immigrants are mainly of working age, which means they consume less of the services provided by the state, such as health care and education, and pay more in taxes: In the UK, Home Office research suggests that immigrants pay 2.5bn more in taxes than they take in benefits.
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No
The success of immigrants in boosting the American economy was only possible thanks to a huge internal free, liberal market there at the time, and the plentiful availability of cheap land. However, since the 19th century economic realities in the world have changed a lot. A huge pool of unskilled labour is no longer crucial to economic success, and the domestic markets in developed countries are carefully divided among thousands of domestic and foreign producers. Furthermore, the immigrants that come to the US and western European countries now are mostly uneducated people who cannot contribute new technologies or special knowledge, and who do not try to integrate into their host culture.
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Migrants: Do migrants benefit from open borders?
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Yes
International migration is beneficial because it brings workers to where infrastructure and knowledge are:
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No
What is good for poor countries and the global economy is sound trading practice and investment in Less Developed Countries. This is explicitly to be reduced if poor workers are to come to the Western world. The reason that multinational companies are engaged in a lobby for a free market in labour is because they are engaged in a ‘race to the bottom’ in search of the cheapest labour.
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Crime: Is cross-border crime increased as a side-effect of increased border barriers?
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Yes
People smuggling is now a massive illegal operation, second only to the drug trade, and its gangs also operate prostitution rings, protection rackets, and forced labour, and are linked to drug smuggling and terrorism.
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No
Unless borders are thrown open completely and total freedom of movement is allowed, there will always be attempts to enter countries illegally, with unpleasant consequences. Better enforcement and stronger international cooperation could greatly reduce the extent of these problems, without giving up a reasonable policy which enjoys widespread public backing. In particular, more support from the developed world for developing countries could do much to reduce the civil wars, oppressive regimes and poverty that do much to drive immigrants abroad. The argument that many immigrants would stay only temporarily in their host countries if they had a more secure status relates only to a few migrants; most are likely to stay permanently and to seek instead to bring their relatives over to join them in the longer term.
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Migrant risks: Do more migrants die per year due to increased border barrier measures?
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Yes
Many would-be migrants die taking desperate risks in an effort to reach their goal
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No
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Trade: Do heavy migratory restrictions damage trade and trade relations between countries?
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Yes
Many countries are taking increasingly expensive and illiberal measures to enhance their border security, with a negative impact upon trade and legitimate travel.
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No
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Returning home: Do barriers prevent "successful" illegal immigrants from returning home? Should this be a consideration?
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Yes
Many studies show that most migrants would prefer their stay in the developed world to be temporary, but their illegal status deters them from visiting and maintaining contacts at home, so their stay becomes permanent.
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No
Click on the pencil icon and research and write arguments here
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References:
Motions:
In legislation, policy, and the real world:
See also on Debatepedia:
External links and resources:
Books: | http://www.debatepedia.com/en/index.php/Debate:_Mass_migration |
Profile : 20+ yrs. Experienced Professional FM Landscape Engineer Objective : To seek a suitable Opening in Managerial Level - LANDSCAPING I am a young dedicated 20+ year’s professional experience having a good record with the ability to develop & maintain inter personnel communications skills. I would like to share & expand my knowledge by coming across new challenging ventures. I am looking forward to explore the possibility of developing my career in a most challenging environment and develop new way of working.
Strengths : I can administer jobs, Team player, interpersonal skills, credulity in work ethics, present seminars, conduct survey etc.
Skills : Landscape & Irrigation Maintenance, Operation & Maintenance, Site Supervision Facilities Management, Soft Services, Waste Management, Project Management, Pest Control, Procurement, Tendering, Mobilization, Budgeting, Quality control Management of TFQM, Landscape Projects, Assets, Community, Contractors, Service Providers, Owners Representative
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS :
Degree INSTITUTION / COLLEGE UNIVERSITY YEAR CLASS B.Sc Vijayanagar College, Hospet Gulbarga University 95 FIRST Additional : M.Sc First Class from Karnataka University, Dharwar Computer Profile : One year diploma course from Belhos Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Can manage Arabic typing
Operating system : Windows 98, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013+ Office Application : MS Office, Internet browsing etc. Other Application : Oracle, Maximo / CAFM.
MEFMA Certificate : Certified MEFMA Manager Certificate Work experience :
Designation Organization Period
Unit Head - FM Landscape AWPR(ZAPIA), Al Ain, UAE MAR 2013 - to till date Job Responsibilities :
1. Execution and operation & Maintenance of horticulture (Landscape & irrigation), Softscapes, procuring plants, long medium and short term planning, budgeting, plan and execution of designed landscapes, SHAIK MOHAMMED MUSHTAQ
P.O.B : 1204
Al Ain, UAE
Mobile : +971-*********
[email protected]
SHAIK CV LS Mgr 2
purchasing, coordinating, instructing allocated staff and related tasks to achieve the goals of AWPR
(ZAPIA).
2. Manage all aspects of landscape and horticultural development on the projects 3. Plan and Prepare Annual Budgets for FM Landscape & Irrigation Section for approval from Finance Ministry
4. Coordinate, monitor and instruct contractors and suppliers 5. Procure appropriate plant material, tools, machines, fertilizers, Irrigation materials, decorative items etc…on behalf of AWPR (ZAPIA) as per policy & procedure 6. Plan and Prepare Cost Estimates for Projects of AWPR (ZAPIA) Landscape & Irrigation Section Ensure safe working conditions for employees and contractors on site 7. Hold meetings and training sessions for staff and contractors 8. Attend and represent AWPR (ZAPIA) and the Property Development / Project Management Department at internal & external forums
9. Manage, monitor and control the budget ensuring efficient expenditure. Respond to Horticulture/landscape/irrigation requests and issues reported to the Department 10. Routinely review and ensure compliance of all Safety requirements, risk assessments, method statements and related documentation to carry out all operation, maintenance and construction activities across all AWPR (ZAPIA) sites for Staff safe work Practices
11. Plan, Prepare, Upload Monthly / Quarterly Half yearly / Annual Maintenance Schedule / Programmes of Landscape &Irrigation in Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) services of AWPR (ZAPIA) 12. All documentation, administration and Execution of Landscape Maintenance project 13. Understand the requirements of the Project documentation, drawing specifications, resource material, budget costs tracking for the site Operation and Maintenance 14. Manage and report routinely, the performance assessment of all service providers and make recommendations for service improvement /
15. Routinely review all service and supplier agreements/contracts with Senior Managers / Director: Project Management to meet the needs of AWPR (ZAPIA).
16. Manage the application and use of all control systems including but not limited to Irrigation controllers, leak detection systems and general maintenance management systems for the day to day operation and delivery of work with the team.
17. Develop and manage contingency plans for the Property Development / Horticulture Team response to meet core business needs. This includes but not limited to ensuring emergency response, 24 hour SHAIK MOHAMMED MUSHTAQ
P.O.B : 1204
Al Ain, UAE
Mobile : +971-*********
[email protected]
SHAIK CV LS Mgr 3
availability of maintenance teams and coordination with other AWPR (ZAPIA) teams to respond to emergency and disasters to resume normal operations as quickly possible. 18. Routinely review section staff complements, carry out on the job assessments and maintain all related HR documentation for Performance assessments of staff to ensure the department and business requirements are met.
19. Prepare a variety of reports for Department and Divisional Management. 20. Provide and implement a short to long term strategy plan for the department 21. Read and interpret layout and landscape plans and quantities. 22. Solve workforce, on-site and design issues. Plan & allocate Plant, labour, material to site Engineers / Supervisors and keep track to achieve the timely goals. 23. Ensure the work is carried out as per the work schedule within the timeline and cost need of the hour systematically
24. Check and Highlight the Contractor staff / In-house staff for additional requirements 25. Conduct Vocational training to UAE School & University students related to Landscape and Irrigation, Conduct awareness programs of Environment, Recycling, sustainability & native plants introduction. 26. Knowledge of applicable UAE regulations and procedures in addition to EHS requirements 27. Projects take over after completion of DLP periods & Maintain as per Horticultural standard Practices from outsource service providers / contractors.
28. Prepare a Plan & implement in exhibit improvement of the AWPR (ZAPIA) Core Zoo & Al Ain Zoo Safari, UAE Wild desert, SZDLC Project areas, MET Project areas etc…. Achievements & Projects: Successfully taken over the Landscape Projects from Contractors & Maintaining them
a) MET Project - 2014 - Vivid Flora Landscape of 3 kms with Native Plants, b) SZDLC Project - 2015 - Landscape of 1.5 kms with Local UAE Fauna and flora profusely growing with Estidama, Sustainability Principles with 4 exhibits c) NOK Safari - 2016 - AlAin Safari project - Vibrant Man made Largest Landscape of 5 kms of North of Kenyan Safari ( AlAin Safari)
d) WDS Project - 2017 - Landscape of 1. 7 kms with Mixed Fauna and flora profusely growing e) Children Discovery Garden area (CDA) - 2017 - Unique Landscape 0.6 km for Children enjoying the experience with Nature
SHAIK MOHAMMED MUSHTAQ
P.O.B : 1204
Al Ain, UAE
Mobile : +971-*********
[email protected]
SHAIK CV LS Mgr 4
f) New Hippo Facility Project - 2018 - Unique Landscape 0.2 km for Children & Adult enjoying the experience with Nature can view under water clearly Under Construction - 2019
g) Gorilla Sanctuary h) Reptile House Project i) Elephant Safari Project j) Events Pavilion Project k) HO Building Project l) Sand Cat Project m) Koala Project n) Animal Rescue Center. o) Chimpanzee Project p) Petrol Station Project Designation Organization Period
Landscape Engineer IDAMA, Dubai, UAE Feb 2007 - to Feb 2013
(Executive Soft services Dubai Properties Group (A member of Dubai Holding)
& Landscaping)
Job Responsibilities :
1. Prepare Landscape Tenders requirements like Scope of work, Service Level Agreement (SLA). Health and Safety Environment checklist. Calendar program for Landscape Maintenance, Schedules, Recruitment, Mobilization and training of Landscape & Irrigation Manpower. 2. Coordinating with the Commercials and Contracts Department by Assessing, Analyzing and Estimate the Tenders received.
3. Evaluation of the Sub Contractors Quarterly, half yearly and annually. 4. Preparing the Reports related to Landscape and Irrigation daily / Weekly/ Monthly annual schedule requirements 5. Oversee daily inspections to the sites and update maintenance services with the service providers. 6. Input and implement a resource management plan for all plant and equipment 7. Regular inspections of stores, materials, manpower, hygiene, equipments, PPM. 8. Assist management in the development & implement of staff and contractor training plans and programs. 9. Maintain the Quality audit reports and checks by QMS team 10. Liaise with multiple outsourced service providers Operation and maintenance activities. 11. Preparing office administration schedules, reports, meetings 12. H.S.E: Training the service provider w.r.t. H.S.E, its procedures and policies and updating timely 13. Invoicing: Receive all the invoices, cross check and forward after approval to the accounts for payments. 14. Contract renewal and renegotiation
15. Familiar with Maximo and update the records as required Achievements & Projects: Successfully taken over the Landscape Projects from different Contractors & Maintained Systematically.
a) JBR Community (Jumeirah Beach Residence) Project - 2007 - Unique Landscape of 1.8 kms comprising of 40 Residential Towers, each tower with 45 floor, Community located on Arabian sea with Malls, Shops, Boutique’s, Supermarkets, Hospitals, Clinics, Fountains, Nurseries, Swimming pools, located in 7 Sectors connecting from one sector to the other in Plaza, Podium, Upper podium facing the Beach front areas. b) THE WALK Project - 2008 - Landscape of 1.8 km on beach shore “The Walk” marking as a Landmark on the World Map depicting the European Beachfront with Live Shops, Restaurant, Hotels, fountains, Malls in SHAIK MOHAMMED MUSHTAQ
P.O.B : 1204
Al Ain, UAE
Mobile : +971-*********
[email protected]
SHAIK CV LS Mgr 5
an mixed Arabian Landscape
c) Core Team Member for Tendering Project - 2012 - Worked as a Core Team Member for Tendering the Projects and awarded the Awakf Operation Maintenance of all Facility Services - 55 Million contract
Designation Organization Period
Agriculture Engineer Al- Jezirah enterprises for trading and Industry, June 2000 - Dec 2005 Riyadh, K.S. A.
Job Responsibilities :
1. Duties include Plant propagation by root, stem cuttings, rooting hormone technique, grafting of plants, vegetation propagation, planting seasonal (herbs & shrubs), Propagation of indoor & outdoor plants, daily maintenance, pruning of trees, hedging and topiary of plants. 1. Site construction, designing and execution. Also looking after irrigation. a) Site construction:- Surveying the proposed landscape site considering clients request, climatic, topographic & water resource factors.
b) Designing: - Most excellent surveyed landscape design from AutoCAD draughtsman – considering the above factors.
c) Execution: - Execution of the approved landscape design satisfying the client. d) Irrigation: - Manual / Automatic irrigation installation as per requirement of the client. Designation Organisation Period
Agriculture Engineer Tungabhadra Fertilizer & Chemicals Co. May 1995 to April 2000
(Horticulture Officer) Munirabad. INDIA
Job Responsibilities :
1. Duties include maintenance of gardens, lawns, plant propagation of commercial trees like Teak, Neem Plantation & conservation of plants systematically. Personnel details : | https://www.postjobfree.com/resume/addcue/mgr-agriculture-ehs-al-ain-abu-dhabi |
Welcome to our Verona, Wisconsin Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens. Below are all of the Emergency Food Programs provided through Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens in Verona, WI and surrounding cities. If you are searching for Verona Food Banks - Food banks are distribution hubs. They supply the food to the Soup Kitchens, Food Pantries, Shelters etc. They in turn provide that food to the individuals that need it. Food Banks do not directly serve individuals in need. | https://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/foodbanks/city/wi-verona |
Welcome to our Norwood Court, Missouri Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens. Below are all of the Emergency Food Programs provided through Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens in Norwood Court, MO and surrounding cities. If you are searching for Norwood Court Food Banks - Food banks are distribution hubs. They supply the food to the Soup Kitchens, Food Pantries, Shelters etc. They in turn provide that food to the individuals that need it. Food Banks do not directly serve individuals in need. | https://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/foodbanks/city/mo-norwood_court.html |
Condominium and Cooperative Law in Oregon
Co-ops and condo communities are forms of "common interest communities."
This is a type of community in which the individual residents rent or own residential units in a building, or collection of buildings, but are collectively accountable for taking maintaining the common areas in their communities, such as lawns, gardens, swimming pools, and the like. This responsibility is typically taken care of by charging the residents a periodic maintenance fee, to pay for the upkeep of the common areas.
Just looking at the outside (or inside, for that matter) of a condo or cooperative community, you likely can't tell which it is.
This is because there are no physical characteristics that can precisely distinguish one from the other. The major difference lies in the legal ownership arrangement. In a condominium community, the units are actually owned by the residents. The residents also collectively own the common areas, holding joint title to it. In a cooperative community, the buildings and land which make up the houses are owned by a single entity, and the individual units are often rented rather than owned by the residents.
Laws and Regulations Concerning Common Interest Communities in Seaside, Oregon
Seaside, Oregon likely has numerous laws and regulations concerning common interest communities. Nonetheless, these are mostly limited to the laws and regulations (zoning, land use, etc.) that concern all real estate owners.
Your day-to-day life in a common interest community will likelyy be impacted more by the rules set by the owner or manager of the property, rather than any local or state laws.
The land on which these communities sit is private property, so the owners have substantial leeway when it comes to setting rules regarding what tenants can and can't do on the property. These rules usually govern things like noise levels, cleanliness, long-term guests, and pets. They are often designed with the goal of balancing residents' rights to a clean and quiet neighborhood, with their individual autonomy.
Some of these rules, however, may not be enforceable, if push came to shove. This would depend on the particular laws of Seaside, Oregon which regulate landlords and tenants.
Can a Seaside, Oregon Attorney Help?
If you are in a dispute with your homeowners' association, a neighbor, or your landlord in Seaside, Oregon, a reliable real estate lawyer may prove extremely helpful, if the dispute cannot be otherwise resolved. | https://realestatelawyers.legalmatch.com/OR/Seaside/condominiums-cooperatives.html |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/700,231, filed Apr. 30, 2015, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
The present invention relates to the machining of workpieces.
In the field of aircraft construction, cutting tools, such as drill bits, are used to perform machining operations on aircraft parts. For example, predrilled holes in aircraft panels may be countersunk so that fasteners used to fasten the aircraft panel to the structure are flush with a surface of the panel (e.g. the outer surface of the aircraft).
Due to regular operation, cutting tools wear which may cause them to fail. It is desirable to change cutting tools prior to the failure of cutting tools.
In order to change a cutting tool, typically the device to which the cutting tool is attached (for example, a robot arm) has to be moved away from the object being machined and any fixture system supporting the object. The present inventors have realized that for some objects and fixture systems, especially those having high curvature or complex shapes such as an aircraft center arch panel, standard retractions of the cutting apparatus from the object surface tend to introduce a high risk of the cutting apparatus impacting with the object and/or support fixture. Such collisions may result in damage to the cutting apparatus and/or the object being machined. The present inventors have realized that there is a need for improving automatic tool change operations.
The present inventors have further realized that, for many cutting tools, at least some useful tool life is used. The present inventors have realized a need for improving cutting tool usage.
The present inventors have further realized that a pre-programmed tool change process that avoids collision tends to decrease engineer workload and cost.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of machining a workpiece. The method comprises: specifying a tool path for a cutting tool, the tool path being a path along which a cutting tool is to be moved during machining, by the cutting tool, of the workpiece, wherein the tool path comprises a plurality of tool path segments; defining, for each tool path segment, an exit point, wherein the exit point of a tool path segment is a point on that tool path segment; defining, for each tool path segment, an exit path, wherein the exit path of a tool path segment is a path for the cutting tool from the exit point of that tool path segment to a point that is remote from the workpiece; performing a machining process including moving the cutting tool along at least part of the tool path and machining, by the cutting tool, the workpiece; and, during the machining process, responsive to determining that one or more criteria are satisfied: interrupting the machining process and moving the cutting tool along a current tool path segment without machining the workpiece, from a current location of the cutting tool to the exit point of the current tool path segment; and moving the cutting tool along the exit path of the current tool path segment.
The one or more criteria may comprise a criterion that a tool life of the cutting tool is equal to a predetermined threshold value, for example, zero.
The method may further comprise, after the cutting tool has been moved along the exit path of the current tool path segment, replacing the cutting tool with a further cutting tool.
The method may further comprise: defining, for each tool path segment, an entry point, wherein the entry point of a tool path segment is a point on that tool path segment; defining, for each tool path segment, an entry path, wherein the entry path of a tool path segment is a path for the cutting tool or a further cutting tool from a point that is remote from the workpiece to the entry point of that tool path segment; and, after the cutting tool has been moved along the exit path of the current tool path segment, controlling the cutting tool or a further cutting tool to move along the entry path of the current tool path segment to the entry point of the current tool path segment.
The method may further comprise, thereafter, controlling the cutting tool or the further cutting tool to move along the current tool path segment without machining the workpiece, from the entry point of the current tool path segment to the location of the cutting tool when the machining process was interrupted. The method may further comprise, thereafter, resuming the machining process.
The method may further comprise specifying a sequence comprising a plurality of machining points along the tool path, each machining point being a point along the tool path at which a respective feature (e.g. a hole, or a countersink) is to be machined into the workpiece, wherein each tool path segment includes one or more machining points.
The machining process may include, for each of the machining points the cutting tool is moved to, controlling the cutting tool to machine the corresponding feature into the workpiece. The method may further comprise, for each feature machined by the cutting tool, modifying a tool life value of the cutting tool. The one or more criteria may comprise a criterion that a tool life of the cutting tool is equal to a predetermined threshold value.
The exit point of a tool path segment may be located at or proximate to a last machining point within that tool path segment.
The method may further comprise: defining, for each tool path segment, an entry point, wherein the entry point of a tool path segment is a point on that tool path segment; and defining, for each tool path segment, an entry path, wherein the entry path of a tool path segment is a path for the cutting tool from a point that is remote from the workpiece to the entry point of that tool path segment. The entry point of a tool path segment may be located at or proximate to a first machining point within that tool path segment.
The machining process may include, for each of the machining points the cutting tool is moved to, controlling the cutting tool to machine the corresponding feature into the workpiece. The method may further comprise: for each machining point, assigning, to that machining point, either a first label or a second label, wherein the first label is assigned to a machining point if the feature corresponding to that machining point has not been machined, and the second label is assigned to a machining point if the feature corresponding to that machining point has been machined; defining, for each tool path segment, an entry point, wherein the entry point of a tool path segment is a point on that tool path segment; defining, for each tool path segment, an entry path, wherein the entry path of a tool path segment is a path for the cutting tool from a point that is remote from the workpiece to the entry point of that tool path segment; responsive to determining that one or more criteria are satisfied, identifying the first machining point in the sequence to which the first label is assigned; and, after the cutting tool has been moved along the exit path of the current tool path segment, moving the cutting tool along the entry path of the tool path segment containing the identified machining point to the entry point of the tool path segment containing the identified machining point.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides an aircraft component machined using a method according to any of the above aspects.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides apparatus for machining a workpiece. The apparatus comprises: machining apparatus including a cutting tool; one or more processors configured to store: a tool path for a cutting tool, the tool path being a path along which a cutting tool is to be moved during machining, by the cutting tool, of the workpiece, wherein the tool path comprises a plurality of tool path segments, each segment comprising exit point, wherein the exit point of a tool path segment is a point on that tool path segment; and, for each tool path segment, an exit path, wherein the exit path of a tool path segment is a path for the cutting tool from the exit point of that tool path segment to a point that is remote from the workpiece; a controller operatively coupled to the processor and the machining apparatus and configured to: control the machining apparatus to move the cutting tool along at least part of the tool path and to machine the workpiece; and, responsive to determining that one or more criteria are satisfied: control the machining apparatus to move the cutting tool along a current tool path segment without machining the workpiece, from a current location of the cutting tool to the exit point of the current tool path segment; and control the machining apparatus to move the cutting tool along the exit path of the current tool path segment.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides a program or plurality of programs arranged such that when executed by a computer system or one or more processors it/they cause the computer system or the one or more processors to operate in accordance with any of the above aspects.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides a machine readable storage medium storing a program or at least one of the plurality of programs according to the preceding aspect.
The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter.
FIG. 1
FIG. 3
1
is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of an example of an environment in which an embodiment of a drilling process is performed. The drilling process is described in more detail later below with reference to .
The terminology “drilling process” is used herein to refer to any type of drilling, cutting, or machining process including, but not limited to, fusion cutting, flame cutting, sublimation cutting, drilling a hole, countersinking (a pre-drilled hole), reaming, orbital drilling, etc.
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In this embodiment, the environment comprises an aircraft panel to be drilled, a fixture system , a robot arm comprising a drill bit , a controller , a processor , and a tool storage .
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The aircraft panel is made of carbon fiber. The aircraft panel is to be fixed to an airframe of an aircraft to form an external skin of the aircraft.
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The fixture system comprises a frame in which the aircraft panel is fixed, for example, using a plurality of clamps. The fixture system is configured to restrict or prevent movement of the aircraft panel during the drilling operation. The fixture system may comprise a jig, the framework of which may be made by joining standard galvanized steel beams.
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The robot arm is a conventional industrial robot arm, or robotic arm, such as a six axis serial arm robot, for example a KR360 robot arm manufactured by Kuka Gmbh (Trademark). The robot arm has at least six degree of freedom.
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The drill bit is coupled to an end of the robot arm such that the robot arm may move the drill bit into contact with the aircraft panel , and drill into the aircraft panel . The drill bit is an end effector of the robot arm .
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The robot arm and the drill bit can be conveniently thought of as a single module, e.g. a drilling module.
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In some embodiments, optionally, and in addition to the robot arm , a further robot arm may be used to support the aircraft panel during the drilling process and act as an “anvil”. The further robot arm may be located opposite to the robot arm . The further robot arm may be configured to contact with the aircraft panel opposite to the drill bit so as to prevent or oppose deflection of the aircraft panel during the drilling process. The further robot arm may, for example, be a KR180 or KR360 robot arm manufactured by Kuka Gmbh (Trademark).
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The robot arm is coupled to the controller such that the controller controls movement of the robot arm . The drill bit is coupled to the controller such that the controller may activate and deactivate the drill bit .
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The controller is coupled to the processor such that the processor may send instructions for controlling the robot arm to the controller . The controller is configured to control the robot arm and drill bit in accordance with the instructions received from the processor .
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In this embodiment, the processor comprises a drill program , a status module , and a tool life module .
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FIG. 2
The drill program specifies the sequence of instructions to be sent to the controller with which the controller controls the robot arm . In this embodiment, the drill program specifies a tool path for the drill bit . Also, the drill program specifies a plurality of holes that are to be drilled into the aircraft panel . The holes specified by the drill program are arranged into a plurality of groups of holes, which are hereinafter referred to as “segments”. Thus, the tool path for the drill bit specified by the drill program is partitioned into a plurality of tool path segments. In this embodiment, the tool path segments are a sequence of path segments that make up a continuous tool path. The drill program is described in more detail later below with reference to .
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FIG. 2
The status module maintains a list comprising a current status of each of the holes specified by the drill program . The list maintained by the status module also comprises a current status of each of the segments specified by the drill program . The statuses specified by the status module are described in more detail later below with reference to .
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FIG. 3
The tool life module is configured to maintain a current tool life value of the drill bit currently attached to the robot arm . In this embodiment, a tool life value of a drill bit or other cutting tool specifies a number of holes that that cutting tool may be used to drill before that cutting tool is to be discarded. As described in more detail later below with reference to , the tool life module updates the tool life value of the drill bit currently attached to the robot arm as holes are drilled into the aircraft panel using that drill bit .
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The tool storage is a storage facility that stores a plurality of further drill bits . The tool storage is located proximate to the robot arm such that, in operation, the robot arm may return the drill bit to the tool storage and such that the robot arm may retrieve a further drill bit from the tool storage , and use the retrieve further drill bit to drill the aircraft panel .
FIG. 2
14
is a schematic illustration (not to scale) showing the aircraft panel and illustrating the drill program .
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In this embodiment, the drill program specifies, inter alia, a plurality of holes -, -, -that are to be drilled into the aircraft panel . In this embodiment, there are fifteen holes. The drill program may specify, for each hole -, -, -, a location on the surface of the aircraft panel for that hole, and an axis/direction for that hole.
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FIG. 2
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
The drill program specifies a plurality of groups into which the holes -, -, -are arranged. These groups of holes are hereinafter referred to as “segments”. In this embodiment, there are three segments, namely a first segment , a second segment , and a third segment . Each segment , , comprises five holes. Particular, the first segment includes the holes labelled in using the reference numerals and Also, the second segment includes the holes labelled in using the reference numerals , and Also, the third segment includes the holes labelled in using the reference numerals and In this embodiment, each hole belongs to exactly one segment , , .
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The drill program specifies an order in which the holes -, -, -are to be drilled. Thus, the drill program species a sequence of holes. In this embodiment, the holes are to be drilled in the following order: the first hole of the first segment the second hole of the first segment the third hole of the first segment the fourth hole of the first segment the fifth hole of the first segment the first hole of the second segment the second hole of the second segment the third hole of the second segment the fourth hole of the second segment the fifth hole of the second segment the first hole of the third segment the second hole of the third segment the third hole of the third segment the fourth hole of the third segment and the fifth hole of the third segment
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Each segment , , comprises holes that are consecutive in the sequence of holes (i.e. that are to be drilled directly after each other). Thus, each segment , , comprises a sub-sequence of the sequence of holes.
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In this embodiment, the drill program describes a tool path to be followed by the drill bit and the robot arm to drill the sequence holes -, -, -. In other words, the drill program specifies a tool path that passes through the holes -, -, -in the aforementioned order.
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FIG. 2
a
The drill program specifies, for each segment , , , an entry path. In particular, the drill program specifies, a first entry path for the first segment , a second entry path for the second segment , and a third entry path for the third segment . The entry paths , , are indicated in by dotted arrows pointing towards the aircraft panel . An entry path for a segment is a route or path from a point remote from the aircraft panel and fixture system to the location on the aircraft panel of the first hole of that segment (i.e. the first hole of that segment in the sequence of holes, i.e. the hole of that segment that is to be drilled first in the drilling process). Thus for example, first entry path is a route from a point remote from the aircraft panel to the location of the first hole of the first segment . In this embodiment, the entry paths , , are paths along which the robot arm may move the drill bit .
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In some embodiments, a point that is remote from the aircraft panel and fixture system is a position for the robot arm such that the robot arm and drill bit are at least 100 mm, or more preferably 110 mm, from the aircraft panel and fixture system .
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Each entry path , , is a route that avoids contact of the robot arm (and drill bit attached thereto) with the aircraft panel and fixture system . Thus, a risk damage to the aircraft panel , the fixture system , the robot arm , or the drill bit as a result of the robot arm or drill impacting with the aircraft panel and/or fixture system when the robot arm approaches the aircraft panel advantageously tends to be reduced or eliminated.
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Each entry path , , may have been determined by a human operator following a detailed analysis of the aircraft panel coupled to the fixture system , the dimensions and capabilities of the robot arm , etc.
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FIG. 2
The drill program specifies, for each segment , , , an exit path. In particular, the drill program specifies, a first exit path for the first segment , a second exit path for the second segment , and a third exit path for the third segment . The exit paths , , are indicated in by dotted arrows pointing away from the aircraft panel . An exit path for a segment is a route or path, from the location on the aircraft panel of the last hole of that segment (i.e. the last hole of that segment in the sequence of holes, i.e. the hole of that segment that is to be drilled last in the drilling process) to a location remote from the aircraft panel and the fixture system . Thus for example, first exit path is a route from the location on the aircraft panel of the fifth hole of the first segment to a point remote from the aircraft panel . In this embodiment, the exit paths , , are paths along which the robot arm may move the drill bit .
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Each exit path , , is a route that avoids contact of the robot arm (and drill bit attached thereto) with the aircraft panel and fixture system . Thus, a risk damage to the aircraft panel , the fixture system , the robot arm , or the drill bit as a result of the robot arm or drill impacting with the aircraft panel and/or fixture system when the robot arm moves away from the aircraft panel advantageously tends to be reduced or eliminated.
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Each exit path , , may have been determined by a human operator following a detailed analysis of the aircraft panel coupled to the fixture system , the dimensions and capabilities of the robot arm , etc.
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Referring back to the functionality of the status module , in this embodiment the status module maintains a list of current statuses of the holes -, -, -and the segments , , .
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A status of a hole -, -, -may be either (i) “undrilled” if that hole has not yet been fully drilled in the aircraft panel , or “drilled” if that hole has been drilled in the aircraft panel .
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A status of a segment , , may be either (i) “complete” if all holes in that segment have yet been fully drilled; (ii) “not started” if all holes in that segment have not been drilled to any extent; or (iii) “in progress” if one or more, but not all, of the holes in that segment have been drilled or if the first hole of that segment is the next hole in the sequence to be drilled.
FIG. 3
is a process flow chart showing certain steps of an embodiment of a drilling process.
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At step s, the processor sets values of a first index i and a second index j to be equal to one, i.e. the processor sets i=1 and j=1.
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At step s, the robot arm retrieves a cutting tool from the tool storage . In this embodiment, the first cutting tool retrieved by the robot arm is the drill bit .
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At step s, the tool life module acquires a current tool life value of the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm . Thus, in a first iteration of step s, the tool life module acquires a current tool life value of the drill bit .
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The tool life module may acquire tool life values from any appropriate source. For example, tool life values may be acquired from a database of tool life values that is coupled to the processor , or a tool life value may be input to the processor by a human operator.
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At step s, the drilling program is initiated. The processor may send the information specified in the drill program to the controller , and the controller may control the robot arm and drill bit in accordance with the received information.
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At step s, the status module ensures that the status of the ith segment is “in progress”. Thus, in a first iteration of step s, the status module changes the status of the first segment from “not started” to “in progress”.
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At step s, in accordance with the drill program , the controller controls the robot arm such that the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm is moved along the entry path of the ith segment, from a point remote from the aircraft panel and the fixture system to the location on the aircraft panel of the first hole of the ith segment. Thus, in a first iteration of step s, the robot arm is controlled such that the drill bit is moved along the first entry path from a point remote from the aircraft panel to the location of the first hole of the first segment .
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Collisions between the robot arm and the aircraft panel or fixture system tend to be advantageously avoided. Also, collisions between the current cutting tool and the aircraft panel or fixture system tend to be advantageously avoided.
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At step s, the controller controls the robot arm such that the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm is moved along tool path specified by the drill program to the jth hole of the ith segment. Thus, in a first iteration of step s, the robot arm is controlled such that the drill bit is moved along the specified tool path to the first hole of the first segment .
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At step s, in accordance with the drill program , the controller controls the robot arm to drill, using the attached cutting tool, the jth hole of the ith segment. Thus, in a first iteration of step s, the robot arm is controlled to drill, using the drill bit the first hole of the first segment .
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At step s, the status module changes the status of the jth hole of the ith segment from “undrilled” to “drilled”. In other words, the status of the hole that was drilled at step s is changed to “drilled”. Thus, in a first iteration of step s, the status module labels the first hole of the first segment as “drilled”.
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At step s, the processor increases the value of the second index j by one, i.e. the processor sets j=j +.
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At step s, the processor determines whether or not all holes of the ith segment have been fully drilled. In some embodiments, the status module determines whether or not the status of each of the holes of the ith segment is “drilled”.
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If, at step s, it is determined that all holes of the ith segment have been drilled, the method proceeds to step s.
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However, if at step s it is determined that all holes of the ith segment have not been drilled, the method proceeds to step s. Step s and subsequent method steps are described in more detail later below after a description of method steps s to s.
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At step s, it has been determined that all holes of the ith segment have been drilled, and the status module changes the status of the ith segment from “in progress” to “complete”.
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At step s, the processor determines whether or not all the holes specified in the drill program have been drilled. In this embodiment, this is performed by the status module determining whether or not the status of each of the segments , , is “complete”.
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If, at step s, it is determined that all of the segments , , are labelled as “complete”, i.e. all the holes are labelled as “drilled”, the method proceeds to step s.
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However, if at step s it is determined that all of the segments , , are not labelled as “complete”, the method proceeds to step s.
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e
e
At step s, the controller controls the robot arm such that the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm is moved along the exit path of the ith segment, from the location on the aircraft panel of the last hole of the ith segment to a point remote from the aircraft panel and the fixture system . Thus, in this embodiment, after all of the holes -, -, -has been drilled, the robot arm is controlled such that the current cutting tool is moved along the third exit path from the location of the fifth hole of the third segment to point remote from the aircraft panel and the fixture system .
27
FIG. 3
After step s, the process of ends.
26
26
28
30
28
10
10
Returning now to the case where, at step s, it is determined that all of the segments , , are not labelled as “complete”, at step s the processor increases the value of the first index j by one, and sets the value of the second index j to be 1, i.e. the processor sets i=i+1 and j=1.
28
30
After step s, the process proceeds to step s.
30
16
4
30
16
6
At step s, the tool life module reduces the tool life value of the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm by one. Thus, in a first iteration of step s, the tool life module reduces the tool life value of the drill bit by one.
32
16
4
16
At step s, the tool life module determines whether or not the tool life value of the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm is equal to zero. In other words, the tool life module determines whether or not the current cutting tool should be replaced.
32
4
14
14
14
If, at step s, it is determined that the tool life value of the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm is not equal to zero, the method proceeds to back to step s. After returning to step s, the cutting tool is moved along the tool path specified by the drill program to the next hole to be drilled in the sequence.
32
4
34
However, if at step s it is determined that the tool life value of the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm is equal to zero, a subroutine of the drill program is initiated and the method proceeds to step s.
34
8
4
4
14
34
6
26
20
26
4
6
20
20
26
20
26
c
d,
e
e
At step s, the controller controls the robot arm such that the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm is moved along tool path specified by the drill program to the location of the last hole of the ith segment. In this embodiment, no further holes are drilled during step s, i.e. the cutting tool is moved along the drill path without drilling any further holes. For example, if it is determined that the tool life value of the drill bit is equal to zero during drilling of the first segment (e.g. after drilling of the third hole of the first segment is complete), the robot arm is controlled such that the drill bit is moved along the specified tool path, without drilling the fourth or fifth holes of the first segment , to the location of the fifth hole of the first segment .
36
8
4
4
2
2
3
6
26
6
20
26
6
38
4
2
3
2
3
e
At step s, the controller controls the robot arm such that the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm is moved along the exit path of the ith segment, from the location on the aircraft panel of the last hole of the ith segment to a point remote from the aircraft panel and the fixture system . For example, if it has been determined that the tool life value of the drill bit is equal to zero during drilling of the first segment , and the drill bit has been moved along the tool path to the location of the fifth hole of the first segment , the drill bit is then moved along the first exit path . Collisions between the robot arm and the aircraft panel or fixture system are advantageously avoided. Also, collisions between the current cutting tool and the aircraft panel or fixture system are advantageously avoided.
38
8
4
4
12
6
12
At step s, the controller controls the robot arm such that the cutting tool currently attached to the robot arm is returned to the tool storage . For example, after its tool life value has been reduced to zero, the drill bit is discarded to the tool storage .
38
4
4
12
18
4
4
FIG. 3
After step s, the method of returns to step s where the robot arm selects, from the tool storage , a new drill bit, for example, a previously unselected drill bit (e.g. one of the further drill bits ). After selection of the new drill bit, the robot arm is controlled to return the new drill bit to the location of the next undrilled hole in the “in progress” section (i.e. the ith section), via the entry path of that section. In this embodiment, when the new drill bit is moved to the location of the next undrilled hole of the ith section, the robot arm is controlled to move the new drill bit along the entry path of the ith, “in progress”, section, and then along the tool path of that section to the next “undrilled” hole via the previously “drilled” holes.
Thus, a drilling process is provided.
In this embodiment, the offline program specifies a tool path that is partitioned into multiple segments, each containing a plurality of holes. Each segment has an entry and exit path that may have been specifically defined by a human programmer to ensure no clash condition exists. If a tool life value decrements to zero during the drilling process, a tool change sub routine is initiated and the robot arm automatically skip through the remaining holes of the segment without cutting them, and subsequently moves away from the aircraft panel via the exit path defined in the offline program. Once away from the aircraft panel, the robot arm continues to its home position, and then changes cutting tools and the tool storage. When returning to the aircraft panel, the robot arm follows the defined entry path for the “in progress” segment, and skips holes already completed until arriving at the next hole to be drilled.
An advantage of the above provided countersinking process, is that the process is performed using commercially available, “off-the shelf” industrial robots. Furthermore, it tends to be possible to use the same robots to perform the countersinking/drilling process on any type of panel or part, and on any shape of panel or part. Thus, the use of relatively expensive machine tools tends to be advantageously avoided.
The robots used in the above described countersinking process may use different sized/shaped cutting tools. Thus, the robots may be used to perform many types of machining operations. To account for different sizes/shapes of cutting tools, a size (e.g. a length) of a cutting tool may be measured accurately on a Kelch pre-setter. This data, along with other data e.g. like tool number, tool life value etc., may be stored on a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip attached to the chuck. When a cutting tool is selected from the tool storage, the data stored on the RFID chip may be read by a reader linked to the controlling robot arm and controller. The system may then determine, for example, which tool it is using, how many holes it can drill before the tool must be changed, and the length of the tool. The tool length may be used in the determination of how far along its axis the cutting tool should be moved in order to drill into the aircraft panel to a desired pre-determined depth.
The tool life value is advantageously be monitored by decrementing the available life of a tool each time a hole is drilled with that tool, and storing the decremented tool life on the RFID chip for that tool, at the processor and/or at another storage device.
The above described method and apparatus advantageously tends to avoid collision of the robot arm and drill bit with the aircraft panel and fixture system, for example, during a tool change process. The method and apparatus may be implemented with workpieces and fixture systems that have relatively complex (such as highly curved) shapes.
The automatic changing of a cutting tool when its life expires tends to be provided.
Using the above method, cutting tool usage tends to be maximized. Thus, tool costs tend to be reduced.
The above described tool change and tracking process tends not to rely on manual intervention.
Advantageously, using the above described method, a need for recording a current position of the robot arm and drill bit, for example upon initiating a tool change process, tends to be reduced or eliminated.
The maintaining of statuses of the segments and the holes by the status module advantageously tend to facilitate the skipping of undrilled holes by the robot arm (e.g. when the tool change subroutine is initiated), and tend to facilitate the skipping of previously drilled holes by the robot arm (e.g. when returning to the aircraft panel after tool change).
The partitioning of the holes into segments, and the defining of an entry/exit path for each segment advantageously tends to eliminate the specifying of an entry and/or exit path for each hole. This tends to simplify a drill program and a specification thereof.
The partitioning of the holes into segments, and the defining of an entry/exit path for each segment advantageously tends provide that, to reach an exit path, the robot arm does not move via the location of every undrilled hole in the sequence when the tool change subroutine is initiated.
The partitioning of the holes into segments, and the defining of an entry/exit path for each segment advantageously tends provide that, to reach the next hole to be drilled, the robot arm does not move via the location of every previously drilled hole in the sequence after tool change has been performed.
Apparatus, including the processor, for implementing the above arrangement, and performing the above described method steps, may be provided by configuring or adapting any suitable apparatus, for example one or more computers or other processing apparatus or processors, and/or providing additional modules. The apparatus may comprise a computer, a network of computers, or one or more processors, for implementing instructions and using data, including instructions and data in the form of a computer program or plurality of computer programs stored in or on a machine readable storage medium such as computer memory, a computer disk, ROM, PROM etc., or any combination of these or other storage media.
FIG. 3
FIG. 3
It should be noted that certain of the process steps depicted in the flowchart of , and described above may be omitted or such process steps may be performed in differing order to that presented above and shown in . Furthermore, although all the process steps have, for convenience and ease of understanding, been depicted as discrete temporally-sequential steps, nevertheless some of the process steps may in fact be performed simultaneously or at least overlapping to some extent temporally.
In the above embodiments, the drilling process is implemented to drill hole in an object. However, in other embodiments, a different type of drilling or cutting process is used to form or machine different features in an object.
In the above embodiments, the object being drilled is an aircraft panel. However, in other embodiments, a different type of object is drilled, for example, a different type of aircraft component.
In the above embodiments, the fixture system comprises a frame onto which the object to be drilled is clamped. However, in other embodiments, a different type of support structure is used, for example, a support structure that is coupled to the object in a different appropriate way, i.e. other than using clamps.
In the above embodiments, a robot arm is implemented to perform the drilling process. However, in other embodiments a different type of system is used to implement the drilling process.
In the above embodiments, a tool life value of a drill bit or other cutting tool specifies a number of holes that that cutting tool may be used to drill before that cutting tool is discarded. However, in other embodiments tool life is specified in a different way, for example, a tool life value may specify a tool life in terms of one or more different types of cutting operation instead of or in addition to drilling holes. In some embodiment, the tool life is specified in terms of an amount of time that tool may be used for. This time value may be reduced each time a hole is drilled by the time taken to drill that hole.
In the above embodiments, the drill program specifies fifteen holes which are grouped in to three segments, each of which consists of five holes. However, in other embodiments the drill program specifies a different number of holes. In some embodiments, the holes may be grouped into a different number of segments. In some embodiments, one or more of the segments consists of a different number of holes (i.e. other than five). For example, in some embodiments, the drill program specifies five hundred holes which are grouped in to twenty-five segments, each of which consists of twenty holes.
In the above embodiments, the drill program specifies separate entry and exit paths for each segment. The entry path of a segment is a path that leads to the first hole of that segment. The exit path of a segment is a path that leads from the last hole of that segment.
However, in other embodiments, the entry and exit paths for one or more of the segments are not separate, for example, a common path may provide both exit and entry paths to a segment. The robot arm may be controlled to move along the common path towards the object to be drilled when that common path is to serve as an entry path, and the robot arm may be controlled to move along the common path in an opposite direction, away from the object, when that common path is to serve as an exit path.
In some embodiments, the entry path of a segment is a path that leads to a different hole of that segment, i.e. a hole other than the first hole of that segment.
In some embodiments, the exit path of a segment is a path that away leads from a different hole of that segment, i.e. a hole other than the last hole of that segment.
The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of this disclosure it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications or additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of an environment in which a drilling process is performed configured in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2
is a schematic illustration (not to scale) showing an aircraft panel and illustrating a drilling program configured in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3
is a process flow chart showing certain steps of an embodiment of a drilling process configured in accordance with the invention. | |
Iraq's oil production, including flows from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, rose 1.9% month on month in August, State Oil Marketing Organization said Sept. 9, even as the country pumped below its OPEC+ quota.OPEC's second-biggest producer pumped an average 3.961 million b/d in August, compared with 3.886 million b/d in July, SOMO data showed.Iraq's OPEC+ quota rose to 4.061 million b/d in August from 4.016 million b/d in July as the coalition continued to raise production caps.Iraq's September quota is 4.105 million b/d as the OPEC+ coalition continues to relax production cuts by 400,000 b/d each month between August and December, aimed at adding 2 million b/d by the end of 2021.Total exports rose 2.1% to 3.419 million b/d in August, as federal volumes increased by 4.7% to 3.054 million b/d and Kurdish flows fell 14% to 365,000 b/d, according to SOMO data.Domestic use, which includes crude burn and refinery runs, rose 9.2% to 547,000 b/d.Stocks at the end of August saw a drawdown of 5,000 b/d, compared with a 41,000 b/d build-up in July.Better complianceIraq struggled for most of 2020 and at the beginning of 2021 to adhere to its OPEC+ quota amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the oil price rout, and the financial crisis gripping the country.However, compliance has improved in the past few months as its quota has risen.OPEC+ clinched an agreement July 18 to raise its crude oil production between August and December, while also allocating five members more generous output quotas starting May 2022.Iraq was one of the five countries that negotiated a higher baseline for its quota, which will rise from 4.653 million b/d through April 2022 to 4.803 million b/d from May 2022.The deal also extends the OPEC+ supply management pact to the end of 2022, from its previous expiry of April 2022.The next OPEC+ meeting is scheduled for Oct. 4.
© 2021 BEDigest. All Rights Reserved. | http://bedigest.com/NEWS/235559.aspx |
Inspired by her Greek mother’s work in a local footwear factory, artist and community worker Sonia Zymantas came up with the idea of a multi-layered art installation to explore the history of similar industrial spaces located in the northern suburbs.
Sonia, who has been working on themes of local identity, narratives and cultural heritage for over 15 years, is showcasing her latest project at this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival.
The artist aims to depict the consequences of the constantly evolving scenery on the Greek migrant population, as the local factories which employed them are closing down to turn into modern apartment blocks in newly gentrified areas.
“They have also become a ‘second home’ or ‘third space’ for many of the established migrants in the area that have been living there for more than 50 years,” Sonia tells Neos Kosmos.
“Ironically, there is little official documentation of these businesses but the impacts and mapping are preserved through histories told by the original artisans.”
Using interviews, video, photography, sound, illustration and props, Second Home provides a multi-layered personal exploration of how the sites have assimilated with their environment, creating a cultural identity for the workers.
The project provides audiences an experience of being in an intimate space, yet displaced, somewhere between a factory and a living room, blurring the boundaries between home and second home – or ‘heterotopias’ – a third space of otherness.
“It reflects a real emotion of loss and a new era for many migrant Greeks,” said Sonia stressing that this project challenges how migrants are often represented. | https://neoskosmos.com/en/2015/06/23/life/arts/second-home-heterotopias-of-the-north/?rcp_action=lostpassword |
Q:
Matlab : String vector - character subtraction
I'm trying to make a linear algebra-based algorithm for shift(Ceasar) cryptography cipher . Supposing I have a string : 'hello ' . When I'm trying to convert it into a (int)number matrix I do this :
'hello' - 'a'
And the result is
ans =
7 4 11 11 14
This is the desired result . But if I subtract the character 'g' the result will be
ans =
1 -2 5 5 8
I'd like to ask what happens in Matlab(or Octave) when I subtract a character and I get the results above .
A:
As Mohit Jain wrote, the results you get are based on a conversion to ASCII which is the most widely accepted way to numerically encode textual information. ASCII is also included as a subset in the current standard of Unicode, and on supporting platforms Matlab actually uses a 16-bit Unicode encoding, which enables it to not only represent the 95 printable characters of ASCII which support English text, but a large number of international scripts, special characters for applications in mathematics, typography and many other fields. Explicit conversion between numeric and character data in Matlab is done through char and double:
>> double('aAΔ')
ans =
97 65 916
A small latin letter 'a' has the ASCII code 97, a large latin letter 'A' the ASCII code 65, and a large greek letter Delta has the Unicode number 916. Since the latin letters are encoded in sequence with codes 97 to 122 for small letters and 65 to 90 for capitals, you can generate the English alphabet e.g. like this:
>> char(65 : 90)
ans =
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
When you apply an arithmetic operator like - to character strings, the characters are implicitly converted to numbers as if you had used double
>> double('hello')
ans =
104 101 108 108 111
>> double('g')
ans =
103
and therefore 'hello' - 'a' is the same as
>> [104 101 108 108 111] - 103
ans =
1 -2 5 5 8
| |
Graph or relational data capture emergent properties, and so are particularly powerful and resistant to manipulation in adversarial knowledge discovery settings, such as policing and counterterrorism. However, such data is difficult to work with: existing technologies either use rendering techniques, which tend to emphasise regularities rather than anomalies, or exploration from a single node, which requires prior information about which nodes are interesting.
Embedding graphs in Euclidean space using spectral techniques is one way to get the benefits both of relational structure and useful geometry. However, usually only a few eigenvectors or dimensions of such an embedding are considered. I will show that anomalous regions can be discovered without prior information by considering `middle' eigenvectors. I will illustrate using relational data about al Qaeda.
Speaker's biography
David Skillicorn ([email protected]) is a Professor in the School of Computing at Queen's University in Canada. His research is in smart information management, both the problems of extracting and sharing useful knowledge from data, and the problems of accessing and computing with large datasets that are geographically distributed. He has published extensively in high-performance computing and data mining.
At present his focus is on understanding complex datasets in applications such as biomedicine, geochemistry, network intrusion, fraud detection, and counterterrorism. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Sydney and a Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba. | http://www.cs.usyd.edu.au/research/news/skillicorn.shtml |
Living a healthy lifestyle is one of the most important goal (and it should be) of every person today. Certain types of diseases have manifested due to improper nutrition and unhealthy choices.
Recent studies show that men having a high risk of prostate cancer are said to develop an aggressive form of disease if diagnosed with vitamin D Deficiency according to Natural Health News.
This research study was conducted by the Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Their target prospects were a mix of European-American and African-American men, whose ages were between 40 and 79 years old. The patients were undergoing an initial biopsy after abnormal prostate-specific antigen, otherwise known as PSA or digital rectal examination (DRE) test results. The researchers conducted several test to determine the levels of vitamin D in the men.
In summary, the team found that the average 25-OH D levels of African-American men were much lower than that of European-American men, at 16.7 ng/ml and 19.3 ng/ml, respectively.
So what does this mean?
Lower levels, higher risk
Whats more, according to the study in Clinical Cancer Research, the lower a mans vitamin D levels, the higher their risk of prostate cancer.
These men, with severe vitamin D deficiency, had greater odds of advanced grade and advanced stage of tumours within or outside the prostate, said Adam B. Murphy, M.D., lead author of the study.
For example, European-American men and African-American men had 3.66 times and 4.89 times increased odds of having aggressive prostate cancer respectively and 2.42 times and 4.22 times increased odds of having tumour stage T2b or higher, respectively.
African-American men with severe vitamin D deficiency also had 2.43 times increased odds of being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Vitamin D deficiency is more common and severe in people with darker skin and it could be that this deficiency is a contributor to prostate cancer progression among African-Americans, Murphy said. Our findings imply that vitamin D deficiency …
As a health-conscious person, I would recommend each individual, both young and old, to have a regular check up with your doctor or nutritionist. Try to assess what nutritional value needs are missing in your food intake. You might need to take some physical exercise to get the balance right. Being informed is always better than being uninformed. The more you are aware of your body needs, the more you have the chances of avoiding the high risks of developing those diseases. Start making right healthy choices by acting on them. Stop avoiding and procrastinating. Today, choose life and choose healthy living.
To determine and assess yourself if you have the right dosage of Vitamin D, you may visit the following page by clicking: Q&A: Can you get enough vitamin D without the sun? | https://www.wholesometimes.com/high-risk-prostate-cancer-patients-prone-to-disease-with-vitamin-d-deficiency/ |
Sir Henry de Montfort was born November 1238 A.D. and died #onthsiday 4th August 1265 A.D.
He was the son of Simon de Montfort the 6th Earl of Leicester and with his father they played a vital role in the struggle of the barons against King Henry III. Henry’s mother was Princess Eleanor of England and the daughter of King John, this resulted in great problems for those Barons who later revolted against the King.
Henry de Montfort sided with his father and the other nobles and made his namesake in the second rebellion in which he and his father emerged as the leaders of the rebellion and eventually the de facto leaders of the nation. | https://groovy-historian.com/2017/08/03/4th-august-1265-a-d-the-death-of-henry-de-montfort-onthisday/ |
We are delighted to announce that our Annual Conference will return this year following a hiatus in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The conference will take place at the Titanic Conference Centre in the Andrews Gallery on Friday 13th May.
Our three main objectives for this year’s conference are:
- To emphasise that urgent action is required to end violence against women and children and eliminate domestic abuse in society.
- To emphasise that following the election in May, the new Executive have a responsibility to commit to actual change.
- To keep the matter of violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse specifically, in the public consciousness constantly, not just following a tragic event such as the murder of a woman.
Conference Overview
Throughout the pandemic, many women and children continued to face domestic abuse behind closed doors. At Belfast & Lisburn Women’s Aid, our doors remained open – dedicated and committed to providing specialist support and emergency accommodation when it’s needed the most.
But what can you do? As a society we can – and should – all play a role in preventing domestic abuse, at the least by helping to put a stop to the culture, attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate it. We all can play a part, no matter how small, to ensure no woman or child needs to live in fear for their safety or their lives. We need to open our minds to the possibilities of what can be achieved by working together, across communities and sectors.
Women and children do not need to suffer in silence. Doors are open – to freedom from abuse, to new beginnings and future possibilities. We are here to help support them. We need your help to help us – now and moving forward.
At Belfast & Lisburn Women’s Aid, we have supported women and children affected by domestic abuse for almost 50 years through a range of services, including crisis accommodation and outreach support in the community. Our annual conference is a celebration of the lives transformed through our vital and lifesaving work, paving the way for the continued and improved services to tackle and prevent domestic abuse in Belfast, Lisburn and beyond.
The conference will address society’s role in responding to domestic abuse and challenging attitudes which perpetuate domestic abuse and more widely, violence against women. The theme of ‘Opening Doors, Opening Minds’ will delve into the ways in which professionals from all sectors can work to challenge and prevent domestic abuse. Under this theme, our speakers and panellists will discuss the roles of; the justice system and legislation, health and social care, housing, and education, training and intervention to challenge societal attitudes.
Who will be speaking?
We are delighted to announce our full list of speakers as:
Allison Morris – Crime Correspondent & Columnist at the Belfast Telegraph
Amanda Stewart – Chief Executive Officer of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland
Catherine McFarland – Director of Finance, Audit & Assurance at the Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Harriet Long – Children’s Services Manager at Belfast & Lisburn Women’s Aid
Harriet Wistrich – Solicitor, Founder & Director at the Centre for Women’s Justice
Katie Taylor – Head of Community Safety Division at the Department of Justice
Lindsay Fisher – Detective Superintendent, Police Service of Northern Ireland
Michael Boyd – Senior Engagement & Communications Lead at the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Michelle Martin – Project Manager of ASSIST NI
Sonya McMullan – Regional Services Manager at Women’s Aid Federation of Northern Ireland
Tonia Antoniazzi – Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland
Trina O’Connor – Criminologist & Community Activist
Who can attend?
Our Annual Conference is aimed at key partners and stakeholders across a range of professions. These include colleagues from the voluntary and community sector, health and social care, government, policing and probation, housing, the legal profession, as well as students studying law, education, and health and social care.
If you work for an organisation in one of the above fields or are a student of law, education or a health and social care field (including social work) please get in touch to enquire about tickets to [email protected] by no later than Friday 22nd April.
We wish to thank our Gold Sponsor Choice Housing, and Silver Sponsors Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors and Herbert Smith Freehills Belfast branch for generously sponsoring this year’s conference. | https://belfastwomensaid.org.uk/2022-annual-conference-opening-doors-opening-minds/ |
Bottom fishing such as trawling and dredging may pose serious risks to the seabed and benthic habitats, calling for a quantitative assessment method to evaluate the impact and guide management to develop mitigation measures. We provide a method to estimate the sensitivity of benthic habitats based on the longevity composition of the invertebrate community. We hypothesize that long-lived species are more sensitive to trawling mortality due to their lower pace of life (i.e. slower growth, late maturation). We analyse data from box-core and grab samples taken from 401 stations in the English Channel and southern North Sea to estimate the habitat-specific longevity composition of the benthic invertebrate community and of specific functional groups (i.e. suspension feeders and bioturbators), and examine how bottom trawling affects the longevity biomass composition. The longevity biomass composition differed between habitats governed by differences in sediment composition (gravel and mud content) and tidal bed-shear stress. The biomass proportion of long-lived species increased with gravel content and decreased with mud content and shear stress. Bioturbators had a higher median longevity than suspension feeders. Trawling, in particular by gears that penetrate the seabed >2cm, shifted the community towards shorter-lived species. Changes from bottom trawling were highest in habitats with many long-lived species (hence increasing with gravel content, decreasing with mud content). Benthic communities in high shear stress habitats were less affected by bottom trawling. Using these relationships, we predicted the sensitivity of the benthic community from bottom trawling impact at large spatial scale (the North Sea). We derived different benthic sensitivity metrics that provide a basis to estimate indicators of trawling impact on a continuous scale for the total community and specific functional groups. In combination with high resolution data of trawling pressure, our approach can be used to monitor and assess trawling impact and seabed status at the scale of the region or broadscale habitat and to compare the environmental impact of bottom-contacting fishing gears across fisheries. | https://research.wur.nl/en/datasets/data-from-estimating-sensitivity-of-seabed-habitats-to-disturbanc-2 |
Supply Chain Analysts (SCAs) work as individual contributors and / or on project teams with other Department Analysts, and Project Managers.
SCAs have a core responsibility to ensure Continuous Improvement in pursuit of OpX. The SCAs identify process improvements based on thorough understanding of the business processes and supply chain dependencies.
SCAs communicate, explain, and clarify issues with the customer / business groups / divisions, and translate business requirements.
provide input to system / process design; and / or provide content knowledge support and troubleshooting. SCAs may work on several projects and or programs simultaneously, managing multi stakeholders, conduct budget and or headcount planning, business forecasting, constraint analysis, inventory analysis, Plan / POR, benchmarking and departmental indicators.
Supply Chain Analyst also responsible to collaborate closely with outsource buyers to manage the routine procurement tasks that not limited to order, delivery until goods receipt transactions to ensure parts availability in DMO WLA factory in Asia.
This job acquires the SCAs to analyze the inventory consumption data and continuously drive optimization based on BIC operating model via LEAN or other methodologies.
SCA also responsible to collaborate with factory ops team to understand the demand swing from factory and be the lead to coordinate with multiple teams to address the demand Vs supply gaps accordingly.
Other scopes not limited to as stated below :
Qualifications
The candidate must possess a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Supply Chain Management or a related field of study. | https://neuvoo.com.vn/view/?id=f1fd7044c599 |
We have an amazing opportunity for an International Road Services Specialist to join a market leading logistics business within the Midlands.
Role: International Road Services Specialist
Salary: Competitive
Location: Midlands
Purpose of the Role:
To deliver operational and service support, propose solutions and make recommendations to the International Management team. You will liaise with suppliers and partners, analyse service statistics and support the resolution of operational issues to drive service excellence
Duties Include
• Proactively identify and resolve service performance issues on Road Services ensuring actions are completed to improve overall service and customer experience
• Assist with the completion of Operations and Service presentations and reports for the International Management team as required in a timely manner
• Conduct trend analysis on receipt of any escalations relating to export non-compliance and submit a report of actions for resolution. Investigate customer and supplier queries or complaints relating to the International Road operation
• Monitor, record and report operational performance on a daily basis and escalate any non compliance in a timely manner to ensure service is maintained
• Provide weekly KPI updates to the International Road Services Manager.
• Support the International Management team in setting up new International accounts to ensure the successful operational implementation of new business
• Undertake specific projects, working groups or other duties as required by the International management team in order to develop or enhance the international service offering
• Supporting the International Operations Department by providing cross functional support for Offshore and Compliance teams as well as all products and services including Offshore and Compliance
The successful candidate will have experience of working within an office environment and Logistics experience would be highly advantageous. You will be confident in using Excel, MS Word and PowerPoint and have a professional attitude along with a drive to identify and initiate change.
You will have strong organisational skills with a keen eye for maintaining thorough records of actions taken and progress made. | https://www.jobs4eastmidlands.com/job/international-road-services-specialist/?sector_cat=distribution&ajax_filter=true |
Introduction {#sec1}
============
The accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides into amyloid plaques is one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD).^[@ref1],[@ref2]^ High contents of metal ions such as zinc and copper colocalize with amyloid plaques, prompting to the study of the role of metal ions in Aβ aggregation or toxicity.^[@ref3],[@ref4]^ Aβ oligomers are widely regarded as the most toxic species relating to AD.^[@ref5],[@ref6]^ Recent work has further demonstrated that different pathological Aβ conformers can seed additional aggregates with the same shape, and this defines different strains of the disorder,^[@ref7],[@ref8]^ similar to prion diseases. These observations raise the question of how Aβ oligomers form in the brain. The mechanism of Aβ aggregation in the absence of metal ions is well established: a slow primary nucleation is followed by a fast secondary nucleation-catalyzed fibrillization process.^[@ref9],[@ref10]^ However, the effect of metal ions on the aggregation pathways and kinetics is still poorly understood despite extensive studies.^[@ref11]−[@ref16]^ Even a trace amount of metal ions in common buffers has been shown to initiate Aβ aggregation,^[@ref17]^ making experimental results difficult to compare. Further investigations into the roles and mechanisms that govern the formation and toxicity of metal loaded Aβ seeds under near physiological conditions are therefore urgently needed.
The resting level of free Zn in the extracellular fluid is approximately 20 nM,^[@ref18]^ whereas the normal brain extracellular concentration of Cu is 0.2--1.7 μM.^[@ref19]^ (For simplicity, we use Zn and Cu to represent Zn^2+^ and Cu^2+^ throughout.) The Cu ions are normally tightly bound to Cu enzymes or proteins, e.g., cytochrome *c* oxidase, ceruloplasmin, and superoxidase dismutase. Therefore, it is unlikely that physiological concentrations of Aβ and freely exchangeable Zn and Cu in the brain would be able to promote primary nucleation via metal ion binding. However, the concentration of labile Zn or Cu in the neuronal synaptic cleft can transiently reach levels of up to 100 μM upon the release of these ions during neuronal excitation.^[@ref20],[@ref21]^ This concentration is higher than the equilibrium dissociation constant of both Aβ-Zn (1--100 μM) and Aβ-Cu (0.1--1 nM) complexes.^[@ref22]−[@ref24]^ From a thermodynamic perspective, it is thus believed that both Zn and Cu are involved in the aggregation of Aβ in AD.^[@ref3],[@ref4],[@ref12],[@ref25]−[@ref28]^ Furthermore, it has been reported^[@ref29],[@ref30]^ that Zn alters the Cu coordination environment in mixed Zn-Aβ-Cu ternary complexes. This may have implications for Aβ aggregation and redox activity, although the impact on Aβ-Cu-induced ROS production has not yet been confirmed.^[@ref31]^ The direct involvement of Zn and Cu in the early molecular events of aggregation, such as dimerization and small oligomeric "seed" formation, in the synaptic cleft has not been addressed, though there is evidence that synapses are the sites where physiological Aβ starts to accumulate and aggregate.^[@ref32]^ The spatiotemporal profile of the metal ion release during neuronal spiking is expected to have a strong effect on the metal binding reactions within the cleft, prompting the need for a reaction-diffusion analysis following the experimental characterization of the elementary binding reactions.
We have previously developed and applied an ultrasensitive method to measure the kinetics of the interactions between Cu and Aβ.^[@ref33],[@ref34]^ In this paper, we examine the kinetics of Zn binding to Aβ as well as Zn and Cu binding to Aβ-Cu to form ternary complexes under near physiological conditions (nM Aβ, μM metal ions). We then carry out reaction-diffusion simulations on the interactions of synaptically released metal ions with Aβ. We find that a significant proportion of Aβ is Cu-bound under repetitive metal ion release during neurotransmission, while the amount of Zn-bound Aβ is negligible. Based on these results we propose that, contrary to the widely held belief in the literature,^[@ref3],[@ref4],[@ref12],[@ref25]−[@ref28]^ Zn-bound Aβ species are unlikely to play an important role in the very early steps of Aβ aggregation, such as dimer formation. Nevertheless, Zn is likely to be involved in the late stages of Aβ aggregation when the affinity of its binding to protofibrils and fibrils increases.
Results and Discussion {#sec2}
======================
Kinetics of Zn Binding to Aβ {#sec2.1}
----------------------------
We previously used divalent Cu-induced quenching of a fluorescent dye attached to the C-terminus of Aβ to show that the binding of Cu to both Aβ~16~ and Aβ~40~ is nearly diffusion-limited at ∼5 × 10^8^ M^--1^ s^--1^.^[@ref33]^ The detailed kinetic parameters (e.g., interconversion rates between two different coordination modes) of Cu-association with Aβ~16~ and Aβ~40~ are very similar and therefore we decided to use Aβ~16~ as a model system for further kinetics studies. As Zn does not directly quench the fluorophore attached to Aβ, a competition experiment is required to determine the kinetics of Zn binding by fluorescence. We did not use a Zn indicator as this would require μM concentration of Aβ to compete with it while still remaining under pseudo-first-order reaction conditions. Such high concentrations would inevitably cause Aβ aggregation in the presence of metal ions (dimerization rate constant on the order of 10^5^ M^--1^ s^--1^ as determined in our previous work^[@ref34]^). Instead, we used labeled Aβ and let Zn and Cu compete to bind to the peptides. All the kinetics measurements were carried out under pseudo-first-order conditions, such that \[Zn\] ≫ \[Aβ\] and \[Cu\] ≫ \[Aβ\]. This enables the reaction scheme to be solved analytically.
[Scheme [1](#sch1){ref-type="scheme"}](#sch1){ref-type="scheme"} illustrates the reaction model that we considered (see [Supporting Information](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121/suppl_file/cn7b00121_si_001.pdf)). In this scheme we have only included those reactions expected to occur at rates not much slower than the experimentally observed rates between 20 s^--1^ and 100 s^--1^ under our experimental conditions. Therefore, we have excluded all reactions involving the Zn·Aβ·Cu triple complex, coordination of second (and subsequent) Cu ions and further reaction of Zn with Aβ·Zn. The expected rate for the reaction Aβ·Cu + Zn^2+^ → Zn·Aβ·Cu is 0.6 s^--1^ at the highest concentration of Zn used in these experiments (rate constant determined to be 3 × 10^3^ M^--1^ s^--1^ in [Kinetics of Zn Binding to Aβ-Cu](#sec2.2){ref-type="other"} subsection). The related reaction Aβ·Zn + Cu^2+^ → Zn·Aβ·Cu is also excluded because a rate constant of 2 × 10^6^ M^--1^ s^--1^ or greater is required for the reaction to have a rate of at least 1 s^--1^ in our experiments. This is unlikely given that the rate constants for the reaction Aβ·Cu + Zn^2+^ → Zn·Aβ·Cu and Aβ·Cu + Cu^2+^ → Cu·Aβ·Cu are 3 × 10^3^ and 1 × 10^5^ M^--1^ s^--1^ respectively. From these rate constants, the latter reaction is also too slow to participate in our chosen time regime (0.05 s^--1^). The reaction of Zn with Aβ·Zn is also excluded by the same reasoning.
{#sch1}
To determine the kinetics of Zn binding, CuCl~2~ was premixed with various concentrations of ZnCl~2~, which were then mixed with dye-labeled Aβ using stopped-flow (original traces in [Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}A). Raw data was fitted to a double exponential function and the observed rate constant of the fast phase was plotted as a function of Zn concentration ([Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}B). The Zn-dependence of this observed rate constant was then fitted to eq 5 (details of equation and derivation in the [Supporting Information](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121/suppl_file/cn7b00121_si_001.pdf)) and from the data fit, *k*~Zn~ was determined to be 1.9 ± 0.3 × 10^6^ M^--1^ s^--1^ and *K*~d~ (=*k*~--Zn~/*k*~Zn~) to be 58 ± 9 μM. Therefore, *k*~--Zn~ is 110 ± 20 s^--1^. The fitted value for *k*~Cu~ was 160 ± 20 s^--1^, in agreement with the value from our previous direct measurement of Cu binding to Aβ,^[@ref33]^ while *K*~d~ is in broad agreement with the expected range from the literature (1 μM to 100 μM).^[@ref20],[@ref22],[@ref24],[@ref35],[@ref36]^ Strikingly, *k*~Zn~ is approximately 2 orders of magnitude smaller than the association rate constant of Cu with Aβ under the same conditions. Furthermore, the dissociation rate constant *k*~--Zn~ corresponds to a lifetime of 9 ms for the Aβ-Zn complex, approximately 150 times shorter than that of the Aβ-Cu complex (∼1.3 s), suggesting that Aβ-Zn is kinetically much less stable.
.](cn-2017-00121d_0001){#fig1}
Kinetics of Zn Binding to Aβ-Cu {#sec2.2}
-------------------------------
It has been suggested that Zn-Aβ-Cu ternary complex may be relevant in AD.^[@ref29]−[@ref31]^ Zn has been shown to substantially perturb Cu coordination with Aβ;^[@ref29]−[@ref31]^ however, no effect has been observed on Aβ-Cu-induced ROS production and associated cellular toxicity.^[@ref31]^ As the Aβ-Cu complex survives long enough for the presynaptically released Zn to bind during sustained neuronal stimulation, we decided to carry out double-jump stopped-flow experiments to establish the association kinetics of Zn with Aβ-Cu by displacing Cu with Zn via a ternary complex intermediate Zn-Aβ-Cu as illustrated in [Scheme [2](#sch2){ref-type="scheme"}](#sch2){ref-type="scheme"}.
{#sch2}
In our initial experiments, Aβ was first mixed with CuCl~2~ and subsequently with excess ZnCl~2~. Two exponential phases were observed, with apparent rate constants independent of Zn concentration. Our measured fluorescence signal arises from the release of Cu and the rate constant of the slow dominant phase (0.47 ± 0.3 s^--1^) was the same as that of the spontaneous dissociation of the Aβ-Cu complex, suggesting that this phase does not contain useful information on the Zn interaction with Aβ-Cu. We therefore hypothesized that the observed rate constant of the faster minor phase (5.2 ± 0.2 s^--1^; [Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}A) was related to the dissociation of Zn-Aβ-Cu complex.
{#fig2}
To find whether we could perturb the relative reaction rates, we then measured the temperature dependence of the reaction of Aβ-Cu complex with Zn ([Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}B). The Arrhenius plot of the apparent rate constant of the fast phase indicates a change in the slope at 34 ± 2 °C. This suggests that for temperatures above this critical point, there is a change in the rate limiting process. To determine the Zn-dependence of this reaction, Aβ-Cu was reacted with 100 to 300 μM Zn at temperatures between 35 and 55 °C. The rate constants of the fast phase were indeed dependent on the concentration of Zn ([Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}C) and the second-order association rate constants obtained from the gradients were then plotted against the temperature ([Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}D). Extrapolating to 25 °C gave a binding rate constant of 3 ± 1 × 10^3^ M^--1^ s^--1^. The activation energy for the binding was determined to be 106 ± 19 *k*J mol^--1^. Considering that when Zn is bound, Cu lies more in much more stable Component II coordination,^[@ref30]^ the dissociation rate of Cu from the ternary complex would be at least as slow as that from the Aβ-Cu binary complex. We therefore estimated the equilibrium dissociation constant for the Zn-Aβ-Cu complex to be ∼2 mM (using 5.2 s^--1^ as the rate constant of Zn dissociation from the complex), suggesting that this mixed Aβ-metal complex is unlikely to form in the vicinity of synapse.
Multiple Cu Binding to Aβ {#sec2.3}
-------------------------
Aβ can bind up to four Cu ions at its N-terminus.^[@ref37]^ We previously observed that, at low Cu concentration (\<200 nM), only one quenching phase occurred which was attributed to the binding of one Cu ion.^[@ref33]^ However, once the Cu concentration is higher than 1 μM, further quenching phases with smaller amplitudes were detected. These phases are independent of the Aβ concentration, therefore they could be attributed to Aβ binding to more Cu ions, but not Aβ aggregation. Under these Cu concentrations the first Cu binding is not detectable as it finishes within the dead-time of the stopped flow instrument. To investigate the binding kinetics of the second Cu ion to Aβ, reactions of dye labeled Aβ with 5 to 20 μM CuCl~2~ were measured to obtain the apparent association rate constants ([Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}A). We fitted the Cu-dependence of this to a linear equation and determined the association rate constant of the second Cu, *k*~on~, to be 4.2 ± 0.6 × 10^5^ M^--1^ s^--1^ and the dissociation rate constant, *k*~off~, to be 7.3 ± 0.7 s^--1^. The equilibrium dissociation constant *K*~d~ is therefore 17 ± 3 μM, which is in good agreement with ∼10 μM obtained using both ITC and fluorescence.^[@ref38]^
{#fig3}
To further probe the binding of multiple copper to Aβ, again a double mixing approach was employed. Labeled Aβ was premixed with various concentrations of CuCl~2~ and the solutions were then mixed with an equal volume of 4 mM EDTA to compete with Aβ for Cu binding. The resulting fluorescence recovery traces were globally fitted with multiple exponentials sharing the rates across data sets. Five species (I--V) were identified based on their pseudo-first-order reaction rate constants with the EDTA ([Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}B and C). The first two species (Types I and II) have the same reaction rate constants with EDTA as Component I ((Aβ-Cu)~I~) and Component II ((Aβ-Cu)~II~) Aβ-Cu complexes and accordingly were assigned to these two complexes,^[@ref33]^ while the remaining three species were tentatively assigned to Aβ-Cu complexes with two to four bound Cu ions (Types III--V).
Simulation of Cu/Zn Binding to Aβ during Synaptic Transmission {#sec2.4}
--------------------------------------------------------------
Having determined the reaction rate constants between Aβ and metal ions, we carried out reaction-diffusion simulations to study the relative importance of the different possible binding reactions in the synaptic cleft during neurotransmission (for details, see the [Supporting Information](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121/suppl_file/cn7b00121_si_001.pdf)). In our simplified model of the synapse ([Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}A), we considered diffusion within a cylinder of infinite width (to mimic the possibility that metal ions can diffuse beyond the synapse) and constant height of 20 nm (the height of synapses vary between 10 to 25 nm^[@ref39]^). Metal ions (30 μM Cu or 300 μM Zn) were assumed to be released at the center of the synapse (i.e., the center of the cylinder) via 40 nm diameter vesicles,^[@ref40]^ and allowed to diffuse freely (diffusion coefficients *D*~Zn~ = *D*~Cu~ = 650 nm^2^ μs^--1^)^[@ref41]^ and to react with 3 nM Aβ^[@ref42]^ (diffusion coefficient of *D*~Aβ~ = 304 nm^2^ μs^--1^ determined by our own fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurement) or 5 μM HSA (*D*~HSA~ = 61 nm^2^ μs^--1^).^[@ref43]^ The diffusion coefficients of the Aβ-metal and HSA-metal complexes were set to be the same as those of Aβ and HSA respectively. Although more detailed fully stochastic simulations could be performed, the reaction-diffusion numerics provide a first evaluation of the relevance of the different reactions involved.
{#fig4}
We first simulated the binding of metal ions (Cu/Zn) to Aβ during a single synaptic release. We considered the binding reactions for one and two Cu ions as well as Cu dissociation and interconversion between species using rate constants determined above and elsewhere^[@ref33]^ ([Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}B). During one release, the Cu concentration drops more than 3 orders of magnitude within 1 ms ([Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}C). Approximately 0.1% of the total Aβ is expected to react with Cu to form a complex on time scales of 1 μs-10 ms. Most of this complexification is in the form of (Aβ-Cu)~I~ ([Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}D), with (Aβ-Cu)~II~ reaching approximately 0.01% at time scales of 0.3 ms to tens of millisecond ([Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}E). Under thermodynamic equilibrium, the ratio of (Aβ-Cu)~I~ to (Aβ-Cu)~II~ is approximately 71:29, but in the dynamic conditions experienced in the synaptic cleft the kinetics favors (Aβ-Cu)~I~ which forms first after Cu binding. In contrast, (Aβ-Cu~2~)~III~ only reaches tens of attomolar concentrations (approximately 10^--6^% of total Aβ), on millisecond time scales ([Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}F). Similarly, Aβ-Zn only reaches a concentration of hundreds of attomolar across time scales of 0.5 μs to 30 ms ([Figure [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}; approximately 10^--5^% of total Aβ).
{#fig5}
We next simulated the effect of human serum albumin (HSA) on the binding of Cu to Aβ ([Figure [6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}). HSA is at micromolar concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid and binds quickly and strongly to Cu.^[@ref33],[@ref44]^ It has been suggested that HSA might be a guardian against Cu/Aβ toxicity in extracellular brain compartments.^[@ref45]^ It is known that the binding of HSA to Cu cannot compete efficiently with Aβ on short time scales (\<100 ms), and so we previously estimated the binding rate constant, *k*~HSA~, to be ∼1 × 10^8^ M^--1^ s^--1^.^[@ref33]^ Dissociation of Cu from the HSA-Cu complex was ignored, as this would take much longer than the time scale of the simulation. The inclusion of HSA into the model has little effect on the transient maximal concentration of (Aβ-Cu)~I~ but reduces the highest transient concentration of (Aβ-Cu)~II~ by a factor of 60 ([Figure [6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}A and B). However, HSA has a noticeable effect on the temporal profiles: in the absence of HSA, (AB-Cu)~I~ is maintained at concentrations above picomolar for at least 1000 ms; in the presence of HSA, (AB-Cu)~I~ falls below picomolar concentrations after ∼10 ms, a reduction in duration of approximately 2 orders of magnitude.
{#fig6}
In the brain, neurons fire multiple times releasing metal ions into the synapse in quick succession. We wondered how the repeated firing of neurons would affect the spatiotemporal profile of the different Aβ species and, in particular, whether Aβ-Zn would build up from sustained releases during neurotransmission. The upper firing frequency of neurons is approximately 200 Hz,^[@ref46]^ so we explored a range of 1--100 Hz in our simulation ([Figures [7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}](#fig7){ref-type="fig"} and [S1--S3](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121/suppl_file/cn7b00121_si_001.pdf)). Across the frequency range simulated, repetitive metal release caused an increase in the concentration of (Aβ-Cu)~I~ ([Figures [7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}A and [S1](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121/suppl_file/cn7b00121_si_001.pdf)) relative to (Aβ-Cu)~II~ ([Figures [7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}B and [S2](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121/suppl_file/cn7b00121_si_001.pdf)), a factor of more than 3 compared to 2.47 expected at equilibrium. There was little increase in the maximum transient concentration of the Aβ-Zn complex since it dissociates quickly (dissociation rate constant 110 s^--1^) ([Figures [7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}C and [S3](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121/suppl_file/cn7b00121_si_001.pdf)). The mean concentrations of Aβ-metal complexes across the entire synapse (300 nm width) rise with increasing metal ion release frequency ([Figure [7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}D). Sizeable (Aβ-Cu)~I~ (0.8 nM) and (Aβ-Cu)~II~ (0.26 nM) concentrations were reached at 100 Hz, which are equivalent to 27% and 9% respectively of the total Aβ concentration. On the other hand, the concentration of Aβ-Zn reached only low picomolar concentrations by the end of the simulation (10 s), approximately 0.1% of the total Aβ concentration. These results indicate that Aβ binds to Cu released during neurotransmission, whereas Zn-bound Aβ is very rare. A substantial buildup of Aβ-Zn is not observed even under sustained Zn release.
{#fig7}
Discussion {#sec3}
==========
At equilibrium, both Cu and Zn bind to Aβ when metal ion concentrations are on the order of tens of micromolar. The situation is very different in the dynamic synapse. Our reaction-diffusion simulations under external drives show that the binding of Zn to Aβ in the synapse is minimal: ∼0.001% of Aβ forms an Aβ-Zn complex from a single release of Zn, rising to ∼0.1% of Aβ when Zn is released into the system at 100 Hz. Given the low probability of Aβ-Zn forming and its fast dissociation, this complex is unlikely to play a role in promoting Aβ dimer formation during neurotransmission in the synaptic cleft, a critical step for Aβ oligomerization. We suggest that the role of Zn may instead be associated with its ability to strongly influence Aβ in the late-stages of Aβ aggregation, such as the assembly of fibrils, which has been reported recently.^[@ref47]^ Binding of Cu to Aβ, in contrast, is much more likely, with 0.1% of Aβ forming Aβ-Cu during a single Cu release rising to ∼30% of Aβ when Cu is released at a frequency of 100 Hz.
During low frequency repetitive releases of Cu, the ratio of (Aβ-Cu)~I~ to (Aβ-Cu)~II~ rises slightly from its equilibrium value of 71:29 to 75:25. Competition with other Cu binding proteins in the synapse such as HSA could increase this ratio even further, as HSA extracts Cu from (Aβ-Cu)~I~ on the same time scale (hundreds of milliseconds) as (AB-Cu)~II~ is formed.^[@ref33]^ Overall, (AB-Cu)~I~ forms quickly, but Cu is sequestered by HSA before interconversion into (AB-Cu)~II~. This is important because of the differing reactivity between (AB-Cu)~I~ and (AB-Cu)~II~: i.e., enhanced (Aβ-Cu)~I~ formation relative to (Aβ-Cu)~II~ might need to be considered in quantitative modeling of Aβ dimerization in the synaptic cleft. Indeed, (Aβ-Cu)~I~ is much more reactive than (Aβ-Cu)~II~ in forming metal bridged dimers,^[@ref33],[@ref34]^ although it is not yet clear whether this is the kinetic determinant of Aβ aggregation, or whether dimerization goes via Aβ monomers bound with two Cu ions.^[@ref34],[@ref48]^ In parallel, an increased population of (Aβ-Cu)~I~ would potentially generate more reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to (Aβ-Cu)~II~. The highly flexible coordination configuration of (Aβ-Cu)~I~ has a low thermodynamic barrier (30 kJ/mol^--1^) to forming an intermediate state which in turn favors fast redox reactions to produce ROS.^[@ref49]^ Asp1, His13, and His14 were identified as the main Cu(I/II) coordination ligands in this highly reactive intermediate state.^[@ref50]^ Production of ROS from (Aβ-Cu)~II~ is slower as (AB-Cu)~II~ must convert to (Aβ-Cu)~I~ for the access to this intermediate before the reduction reaction can take place.^[@ref51]^
There is much experimental evidence to indicate that the propensity of Aβ dimer formation is related to the redox reaction of the Aβ-Cu complex. Radical chain reactions catalyzed by Aβ-Cu can not only oxidize lipid and protein molecules^[@ref52],[@ref53]^ but also Aβ itself.^[@ref54]^ One such example is dityrosine cross-linking of the two Aβ monomers via covalent ortho--ortho coupling of two tyrosine residues under conditions of oxidative stress with elevated copper.^[@ref55]^ Covalently cross-linked dimers and trimers are difficult to degrade and therefore could serve as long-living "seeds" to induce Aβ aggregation. The vast difference in the toxicity observed between in vivo and in vitro Aβ oligomer samples has been attributed to tyrosine cross-linking under in vivo oxidative stress conditions.^[@ref56]^ Our simulations imply that such cross-linking could readily take place in the synaptic cleft as a substantial population of the Aβ here is associated with divalent Cu.
For simplicity, our simulations were carried out using deterministic reaction-diffusion equations under free diffusion conditions. However, the synapse and the vesicle carrying neurotransmitters are both small volumes: on average 0.6 Cu and 6 Zn ions will be released on each occasion, into synapses of which 1 in 400 will contain a single Aβ molecule (assuming a synapse diameter of 300 nm). Given these constraints, an alternative strategy would be to use a spatial stochastic model.^[@ref57],[@ref58]^ However, there are about 100 billion neurons in a human brain and each neuron has about 7000 synapses. Our primary interest is in assessing the differences between Cu and Zn binding to Aβ and the relative importance of the species formed, rather than estimating the fluctuations observed in individual synapses, determining the distribution of each outcome or investigating heterogeneity (as provided by stochastic simulation). To assess the behavior of a neuron, results from stochastic simulation would still need to be averaged and scaled by the probability of finding molecules in the small volume. Our simple continuous model captures this average behavior to a first approximation, and allows us to examine the spatiotemporal behavior of all synapses in an "average" of several neurons.
We have noticed a recent stochastic simulation of Cu-induced Aβ dimerization in a confined synaptic cleft.^[@ref59]^ In our opinion, it is essential to allow the metal ions to leave the synaptic cleft, since Zn and Cu are tightly regulated spatiotemporally for proper brain function.^[@ref21]^ The free diffusion to an open space employed in our simulation is an approximation of this biophysical requirement: in the absence of an open boundary, we would expect persistently high metal ion concentrations in the synapse cleft under sustained metal ion release and consequently all Aβ would become bound to metal ions.
Our results are also likely to be modified by the dense and viscous extracellular environment of the synaptic cleft. We attempted to estimate the extent of this effect by considering the likely changes in parameters of the simulations and how these would affect the numerical outcomes. It has been reported that the diffusion coefficient for small monovalent extracellular ions is reduced by a factor of 2.4 by tortuosity and volume fraction in the extracellular microenvironment of the rat cerebellum, though these ions still obey the laws of macroscopic diffusion.^[@ref60]^ It is also expected that Aβ molecules (molecular weight ∼4 kDa) in the synaptic cleft would experience hindered diffusion with an effective diffusion coefficient around 2 to 3 times smaller than that used here.^[@ref61]^ Consequently the rate constant of the binding between the metal ions and Aβ would be reduced due to lower collision rates. The effect of this on the simulation result will be smaller than the effect of the change in diffusion coefficient because slower diffusion will reduce the dilution by diffusion of metal ions after release.
Membrane-bound Aβ molecules bind to metal ions at approximately the same rate as Aβ in free solution,^[@ref33]^ thus making our simulation results relevant to Aβ associated with neuronal membranes rich in ganglioside. GM1-bound Aβ has been proposed as an endogenous seed for Aβ amyloid in the brain.^[@ref62],[@ref63]^ Additionally, (Aβ-Cu)~I~ formed on the membrane is likely to self-produce ROS locally damaging the unsaturated lipid and membrane protein.^[@ref53]^
Together with our previous publications, we have characterized the kinetics of metal ion (Cu/Zn) binding to Aβ in detail. Cu binds Aβ with a rate constant ∼5 × 10^8^ M^--1^ s^--1^ and the (Aβ-Cu)~I~ complex dissociates at 0.8 s^--1^, while Zn binds considerably slower at ∼2 × 10^6^ M^--1^ s^--1^ and the complex dissociates at ∼100 s^--1^. The (Aβ-Cu)~II~ complex is much more stable and its lifetime is governed by its rate of conversion (2.5 s^--1^) to (Aβ-Cu)~I~. Therefore, the Aβ-Cu and Aβ-Zn complexes can survive ∼1 s and ∼10 ms, respectively. Even for synaptic conditions where a single vesicle containing one or other ion may be released, this disparity in lifetime between the two complexes would greatly limit the formation of Zn associated Aβ dimer and leave less time for this metal-bound complex to reorganize to aggregation-prone conformations. Secondary binding reactions between Cu/Zn and Aβ-Cu are even slower, with rate constants on the order of 10^5^ M^--1^ s^--1^ and 10^3^ M^--1^ s^--1^ respectively. The reaction-diffusion simulations predict that only the Aβ-Cu complex will play a major role in the early stages of Aβ aggregation in the synaptic cleft, while other Aβ-metal complexes including Aβ-Zn are insignificant. In light of the recent finding that targeting Aβ aggregates is a promising approach for the treatment of AD,^[@ref64]^ we propose that drug development efforts for early stages of AD should aim to target the specific interactions between Cu and Aβ.
Methods {#sec4}
=======
Labeled Aβ {#sec4.1}
----------
Aβ16 labeled by HiLyte Fluor 488 on lysine 16 (DAEFRHDSGYEVHHQK-HiLyte 488) was purchased from Anaspec (Fremont, CA) and dissolved in 50 mM HEPES (pH 7.5) and 100 mM NaCl. The purity, as determined by the percentage of peak area by HPLC, is greater than 95%. The concentrations of the peptide was measured via the peak absorbance of the dye (ε = 68 000 cm^--1^ M^--1^) using a UV/vis spectrometer (Lambda 25, PerkinElmer, Wellesley, MA). Aβ was dissolved in a buffer solution containing 50 mM HEPES (pH 7.5). All buffers contain 100 mM NaCl. The stock solutions of labeled peptides were further diluted to nanomolar concentrations (50 nM) prior to the kinetic experiments.
Stopped-Flow Spectroscopy {#sec4.2}
-------------------------
Kinetics measurements were carried out using a KinetAsyst SF-610X2 stopped-flow spectrophotometer (HI-TECH Scientific, UK). Samples were excited either at 488 nm by a xenon lamp or at 473 nm by a fiber coupled diode laser (MCLS1-473-20, Thorlabs, Newton, NJ). All experiments were performed at 25 °C in 50 mM HEPES pH7.5, 100 mM NaCl, except where explicitly stated.
### Kinetics of Zn Binding to Aβ {#sec30}
CuCl~2~ (500 nM) was premixed with indicated concentrations of ZnCl~2~ which were then mixed with 25 nM labeled Aβ using stopped-flow.
### Kinetics of Zn Binding to Aβ-Cu {#sec40}
In this double jump experiment, 50 nM Aβ was first mixed with 100 nM CuCl~2~. After an incubation time of 1 s, this was mixed with different concentrations of excess ZnCl~2~ at the indicated temperatures (9--55 °C) and fluorescence recovery measured.
### Multiple Cu Binding to Aβ {#sec50}
To determine the rate constants for the second Cu-binding event, 25 nM Ab was reacted with indicated concentrations of CuCl~2~. To determine the rate constants of multiple Cu-binding reactions, 25 nM Aβ was premixed with indicated concentrations of CuCl~2~ and the solutions then mixed with an equal volume of 4 mM EDTA in a double jump experiment.
Coupled Reaction-Diffusion Simulation {#sec4.3}
-------------------------------------
The simulation was based on a simplified cylindrical model of the synaptic cleft with a height of 20 nm. It is technically a 3D simulation, but we assumed that there is no concentration gradient in the 20 nm axial direction as the 20 nm radius vesicle would occupy the entire gap of the cleft. As a result, the simulation is simply 2D, and reduced to 1D in polar coordinates. The radius of the cylinder was assumed to be infinite so that the diffusion of metal ions released is not restricted to the typical synaptic width of a few hundred of nanometers. Metal ions (30 μM Cu^2+^ or 300 μM Zn^2+^) were assumed to release into the center of the synapse via 40 nm diameter vesicles and react with 3 nM Aβ in the synaptic cleft. To simulate the periodic pulsed release of metal ions during neurotransmission, the concentration of metal ions at the center (20 nm radius) of each release was reset to initial concentration repeatedly at the particular frequency. The simulation code was written in C++. For more details, see the [Supporting Information](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121/suppl_file/cn7b00121_si_001.pdf).
The Supporting Information is available free of charge on the [ACS Publications website](http://pubs.acs.org) at DOI: [10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121).Derivation of the apparent rate constant of Zn competing with Cu to bind Aβ, details of coupled reaction-diffusion simulations, temporal profiles of (Aβ·Cu)~I~, (Aβ·Cu)~II~, and Aβ·Zn concentrations ([PDF](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00121/suppl_file/cn7b00121_si_001.pdf))
Supplementary Material
======================
######
cn7b00121_si_001.pdf
T.B., M.B., and L.Y. designed research; T.B. performed research; T.B., C.A.D., M.B., and L.Y. analyzed data; and T.B., C.A.D., and L.Y. wrote the paper.
This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) via the award of a Ph.D. studentship to T.B. under the Institute of Chemical Biology Doctoral Training Centre at Imperial College London, by the Leverhulme Trust via a project grant (RPG-2015-345) to L.Y., and by Imperial College London/Wellcome Trust ISSF via a Value in People Award to C.A.D.
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
| |
The Portfolio Execution Group (PEG) comprises teams involved in a broad range of functional roles that include: trade execution, treasury and currency hedging, securities financing, asset rebalancing, passive replication and portfolio completion’ as well as applied quantitative research.
As part of the strategic drive to position data and research at the centre of PEG’s decision–making for trading and investments, the Applied Research Unit (ARU) is looking for suitable candidates to join its existing team of Research Analysts to work on solutions relating to trading and portfolio optimisation, and to contribute to the existing proprietary analytics platforms. This role offers exposure to all major public market asset classes.
Responsibilities
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- Work with investment, trading and technology team to identify opportunities to optimize the investment workflows and processes.
- Build the solutions and tools to support the team’s research agenda. Work closely with the technology team to define the scope of work with Agile methodology. | https://careers.gic.com.sg/job/Singapore-AVPVP%2C-Execution-Research-Analyst/566016201/ |
WITH two events on the same day last Saturday, Southport Waterloo’s senior men endurance runners were spread thinly but still managed podium finishes in the team events at both the Mid Lancs cross country fixture at Blackpool and the multi-terrain Parbold Hill race.
On a glorious Spring day, the fifth Mid Lancs League cross country fixture of the season took place at Lawson's Ground in Blackpool. Heavy rain in the previous 24 hours ensured a lot of surface water on the flat fields.
The number of runners taking part was down on earlier fixtures because of the English National Cross Country Champs this weekend but Southport Waterloo's senior men were out in good numbers with plenty of quality runners to build on their lead in Division 1. They recorded a good win over their nearest challengers, Barrow & Furness Striders, but they will need to beat Barrow again in the final fixture to retain the championship title they won last year.
The Under 15 Boys also won and consolidated their position in the League. We had a healthy 14 boys competing at Blackpool; but this was in stark contrast to the one girl!
In the Under 11 Girls' race Sarah Glover competed for the club finishing 32nd in 9:44 for 2 km. Cross country girls in a Southport Waterloo vest are few and far between this year so 'well done' to this young lady.
In the Under 11 Boys' race there were four runners in a Southport Waterloo vest. Oliver Burrill was the first to finish, 17th of 37 boys in 8:11 for 2 km. Tom Peacock was 27th in 8:39, Shaun McKieman 34th in 9:40 and Charlie Warrington 36th in 10:24.
In the Under 13 Boys' race, the youngest age group within the League itself, we had 5 runners. Tom's brother Harry led his team-mates home finishing 16th in 11:35, Callum Larkin was 23rd n 11:47, Matthew Tobin was 30th in 12:15 and young Tom Shearer was the final team counter, 34th in 12:40. Fraser Garner was 37th in 13:26. The team was 3rd which means that they will take bronze medals at least in the League, even without fielding a team at the final fixture at Skelmersdale.
The Under 15 Boys enjoyed their third win of the season. Andrew Kershaw has led the team home in the last three fixtures but at Blackpool he had to give way to Liam Ellis who ran a great race to finish 6th of 28 in 14:04 for 4 km. Andrew was just six seconds behind, 9th in 14:10, and Michael Panes just five seconds behind him, 10th in 14:15. Luke Tyson finished 15th in 14:28 to bring the team another victory, six points clear of Liverpool Harriers. Jonathan Foster was 23rd in 15:02.
Overall in the League, the boys are now sure of medals but although they lead the division, Liverpool Harriers could still take gold if they win at Skelmersdale.
In the Under 20s, Louise Leek, Joe Vis and David Gough competed in the Senior races but, as Under 20s, Louise was third in 29:26 for 6 km, Joe was first in 34:04 and David was fifth in 36:49 for approx 10 km.
Turning then to the seniors, there was a good turnout of 9 Senior Women, many sporting new club running jackets. Tracey Peters led the women home, 12th of 77 today in 24:40 for 6 km. Sue Cooper was 1st L55 and 22nd overall in 26:03 and Rachel Jacks was the final team counter, 32nd in 27:20. The team finished 5th in Division 1 which leaves them comfortably positioned in mid-table.
Carole James was 40th in 28:27, Morag Rimmer 48th in 29:18, Louise Leek 49th in 29:26, Sue Stewart, 56th in 31:07 and Elaine Sutton, 73rd in 35:59. Sue C, Carole and Sue S comprised our Ladies Vet 45 team which finished in 1st place. This means that the ladies cannot be beaten in the League this year! Whatever happens at Skelmersdale, they will retain the title they won last season!
Finally, the Senior Men took centre stage for their 4 lap 10 km course. With Michael Evans called back from university to bolster the squad, we finished 3 in the top 10 and 7 in the top 20. Such great packing ensured victory, by a margin of 14 points.
James Tartt was our first finisher, 7th in 33:56, with Joe Vis 9th in 34:04, Michael Evans 10th in 34:06, Ben Johnson, 14th in 34:41, Richard Shearer, 16th in 34:48 and Steve Wilkinson, 18th in 34:52. David Hamilton (3rd Vet 40) gave excellent support to the team finishing 19th in 34:53.
Other runners were David Gough, 34th in 36:49, Rob Ashworth, 41st n 37:10, Steve McLean, 52nd in 37:59, Chris Dunn, 53rd in 38:15, Matthew Goddard, 100th in 41:21, Steve James, 142nd in 45:39, and John Vis 164th in 50:02.
In addition to winning the senior men's match, Southport Waterloo - Richard, David, Rob and Chris - also won the Vet 40 team competition. | https://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/sport/other-sport/southport-waterloo-heroic-team-finish-6610735 |
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Subject:
Re: OT: YAEPT–"T"-ing Off
From:
And Rosta <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To:
Constructed Languages List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 6 Dec 2012 11:26:09 +0000
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text/plain
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text/plain
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On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 11:37 PM, Matthew Boutilier
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> personally i think this kind of intrusive final -t (much like initial *s
> mobile* in Proto Indo European and the change from -s to -st of the German *
> du*-form ending) comes from frequent juxtaposition of such a word ending in
> -s with a word beginning with a dental, which (what with all the TH- words)
> occurs frequently in English. so maybe a lot of things like* across the
> pond *developed dialectically into *acrost the pond*, and this pattern
> became more widespread. makes enough sense, right?
I'd disagree, because:
1. Why should that initial TH, which in most dialects is a very lax
voiced dental fricative or approximant, become [t], and why only after
[s], and why only after [s] in a handful of (only closed-class) words?
I don't know any dialects that change [D] to [t] after [s], such that
in a subset of those dialects the TH could then be metanalysed.
2. A better explanation is the analogical extension of the -st
formative found in various closed groups of words -- prepositions,
superlative -est, first, last, east, west (-- whereas _north, south_
share the -th formative with ordinals and with _warmth, depth, width,
strength_ etc.). _Across_ is a preposition. _Once_ is a preposition[*]
and a closed-class number word(-form). _Twice_ is a closed-class
number word-(form).
[*I say this with the proviso that Preposition is a rough-and-ready
class that an adequate analysis would split.]
--And. | https://listserv.brown.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind1212a&L=CONLANG&O=D&P=168519 |
Earlier this month, the eigth Korean Educators Conference was held at the National Museum of Korea. It brought together instructors teaching Korean at King Sejong Institutes around the world.
One of them was Linda Stockelova, who teaches at the King Sejong Institute in Prague, the Czech Republic. As a teenager, she loved watching Korean movies, which led her to major in Korean studies. She said she was proud that some of her students were admitted this year into the department of Korean studies at Charles University, a leading university in the Czech Republic.
Lkhamtseren Erdembaatar at the King Sejong Institute in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, said he decided to become a Korean language teacher after watching a Korean drama that portrayed the country’s tradition and decorum as well as economic development. All participating teachers at the Conference seemed to be proud of promoting the Korean language and culture.
The mission of the King Sejong Institute is to promote the Korean language and culture overseas. In 2007, 13 institutes were opened in three countries; the overall number has increased more than tenfold to 143 in 57 countries. The accumulated number of students is expected to exceed 200,000 this year. Recently, there is a growing demand for Korean thanks to Korea’s economic growth and the effect of the Korean Wave represented by K-Pop and dramas.
The competition rate to enroll in the King Sejong Institute in Tehran, Iran, was four to one. The King Sejong Institute in Moscow has attracted some 4,000 students annually, leading it to hold entrance exams. In addition, the number of test takers of the Test of Proficiency in Korean has surged from 2,700 in 1997 to more than 200,000 in 2015. All this attests to how the status of Korea and Korean has changed.
The demand for Korean is the foundation sustaining the Korean Wave. An interest in culture can be momentary, but learning the language will create an enduring interest in the country. Learning the language leads to a deeper understanding, opening the door to greater access to culture and forming favorable views of the country. With this recognition, some advanced countries have worked hard to promote their language and culture through language institutes, including Alliance Francaise and the Goethe-Institut.
The Korean Government has striven to foster the King Sejong Institute to become a renowned institute promoting the Korean language and culture. The Ministries of Culture, Sports & Tourism, Education, and Foreign Affairs decided on July 12 to integrate Korean language programs at the Korean Education Centers under the King Sejong Institute.
This is in response to an increase in the number of non-Korean students who are taking Korean language courses at the Korean Education Centers, which were originally designed to teach ethnic Koreans living abroad. With the integration of Korean language courses, it is now possible to effectively provide customized education according to the demands of students. It is also possible to increase the quality of teaching by unifying training and teaching materials.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to strengthen support for the King Sejong Institute. It intends to increase the number of professional Korean language instructors dispatched to the Institutes and step up the re-education of instructors. It also aims to develop more interesting teaching materials that feature Korean cultural content, conversation and mobile content.
Over 40 percent of students at the King Sejong Institutes were inspired to study Korean due to their interest in Korean culture, so the Ministry will operate “King Sejong Culture Academies” to introduce Korean culture. It will also help the King Sejong Institutes to engage in various activities, including exchanges with local communities.
The King Sejong Institutes are “a small version of the Korean Cultural Centers” that are reaching out to the world with Korean and Korean culture. The Ministry intends to further expand their role and elevate their quality so that they can join the ranks of Alliance Francaise and the Goethe-Institut. I hope that more overseas students of the Korean language and culture will learn to communicate in Korean and achieve their dreams through the King Sejong Institutes.
By Chung Kwan-joo
Chung Kwan-joo is the first vice minister of culture, sports and tourism. -Ed.
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It has disrupted the ‘normal’ lives of many children, their parents, caregivers, and teachers. With the vast inequalities in a country like ours, the impact of the pandemic will be deeply felt and will have amplified and long-term consequences.
Shine Literacy has been guided by two principles that have influenced our decisions of what to do in light of the pandemic.
Right now we can only take our cue from government regulations. As a result, our centres in the schools remain closed and all training workshops are on pause.
In the meantime, we are busy ensuring that our Shine Literacy Hour Programme can be used as an EFAL Programme (English First Additional Language). Our focus has also been on making multilingual learning resources available to teachers, parents and caregivers.
We also pledge our support to the ongoing strategies and resources being made available to promote remote learning in order to reduce the impact that the pandemic has on education.
As an organisation, we are concerned with how this impact will be felt disproportionately by low-income communities, especially children missing out on their important meal of the day that they would usually get at school.
We have partnered with the Wynberg CAN community and together we have been able to raise funds and deliver a weekly food parcel to feed 130 families in the Bonnytoun settlement over the last few weeks. Please consider joining us in this cause and help those in need by donating here.
Government regulation will make it mandatory for everyone working in a school including school children to wear a mask. Our concern is that the majority of parents cannot afford to buy masks for children. Please consider making a donation to ensure that every child in a Shine Literacy school will have two cloth masks of their own. You can donate here and put the word ‘mask’ as a reference so we can set this donation aside for this cause.
Our website has been zero-rated so that you can support children in your home or immediate community without having to worry about the cost of data. Below we have rounded up some online learning and support resources for you. We will be adding our own open-source resources in the next few weeks.
The Department of Basic Education has put together online resources for parents, caregivers and learners to support learning at home. The resources can be accessed here.
Book Dash has hundreds of books and other resources made available on their website to help build children’s creativity and critical thinking skills.
Amazon has cancelled the subscription of books and audio stories for children and students of all ages. Children everywhere can now instantly stream this incredible collection of stories.
UNESCO has published a list of educational applications, platforms, and resources aimed to help parents, teachers, schools and school administrators to facilitate learning and provide social care and interaction during periods of school closure.
AMI Digital is offering free access to a range of digital language materials for children aged 3 to 6, some of which are also suitable for older children. You can access the free resources here.
The READ Educational Trust has released a series of free downloadable activities for parents and learners to use at home.
Open Culture has provided a list of free educational resources for K-12 students (kindergarten through high school learners) and their parents and teachers.
Read the National Association of Social Change Entities’ (NASCEE) response to the Department of Education’s plan to reopen schools based on the Standard Operating Procedures for containment and management of COVID-19.
FunDza’s Reading for Meaning resources are available via WhatsApp. All you need to do is send “hello” to 0600 54 8676. You will get access to Fundza stories and resources for teachers & parents.
Garth Newman Psychology is offering free therapy resources and online therapy sessions. You can access them here.
Take a look at the Corona Virus Orientation Guidelines for schools here. The guidelines are designed to orientate staff and learners to the many fundamental changes to the school learning environment.
Access this series of step-by-step guides and animations for healthcare workers, care staff and teachers in response to COVID-19.
A legal support hotline is available for potential human rights violations during the lockdown. To report any human rights violations, you can call the legal support line at +27 66 076 8845. Or the Child Emergency Line which can be reached for free at 0800 123 32. | http://www.shineliteracy.org.za/covid-support/ |
The desperate need to be moral within society contributes to the motivations, choices, and actions made by people everyday. It is society which defines what morality is and applies the necessary pressure to force individuals to conform. Often, failing under these societal pressures, individuals are forced to use deception to escape the oppressive nature of their society. Oscar Wilde, in The Importance of Being Earnest and Christopher Marlowe, in Dr. Faustus, venture into nature of society and how it effects the individuals within that society.
Marlowe and Wilde assert that deception is a symptom of a corrupt society not a character flaw.
The plot of The Importance of Being Earnest centers around deception. Algernon is a wealth bachelor that lives in London. He often pretends to have a friend Bunbury who is sick and lives in the country. Whenever Algernon wishes to escape certain social “duties” he is explains that he simply can no because he has to visit his sick friend.
He can then escape and enjoy the pleasures that Victorian society called improper. However, his friend, Bunbury, does not exist. Through this form of deception Algernon not only gets pity from his friends he also has the perfect excuse to do whatever he wants. Algernon’s believes his best friend is named Ernest. Ernest is actually John Worthing.
Look more: satire in the importance of being earnest essay
John Worthing is also using deception to escape his restrictive and boring existence. He tells his friends that he has a wayward brother who lives in London and is often in trouble.
Therefore he must go to London to bail his brother out. When John is in London he goes by the name of Ernest. He pretends to be a good man in country only to be a “bad”man in the city. John wants to marry Gwendolen, but she wants to marry a man named Ernest. When she meets John using the name Ernest she falls deeply in love with him. Gwen’s aunt insists on knowing his family background and he is forced to reveal that is real parents left him at a train station and he was adopted by a rich upstanding Victorian family.
Algernon has the idea that he will go into the country to visit John and pretend to be Ernest. He is unaware that John has given up his city life and has planned the tragic (but unreal) death of his brother. Deception plays a vital role in this play. If John and Algernon did not lie there would be no play. If each character followed the Victorians standards of society, there would be no plot. While this play is a comedy, Wilde’s point is clear: only through deception can people exist in Victorian society. If they did not use deception everyone would surely die from boredom and the suffocating grasp of society.
Similarly, Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus is based on deception. Dr. Faustus begins with Dr. Faustus looking for his true self. He wants to figure out who he is. He possesses all the supposed quality of a man of the renaissance. He is intelligent, well educated, and has come to a point in his life where he must realize who he truly is. This type of man is ambitious and driven. However, as he becomes more and more powerful, he losses his humanity through the use of his power for deception.
The societies in Importance of Being Earnest and Dr. Faustus are both portrayed as corrupt. In “Dr. Faustus” the Renaissance court is the representative evil society. It is a toxic environment that breeds blind ambition, betrayal, and evil. Seeking the highest form of knowledge, he arrives at theology and opens the Bible to the New Testament, where he quotes from Romans and the first book of John. He reads that “[t]he reward of sin is death,” and that “[i]f we say we that we have no sin, / We deceive ourselves, and there’s no truth in us.” The logic of these quotations—everyone sins, and sin leads to death—makes it seem as though Christianity can promise only death, which leads Faustus to give in to the fatalistic “What will be, shall be! Divinity, adieu!”
However, Faustus neglects to read the very next line in John, which states, “If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). By ignoring this passage, Faustus ignores the possibility of redemption, just as he ignores it throughout the play. Similarly, Wilde finds Victorian society equally as corrupt. In The Importance of Being Earnest he uses the character of Lady Bracknell to symbolize Victorian society. She represents “earnestness” which is demanded within her society as well as the discontent that it breeds. She is dominating, conceited, bitter, frigid, and extremely proper. It is through Lady Bracknell that the Victorian standards in regards to marriage, religion, money, respectability, and society are revealed.
Lady Bracknell comments “I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance … touch it and the bloom is gone…whole theory of modern education is radically unsound…education produces no effect … it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes” (Wilde Act II) The Renaissance is used by Marlowe as an ever present influence which causes the each of the characters within in Dr. Faustus to use deception to survive. The cruel and unforgiving nature of Victorian society is equally as influential causing the characters of Importance of Being Earnest to use deception to acquire socially desirable things.
Dr. Faustus and Jack are both individuals which are forced by society to deceive their family and friends. Dr. Faustus, is a bright young man with many talents. Dr. Faustus is an educated man. He is not only educated he has a great wisdom. This wisdom was not earned. Dr. Faustus makes a deal with the devil to get more knowledge. He thought that the god of the underworld could make all the knowledge past, present, and future to him.
This is when the first deception happens. Dr. Faustus makes himself believe that there is no underworld and no circles of hell. This is the second deception. He forces himself to believe in the Elysian Fields which is a place where good people go and once there, if they were good enough, they were given the gift to live forever. He believed he was a good person and would spend the rest of life, after death, with the greatest and more moral people that ever lived. Faustus even asks Mephistopheles “What is Hell?” The answer should have caused Faustus to shiver and turn to the God he had renounced:
Why this is hell, nor am I out of it.
Thinks’t thou that I, who saw the face of
God,and tasted the eternal joys of heaven,
am not tormented with ten thousand hells
in being deprived of everlasting bliss! O
Faustus, leave these frivolous demands,
which strike terror to my fainting soul.
Wilde’s Jack Worthing is is equally effected by his society. Jack lives two lives and both are false. In the country he remains a respectable and upstanding upper class man who is miserable. However, he leads a secret life in the city which brings him both pleasure and inner disgrace. Jack comments “When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people” (Wilde Act I). He lies to his friends and recounts stories of his invented brother Ernest who is always getting into trouble. Jack uses Ernest as his excuse to go into the city and find a few moments of happiness. It is only through deception that Jack can find happiness within the restrictive Victorian society. Jack’s real family is not of the upper class.
His current position in society is only through his adoptive family and his adoptive father’s money. Jack knows, understand, and pretends to conform to crushing societal norms. Even his name, Worthing, is reminds the audience to question – is he really worthy? Jack wishes to marry Gwendolen not because of any great and deep love. He knows that through marriage to a woman of an affluent family that he can gain respectability and fully belong in the society he longs to be in.
Due to this societal pressures he is willing to do whatever it takes to make the marriage happen. When confronted with his deception he admits “it is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth. It is the first time in my life that I have ever been reduced to such a painful position, and I am really quite inexperienced in doing anything of the kind” (Importance Act II). Dr. Faustus and Jack are both victims of corrupt societies which contribute to their deceptive behavior.
Wilde and Marlowe both examine the effect of a crippling society on the character and morality of it’s citizens. Wilde asserts that the restrictive nature of Victorian society caused Jack and Algernon to employ deceptive choices in their lives escape the discontent of a proper society. If Jack lived in a more liberal and understanding society he would be able to honestly pursue the activities which make him happy. Marlowe pre-dates Wilde’s point of view. He intricately details in Dr. Faustus, how the devil and all men can be tempted and utilize deception to survive. If Dr. Faustus did not exist in a corrupt society he would have not been corrupted himself.
Each play offers a mirror through which the brutal tendencies of society and weakness of human nature are reflected for the reader. The condition of society is easily reflected in the character and actions of members of that society. Societies use fear of cruel punishment (especially social outcasting) to encourage and direct the behavior of people within that society. As members of this society we become immune and blind to the influence of these forces and conform without question.
Works Cited
Marlowe, Christopher. “The Tragedy Dr. Faustus.” THE NORTON INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE. Ed. Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, Kelly J. Mays, and . New York: Norton, 2000.
Wilde, Oscar. “The Importance of Earnest.” THE NORTON INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE. Ed. Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, Kelly J. Mays, and . New York: Norton, 2000.
👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy! | https://studymoose.com/re-deception-as-a-symptom-of-a-corrupt-society-in-marlowe-and-wilde-essay |
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There are many misconceptions about the legal process of ending a marriage, and people often do not realize how their current decisions can affect them in the future. These misconceptions can lead to divorce mistakes that can be costly for an individual well into the...
Should you delay your divorce until after the holidays?
While the holiday season fills many people with cheer, it also brings about a fair number of challenges. These could be exacerbated if you and your spouse’s marriage has come to a head. Yet, even if you plan on filing for divorce, you may be wondering whether...
The impact of divorce on children of all ages
Children are remarkably adaptable and resilient, but that does not mean they are immune to significant changes in their personal lives and within their families. North Carolina parents who are planning to divorce know this decision will impact their kids, but the...
What parts of a divorce should be shielded from teens?
When parents decide to end their marriage, the youngest members of the family may go through a difficult time mentally and emotionally. Young children struggle with divorce because they may not fully understand what is going on, but teenage kids may also struggle.... | https://www.lassiterandlassiter.com/blog/category/family-law/ |
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Opinions
Climate change catastrophe is imminent, but time remains to reverse course
Samuel Harrison
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April 30, 2019
Climate change is the most important issue of our time. This is a fact that is becoming more and more difficult to ignore every...
The Highlander is committed to the pursuit of truth, the free exchange of information and ideas and maintaining a fair and independent student voice. The Highlander exists to serve its readership, comprised of the community at and around University of California, Riverside and the Inland Empire as a whole. In our pursuit of the truth, we will provide accurate information relevant to the experiences and interests of our readers. The Highlander seeks to foster an environment where student journalists learn the necessary skills to become probing, fair and critical in their writing and thought. We strive to go beyond basic reporting through vigorous investigation, analysis of the facts and creative thinking. | https://www.highlandernews.org/tag/warming/ |
Are you self-driven and intuitive? Do you enjoy analyzing data and forecasting? Are you a confident negotiator? Join us in our cultural and digital transformation to build the future and the Gerdau We Are Creating.
You Have:
- A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Economics, or related field
- A minimum of three years of direct procurement experience is required
- General knowledge of the steelmaking industry, manufacturing, industrial relations, logistics and procurement procedures and techniques
- Must be a self-starter, possess strong skills in communications, math and problem-solving skills, and be able to function effectively independently and as a member of a cross-functional team.
- Ability to coordinate activities with procurement, logistics, plant management, operations, maintenance, stores, and accounting personnel in efforts to meet particular supply and demand goals.
- High ethical standards and a strong work ethic
- Ability to travel 10-20% of the time
Your Purpose:
The primary function of this position is the timely and cost-effective procurement of goods and services to support Gerdau’s production plans in the designated region and commodity/category. These activities include but are not limited to; supporting the strategic procurement process, execution of national, regional, and/or local supplier agreements to include team-based bid processes, negotiations, supplier selection/development, and contract management. Incumbent must stay abreast of current company practices and procedures.
DIMENSIONS:
Annual Purchases: $10 - $50 million per year
Locations Supported: All Mill and Metallics/Raw Materials locations within the region
Commodity/Category Assignments: 1 commodity/category for assigned region
Your Work:
- Procure goods and services, prepare purchase orders and/or supply contracts within established policies and procedures, verify purchase order details, and document vendor performance.
- Monitor inventory levels of supplies, review min/max levels, assess vendor capabilities and past performance, recommend adjustments, and collect supplier performance data.
- Keep the procurement team, plant personnel, and central management abreast of changing market and supplier conditions.
- Inspect, address, and rectify product quality issues as they arise.
- Communicate specifications, commercial terms/conditions, and safety and environmental compliance to vendors/suppliers, shippers, and inspection personnel.
- Assist in resolving procurement issues with vendors/suppliers and Gerdau departments. The incumbent will coordinate the resolution of problems or issues with appropriate administrative and accounting personnel.
- Provide information to central management, regional management, plant management, and internal customers to control costs and identify savings opportunities in the procurement of goods and services.
- Review the status of shipment orders and make expediting adjustments, as needed, to insure timely receipt of goods purchased and proper order application.
- Resolve discrepancies primarily pertaining to specifications, weight settlement, order requirements, other clarifications and disputes with vendors/suppliers and mill personnel. Issues must be resolved professionally to maintain sound and effective relationships.
- Stay proficient in procurement systems, company information systems, and other applicable business applications.
- Implement the standardization and continual improvement of the procurement process and the attainment of other identified procurement Key Performance Indicators within the Gerdau Business System guidelines. | https://jobs.gerdau.com/job/Midlothian-Procurement-Buyer-TX-76065/623553019/ |
In a previous article, Continuous Integration and Deployment in ECAD, we discussed the concept of Continuous Integration while testing within a build system (leveraging Git). In this article, we will take a deeper look at how to set this up and run these “tests” against one’s PCB design project.
Continuous Integration Tests: Revisited
In Software Engineering, the purpose of implementing Continuous Integration into a workflow is to prevent one’s code commits from breaking the code in the master system (also known as the “master branch”). When we run tests against our design on every code commit we ensure that the designer has not “broken” anything throughout the design life cycle. This concept of testing at every commit can be extended into the ECAD world. External factors, such as parts availability, can “break” our design without us even knowing it (hence the creation of tools such as Altium Designer’s® ActiveBOM Manager). The purpose of introducing unit tests within the Continuous Integration process is to catch those failures early on in the background.
Each person’s criteria for what constitutes a “broken” design will be different, but the fundamental concept is the same. Some designers will not allow a design to move to production until all warnings and errors are cleared within the Electrical Rule Check report. Others may not allow components that are deemed “Not Recommended for New Design.” Mostly everyone, however, will agree that a component must be in stock for them to purchase their full bill of materials (BOM).
Some example criteria that one may choose to test against can be:
-
Component Availability: Is the part in stock?
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Revision State: Is the component released in the right state (Prototype vs. Production)?
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Component Lifecycle: Is the component recommended for new designs?
Luckily Altium Designer’s ActiveBOM Manager does all the heavy lifting for you so you don’t need to write custom APIs to part suppliers. The key is integrating this feature into your Continuous Integration system. By doing so it enables this check to happen every time you’ve committed your changes to the server and prevents the designer from—yet another— manual step.
Example: Component Validation
This example checks the following criteria within the build system:
-
Component Availability: Is the part in stock?
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Revision State: Is the component released in the right state?
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Component Lifecycle: Is the component recommended for new designs?
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Temperature Range: Do the components meet the temperature range criteria specified by the component engineer?
The criteria in this example are identical to the one specified above, except an additional check, temperature range, was added. As mentioned earlier, each designer or company will have different criteria for “passing” their design tests, therefore, this example will not serve as a one-size-fits-all solution. Here you can see that our build system, Bamboo, is reporting a series of failures when performing unit tests against our Altium Designer project:
Figure 1. Bamboo Unit Test results
The following image is a screenshot of an HTML page generated from the BOM and build test results based on criterias 1-4:
Figure 2. Test results from Bamboo illustrated in a reformatted BOM HTML table
This component validation table gets generated each time a commit is pushed to the server. Each member of the team is able to observe any failures that occur on every single Git commit (which happens almost daily for us). Additionally, these “builds” can be triggered from virtually anything or run on a schedule (e.g. nightly). This pairs nicely with your corporate MRP system which can trigger a component stock check test every time a new order comes in.
Implementation
Step 1: Configure your Output Job using the output files needed for your build system. In the example above, a CSV file was generated so it could be easily parsed by our build engine.
Figure 3. Output Job configuration for supplying files to Build system
Figure 4. Output Job column headers to test against
Step 2: Set up the following Delphi script to programmatically generate your Output Jobs:
Procedure GenerateOutputFiles; Var ProjectFilePath : String; WS : IWorkspace; Prj : IProject; Document : IServerDocument; Begin // Set the Project file path ProjectFilePath := '<Path_to_Project>'; // Reset all parameters ResetParameters; // Open the project AddStringParameter('ObjectKind','Project'); AddStringParameter('FileName', ProjectFilePath); RunProcess('WorkspaceManager:OpenObject'); ResetParameters; // Requirement: OutJob file name is Build.OutJob and is exists within the project Document := Client.OpenDocument('OUTPUTJOB', ExtractFilePath(ProjectFilePath) + 'Build.OutJob'); If Document <> Nil Then Begin WS := GetWorkspace; If WS <> Nil Then Begin Prj := WS.DM_FocusedProject; If Prj <> Nil Then Begin // Compile the project Prj.DM_Compile; Client.ShowDocument(Document); // Run Output Job AddStringParameter('ObjectKind', 'OutputBatch'); AddStringParameter('Action', 'Run'); RunProcess('WorkSpaceManager:GenerateReport'); End; End; End; // Close all objects AddStringParameter('ObjectKind','All'); RunProcess('WorkspaceManager:CloseObject'); ResetParameters; // Close Altium Designer TerminateWithExitCode(0); End;
Figure 5. Delphi script to programmatically generate Output Job files and close Altium Designer
Note: This script has the project path hard coded in it. This Altium forum post provides an example on how to do self discover the project’s own path.
Step 3: Set up Altium Designer to run via command line using the above Delphi script (or variation):
"C:\Program Files\Altium\AD19\X2.EXE" -RScriptingSystem:RunScript(ProjectName="<Path_to_PrjPcb_file>"^|ProcName="GenerateOutputFiles")
Note: Since we added the Delphi script into the Altium Designer Project we needed to point to the PrjPcb file (versus the PrjScr project containing the Delphi script).
Step 4: Create a mechanism to run your “tests.” In our case, we used the Python Unit Test Framework and generated a JUnit XML output to be loaded into Bamboo. For other build systems, such as Jenkins, your setup will vary.
Step 5: Start committing and watch the unit tests run!
Conclusion
In Continuous Integration and Deployment in ECAD we spoke about the benefit of using CI and build systems throughout your design lifecycle. In this article, we actually took you through the steps of getting this setup. While this setup does require some knowledge of build systems and basic coding skills, the information in this article gives you a good starting point for getting up and running.
Would you like to find out more about how Altium can help you with your next PCB design? Talk to an expert at Altium or read more about ACTIVEBOM®, designed to give you access to the component data within your design. | https://resources.altium.com/pcb-design-blog/continuous-integration-implementation-using-altium-designer |
When orders are placed, factories would start the pre-production preparations according to the pre-agreed delivery schedule, including: internal production order review, production scheduling, raw material procurement, incoming quality control, staff assignment, production equipment allocation, technical process confirmation, etc.
So when we receive the factory’s production plan, we can clearly tell the complete order production schedule, including the starting and ending time of each stage, the associated departments and responsible staff.
Pre-production inspection primarily applies to the order fulfillment of OE or major projects, where customers have higher requirements for product quality, quality control capability of the production process and the on-time delivery.
Pre-production inspection is usually done, based on the factory’ production schedule, on-site at raw material incoming or before the start of the production, to check the pre-production readiness of the factory. The inspection mainly covers the following:
A. Has the order been actually reviewed? Did the main departments or persons for the review, e.g. the General Manager and the departments of Sales, Technical Process, Quality, Purchasing, Production & Finance, actually participate? Was the review complete, e.g. could the required delivery schedule be met and if there are any production bottleneck? Has the technical department confirmed the product technology and process for the order? Can the on-site measuring tools and tooling meet the inspection needs? Are all materials purchased and coming in on schedule? Is production equipment on normal status? Are production staff sufficient? Has the Finance department allocated sufficient capital for material purchase?
B. Verify on-site if the raw materials at the factory or in storage can meet the order need. Spot-check newly purchased incoming materials and the main raw materials already in the warehouse if they meet the requirements. For suppliers with no capability of self-testing, ask for material test report from their own suppliers or third-parties.
C. Verify the readiness of the technical, process and inspection documents for the part numbers in the order.
D. Verify the on-site production equipment, tooling and staff match the order and scheduling, with no conflict with other orders being produced.
E. Verify the lab, measuring and testing tools meet the inspection requirements, the lab staff is qualified and has sufficient time to complete the tasks.
F. Verify the factory has contingency plans in the emergency event of electricity cutoff, production line staff shortage, equipment breakdown or tooling damage.
In summary, pre-production inspections are the checking and supervision of the pre-production preparations of the factory, usually carried out by a capable and experienced third-party quality inspection service provider, to ensure the quality, quantities of the orders could be delivered on time.
During-production Inspections
During production inspections usually refers to the inspection conducted in the middle of the production cycle. The exact time of during-production inspection should be decided depending on the product, with different timing for different products. The recommended principles in the determination of the during-production inspection timing are:
A. For products made of single material and simpler production process (without assemblies), during-production inspections are applied to processes with product and process characteristics that impact product performances. Inspection timing will be determined depending on different production processes. For the production of products such as brake discs and drums, which mainly consists of casting and machining, during-productions are usually done at casting. For the production of wheel rims, which consists of stamping, welding of rims and spokes, and spraying, the inspection is usually done at the welding assembly of the rims and spokes.
B. For products made of multiple materials, more production processes and with assembly components, during-production inspections are usually applied to the product processes that impact product and process characteristics. Take the production of brake pads as an example, which consists of processes of material mixture, pressing, heat treatment and machining, during-production inspections are typically conducted during the processes of mixture, pressing and heat treatment. For shock absorber production, which consists processes of cylinder punching, welding, assembly and indicator testing, during-production inspections are done during the assembly and indicator testing processes.
C. Using the product and process characteristics identified in the control plan for the production to check on-site the inspection records of product characteristic and process control parameters, and to see if the inspection frequencies comply with the control plan requirements.
D. Check on-site first article inspection records for key characteristic processes and line inspection records if the recorded data comply with requirement of inspection criteria.
E. On-site spot-check the calibration records of measuring and inspections tools and if any of them is not valid.
F. On-site spot-check qualification, capability and training of operators at processes for key characteristics.
G. On-site spot-check if daily check of the production equipment is implemented.
In summary, the purpose of the during-production is to check and monitor if the factory order production complies with the pre-set control plan requirements and the associated work instructions, and whether effective controls and supervision are exercised with regard to people, machines, material, method, environment and testing.
(To be continued)
By Felix SS YUAN
The vehicle windshield washer is composed of a control switch, a water storage tank, a washing pump, a water pipe, a nozzle and other components.
▌Main failure modes:
1. The motor of the pump does not run or does not spray water.
The reasons for the failure are:
A. The circuit connecting the motor and the battery is broken, including the failures of the fuse and the control switch.
B.The motor does not work, mainly because of serious wear of the carbon brushes and burning of the motor.
2. The motor is running, but the water spray is weak or does not work.
The reasons for the failure are:
A. The pipe between the water storage tank and the washing pump is blocked or the nozzle is blocked;
B. The wear of the carbon brushes leads to low spring pressure or spring failure; the heavy dirt on the commutator surface causes loose contact between the carbon brushes and the commutator; the armature coil is partially short-circuited; or the cover of the washing pump is assembled too tight, causing slower motor rotation.
▌Critical Quality Control Points and Quality Control Measures:
1. The washing pump is the core component of the vehicle windshield washer, mainly composed of motor, impeller, casing, sealing seat and other parts. Since the motor needs to be resistant to locking, the temperature resistance level of the motors’ armature coil and slot insulation should be H-level (i.e., the temperature resistance is 180 °C);
2. In order to ensure the motor durability, it is necessary to select a suitable carbon brush, and at the same time, the commutator should be treated with finish-turning and polishing to ensure sufficient life of the carbon brush.
By Patrick H HAN
People are asking us if the Emark Certification (E11) granted by the British Type Approval Authority is still valid after the Brexit.
As the designated United Kingdom Type Approval Authority, the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) issues Emark approvals under the United Nations 1958 Agreement, E/ECE/TRANS/505/ Rev.2, as amended on 16 October 1995. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) and the European Union (EU) are separation organisations and the United Kingdom leaving the EU will not affect its participation in UN ECE Regulations.
Therefore after leaving the EU, the United Kingdom remains a signatory of the 1958 Agreement and its approvals will continue to be accepted by all contracting parties of the 1958 Agreement.
USD/RMB: 1:6.3857
EUR/RMB: 1:6.9776
RUB/RMB: 1:0.0732
April 2022
he dominating concern among the Chinese export communities currently in China is the impact from the latest round of COVID-19 outbreaks. By now, major cities in China, such as Shanghai Guangzhou and Shentou, as well as many other cities in China, have been hit by mostly the Omicron variant one after another, with Beijing probably being the next.
The situation is now most serious in Shanghai, where the entire city is basically in lockdown since late March, and cases are spreading to smaller cities around Shanghai.
Although the Shanghai port is not officially closed, not enough people are working at the port and the transportation to and from the port is heavily restricted. As a result, there are already huge congestion at the Shanghai port, and the Ningbo Port is increasingly being impacted as well. At this point, the congestion issue is likely to continue for at least several more weeks.
Meanwhile Qingdao Port in the north and Shenzhen (Yantian) port in the south are running basically as usual, with some short delays but relatively sufficient container spaces and stable freight costs.
We are however getting more reports that factories in supplier-rich regions are being locked down in many cities in order to help fight the virus.
With all these going on, it is expected that your China supply chains will be disrupted one way or the other.
Lastly, the exchange rate between CNY and USD has just witnessed substantial movements recently, with the CNY depreciating significantly against the USD in the last few days, although it remains to be seen if the trend is sustainable.
SHENTOU SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT CO. LTD. is a Shenzhen, China, based company serving international automotive clients in the implementation of their China strategies and programs. CHINA AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIER QUALITY MANAGEMENT BRIEFING is a bi-monthly newsletter published by Shentou to address the specific and unique quality challenges and concerns international automotive companies face with suppliers in China. Comments are welcome at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe.
Copyright © 2022 Shenzhen Shentou Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
All Rights Reserved. | https://www.shentouscm.com/vol-6-no-2-april-2022/ |
This online course is ideal preparation for students thinking of studying chemistry, biochemistry, medicine, and related subjects at university, exploring a range of academic theory and practical methods.
Analytical chemistry is the branch of chemistry that explores what the chemical and biochemical world around us is made of, splitting substances apart to examine their constituent components. This makes it a very practical branch of chemistry with many important uses in fields as diverse as medicine, industry, astronomy, and police investigations. It is also what makes it such an exciting and enjoyable subject to study!
Analytical chemists use a range of methodologies to separate, identify and determine the relative quantity of components with the aim of establishing the make-up of a chemical substance. Having gone through an overview of the background of the subject in tutorial 1, the subsequent tutorials will focus on these methodologies, exploring their theoretical basis as well as how they are carried out in the real world, and what machinery is typically used in the laboratory. We will cover a range of methodologies such as chromatography, microscopy, spectroscopy, and electrochemical analysis, all of which are fundamental to the modern analytical chemist.
During the course, students will…
By the end of the course, students will be able to…
Tutorial 1 will begin with a definition of analytical chemistry before moving on to take a look at its historical development, from its very first uses up to the present day. It will then move on to explore quantitative and qualitative methodologies and the important differences between the two.
This tutorial will focus on three fundamental techniques of analytical chemistry: spectroscopy, thermochemical, and electrochemical analysis. It will discuss the physical components of the instrumentation, how they work, and the scientific principles that underpin their workings.
This tutorial will explore the techniques used to separate substances into their component parts, such as chromatography. As in the previous tutorial, the physical components of the instrumentation will be discussed in addition to the theoretical science behind them.
Our last tutorial will finish with a look at our final method, microscopy, before concluding with a brief discussion of the modern ‘hybrid’ techniques that have been developed to make analysis as accurate and precise as possible in the 21st century. | https://www.oxford-royale.com/online/analytical-chemistry/ |
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Development of advanced Structural Fiber Metal Laminates through Polymer Hybridization and Nanofiller incorporation approaches
Seminar Type
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Registration Seminar
Department
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Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Speaker Type
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Student
Speaker Name
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B N V S Ganesh Gupta K(Roll No: 518MM1005)
Date & Time
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18 Sep 2020
05:15 PM
Venue
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Online through MS Teams (Team code: 9od120h)
Contact
::
Prof. Bankim Chandra Ray & Prof. Rajesh Kumar Prusty
Abstract
::
Composite materials have replaced traditional material because of their superior properties like low density, high strength to weight ratio, good fatigue and corrosion resistance. However, on the contrary, these properties are degraded when exposed to harsh environmental conditions. In recent days, various firms have attracted advanced and high-performance materials, which meet the global market requirements like lightweight, economical, safety and long durability, especially in automotive and structural applications. Furthermore, producing these high-performance materials can be possible with the adoption of new processing techniques and/or different material combinations. The present investigation's objective deals with developing advanced composite materials by introducing polymer hybridization (GPH) and/or novel Epoxy/Vinyl ester Interpenetrating Polymer Network (EVIPN). The new processing technique and novel polymeric material resulted in improved flexural and Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) properties than that of both glass fiber reinforced epoxy (GE) and glass fiber reinforced vinyl ester (GVE) composites. The role of cure kinetics on the flexural behavior of all experimented composites at different post cure temperatures (140, 170, 200 and 230 °C for 6 h duration) and also elucidates the comparative analysis on the mechanical behavior of GE, GVE, GPH and GEVIPN composite. Among all these composites as mentioned above, highest flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength properties have been recorded by the 200 °C post-cured GPH composite leading to 10.87% and 18.76% increment respectively and 200 °C post-cured GEVIPN composite leading to 13.43% and 21.83% increment respectively, compared to GE composite. Further, thermomechanical characterization has been done to know the viscoelastic behaviour of the experimented (GPH and GEVIPN) composite post cured at different temperatures using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The fracture morphology of flexural tested composite samples demonstrated a combination of failure modes. Relevant information on the chemical restructuring and fracture morphology of experimented composite material using FTIR and SEM has also been studied. | https://nitrkl.ac.in/Academics/Events/Seminars/ViewSeminar.aspx?MzQ1MQ%3D%3D-iatrb9P9XbQ%3D |
Thailand is rich in different types of natural resources and their sources are located at different locations. The core area, Bangkok takes the majority population of the entire city and therefore, most of the processing of these natural resources is carried out in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces. And considering the fact that Bangkon is the seat of the government of the political system of the country, most of the funding and other processing of the natural resources are sourced from there.
Conclusively, it is apparent from this analysis that Vietnam has a stronger economy than Thailand. The Vietnam government seems to take the core areas seriously and tries to improve faster than the Thailand government. Additionally, Vietnam is expected to experience more successes in the future than Thailand.
Diversity is a broad term that is used with respect to explaining the different internal factors that make up the cultural background of a country, while National Unity is a term used to brings everyone within a particular country together. Therefore, this section compares and contrasts what makes up the diversity and national unity between China and Vietnam.
Vietnam is bordered on the north by China, with the east to South China sea, called Eastern Sea (by Vietnamese) Vietnam’s shape and size is about 329,569 square kilometers. Meanwhile, China is bordered in the east by majorly the East China Sea, South China sea, the yellow sea, Korea bay, Taiwan strait, and Bohai sea.
There are ethnic tensions within China is quite complex and it arises from the influences of the Chinese history. Mot especially between the Tibetans and Uighurs, there had several episodes of severe inter-ethnic communal violence, which had ranged from the Lhasa riot that occurred in 2008 to the other several cases of self-immolations among the Tibetans. (Han, 2014) And according to James Palmer, (2014) the Uighurs have taken the situation worse, and had also continued the battle against the Tibetans. The inter-communal tension that is prevalent is as a result of anti-colonial violence. Meanwhile, Xinjiang had also got worse against the government, where their violence was targeted against police stations, and the tensions exploded into inter-communal killings. Thus, this has some impact on the government.
Similarly, the major current issues is the fact that most Vietnamese are the most susceptible to attack of the Cambodia’s minorities, in which many of the Vietnamese have gone to settle there. However, cases of ethnic tension had been very low in Vietnam. (“Minority Rights”) According to Frommers, ethnic tensions in Vietnam are very limited.
The tension in China has experienced a reduction in the past two years, and there hadn’t been any news to buttress the earlier report of the tension in 2014. According to Tom Philips (2015) there had been strategies put together to avert any kind of extremism or insurgency among the ethnic groups. Philips added that there had been tremendous changes in Xinjiang, and Xinjiang stands at a new starting point for exploration of development and “the energetic government celebrations are part of a concerted push to depict the regions that were troubled as a place of possible economic opportunity and not ethnic riots.” Therefore, the look of things shows that there shouldn’t be any ethnic tensions. But, life changes and anything could happen.
Conclusively, there seems to be peace in Vietnam than in China, as studies have proven in China might be at war with the United States soon. However, there are currently no war or tensions between any of the ethnic groups in the countries.
Jamieson, N. L. (1993). Understanding Vietnam. Berkeley: University of California Press. | https://bohatala.com/comparing-and-contrasting-countries/ |
The Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), with support from PwC and Linklaters, has today published a new report, which provides a practical guide for European authorities and Member States looking to introduce a new hybrid recapitalisation instrument that could help provide funding for smaller corporates post-Covid.
The report, “Introducing a New Hybrid Recapitalisation Instrument for Smaller EU Corporates” builds on an earlier January report which examined the recapitalisation needs of smaller EU hybrid equity instrument could enable a greater number of SMEs to gain access to equity-like funding without relinquishing control of their organisation corporates following the pandemic and found that a – one of their chief concerns.
However, such a solution needs to be tailored to the local accounting, legal framework, and tax and insolvency treatment in individual EU Member States, to achieve the key attributes necessary for creating an instrument which meets the needs of both investors and corporate issuers.
Existing domestic frameworks in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands are presented as examples which officials in other Member States can refer to in developing structures which work in their own countries and preferably at EU-wide level.
Adam Farkas, Chief Executive of AFME, said: “As economic conditions gradually improve, it is vital that smaller unlisted companies and midcaps in the EU with the potential to drive economic growth have access
to ample fresh capital to invest in innovation and their future growth. Alternative types and sources of funding will be required to meet this challenge.
“While some EU Member States – including France, Spain and the Netherlands – have recently launched national debt-focused schemes and instruments to support company recapitalisation, AFME continues to see significant value in the development of an EU-wide recapitalisation instrument framework that could be rolled out across various Member States.”
The report presents the following analysis:
An overview of the key hybrid instrument attributes required to achieve the desired equity accounting, tax deductibility and insolvency treatment.
A summary of state aid considerations that are likely to be taken into account in assessing the introduction of such equity-accounted hybrid instruments for the purposes of compliance with EU state aid requirements.
A generic sample term sheet outlining the proposed instrument features which can be used as a reference for discussion with officials, investors and mid-cap/SME corporate issuers.
AFME believes the report will provide a useful reference for policy makers and key stakeholders in order to bring the idea of a new hybrid instrument for SMEs to reality and that officials, corporates and investors can continue to work together to design solutions adjusted to the needs of companies seeking investment capital in the phase of economic recovery.
– Ends –
Notes:
This report follows AFME’s January 2021 report, which estimated that Europe could face a funding gap of €450-600bn in equity and hybrid capital to prevent business defaults with the gradual reduction of state support measures. | https://www.afme.eu/news/press-releases/detail/New-report-explains-how-a-hybrid-recapitalisation-instrument-could-work-to-finance-recovery-of-smaller-corporates-in-EU- |
At a time when the singles charts are dominated by hip-hop and dance-pop artists, English indie band The 1975 is the rare rock act to still score mainstream hit singles. That is, of course, if you think of The 1975 as a rock band, which may vary depending on your perspective. The band creates music that can easily fit among the glossy pop of 2019, but they’re just as likely to put out a guitar-driven soft-rock song as a synth-heavy electro-pop anthem. That versatility makes The 1975 distinctive among current bands , whatever genre you want to label them.
It’s also has helped them reach a wide audience, from 2013 debut hit “Chocolate” to recent singles “Give Yourself a Try” and “Love It If We Made It” from 2018’s A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. Although the last single from Brief Inquiry just came out a few months ago, the band is already set to release another album, Notes on a Conditional Form, this summer. For frontman Matty Healy, maintaining a personal connection is key, even as the band’s popularity rises. “The more honest I am, the more it seems to resonate with people,” he told Rolling Stone last year. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working. | https://lasvegasmagazine.com/entertainment/2019/apr/12/1975-hard-rock-hotel-las-vegas-rock-music/?utm_source=sidebar&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=sceneOnSunPromo |
Home » Blog » How Do Kentucky Statutes of Limitations Work After an Accident?
Published on Jul 28, 2016 at 6:00 am in General.
If you’ve been injured in a serious car or truck accident in the Lexington, Kentucky area, you likely have a dozen questions running through your mind regarding what you should do and what, if any, legal actions you should take. Making the decision to hire a Lexington, KY personal injury lawyer may not be an easy one, but if you feel the other driver’s insurance adjusters are asking you to settle unfairly or the case seems overwhelmingly complicated, it’s in your best interest to find out your legal options.
When making a decision to file a claim, you should be aware that time does matter. Every state has a separate set of deadlines, or statutes of limitations, that are in place when it comes to filing civil cases such as all types of personal injury and car accident lawsuits. You must file a lawsuit within this time frame for the court to accept it.
In the state of Kentucky, most personal injury lawsuits have a one-year statute of limitations governed by KRS 413.140. However, the statute of limitations for injuries arising out of a motor vehicle accident is generally two years from the date of the accident or two years from the date the last basic reparation benefits (also known as personal injury protection coverage or “PIP”) were issued by an insurer to the injured party under KRS 304.39-230.
You must be careful, however, because a wrongful death action arising out of a motor vehicle accident can have as little as a one-year statute of limitations under KRS 413.140)1)(a) and KRS 413.180. Personal injury cases such as slip and fall accidents, dog bites, and nursing home neglect generally fall under the one-year statute. A medical malpractice claim also falls under a one-year statute of limitations, but the statute may not begin to run until the injury is actually discovered.
Additionally, for accidents which involve property such as claims that attempt to award compensation for damage to a vehicle, for example, Kentucky residents have two years to file a lawsuit before the statute is considered expired under KRS 413.125.
The exact time for the statute of limitations can be fact specific in many cases so it is very important to talk to an attorney as quickly as possible after an accident because if you do not file your claim before the statute of limitations expires, then your claim is permanently barred. The best way to know for sure how long you have to file a claim is to speak to an experienced Kentucky attorney. The Kentucky court system is rather strict about statutes of limitations and will not make any special considerations in most cases.
Most personal injury lawsuits take a considerable amount of time to reach settlement. Depending on your case, the available evidence, and any opposing claims that are opened, you may want to file your claim well before the statute of limitations approaches. In most cases, it’s highly recommended that you file your case as quickly as possible after the accident, in fact. This gives your attorney time to locate timely evidence on the road, etc., that may become erased over time. Timely evidence is often crucial.
Filing a case within a short amount of time also gives you and your lawyer a chance to contact any witnesses who may be willing to testify on your behalf. When you wait too long after the accident, it can be easy for witnesses to forget about the accident or its details. Minor details can easily make or break a case, especially during testimony.
Finally, and often most importantly, when you reach out to a personal injury lawyer like Todd W. Burris during the aftermath following a life-changing accident, you gain peace of mind. During the time that an experienced Kentucky car accident lawyer is working on your case, you can rest easy knowing that insurance adjusters will no longer hound you or expect you to settle right away. You have the knowledge that someone is out there fighting on your behalf, giving you the time you need to recover.
For more information or a zero-obligation case consultation that’s 100% free, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Lexington office today. Todd W. Burris is here for you. | https://www.toddwburrislaw.com/kentucky-statutes-limitations-work-accident/ |
The Turing Test, a famous thought experiment designed to prove the existence of human intelligence in a computer, depends on a computer being able to successfully convince a (human) observer that it is human. But what if, one day, you were told that the entirety of world art had been produced by artificial intelligence (AI). Would that change anything for you?
I’m glad to be able to report that humans have in fact created the vast majority of paintings. Nonetheless, for decades, we have had the capacity to program computer algorithms to generate images. This, however, is old news. In the last few years though there has been an additional major breakthrough. Algorithms now ‘learn’ on their own and thus take an additional autonomous step – completely removed from the artist – before generating an image. The algorithms no longer simply follow a set of rules, but instead ‘learn’ an aesthetic by analysing images, and then use them to generate their own versions. In actuality, the process is not this simple, and the artist is of course involved in choosing images for input and output at either end. Nevertheless, it feels like something is different this time. Indeed, when the first ever AI original painting was sold in 2018, Christie’s noted that it was: “not the product of a human mind…It was created by artificial intelligence, an algorithm defined by [an] algebraic formula.”
But maybe this distinction is artificial. After all, what’s really different? Maybe, I might think, the difference is that the method is completely new. I might, for example, hypothesise that it’s the first time a machine has created a piece of art. But that can’t be it. After all, many installations since the 60s have consisted of objects generated by machines. A local Glasgow example is Ellie Harrison’s ‘The History of Financial Crises, in which a row of popcorn machines go off at pre-calculated times during the day. Or maybe, I could say, the difference is that there is a step in the method completely removed from a human mind? To put it in Kantian terminology: a non-human faculty (something like a potential, or a power) has created, or contributed to creating, the art. But that can’t be it either. For one thing, what should we count as a step removed from the human mind? Should a paintbrush count as such a step? Should a 15th C Italian Renaissance painter’s apprentice? Also, how should we think about animal art here? Throughout history, humans have coaxed animals into creating art – for example, I recently saw a beautiful painting of an elephant painted by an elephant!
As fun as it is, the game of compartmentalising artistic methodologies can become silly and overly theoretical: the truth is, artistic methods are never clear-cut, and all exist on a messy continuum. More interesting, at least to me, is how the existence of new AI original art might bear on aesthetic evaluation – which is to say which artistic qualities constitute aesthetic value. To speak plainly, a question that asks what makes good art good. I think there is good reason to think that the development of AI original art does bear on aesthetic evaluation. Furthermore, if you answered yes to my original question about the hypothetical world in which all art was created by AI, the likelihood is that you do too.
Honestly, I’m not entirely sure why I think AI original art bears on aesthetic evaluation. But I’ll leave you with one idea. If you believe that artistic value partially lies in the intention of its creator, this might be why you think that AI art is worthless, or at least less good than its human counterpart.
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If you have any insights or relevant reading on this topic, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at [email protected]. If you’re interested in this area and want to find out more, please visit Glasgow University’s Philosophy Podcast, Thoughts, as the topic will definitely be discussed on the show soon.
Bibliography
Images:
Image 1, “Portrait of Edward de Bellamy, Obvious (collective), https://www.dezeen.com/2018/10/29/christies-ai-artwork-obvious-portrait-edmond-de-belamy-design/
Image 2, “The History of Financial Crises”, Ellie Harrison, https://www.ellieharrison.com/financialcrises/
Image 3, “The Rose”, Suda, https://thaielephantart.com/product/suda-creations-the-rose/
- ELGAMMAL, A., 2020. AI Is Blurring The Definition Of Artist. [online] American Scientist. Available at: <https://www.americanscientist.org/article/ai-is-blurring-the-definition-of-artist> [Accessed 26 August 2020]. | https://artgateblog.altervista.org/ai-artists-a-change-to-how-we-value-art/ |
It turns out medieval religious manuscripts were not exclusively the domain of male monks.
Fleck of a rare gemstone pigment in fossilized teeth prove women were involved in the making of religious manuscripts.
We'll never see these exquisite books the same way again.
Surviving medieval religious manuscripts can be quite beautiful, with impeccable calligraphy and adorned with intricately detailed and brightly colorful illustrations. By and large, their authors remain unknown, and they've been assumed to be monks, since the few signatures they contain are of male names — it's likely humility prevented most authors from identifying themselves. However, there's evidence that suggests nuns in Salzburg and Bavarian monasteries may have been working as scribes and artists as far back as the 8th century.
And now, a new study, published on Jan. 9 in Science Advances, reveals physical proof that women were involved in religious manuscript production: telltale flecks of ultramarine paint found in the fossilized teeth of a middle-aged medieval nun.
To get from a few bits of pigment to the conclusion that someone worked on medieval manuscripts may seem like quite a leap, but it's not. That's because those flecks are lapis lazuli, the source of luminescent ultramarines in manuscript illustrations. Ground and purified into paint, the gemstone's presence is an unarguable indication that the woman was involved in illustrating the books since the pigment was so extraordinarily expensive that it was used almost exclusively in the production of religious manuscripts.
Its extreme value was due to its scarcity, as a mined product of just a single area in Afghanistan now called Badakshan. According to study historian Alison Beach of Ohio State, "Only scribes and painters of exceptional skill would have been entrusted with its use."
When the team of international researchers were analyzing fossilized dental calculus — tooth tartar and plaque — to learn more about the nuns who had lived at a medieval monastery in Dalheim, Germany, they came across something unusual in one woman. She was estimated to have been between 45 and 60 years old when she died, and to have lived sometime between 1,000 and 1,200 AD.
In her teeth were traces of lapis lazuli. "It came as a complete surprise — as the calculus dissolved, it released hundreds of tiny blue particles," says lead author Anita Radini of the University of York. X-ray spectroscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed the flecks to be the gem.
Once the lapis lazuli had been identified, it was clear the woman had been involved in manuscript production, but why would the gem fragments be all over her mouth? Radini recalls, "We examined many scenarios for how this mineral could have become embedded in the calculus on this woman's teeth." In the end, only one explanation really made sense. "Based on the distribution of the pigment in her mouth," says coauthor Monica Tromp, "we concluded that the most likely scenario was that she was herself painting with the pigment and licking the end of the brush while painting."
The woman's lapis lazuli is a needle-in-a-haystack, history-changing find. Says senior author Christina Warriner of Max Planck Institute: "Here we have direct evidence of a woman, not just painting, but painting with a very rare and expensive pigment, and at a very out-of-the way place. This woman's story could have remained hidden forever without the use of these techniques. It makes me wonder how many other artists we might find in medieval cemeteries — if we only look." | https://www.bloglikes.com/blogs/2019-01-11/rare-gemstone-particles-found-in-an-8th-century-nun-s-mouth-shatter-a-historical-misconception |
Are Emerging Markets in Your Growth Plan?
Why investors should consider emerging market equities as part of a long-term capital appreciation strategy.
Investors seeking long-term capital appreciation shouldn’t overlook the diverse growth potential of emerging market (EM)1 equities.
Individual investments come with divergent risk and return profiles, but the EM equities asset class has generally matured from a generation ago. Economic diversification, favorable demographics, and more stable economic and monetary policies have improved the breadth and quality of opportunities.
According to the International Monetary Fund2, emerging economies are expected to achieve average GDP3 growth of 5.0% between 2018 and 2023, two and a half times that of advanced economies (1.9%) or the U.S. (2.0%).4 Higher expected rates of economic growth, driven by growing urban populations and expanding trade with both developed economies and other developing nations, could lead to stronger earnings growth for some EM companies.
Sources: Martin Currie and Statista. Statista sources: International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organization.
With more companies to choose from, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index5 offers active managers a larger pool of companies than the S&P 5006 from which to seek growth opportunities at potentially attractive valuations. And those companies are located in 24 different countries, where of course business cycles can vary, potentially creating further relative value opportunities. What’s more, since emerging markets are not as widely covered by analysts as developed markets, an active, bottom-up stock selection approach may help identify long-term opportunities not currently recognized by the market.
Sources: Bloomberg and MSCI, as of March 13, 2018.
More and more companies from emerging markets are becoming global forces, challenging multinational companies from developed countries with their innovative products and services. The number of EM companies that are among the world’s largest has quadrupled since the end of 1999.
Source: Bloomberg, as of April 30, 2018.
Emerging markets are rapidly becoming synonymous with innovation. Strong technical education, state support and growing Internet penetration have driven a surge in creativity.
Reducing trade barriers, improving capital flows, developing infrastructure or enhancing institutional frameworks are vital drivers of long-term economic and social change. We believe momentum from such reforms is key to the compelling structural growth story in emerging markets.
2 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization of various member countries, and it was established to promote international monetary cooperation, exchange stability and orderly exchange arrangements.
3 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is an economic statistic which measures the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time.
4 Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook, April 2018.
5 The MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index is a free float-adjusted market-capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets.
6 The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of 500 stocks that is generally representative of the performance of larger companies in the U.S. | https://www.leggmason.com/en-us/perspectives/in-focus/emerging-markets-growth-plan.html |
Thousands of deaf patients are receiving inadequate healthcare because they are struggling to communicate with healthcare professions, according to leading medical experts.
There is a basic lack of deaf awareness and appropriate communication support by healthcare professionals, write Michael Paddock and colleagues from Kings College London School of Medicine and South West London and St George’s Mental Healthcare NHS Trust, in an article published on bmj.com today.
It is estimated that there are nearly nine million people in the UK who are hard of hearing — almost a sixth of the population. Yet studies have shown that 28% of deaf people avoid going to see their GP because of poor communication.
In particular, it is deaf individuals with mental health problems that suffer, say the authors. More than three million (up to 40%) deaf people experience mental health problems at some point in their lives compared to one in four of the general population.
But evidence shows that an increase in the use of signed communication appears to be associated with a decrease in the prevalence of mental health problems.
The authors call for basic instruction in deaf awareness and “appropriate communication tactics” to be added to the medical curriculum and taught to medical students to ensure that access to essential health services is not restricted for these individuals. | http://www.managementinpractice.com/risk-management/thousands-deaf-patients-struggling-access-basic-healthcare |
With growing aging populations and increasing burden of chronic illnesses the demand for publically funded health and disabilities services continues to grow significantly 1. I will achieve this by treating each child with respect; listening to each as an individual, taking their feelings seriously, and including each child as a valuable person during group times. I also respect family diversity. The more they talk the more social they will become. My mother guided me this way as a child, and I have used it in my work with children with great success. Functional Area 1: Self One of my goals for the functional area of self is to promote positive self esteem. I do this by smiling and greeting all children and their parents each and every morning.
Healthy: Candidate promotes good health and nutrition and provides an environment that contributes to the prevention of illness. I will advance in the social area by learning about childrens stages of social development and helps children and parents deal with typical issues and having realistic expectations for young childrens social behavior based on their level of development. I practice safety in my classroom by placing items for children at their reach and all other items out of their sight. As children discover how to relate to other people, social development takes place. Competence, Control, Four stages of competence 1180 Words 4 Pages Management Competency Framework Middle Managers Operational Managers Specialists Contents Introduction Leading People Communicating the Vision Facilitating High Performance and Results Maximising Potential Communicating Making Informed Decisions Working Together Promoting a Citizen Centred Culture Working With Councillors Pushing the Boundaries 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 2 Introduction Blaenau Gwent's new competency frameworks have been developed to support the Authority's ambitions.
To show Guidance to each child you need to show appropriate and acceptable behavior as individuals and as a group. I will encourage and help children practice skills when eating, eating, getting dressed, using toys and equipment, cleaning up and helping others. List the three managerial competencies that have led to your success so far in your job. Student promotes good health and nutrition and provides an environment that contributes to the prevention of illness. When I develop more confidence and faith in myself, I will grow more successful in implementing a more effective use of time.
You never should be rude or hateful with the child to get them to respect you. To achieve this goal I will plan activities that the children will have to interact with one another. Locke, Goal, Goal setting 1960 Words 6 Pages Core Competencies Introduction Core competencies are those capabilities that are critical to a business achieving competitive advantage. I believe toddlers are very curious and want to explore the world around them. Competencies can be global or specific. To ensure a well-run, purposeful program responsive to participant needs. To advance physical and intellectual competence 4.
I ask the parents if they need any special requirements, accommodations, or modifications to better service their children. The important goals that I have are always to put the children's safety, happiness and their needs first. I also respect family diversity. He is always ahead of others and able to become a leader in the field of business. Childhood, Health, Health care 389 Words 2 Pages Competency Goal 1 To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment. Does Math Self-efficacy Mediate the Effect of the Perceived Classroom Environment on Standardized Math Test Performance? To support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance. Self: Candidate provides a warm, positive, supportive relationship with each child, and helps each child learn about and take pride in his or her individual and cultural identity.
I enjoy learning from millions of questions that they have for me. You should teach the children to be themselves and not try to be like someone. The scale is: Clear Development Need 1 Strength 2 3 4 5 Character: Displaying high integrity and honesty 4 Avoids saying one thing and doing another i. In discussing the core competencies of the school we first thought about what is it that most helps this school reach its goal, achievement of the students. Here, in the second part of the project contains an analysis of how competency based performance management has been carried out.
To support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance. To establish positive and productive relationships with families. I am learning how to do this. I will show a positive attitude at all times, including when a child is misbehaving or has done something wrong. I am always alert and continuously observe the children at all times. This challenge will undoubtedly expand as more companies meet the need to move toward globalization.
To support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance. Another way I will achieve this goal is by setting an example for the children. Student uses space, relationships, materials and routines as resources for constructing an interesting, secure, and enjoyable environment that. I will help them learn cooperation and teamwork during games and centers. Professional-ism Candidate makes decisions based on knowledge of research-based early child-hood practices, promotes high-quality in child care services, and takes advantage of opportunities to improve knowledge and competence, both for personal and professional growth and for the benefit of children and families.
I accomplish this goal by keeping My goal in the area of health is to prevent the spread of illness, keep the environment as clean as possible, and follow sound nutrition and fitness policies to help children and families live a healthy lifestyle. The Army leader serves to lead others; to develop the environment, themselves, others and the profession as a whole; and to achieve organizational goals. Short-term priorities include your daily to-dos: tasks at work and home, such as finishing a report,. In order to achieve this goal I will provide a significant amount of support for each and every child, parent, and staff member. High quality early education school is organized in ways that allow children to form close, sustained relationships with teachers and encourage positive interactions with peers. Every well managed firm should have well defined roles and list of competencies required to perform each role effectively.
Linda always have a smile o their face and always show positive attitude and they always show patience for their students and their children. Integrity is also a priority of mine. Social: Candidate helps each child feel accepted in the group, helps children learn to communicate and get along with others, and encourages feelings of empathy and mutual respect among children and adults. I can do this very well. Young infants are only allowed to sleep in their cribs. | http://mapoolcampus.com/cda-competency-goal-3-self.html |
Custom «Language and Identity » Essay Paper Sample
Individual values having a group or family in which to attach him. Identity plays a vital role in the life of individuals. Identity may refer to how one views himself, or how he thinks about himself. Identity may also refer how one is viewed by the world or the society that surrounds him. As a result, individual puts all the effort in their life to ensure that the society or the world views them positively. Identity plays a central role I determination of individual lifestyle, and the behavior. Language is paramount component that affects the individual identity.
The impact of language on an individual’s identity has attracted mixed reaction from scholars. Some agree that language plays central place in deciding, which group the individual should affiliate himself. For example, individual who are bilingual they have higher affinity to associate themselves with people that the share same language. For instance, those who were fluent Germany could easily identify themselves with Germans. On the other hand, a monolingual person has less choice of people to identity him or herself. As a result, they can not take the identity of an African if they do not know any African language. However, other scholars did not see the usefulness of language in explaining one’s identity. For example, an individual may be a Spaniard, yet he does not speak the language; this means one can identify himself as a Spaniard without being fluent in that language.
Language plays a significant role in helping individual decide for his identity. When one is capable to express himself freely will have an added advantage in socializing with his peers. This will makes it possible to choose his reference group, and express his inner feeling in most efficient ways. As a result, language holds a central role in determining the identity of a person. | https://primewritings.com/essays/informative/language-and-identity.php |
Changing the future
by Lisa Steingold. How we change and influence the future, lies in the human-centered skills and adaptability we possess as people, irrespective of education.
by Lisa Steingold. Recently one of my mentors, Barbara Walsh from Metaco, shared an article with me on A Founder’s Guide to Writing Well. The article made me realise that there are skill sets that go a long way to ensuring success in various contexts, especially the world in which we find ourselves now. Skills that have more to do with being human, than the typical technical skills associated with a particular industry. Sure, technical skills will get you in the door; but once inside you need to keep moving.
Fast forward to 2020 and all that it’s presented us with, and many of us have found ourselves having to create the ‘doors’ ourselves, build our own momentum and overcome challenges we’d never even imagined. In a post pandemic world, I hesitate to speculate that an MBA is not the most coveted of career assets. The ability to connect with others, to bring ideas to fruition, to embrace change, to write, and learning as a lifelong characteristic (as opposed to the specific time period associated with qualifications), are far more instrumental now than have been given credit for.
I finished university with a B Com (Honours) in Sports Management excited about all the opportunities in the world. At university I was a true entrepreneur with not one but two of my own businesses and a part time job on the side. As my mom had charged me prime interest rate on my first car, I didn’t see much choice outside of the hustle. Once I had learnt and comprehended the power of compound interest, I was not going to let money go down the drain. When I wasn’t shopping for executive clients in my shopping business; I used to bunk lectures for my job as receptionist at what is now Cycle Lab. I also had a sports massage business with a number of regular clients. I had to catch up on lectures on weekends, but it was worth it.
For many years I’ve longed for the golden halo an MBA would bestow on me, but what I’ve come to realise in the past few months, is that my past was preparing me for 2020 and beyond. I see now that the learning I gained in that time was far greater than any degree. Makes me wonder what we are all learning now that will prepare us for the future?
Covid has hurt many businesses and people; but how we make change and influence the future, lies in the human-centered skills and adaptability we possess as people, irrespective of education. Whilst the news media would often have us believe that the world is falling apart, I’ve recently encountered a number of examples of businesses and people achieving fantastically in the face of Covid because of their ability to adapt, learn and connect. Cakey by Davy, Ukheshe and The Baker Brothers are all success stories born out of desire, learning, adaptability, necessity and the ability to connect with others. These businesses are constantly building, learning and connecting with their communities. There were no strategic marketing plans, in fact no marketing teams at all. Just a desire to make change and influence the future.
So perhaps the key to influencing the future, wherever we may find ourselves, lies in what we already possess, not what has been lost? And perhaps that we need only brush up on our inherently human skills to create the future we wish to seek.
Lisa Steingold is consulting Head of Marketing for Metaco; the author of ‘Cut the Crap; the Power of Authenticity for Brands’; and a Chartered Marketer. She has a passion for tech, disruptive thinking and behaviour change. | https://retailingafrica.com/people/lisa-steingold/changing-the-future/ |
If a student has been actively engaged in their subject throughout the semester, studying for a test shouldn’t seem so daunting. On the other hand, college tests are far more difficult than high school exams, as most university students can attest to.
They demand that students memorize a larger amount of data and interact with it in a more complex manner. One of the best tips students learn about is using a professional essay writing service for any of their final exam papers. Otherwise, they should try these exam preparation techniques in addition to active study tactics.
- Start Studying Three Days Before the Test Date
If necessary, study for two or three hours every day. However, don’t cram for eight hours the day before the exam. Cramming a lot the night before lowers a student’s chance of succeeding. Chances are they won’t remember anything, and they’ll be exhausted when it’s time to take the test.
Something else to keep in mind is to learn and follow time management techniques. Understanding how to effectively manage time is crucial for students to succeed in a university; effectively managing time weeks before an exam allows for students to better prepare for it. They won’t find themselves scrambling at the last minute to get study time in. Time management also boosts a student’s confidence, as they have a better grasp of the course material.
- Get Enough Rest
Most university students can attest to the fact that there are a lot of late-night studying sessions. This is something that needs to be avoided the day before an exam. Getting enough sleep the night before is crucial because the brain needs sleep to be alert. Students who stay up late are often drowsy during the exam, making it harder for them to concentrate on the task. The better night’s sleep a student gets, the better they can retain and process information.
- Get There Early
Arriving irritated and late to a test will only make it more difficult to concentrate on the subject at hand. Take a seat five or ten minutes before the exam begins to relax and ready some thoughts for the struggle that lies ahead.
- Carefully Read Instructions
Students may know all there is to know about the material, but it won’t help them if they make a mistake because they didn’t read the directions. Some tests, such as multiple-choice ones, will ask students to pick more than one answer or will ask them to choose the one wrong alternative. All of this is easily missed if students simply skim over the instructions.
- Look Over the Test Before Answering Anything
Make preparations ahead of time. If the test is 90 minutes long, don’t waste an hour on the first section just to discover that there are two more similarly difficult sections to come. Looking over the entire test before starting allows students to make an educated guess on how much time they will need for each section of the test.
While a professional essay writing service can help with essays, multiple-choice style tests work best when answering the easiest questions first.
- Fully Answer Each Question
Students should carefully read each essay question, then reread it again and again until they have a strong understanding of how to respond to it. Students may have a fantastic solution to provide, but if they only answer half of the question, they will not receive a very good mark on the test or quiz.
- Go with the First Choice
Many students make a multiple-choice style test mistake by second-guessing themselves. After carefully reading the question, students should always go with their first answer, as this is the correct one most of the time. Students should only change their answers and go with their second choice if they are 100% sure that they are wrong.
- Eliminate Wrong Answers
When taking an exam with multiple-choice style questions, the sheer number of answers to choose from is overwhelming. The tests are designed this way in an attempt to make things a bit confusing for students.
For those who don’t know the correct answer right after reading the question, the best thing they can do is begin eliminating answers. Look through the answers and get rid of the obviously wrong answers. This will narrow things down and make it easier to select the right answer.
- Never Leave a Question Unanswered
Most exams don’t have a penalty for guessing. If a student is unsure of an answer, the best thing they can do is take an educated guess rather than leaving the question blank. And always go back and double-check the test once finished. Students can revisit any questions that they were unsure of, but this also ensures that they didn’t overlook anything accidentally. | https://www.askmeblogger.com/nine-practical-tips-for-test-taking/ |
This research encompasses two branches of evidence regarding the treatment of death and burial among the Iron Age cultures of Israel and Aram – the archaeological and the textual. The importance of this investigation lies in placing these groups in dialogue with one another, and in the comprehensive use of both archaeological and textual information. The archaeological aspect of this research begins by collecting archeological data from a large number of burial sites throughout both of the target territories. The range of this data extends from the time of the Late Bronze Age into the Persian period, but the primary focus is upon the Iron Age. The first section of the dissertation relates to each of these areas and what can be learned from a survey of sites over this period, with particular attention paid to commonalities and contrasts among the two cultural groups. The second half of this research encompasses the textual and inscriptional data. Textual data include inscriptions from coffins, tombs, and funerary monuments from the Iron Age through the Persian period in Israel and Aram. Another crucial aspect of this textual data is the text of the Hebrew Bible. The biblical text, particularly the narrative sections of the text, provides a great amount of material for understanding death in Iron Age Israel and Judah. | https://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/handle/10724/34479 |
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by Robert Seutter, contributing writer (who is not Irish, but has been hanging with Celts for a long time as a traditional Celtic storyteller.)
The term “Plastic Paddy” is sometimes used for:
- Folks who only celebrate their Irish heritage one day a year.
- People who are actually native born Irish who forget their nationality in England.
- Someone who buys land in Ireland and is now ancient with Irish culture.
- Someone who can’t find Ireland on a map, and has no knowledge of modern Ireland or its actual history (good and bad).
10 Handy Tips to Avoid being a Plastic Paddy on St. Patrick’s Day
- Don’t say “St. Patty’s.” Say “St. Paddy’s” if you must, but generally, it’s more respectful if you say the whole thing: “Saint Patrick’s Day.”
- Forgo the “Kiss me, I’m Irish” plastic beer mug with antennae and shamrock glasses. Or at least wait until you are completely: “elephants,” “flaming,” “gee-eyed,” “locked,” “sloshed,” “steamboats,” “scuttered,” “paralytic,” “ossified,” “plastered,” “bollixed,” “fluthered,” “langered,” “petrified,” while “on the lash, on a piss up, drunk off one’s face.”
- Contrary to popular belief, the Irish themselves don’t wear a lot of kelly green, and never say “bejabbers” or “begorrah.” That’s Hollywood faux-Irish and a dead give-away. Well that, and your average American is about 50 lbs heavier than your average native Irish person.
- Ireland is the land of music. It is the only country in the world with a musical instrument as its national symbol—that would be the Trinity College Harp, also known as the Brion Boru or O’Neill Harp—both on the flag and on the Guinness bottle. There are tons of excellent rock bands that originated in Ireland (U2, the Pogues, and hundreds more). But if you go into the pubs and see a seisuin (session or sesh) traditional music jam going on, it helps to know the tunes. And for that you need to give a listen to the disciples: The Chieftains, The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Maken, and Van Morrison.
- If you are person of Irish-American descent, please refrain from talking about the IRA, or Orange vs. Green, as if it’s your fight. You really don’t want to get involved. Really. Remember, tens of thousands died, and the peace agreement was only 20 years ago.
- Irish food. Every year, people drag out the corned beef and cabbage, plus potatoes, which is decent enough. Except you should know that corned beef isn’t really traditional Irish cuisine. When the Irish lived in the slums of New York they borrowed corned beef from their Jewish neighbors, and it became a tradition here in the U.S. for the American-Irish. Potatoes are a mixed blessing. While Irish potatoes are delicious, the potato itself is sort of a poster child for the great potato famine. Potatoes originated in South America and were forced on the Irish as a sustenance crop. The breed chosen was not well adapted to wet and soggy climates. And when the blight came, millions starved. But aside from that depressing note, Ireland is now justly famous for their dairy with famous butter and cheese, plus award-winning salmon, beef, and pork. If you get a chance, try some traditional and new Irish recipes. I heartily recommend colcannon (a mashed potato recipe), homemade Irish soda bread, boxty (an Irish potato pancake), and many of the stews and soups.
- There are other days besides March 17th on which to explore your Celtic heritage! St.Patrick’s Day was mainly a quiet, religious holiday in Ireland until the American Irish of New York, Boston, and Chicago decided to make a big deal of it. Strangely enough, now it’s becoming a bigger deal in Ireland and more of a party, especially when the tourists are around. By the way, most major cities have Celtic cultural centers and events. You can catch a seisuin, learn some Irish (Gaelic), and have some fun dancing as well.
- If you want to try an accent, don’t go with the leprechaun “ay-tadai-tadai.” Hollywood Irish is painful to anyone who knows what the Irish actually sound like, which is quite varied. An ancient culture, the Irish have a wide variety of accents, and the Dublin accent is what most of us associate with a modern accent. I would recommend some real Irish movies: “The Commitments,” “Waking Ned Devine,” “The Guard,” “Snapper,” and “The Wind that Shakes the Barley.” For accents, avoid any movie with American lead actors in general. Oh, and be prepared to swear colorfully.
- “Blarney, blarney, blarney….” is actually an historical phrase from Queen Elizabeth, after being frustrated with the eloquence of Lord McCarthy from Blarney. The Irish consider language an art, and being entertaining, witty, and able to share a story is part of the Irish culture. So much so, that some of the greatest of writers and speakers like Swift, Yeats, T.S. Eliot, and many more come from Ireland. And so there is a fast moving stream of phrases and slang at Irish gatherings: “God used him as a blueprint for gobshites,” “Any friend of yours is a friend of yours,” “Her looks improve with distance,” and “seachain an duine a bhionn ina thost,” which means “beware a person of few words.” If you can’t keep up, just smile and buy another round.
- Respect. There is no other culture in America that allows itself to be characterized as drunken, violent louts. Or embraces the idea that, “on this day, everyone is one of us.” Some of the cartoons you see of the Irish actually have some fairly racist lineage. And the phrase “luck of the Irish” doesn’t tell you that for a very long time, it was truly awful, horrible luck. Ireland has a young, active, and vibrant population, neither saintly nor perfect. They love visiting here, and don’t really care that your mother on her father’s side is a Murphy, Lynch, O’Neill, etc. But if you show respect for modern Ireland, a bit of knowledge about the culture, and willingness to buy a round and listen, you’ll go a long way towards not being a Plastic Paddy.
-30-
Rob Seutter
Robert Seutter is a graduate of USC’s Navy-Marine Cinema Program; a professional storyteller, known as True Thomas; a sci-fi novelist; a scholar of folklore, myth, and legend; a proud geek and a gamer since D-20 dice were carved from mastodon bones! | https://scifi.radio/2014/03/17/how-not-to-be-a-plastic-paddy/ |
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Dear Your Overseas Dream Home Reader,
The Romans called the Mediterranean “Mare Nostrum” (“Our Sea”). And it’s no wonder why. At its height, the Roman Empire encircled it.
This vast waterway enabled trade, the interaction of diverse cultures, and the exchange of ideas for millennia. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Western Civilization as we know it today would look a lot different without the Mediterranean as a facilitator.
Today, the Med touches 21 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. It’s still features in major trade routes, and fisherman harvest its bounty as they always have.
But it’s also known for fun in the sun. People from all over the world are drawn to its warm waters and golden-sand beaches for vacations, winter escapes, water sports, seafood dinners, and its laidback vibe.
What better place to seek all that than a sun-kissed Mediterranean island?
There are hundreds of habitable isles to choose from…there is no shortage of appealing homes in any of them…and you don’t have to break the bank to have a sea-view or be a quick walk from the beach.
Below my researchers share properties they found in destinations on the better-known western Mediterranean, as well as the under-the-radar east.
Brac, Croatia
Listing Price: €109,000 ($133,193)
Brac, Croatia
Listing Price: €109,000 ($133,193)
Dotted with more than 1,000 islands, UNESCO World Heritage medieval cities like Dubrovnik, and cliff-studded shorelines, amidst the clear blue water of the Adriatic…Croatia’s coastline is a favorite of those in the know.
Sailing up and down the coast just offshore, you can stop in islands large and small just offshore for provisions of locally cultivated wine and olive oil and buy seafood from fisherman who’ve been navigating these waters for generations. Go ashore and hike to villages seemingly untouched by the modern world.
One of the best stops on the Dalmatian Coast is Brac Island. At 153 square miles, it’s the largest in Dalmatia but is sparsely populated. Access is easy, you can take the ferry from the mainland if you don’t have a boat. Once there, you can explore quaint inland farming villages, stroll by the water in seaside hamlets, hit the beach, or hike up to scenic overlooks.
This one-bedroom apartment on the northern side of the island, which comes fully furnished, is just 1,000 feet from the water…and there is a sea view. The community has a shared pool.
Skopelos, Greece
Listing Price: €90,463 ($127,525)
With 6,000 islands—227 inhabited—spread across the Ionian and Aegean seas (both offshoots of the Mediterranean)…there are countless places to get away from it all in the Greek isles.
Little Skopelos is one of those. And although it has garnered some attention in recent years as the location for the exterior shots and Abba-infused dance numbers for the film Mamma Mia!, it didn’t let fame go to its head. It remains a calm and peaceful outpost in the western Aegean long-known for beautiful beaches and white-washed villages, as well as locally produced wine, honey, and feta cheese.
In recent years, it has gained favor among tourists and as a retirement destination, especially for northern Europeans.
This two-bedroom villa is located on the grounds of a resort, close to the beach and the main town of the island, also called Skopelos. You have use of the hotel pool and other resort amenities.
Sardinia, Italy
Listing Price: €86,000 ($105,116)
At 9,305 square miles, Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily, which is also part of Italy.
Like Sicily, Sardinia is in many ways a country within a country, known for distinct traditions, culture, and cuisine, especially in outlying towns and villages that strive to hold on to the old ways. It actually has much in common with Corsica, a French island just 7.5 miles north, although Sardinia is said to be more developed. By comparison, mainland Italy is 120 miles east.
The more than 1,200 miles of coastline alternates between sandy beaches and rocky coves, although there are clear, pristine waters anywhere offshore. The interior is mountainous and mostly dedicated to agriculture.
This two-bedroom home in the south side of the island, in a small village close to the capital of Cagliari, features a sea view, which you can enjoy from the large veranda and garden area. The beach is a 10-minute walk.
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For the technical basics in modal logic,
bisimulation, complexity, connections with classical logics, etc., see
this introductory
chapter by
Blackburn & van Benthem in the Handbook of Modal Logic.
Background
paper on Logic and
Information, with Maricarmen Martinez, to appear in the Handbook of the Philosophy of
Information.
We worked through the technical
basics of modal and epistemic logic that we will need,
emphasizing multi-agent aspects of epistemic logic beyond standard discussions of
the formalism, and then moving up to forms of knowledge for groups. Now we are
in a position to see how the dynamic aspects can be brought into logical focus.
Week 3 Epistemic logic and dynamics of public hard information
Logic of public announcement: dynamic logic, updates, PAL completeness: see paper for last week.
Dynamic epistemic logic DEL and completeness. Standard textbook, but we will explain things in class.
Special
challenge: dealing with common knowledge, involves Kleene's Theorem and
automata
(van Benthem, van Eijck & Kooi 2006) or modal mu-calculus (van Benthem & Ikegami 2008).
We have gone through the basics of public
announcement logic PAL, with an emphasis on understanding
the basic methodology of 'recursion equations' for knowledge achieved after update, and how this preserves
bisimulation invariance and completeness. Following that, we have looked at a recent 'protocol version' TPAL
of PAL which describes constrained historical scenarios for learning and communication, mixing purely
epistemic information with irreducibly procedural information. This was presented at TARK 2007, but here
is the most recent draft. These logics also have philosophical applications, cf. this paper on the Fitch Paradox.
Week 4 Dynamic-epistemic logic of partial observation
We
surveyed the 'postcard' version of EL + PAL, then looked at connections
with epistemology (Fitch
Paradox) which suggest extensions of PAL in turn [Hoshi and by now 6 co-authors], then returned to
'link cutting' versions of update, and eventually full product update using event models: examples
(email: cc versus bcc; master's thesis of Ji Ruan), number of worlds can grow, event models and
preconditions, language, logic. A few issues: (a) background in branching trees of events (we will
return to this in epistemic-temporal logic; of which DEL forms a well-chosen fragment), (b) special
case: describing games (e.g., van Ditmarsch' thesis on "Clue": model size grows from start to mid-
game, then shrinks toward end game, (c) 'protocols' can be dealt with to some extent by preconditions
(but delicate issue), (d) which properties of M and E are preserved in the product model MxE?, (e)
epistemology once more: see 7 Bridges paper. Give up the usual uniformity: describing successful
functioning in interaction with different agents should count as a hallmark of 'rationality'.
Week 5 Beliefs, conditional logic, and belief revision in dynamic logicWe discussed combined logics of knowledge, belief, and conditionals, for the next step of the description of
Evening talks by Tomohiro Hoshi on adding
protocols as form of 'procedural information' to PAL/DEL,
its technical theory, and philosophical applications: e.g., K phi now becomes different from K <!phi>T,
throwing new light on the problem of logical omniscience: Modal Distribution holds for thee first notion,
but no longer for the second. Assaf Sharon discussed evidence and knowledge, and provided arguments
against omniscience, or even Hawthorne's weaker variants, showing how even upward monotonicity
of the evidence relation fails if you take Carnap-style probabilistic (or related more qualitative) scenarios.
Week 7 Games structure, solution procedures, and information flowCheck papers under Logic and Games at my research website. Our topics: games in dynamic-
Week 8 Temporal
logics, protocols, and infinite behaviour over time
Credits
You can audit the course, but if you need credit, get in touch by early May about a small individual project resulting in a paper. | https://staff.fnwi.uva.nl/j.vanbenthem/Phil359.2008.html |
Human jawbone structure influenced by diet and genetics
According to scientists at Johns Hopkins, human jawbone structures are determined not only by diet but also by genetics; despite minimal existing evidence from fossil records, these findings may help envisage the food habits of an ancient population. They are also expected to help scientists determine the genetic relationship between fossils.
Graduate student at the Johns Hopkins Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, and study lead author, Megan Holmes, stated: “Our research aimed to see how much of the mandible’s-or jaw bone’s-shape is plastic, a response to environmental influences, such as diet, and how much is genetic. The idea that function influences the shape of jaw bones is great for the archeological record in terms of discovering the diet of a population, and it’s also really useful for reconstructing the fossil record-finding which fossils are related to which, and how.”
The Arikara and Point Hope American Indians populations were chosen by the group for their study since they were genetically inaccessible from other groups and had varied food habits.
Holmes stated: “The jaw bones were similar in children before they were old enough to start chewing, but different in adulthood, which implies that this divergence is likely a functional result of their diet and the use of their jaw, rather than genetics.”
Very specific parts of the jaw bones were examined by the team to establish an association with specific dietary habits. For instance, round, wide jaw bones were observed in the Point Hope population as a consequence of having to exert more effort to chomp a tougher diet. On the contrary, the Arikara did not have this expansion which clearly pointed towards a subtle chewing need of a softer diet.
The June 23 online issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology (ANI) published the findings of the study. | https://www.clinicalresearchsociety.org/human-jawbone-structure-influenced-by-diet-and-genetics/ |
The broad goal of the teaching for Medical undergraduate students in Anatomy department aims at providing comprehensive knowledge of the gross and microscopic structure and development of human body to provide a basis for understanding the clinical correlation of organs or structures involved and the anatomical basis for the disease presentations.
Objectives:
Gross Anatomy
- Comprehend the normal disposition of human organs and their clinically relevant interrelationships.
- Functional and cross-sectional anatomy of the various structures in the Human Body.
Histology
- Identify the microscopic structure, correlate elementary ultra-structure of various organs and tissues.
- Correlate the structure with the functions for understanding the altered state in various disease processes.
Neuroanatomy
- Comprehend the basic structure and connections of the central nervous system.
- To analyze the integrative and regulative functions of the organs and systems.
- He/she shall be able to locate the site of gross lesions according to the deficits encountered.
Embryology
- Demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles and sequential development of the organs and systems.
- Recognize the critical stages of development and the effects of common teratogens, genetic mutations and environmental hazards.
- He/she shall be able to explain the developmental basis of the major variations and abnormalities.
Skills:
Surface and Living Anatomy, Genetics and Radiology
- Identify and locate all the structures of the body and mark the topography of the living anatomy.
- Identify the organs and tissues under the microscope.
- Understand the principles of karyotyping and identify the gross congenital anomalies.
- Understand the principles of newer imaging techniques and interpretation of CT scan, sonogram etc.
- Understand the clinical basis of some common clinical procedures i.e. intramuscular and intravenous injection, lumbar puncture and kidney biopsy, etc.
- Integration from the integrated teaching of other basic sciences, a student shall be able to comprehend and regulate and integrate the functions of the organs and systems in the body and thus interpret the anatomical basis of the disease process. | https://drvasantraopawarmedicalcollege.com/anatomy/ |
GING is committed to supplying quality services to our customers that create value greater than offered by competitors, while recognizing the importance of operating our business in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
Our customers require that our services will perform and be delivered as we say they will and that excellent service will be provided, on a consistent basis. Our employees require a safe and comfortable workplace where they are treated with dignity and respect. Our corporate priorities are safety, quality, service and cost. We will not sacrifice a higher priority for a lower one.
GING has a responsibility to conduct business in a manner that protects the environment and the health and safety of employees, contractors, suppliers, distributors, customers, consumers, and the public. Our facilities must comply with applicable environmental, health and safety laws and maintain an open dialogue with local communities about materials manufactured and handled on site. We work with government authorities, industry groups, and the public to promote awareness and emergency response program to deal with potential hazards. It is every GING employee’s responsibility to ensure the standards, processes, and specifications for our services, and operations are achieved and maintained through continual improvement, according to the quality objectives and environmental aspects of our business.
We are committed to satisfying our customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, our compliance obligations, and to continual improvement of our IMS. Our commitment to protection of the environment is demonstrated by efforts to prevent pollution and minimize the negative impacts of our operation. We strive to enhance our environmental performance at all levels of the organization.
The success of GING’s quality, environmental and OH&S programs is measured by setting and reviewing progress toward specific objectives. Objectives are set by top management and achievement of these objectives is the responsibility of all employees.
This policy is communicated to all employees of GING and made available to any public entity. | https://goodwillng.org/our-quality-standards/ |
People dream every night, but scientists don’t fully understand why we dream. Studying dreams is difficult because people often forget or distort details after waking up. That’s in part because the brain doesn’t form many new memories while sleeping and has a limited capacity to accurately store information after the dream has ended, according to [a new] study.
To overcome this limitation, the researchers attempted to communicate with people while they were still dreaming. Because the study participants were having lucid dreams, that meant they could make a conscious effort to respond to cues coming in from the outside world, the researchers hypothesized.
Researchers placed electrodes on the participants’ heads, to measure their brainwaves; next to their eyes, to track eye movements; and on their chin, to measure muscle activity. They used this data to determine when the participants entered the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, when lucid dreams are most likely to occur, [cognitive neuroscientist Karen] Konkoly explained.
The researchers suggest that the method in the experiments could be adapted to potentially help tailor a person’s dream to a specific need, such as learning or coping with emotional trauma, according to the study. | https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2021/03/10/dreamers-can-talk-to-scientists-and-solve-problems-while-asleep/ |
The study found that long before vertebrates walked on land, some organisms moved with an asymmetrical gait.
When cheetahs are chasing prey, they move in an asymmetrical gait—more precisely, a gallop, just like horses—their fore and hind limbs move in pairs. Salamanders, on the other hand, run with a symmetrical gait – their left and right limbs move opposite each other.
Historically, scientists believed that the symmetrical gait was evolutionarily older – salamanders were a model for how the first land animals moved. Conversely, asymmetrical gaits were thought to have evolved independently across species over time.
But a new study offers a different version, according to which the asymmetrical gait existed in animals that lived more than 400 million years ago in ancient oceans, long before vertebrates came to land.
Asymmetrical gaits underlie the speeds achieved by cheetahs, greyhounds and kangaroos.
“That’s why so many people thought it was purely mammalian ‘innovation’,” explained Michael Granatsky, an evolutionary biologist at the New York Institute of Technology and one of the study’s authors.
However, evidence has been accumulating to suggest that asymmetrical gait may not have developed as recently as previously thought, and that it certainly was not exclusive to mammals. So, the researchers found that some species of crocodiles move at a gallop, there is also at least one species of sea turtles that “jumps” under water, and there are also fish that walk along the bottom of the ocean.
“African lungfish have little “noodles” instead of legs, but they are able to walk on the bottom. And out of her 10 steps, half will be symmetrical and half asymmetrical.
This prompted researchers to rethink their understanding of how asymmetric movements evolved. From a sample of 308 living species of jawed vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles and other animals, the team compiled a tree of evolutionary relationships between species. Each species that could not move asymmetrically was given a score of 0, and a score of 1 if it could. They then tested a range of potential models for the evolution of asymmetrical gait to see which one best fits the data.
The model that turned out to be the most likely did not impose any restrictions on how asymmetrical gaits could develop, and the “gains” and “losses” of asymmetrical gaits occurred freely over time.
According to Eric McElroy, a biologist at the College of Charleston and co-author of the study, the resulting model showed about a 75% probability that the ancestor of jawed vertebrates more than 400 million years ago had an asymmetrical gait, and that it could be both lost and acquired as evolution.
At the same time, the researchers admit that their theory is still difficult to confirm.
“When you try to estimate how something that was dead for 400 million years moved, you have to speculate a bit,” said McElroy. | https://usfreenews.com/ancient-sea-creatures-could-gallop-like-cheetahs/ |
Applying psychological principles in design of a serious anti-bullying game within eConfidence project // EDULEARN18 / Gómez Chova, L. ; López Martínez, A. ; Candel Torres, I. (ur.).
Palma de Mallorca, Španjolska: IATED Academy, 2018. str. 4440-4440 doi:10.21125/edulearn.2018.1114 (predavanje, međunarodna recenzija, sažetak, stručni)
Naslov
Applying psychological principles in design of a serious anti-bullying game within eConfidence project
Autori
Kolić-Vehovec, Svjetlana ; Rončević Zubković, Barbara ; Martinac Dorčić, Tamara ; Smojver-Ažić, Sanja ; Catalina Ortega, Carlos Alberto
Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, stručni
Izvornik
EDULEARN18 / Gómez Chova, L. ; López Martínez, A. ; Candel Torres, I. - Palma de Mallorca, Španjolska : IATED Academy, 2018, 4440-4440
ISBN
978-84-09-02709-5
Skup
10th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies
Mjesto i datum
Palma de Malorca, 02.-04.07.2018
Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje
Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija
Ključne riječi
Serious game, bullying, applied behaviour analysis, motivation
Sažetak
Serious games refer to game-based activities designed for purposes beyond pure entertainment (Backlund & Hendrix, 2013). They are in general more effective than conventional instruction methods (Wouters et al., 2013) and can have positive effect on learning (Backlund & Hendrix, 2013). Games provide engaging activities which are stimulating, generate emotions, require complex information processing, provide challenges and can support learning, skill acquisition, attitude and behaviour change (Boyle et al., 2011). In creating video games principles explicated by behavioural psychologists have been applied to prompt and retain player engagement. The basic idea is that through manipulating the environment, players’ behaviour could be changed in order to achieve desired goal. ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis), also referred to as behaviour modification, is the application of principles of behaviourism, primarily principles of operant conditioning (reinforcement and punishment), in order to modify behaviour as part of an educational or treatment process. Within the eConfidence project Nº732420, funded by EU’s Horizon 2020, through collaboration of experts in different fields (game designers, psychologists, pedagogues) two serious games focused on safe use of internet and bullying prevention have been developed. The effectiveness of designed games will be tested on a sample of early adolescents from 10 European schools. In designing games elements both ABA and other psychological principles of motivation have been considered. Motivation principles can be reflected in different game characteristics (such as fantasy, goals, sensory stimuli, challenge, mystery, and control ; Garris, Ahlers, & Driskell, 2002) and game design elements (such as points, badges, leaderboards, performance graph, meaningful stories, avatars, and teammates ; Sailer et al., 2017). In this paper we will present examples and explanations of ABA principles application, as well as application of motivational principles in design of bullying prevention game named School of Empathy, to which Intervention Mapping Protocol (IMP, Bartholomew et al., 2011) was applied. The motivational principles were respected by embedding the game in a narrative context with fantasy element (time travel). In order for player to feel empathy for the victim and to experience negative consequences of bullying behaviour, as well as to learn adequate prosocial and/or assertive behaviours, the game provides the opportunity to experience three different roles in bullying situations: victim, bystander and bully. The player could choose his/her own avatar for each role and progresses through the game by completing different missions in each role. The player needs to decide how to react in different bullying situations by choosing between adaptive/prosocial behaviour, maladaptive/aggressive or passive reactions. ABA principles were applied by reinforcing adaptive and punishing maladaptive reactions. Reinforcement referred to getting points and increasing strength, courage and self-esteem in the victim role, and self-control and self-esteem in the bully role. Punishment referred to losing points and decreasing of above mentioned indicators. In the bystander role, the player has to detect bullying situations and protect the victim which leads to increase in points and levelling up. The obstacles and challenges concerning application of psychological principles in the design of the game will be discussed. | https://www.bib.irb.hr/961642 |
PURPOSE: To suppress the adhesion of high polymers, improve the analysis precision, and prolong the life of a prism by forming a Langmuir-Brodgett's film which possesses the hydrophilic performance and hydrophobic performance under control and has a thickness less than a specific value, on the surface of an attenuation total reflection prism.
CONSTITUTION: On a trapezoidal shaped attenuation total reflection (ATR) prism 3 made of ZnSe or AgBr, a thin and firm Langmuir-Brodgett's film which has a thickness having a specific value Langmuir-Brodgett's(LB) film 21 which is formed by superposing the vinyl compound such as vinyl stearate which has a thickness of at most 1/5 of the wave length of infrared ray 8, e.g. 30Å by ultraviolet rays, electron beams and radioactive rays is formed. Though the infrared ray 8 being incident on the edge surface of the ATR prism 3 is transmitted from the other edge surface through the repetition of total reflection, the depth of the infrared ray 8 which oozes outside the prism 3 is about 1μm. and the infrared ray oozes into a sample 22, passing through the LB film 21 having a thickness of 60Å or so, and an absorption spectrum is formed. The LB film 21 whose hydrophilic performance and hydrophobic performance are controlled prevents the adhesion of the high polymer of the sample 22 on the surface of the prism 3.
COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO&Japio | |
Author(s): Hunter Research, Inc.; Tetra Tech Inc.
Year: 2000
Summary
This dataset contains the artifact catalog for the phase I excavations of 400 Area Ridge Top, Locus I, Adelphi Laboratory Center conducted by Hunter Research, Inc between 9/26/1994-10/14/1994.
Shaded columns display information as presented in final report; unshaded columns display additional information as observed by Tetra Tech, Inc. during verification of content and condition of materials. Data are taken from Appendix B of the Final Report, "Phase II Cultural Investigations at Locus I [18MO396], Army Research Laboratory Adelphi Laboratory Center, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland," 18 April 1995. Note: 'Context' in the original inventory refers to stratigraphic level; and EU is an abbreviation for Excavation Unit. This collection consists primarily of prehistoric artifacts although some historic materials are present. Note: "Lot Totals" have been amended to include all new fragments (i.e., fresh breaks). Missing artifacts have been subtracted from "Lot Totals". This catalog represents the actual contents of this Collection when inventoried on 12/12/2000.
Cite this Record
Artifact Inventory, Phase I of 400 Area Ridge Top, Locus I (Site 18MO396), Adelphi Laboratory Center. Hunter Research, Inc., Tetra Tech Inc.. 2000 ( tDAR id: 393973) ; doi:10.6067/XCV81837K2
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
Material
Chipped Stone • Glass • Metal • Wood
Site Name
18MO396
Site Type
Archaeological Feature • Artifact Scatter
Investigation Types
Data Recovery / Excavation • Site Evaluation / Testing
General
Army • Compliance • Phase I
Geographic Keywords
Adelphi Laboratory Center • Maryland (State / Territory) • Montgomery County (County) • Prince George's County (County)
Spatial Coverage
min long: -77.034; min lat: 38.964 ; max long: -76.901; max lat: 39.044 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory Federal Curator
Contributor(s): Tetra Tech Inc.
Principal Investigator(s): Brooke Blades
Sponsor(s): Army -- Archaeology and Historic Preservation Program
Repository(s): Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
Prepared By(s): Hunter Research, Inc. | https://core.tdar.org/document/393973/artifact-inventory-phase-i-of-400-area-ridge-top-locus-i-site-18mo396-adelphi-laboratory-center |
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abstract: |
Background: Large-scale biological jobs on high-performance computing systems require manual intervention if one or more computing cores on which they execute fail. This places not only a cost on the maintenance of the job, but also a cost on the time taken for reinstating the job and the risk of losing data and execution accomplished by the job before it failed. Approaches which can proactively detect computing core failures and take action to relocate the computing core’s job onto reliable cores can make a significant step towards automating fault tolerance.\
Method: This paper describes an experimental investigation into the use of multi-agent approaches for fault tolerance. Two approaches are studied, the first at the job level and the second at the core level. The approaches are investigated for single core failure scenarios that can occur in the execution of parallel reduction algorithms on computer clusters. A third approach is proposed that incorporates multi-agent technology both at the job and core level. Experiments are pursued in the context of genome searching, a popular computational biology application.\
Result: The key conclusion is that the approaches proposed are feasible for automating fault tolerance in high-performance computing systems with minimal human intervention. In a typical experiment in which the fault tolerance is studied, centralised and decentralised checkpointing approaches on an average add 90% to the actual time for executing the job. On the other hand, in the same experiment the multi-agent approaches add only 10% to the overall execution time.
author:
- 'Blesson Varghese, Gerard McKee'
- Vassil Alexandrov
title: 'Automating Fault Tolerance in High-Performance Computational Biological Jobs Using Multi-Agent Approaches'
---
Introduction
============
he scale of resources and computations required for executing large-scale biological jobs are significantly increasing [@01; @02]. With this increase the resultant number of failures while running these jobs will also increase and the time between failures will decrease [@03; @03a; @04]. It is not desirable to have to restart a job from the beginning if it has been executing for hours or days or months [@04a]. A key challenge in maintaining the seamless (or near seamless) execution of such jobs in the event of failures is addressed under research in fault tolerance [@04b; @04c; @04d; @04e].
Many jobs rely on fault tolerant approaches that are implemented in the middleware supporting the job (for example [@04a; @05; @06; @07]). The conventional fault tolerant mechanism supported by the middleware is checkpointing [@07a; @08; @09; @10], which involves the periodic recording of intermediate states of execution of a job to which execution can be returned if a fault occurs. Such traditional fault tolerant mechanisms, however, are challenged by drawbacks such as single point failures [@11], lack of scalability [@11a] and communication overheads [@12], which pose constraints in achieving efficient fault tolerance when applied to high-performance computing systems. Moreover, many of the traditional fault tolerant mechanisms are manual methods and require human administrator intervention for isolating recurring faults. This will place a cost on the time required for maintenance.
Self-managing or automated fault tolerant approaches are therefore desirable, and the objective of the research reported in this paper is the development of such approaches. If a failure is likely to occur on a computing core on which a job is being executed, then it is necessary to be able to move (migrate) the job onto a reliable core [@12a]. Such mechanisms are not readily available. At the heart of this concept is mobility, and a technique that can be employed to achieve this is using multi-agent technologies [@13].
Two approaches are proposed and implemented as the means of achieving both the computation in the job and self-managing fault tolerance; firstly, an approach incorporating agent intelligence, and secondly, an approach incorporating core intelligence. In the first approach, automated fault tolerance is achieved by a collection of agents which can freely traverse on a network of computing cores. Each agent carries a portion of the job (or sub-job) to be executed on a computing core in the form of a payload. Fault tolerance in this context can be achieved since an agent can move on the network of cores, effectively moving a sub-job from one computing core which may fail onto another reliable core.
In the second approach, automated fault tolerance is achieved by considering the computing cores to be an intelligent network of cores. Sub-jobs are scheduled onto the cores, and the cores can move processes executed on them across the network of cores. Fault tolerance in this context can be achieved since a core can migrate a process executing on it onto another core.
A third approach is proposed which combines both agent and core intelligence under a single umbrella. In this approach, a collection of agents freely traverse on a network of virtual cores which are an abstraction of the actual hardware cores. The agents carry the sub-jobs as a payload and situate themselves on the virtual cores. Fault tolerance is achieved either by an agent moving off one core onto another core or the core moving an agent onto another core when a fault is predicted. Rules are considered to decide whether an agent or a core should initiate the move.
Automated fault tolerance can be beneficial in areas such as molecular dynamics [@21; @22; @23; @26]. Typical molecular dynamics simulations explore the properties of molecules in gaseous, liquid and solid states. For example, the motion of molecules over a time period can be computed by employing Newton’s equations if the molecules are treated as point masses. These simulations require large numbers of computing cores that run sub-jobs of the simulation which communicate with each other for hours, days and even months. It is not desirable to restart an entire simulation or to loose any data from previous numerical computations when a failure occurs. Conventional methods like periodic checkpointing keep track of the state of the sub-jobs executed on the cores, and helps in restarting a job from the last checkpoint. However, overzealous periodic checkpointing over a prolonged period of time has large overheads and contributes to the slowdown of the entire simulation [@30]. Additionally, mechanisms will be required to store and handle large data produced by the checkpointing strategy. Further, how wide the failure can impact the simulation is not considered in checkpointing. For example, the entire simulation is taken back to a previous state irrespective of whether the sub-jobs running on a core depend or do not depend on other sub-jobs.
One potential solution to mitigate the drawbacks of checkpointing is to proactively probe the core for failures. If a core is likely to fail, then the sub-job executing on the core is migrated automatically onto another core that is less likely to fail. This paper proposes and experimentally evaluates multi-agent approaches to realising this automation. Genome searching is considered as an example for implementing the multi-agent approaches. The results indicate the feasibility of the multi-agent approaches; they require only one-fifth the time compared to that required by manual approaches.
The remainder of this paper is organised as follows. The Methods section presents the three approaches proposed for automated fault tolerance. The Results section highlights the experimental study and the results obtained from it. The Discussion section presents a discussion on the three approaches for automating fault tolerance. The Conclusions section summarises the key results from this study.
Methods
=======
Three approaches to automate fault tolerance are presented in this section. The first approach incorporates agent intelligence, the second approach incorporates core intelligence, and in the third a hybrid of both agent and core intelligence is incorporated.
Approach 1: Fault Tolerance incorporating Agent Intelligence
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A job, $J$, which needs to be executed on a large-scale system is decomposed into a set of sub-jobs $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$. Each sub-job $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$ is mapped onto agents $A_{1}, A_{2} \cdots A_{n}$ that carry the sub-jobs as payloads onto the cores, $C_{1}, C_{2} \cdots C_{n}$ as shown in Figure 1. The agents and the sub-job are independent of each other; in other words, an agent acts as a wrapper around a sub-job to situate the sub-job on a core.
![The job, sub-jobs, agents, virtual cores and computing cores in the two approaches proposed for automated fault tolerance[]{data-label="figure1"}](figure1.png){width="50.00000%"}
There are three computational requirements of the agent to achieve successful execution of the job: (a) the agent needs to know the overall job, $J$, that needs to be achieved, (b) the agent needs to access data required by the sub-job it is carrying and (c) the agent needs to know the operation that the sub-job needs to perform on the data. The agents then displace across the cores to compute the sub-jobs.
Intelligence of an agent can be useful in at least four important ways for achieving fault tolerance while a sub-job is executed. Firstly, an agent knows the landscape in which it is located. Knowledge of the landscape is threefold which includes (a) the knowledge of the computing core on which the agent is located, (b) knowledge of other computing cores in the vicinity of the agent and (c) knowledge of agents located in the vicinity. Secondly, an agent identifies a location to situate within the landscape. This is possible by gathering information from the vicinity using probing processes and is required when the computing core on which the agent is located is anticipated to fail. Thirdly, an agent predicts failures that are likely to impair its functioning. The prediction of failures (for example, due to the failure of the computing core) is along similar lines to proactive fault tolerance. Fourthly, an agent is mobile within the landscape. If the agent predicts a failure then the agent can relocate onto another computing core thereby moving off the job from the core anticipated to fail (refer Figure 2).
![[Agent-Core interaction in Approach 1.]{} Agents $A_{1}, A_{2}$ and $A_{3}$ are situated on cores $C_{1}, C_{2}$ and $C_{3}$ respectively. A failure is predicted on core $C_{1}$. The agent $A_{1}$ moves onto core $C_{a}$.[]{data-label="figure2"}](figure2.png){width="40.00000%"}
The intelligence of agents is incorporated within the following sequence of steps that describes an approach for fault tolerance:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Agent Intelligence Based Fault Tolerance*\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Decompose a job, $J$, to be executed on the landscape into sub-jobs, $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$
2. Each sub-job provided as a payload to agents, $A_{1}, A_{2} \cdots A_{n}$
3. Agents carry jobs onto computing cores, $C_{1}, C_{2} \cdots C_{n}$
4. For each agent, $A_{i}$ located on computing core $C_{i}$, where $i = 1$ to $n$
1. Periodically probe the computing core $C_{i}$
2. if $C_{i}$ predicted to fail, then
<!-- -->
1. Agent, $A_{i}$ moves onto an adjacent computing core, $C_{a}$
2. Notify dependent agents
3. Agent $A_{i}$ establishes dependencies
5. Collate execution results from sub-jobs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
### Agent Intelligence Failure Scenario
A failure scenario is considered for the agent intelligence based fault tolerance concept. In this scenario, while a job is executed on a computing core that is anticipated to fail any adjacent core onto which the job needs to be reallocated can also fail. The communication sequence shown in Figure 3 is as follows. The hardware probing process on the core anticipating failure, $C_{PF}$ notifies the failure prediction to the agent process, $P_{PF}$, situated on it. Since the failure of a core adjacent to the core predicted to fail is possible it is necessary that the predictions of the hardware probing processes on the adjacent cores be requested. Once the predictions are gathered, the agent process, $P_{PF}$, creates a new process on an adjacent core and transfers data it was using onto the newly created process. Then the input dependent (${P_{ID}}_{1} \cdots {P_{ID}}_{n}$) and output dependent (${P_{OD}}_{1} \cdots {P_{OD}}_{n}$) processes are notified. The agent process on $C_{PF}$ is terminated thereafter. The new agent process on the adjacent core establishes dependencies with the input and output dependent processes.
{width="90.00000%"}
Approach 2: Fault Tolerance incorporating Core Intelligence
-----------------------------------------------------------
A job, $J$, which needs to be executed on a large-scale system is decomposed into a set of sub-jobs $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$. Each sub-job $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$ is mapped onto the virtual cores, $VC_{1}, VC_{2} \cdots VC_{n}$, an abstraction over $C_{1}, C_{2} \cdots C_{n}$ respectively as shown in Figure 4. The cores referred to in this approach are virtual cores which are an abstraction over the hardware computing cores. The virtual cores are a logical representation and may incorporate rules to achieve intelligent behaviour.
![[Job-Virtual Core interaction in Approach 2.]{} Jobs $J_{1}, J_{2}$ and $J_{3}$ are situated on virtual cores $VC_{1}, VC_{2}$ and $VC_{3}$ respectively. A failure is predicted on core $C_{1}$ and $VC_{1}$ moves the job $J_{1}$ onto virtual core $VC_{a}$.[]{data-label="figure4"}](figure4.png){width="40.00000%"}
Intelligence of a core is useful in a number of ways for achieving fault tolerance. Firstly, a core updates knowledge of its surrounding by monitoring adjacent neighbours. Independent of what the cores are executing, the cores can monitor each other. Each core can ask the question ‘are you alive?’ to its neighbours and gain information. Secondly, a core periodically updates information of its surrounding. This is useful for the core to know which neighbouring cores can execute a job if it fails. Thirdly, a core periodically monitors itself using a hardware probing process and predicts if a failure is likely to occur on it. Fourthly, a core can move a job executing on it onto an adjacent core if a failure is expected and adjust to failure as shown in Figure 4. Once a job has relocated all data dependencies will need to be re-established.
The following sequence of steps describe an approach for fault tolerance incorporating core intelligence:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Core Intelligence Based Fault Tolerance*\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Decompose a job, $J$, to be executed on the landscape into sub-jobs, $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$
2. Each sub-job allocated to cores, $VC_{1}, VC_{2} \cdots VC_{n}$
3. For each core, $VC_{i}$, where $i = 1$ to $n$ until sub-job $J_{i}$ completes execution
1. Periodically probe the computing core $C_{i}$
2. if $C_{i}$ predicted to fail, then
<!-- -->
1. Migrate sub-job $J_{i}$ on $VC_{i}$ onto an adjacent computing core, $VC_{a}$
4. Collate execution results from sub-jobs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
### Core Intelligence Failure Scenario
Figure 5 shows the communication sequence of the core failure scenario considered for the core intelligence based fault tolerance concept. The hardware probing process on the core predicted to fail, $C_{PF}$ notifies a predicted failure to the core. The job executed on $VC_{PF}$ is then migrated onto an adjacent core $VC_{1} \cdots VC_{n}$ once a decision based on failure predictions are received from the hardware probing processes of adjacent cores.
Approach 3: Hybrid Fault Tolerance
----------------------------------
The hybrid approach acts as an umbrella bringing together the concepts of agent intelligence and core intelligence. The key concept of the hybrid approach lies in the mobility of the agents on the cores and the cores collectively executing a job. Decision-making is required in this approach for choosing between the agent intelligence and core intelligence approaches when a failure is expected.
A job, $J$, which needs to be executed on a large-scale system is decomposed into a set of sub-jobs $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$. Each sub-job $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$ is mapped onto agents $A_{1}, A_{2} \cdots A_{n}$ that carry the sub-jobs as payloads onto the virtual cores, $VC_{1}, VC_{2} \cdots VC_{n}$ which are an abstraction over $C_{1}, C_{2} \cdots C_{n}$ respectively as shown in Figure 1.
The following sequence of steps describe the hybrid approach for fault tolerance incorporating both agent and core intelligence:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Hybrid Intelligence Based Fault Tolerance*\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Decompose a job, $J$, to be executed on the landscape into sub-jobs, $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$
2. Each sub-job provided as a payload to agents, $A_{1}, A_{2} \cdots A_{n}$
3. Agents carry jobs onto virtual cores, $VC_{1}, VC_{2} \cdots VC_{n}$
4. For each agent, $A_{i}$ located on virtual core $VC_{i}$, where $i = 1$ to $n$
1. Periodically probe the computing core $C_{i}$
2. if $C_{i}$ predicted to fail, then
<!-- -->
1. if ‘Agent Intelligence’ is a suitable mechanism, then
<!-- -->
1. Agent, $A_{i}$, moves onto an adjacent computing core, $VC_{a}$
2. Notify dependent agents
3. Agent $A_{i}$ establishes dependencies
<!-- -->
1. else if ‘Core Intelligence’ is a suitable mechanism, then
<!-- -->
1. Core $VC_{i}$ migrates agent, $A_{i}$ onto an adjacent computing core, $VC_{a}$
5. Collate execution results from sub-jobs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
![Communication sequence in core intelligence based fault tolerance[]{data-label="figure5"}](figure5.png){width="50.00000%"}
When a core failure is anticipated both an agent and a core can make decisions which can lead to a conflict. For example, an agent can attempt to move onto an adjacent core while the core on which it is executing would like to migrate it to an alternative adjacent core. Therefore, an agent and the core on which it is located need to negotiate before either of them initiate a response to move (see Figure 6). The rules for the negotiation between the agent and the core in this case are proposed from the experimental results presented in this paper (presented in the Decision Making Rules sub-section).
![Conflict negotiation and resolution in Approach 3. Agents $A_{1}, A_{2}$ and $A_{3}$ are situated on virtual cores $VC_{1}, VC_{2}$ and $VC_{3}$ which are mapped onto computing cores $C_{1}, C_{2}$ and $C_{3}$ respectively. A failure is predicted on core $C_{1}$. The agent $A_{1}$ and $VC_{1}$ negotiate to decide who moves the sub-job onto core $VC_{a}$.[]{data-label="figure6"}](figure6.png){width="40.00000%"}
Results
=======
In this section, the experimental platform is considered followed by the experimental studies and the results obtained from experiments.
Platform
--------
Four computer clusters were used for the experiments reported in this paper. The first was a cluster available at the Centre for Advanced Computing and Emerging Technologies (ACET), University of Reading, UK. Thirty three compute nodes connected through Gigabit Ethernet were available, each with Pentium IV processors and 512 MB-2 GB RAM. The remaining three clusters are compute resources, namely Brasdor, Glooscap and Placentia, all provided by The Atlantic Computational Excellence Network (ACEnet) [@60], Canada. Brasdor comprises 306 compute nodes connected through Gigabit Ethernet, with 932 cores and 1-2 GB RAM. Glosscap comprises 97 nodes connected through Infiniband, with 852 cores and 1-8 GB RAM. Placentia comprises 338 compute nodes connected through Infiniband, with 3740 cores and 2-16 GB RAM.
The cluster implementations in this paper are based on the Message Passing Interface (MPI). The first approach, incorporating agent intelligence, is implemented using Open MPI [@61], an open source implementation of MPI 2.0. The dynamic process model which supports dynamic process creation and management facilitates control over an executing process. This feature is useful for implementing the first approach. The MPI functions useful in the implementation are (i) MPI\_COMM\_SPAWN which creates a new MPI process and establishes communication with an existing MPI application and (ii) MPI\_COMM\_ACCEPT and MPI\_COMM\_CONNECT which establishes communication between two independent processes.
The second approach, incorporating core intelligence, is implemented using Adaptive MPI (AMPI) [@62], developed over Charm++ [@63], a C++ based parallel programming language. The aim of AMPI is to achieve dynamic load balancing by migrating objects over virtual cores and thereby facilitating control over cores. Core intelligence harnesses this potential of AMPI to migrate a job from a core onto another core. A strategy to migrate a job using the concepts of processor virtualisation and dynamic job migration in AMPI and Charm++ is reported in [@64].
Experimental Studies
--------------------
Parallel reduction algorithms [@65; @66] which implement the bottom-up approach (i.e., data flows from the leaves to the root) are employed for the experiments. These algorithms are of interest for three reasons. Firstly, the algorithm is used in a large number of scientific applications including computational biological applications in which optimizations are performed (for example, bootstrapping). Incorporating self-managing fault tolerant approaches can make these algorithms more robust and reliable [@67]. Secondly, the algorithm lends itself to be easily decomposed into a set of sub-jobs. Each sub-job can then be mapped onto a computing core either by providing the sub-job as a payload to an agent in the first approach or by providing the job onto a virtual core incorporating intelligent rules. Thirdly, the execution of a parallel reduction algorithm stalls and produces incorrect solutions if a core fails. Therefore, parallel reduction algorithms can benefit from local fault-tolerant techniques.
Figure 7 is an exemplar of a parallel reduction algorithm. In the experiments reported in this paper, a generic parallel summation algorithm with three sets of input is employed. Firstly, $I_{(1,1)}$, $I_{(1,2)}$ $\cdots$ $I_{(1,x)}$, secondly, $I_{(2,1)}$, $I_{(2,2)}$ $\cdots$ $I_{(2,y)}$, and thirdly, $I_{(3,1)}$ $\cdots$ $I_{(3,z)}$. The first level nodes which receive the three sets of input comprise three set of nodes. Firstly, ${N_{1}}_{(1,1)}$, ${N_{1}}_{(1,2)}$ $\cdots$ ${N_{1}}_{(1,x)}$, secondly, ${N_{1}}_{(2,1)}$, ${N_{1}}_{(2,2)}$ $\cdots$ ${N_{1}}_{(2,y)}$, and thirdly, ${N_{1}}_{(3,1)}$, ${N_{1}}_{(3,2)}$ $\cdots$ ${N_{1}}_{(3,z)}$. The next level of nodes, ${N_{2}}_{(1,1)}$, ${N_{2}}_{(2,1)}$ and ${N_{3}}_{(3,1)}$ receive inputs from the first level nodes. The resultant from the second level nodes is fed in to the third level node ${N_{3}}_{(1,1)}$. The nodes reduce the input through the output using the parallel summation operator ($\oplus$).
![Generic parallel summation algorithm. The inputs are denoted by $I$ and the three levels of nodes are denoted by $N$. The inputs are passed to the nodes $N_{1}$ which are then reduced and passed to nodes $N_{2}$ and finally onto $N_{3}$ for the output.[]{data-label="figure7"}](figure7.png){width="45.00000%"}
The parallel summation algorithm can benefit from the inclusion of fault tolerant strategies. The job, $J$, in this case is summation, and the sub-jobs, $J_{1}, J_{2} \cdots J_{n}$ are also summations. In the first fault tolerant approach, incorporating mobile agent intelligence, the data to be summed along with the summation operator is provided to the agent. The agents locate on the computing cores and continuously probe the core for anticipating failures. If an agent is notified of a failure, then it moves off onto another computing core in the vicinity, thereby not stalling the execution towards achieving the summation job. In the second fault tolerant approach, incorporating core intelligence, the sub-job comprising the data to be summed along with the summation operator is located on the virtual core. When the core anticipates a failure, it migrates the sub-job onto another core.
A failure scenario is considered for experimentally evaluating the fault tolerance strategies. In the scenario, when a core failure is anticipated the sub-job executing on it is relocated onto an adjacent core. Of course this adjacent core may also fail. Therefore, information is also gathered from adjacent cores as to whether they are likely to fail or not. This information is gathered by the agent in the agent-based approach and the virtual core in the core-based approach and used to determine which adjacent core the sub-job needs to be moved to. This failure scenario is adapted to the two strategies giving respectively the agent intelligence failure scenario and the core intelligence failure scenario (described in the Methods section).
Experimental Results
--------------------
Figures 8 through 13 are a collection of graphs plotted using the parallel reduction algorithm as a case study for both the first (agent intelligence - Figure 8, Figure 10 and Figure 12) and second (core intelligence - Figure 9, Figure 11 and Figure 13) fault tolerant approaches. Each graph comprises four plots, the first representing the ACET cluster and the other three representing the three ACEnet clusters. The graphs are also distinguished based on the following three factors that can affect the performance of the two approaches:
![No. of dependencies vs time taken for reinstating execution after failure in the agent intelligent approach[]{data-label="figure8"}](figure8.png){width="49.00000%"}
![No. of dependencies vs time taken for reinstating execution after failure in the core intelligent approach[]{data-label="figure9"}](figure9.png){width="49.00000%"}
![Size of data vs time taken for reinstating execution after failure in the agent intelligent approach[]{data-label="figure10"}](figure10.png){width="49.00000%"}
![Size of data vs time taken for reinstating execution after failure in the core intelligent approach[]{data-label="figure11"}](figure11.png){width="49.00000%"}
![Process size vs time taken for reinstating execution after failure in the agent intelligent approach[]{data-label="figure12"}](figure12.png){width="49.00000%"}
![Process size vs time taken for reinstating execution after failure in the core intelligent approach[]{data-label="figure13"}](figure13.png){width="49.00000%"}
- The number of dependencies of the sub-job being executed denoted as $Z$. If the total number of input dependencies is $d_{i}$ and the total number of output dependencies is $d_{o}$, then $Z = d_{i} + d_{o}$. For example, in a parallel summation algorithm incorporating binary trees, each node has two input dependencies and one output dependency, and therefore $Z = 3$. In the experiments, the number of dependencies is varied between 3 and 63, by changing the number of input dependencies of an agent or a core. The results are presented in Figure 8 and Figure 9.
- The size of the data communicated across the cores denoted as $S_{d}$. In the experiments, the input data is a matrix for parallel summation and its size is varied between $2^{19}$ to $2^{31}$ KB. The results are presented in Figure 10 and Figure 11.
- The process size of the distributed components of the job denoted as $S_{p}$. In the experiments, the process size is varied between $2^{19}$ to $2^{31}$ KB which is proportional to the input data. The results are presented in Figure 12 and Figure 13.
Figure 8 is a graph of the time taken in seconds for reinstating execution versus the number of dependencies in the agent intelligence failure scenario. The mean time taken to reinstate execution for 30 trials, ${{\Delta T}_{A}}_{2}$, is computed for varying numbers of dependencies, $Z$ ranging from 3 to 63. The size of the data on the agent is $S_{d}=2^{24}$ kilo bytes. The approach is slowest on the ACET cluster and fastest on the Placentia cluster. In all cases the communication overheads result in a steep rise in the time taken for execution until $Z=10$. The time taken on the ACET cluster rises once again after $Z=25$.
Figure 9 is a graph of the time taken in seconds for reinstating execution versus the number of dependencies in the core intelligence failure scenario. The mean time taken to reinstate execution for 30 trials, ${{\Delta T}_{C}}_{2}$, is computed for varying number of dependencies, $Z$ ranging from 3 to 63. The size of the data on the core is $S_{d}=2^{24}$ kilo bytes. The approach requires almost the same time on the four clusters for reinstating execution until $Z=10$, after which there is divergence in the plots. The approach lends itself well on Placentia and Glooscap.
Figure 10 is a graph showing the time taken in seconds for reinstating execution versus the size of data in kilobytes (KB), $S_{d} = 2^n$, where $n = 19, 19.5 \cdots 31$, carried by an agent in the agent intelligence failure scenario. The mean time taken to reinstate execution for 30 trials, ${{\Delta T}_{A}}_{2}$, is computed for varying sizes of data ranging from $2^{19}$ to $2^{31}$ KB. The number of dependencies $Z$ is 10 for the graph plotted. Placentia and Glooscap outperforms ACET and Brasdor in the agent approach for varying size of data.
Figure 11 is a graph showing the time taken in seconds for reinstating execution versus the size of data in kilobytes (KB), $S_{d} = 2^n$, where $n = 19, 19.5 \cdots 31$, on a core in the core intelligence failure scenario. The mean time taken to reinstate execution for 30 trials, ${{\Delta T}_{C}}_{2}$, is computed for varying sizes of data ranging from $2^{19}$ to $2^{31}$ KB. The number of dependencies $Z$ is 10 for the graph plotted. In this graph, nearly similar time is taken by the approach on the four clusters with the ACET cluster requiring more time than the other clusters for $n > 24$.
Figure 12 is a graph showing the time taken in seconds for reinstating execution versus process size in kilobytes (KB), $S_{p} = 2^n$, where $n = 19, 19.5 \cdots 31$, in the agent intelligence failure scenario. The mean time taken to reinstate execution for 30 trials, ${{\Delta T}_{A}}_{2}$, is computed for varying process sizes ranging from $2^{19}$ to $2^{31}$ KB. The number of dependencies $Z$ is 10 for the graph plotted. The second scenario performs similar to the first scenario. The approach takes almost similar times to reinstate execution after a failure on the four clusters, but there is a diverging behaviour after $n > 26$.
Figure 13 is a graph showing the time taken in seconds for reinstating execution versus process size in kilobytes (KB), $S_{p} = 2^n$, where $n = 19, 19.5 \cdots 31$, in the core intelligence failure scenario. The mean time taken to reinstate execution for 30 trials, ${{\Delta T}_{C}}_{2}$, is computed for varying process sizes ranging from $2^{19}$ to $2^{31}$ KB. The number of dependencies $Z$ is 10 for the graph plotted. The approach has similar performance on the four clusters, though Placentia performs better than the other three clusters for a process size of more than $2^{26}$ KB.
### Decision Making Rules
Parallel simulations in molecular dynamics model atoms or molecules in gaseous, liquid or solid states as point masses which are in motion. Such simulations are useful for studying the physical and chemical properties of the atoms or molecules. Typically the simulations are compute intensive and can be performed in at least three different ways [@26]. Firstly, by assigning a group of atoms to each processor, referred to as atom decomposition. The processor computes the forces related to the group of atoms to update their position and velocities. The communication between atoms is high and effects the performance on large number of processors. Secondly, by assigning a block of forces from the force matrix to be computed to each processor, referred to as force decomposition. This technique scales better than atom decomposition but is not a best solution for large simulations. Thirdly, by assigning a three dimensional space of the simulation to each processor, referred to as spatial decomposition. The processor needs to know the positions of atoms in the adjacent space to compute the forces of atoms in the space assigned to it. The interactions between the atoms are therefore local to the adjacent spaces. In the first and second decomposition techniques interactions are global and thereby dependencies are higher.
Agent and core based approaches to fault tolerance can be incorporated within parallel simulations in the area of molecular dynamics. However, which of the two approaches, agent or core intelligence, is most appropriate? The decomposition techniques considered above establish dependencies between blocks of atoms and between atoms. Therefore the degree of dependency affects the relocation of a sub-job in the event of a core failure and reinstating it. The dependencies of an atom in the simulation can be based on the input received from neighbouring atoms and the output propagated to neighbouring atoms. Based on the number of atoms allocated to a core and the time step of the simulation the intensity of numerical computations and the data managed by a core vary. Large simulations that extend over long periods of time generate and need to manage large amounts of data; consequently the process size on a core will also be large.
Therefore, (i) the dependency of the job, (ii) the data size and (iii) the process size are factors that need to be taken into consideration for deciding whether an agent-based approach or a core-based approach needs to come into play. Along with the observations from parallel simulations in molecular dynamics, the experimental results provide an insight into the rules for decision-making for large-scale applications.
From the experimental results graphed in Figure 8 and Figure 9, where dependencies are varied, core intelligence is superior to agent intelligence if the total dependencies $Z$ is less than or equal to 10. Therefore,
1. If the algorithm needs to incorporate fault tolerance based on the number of dependencies, then if $Z \leq 10$ use core intelligence, else use agent or core intelligence.
From the experimental results graphed in Figure 10 and Figure 11, where the size of data is varied, agent intelligence is more beneficial than core intelligence if the size of data $S_{d}$ is less than or equal to $2^{24}$ KB. Therefore,
1. If the algorithm needs to incorporate fault tolerance based on the size of data, then if $S_{d} \leq 2^{24}$ KB, then use agent intelligence, else use agent or core intelligence.
From the experimental results graphed in Figure 12 and Figure 13, where the size of the process is varied, agent intelligence is more beneficial than core intelligence if the size of the process $S_{p}$ is less than or equal to $2^{24}$ KB. Therefore,
1. If the algorithm needs to incorporate fault tolerance based on process size, then if $S_{p} \leq 2^{24}$ KB, then use agent intelligence, else use agent or core intelligence.
The number of dependencies, size of data, and process size are the three factors taken into account in the experimental results. The results indicate that the approach incorporating core intelligence takes lesser time than the approach incorporating agent intelligence. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, in the agent approach, the agent needs to establish the dependency with each agent individually, where as in the core approach as a job is migrated from a core onto another its dependencies are automatically established. Secondly, agent intelligence is a software abstraction of the sub-job, thereby adding a virtualised layer in the communication stack. This increases the time for communication. The virtual core is also an abstraction of the computing core but is closer to the computing core in the communication stack.
The above rules can be incorporated to exploit both agent-based and core-based intelligence in a third, hybrid approach. The key concept of the hybrid approach combines the mobility of the agents on the cores and the cores collectively executing a job. The approach can select whether the agent-based approach or the core-based approach needs to come to play based on the rules for decision-making.
The key observation from the experimental results is that the cost of incorporating intelligence at the job and core levels for automating fault tolerance is less than a second, which is smaller than the time taken by manual methods which would be in the order of minutes. For example, in the first approach, the time for reinstating execution with over 50 dependencies is less than 0.55 seconds and in the second approach, is less than 0.5 seconds. Similar results are obtained when the size of data and the process are large.
### Genome Searching using Multi-Agent approaches
The proposed multi-agent approaches and the decision making rules considered in the above sections are validated using a computational biology job. A job that fits the criteria of reduction algorithms is considered. In reduction algorithms, a job is decomposed to sub-jobs and executed on multiple nodes and the results are further passed onto other node for completing the job. One popular computational biology job that fits this criteria is searching for a genome pattern. This has been widely studied and fast and efficient algorithms have been developed for searching genome patterns (for example, [@gen01], [@gen02] and [@gen03]). In the genome searching experiment performed in this research multiple nodes of a cluster execute the search operation and the output produced by the search nodes are then combined by an additional node.
The focus of this experimental study is not parallel efficiency or scalability of the job but to validate the multi-agent approaches and the decision making rules in the context of computational biology. Hence, a number of assumptions are made for the genome searching job. First, redundant copies of the genome data are made on the same node to obtain a sizeable input. Secondly, the search operation is run multiple times to span long periods of time. Thirdly, the jobs are executed such that they can be stopped intentionally by the user at any time and gather the results of the preceding computations until the execution was stopped.
The Placentia cluster is chosen for this validation study since it was the best performing cluster in the empirical study presented in the previous sections. The job is implemented using R programming which uses MPI for exploiting computation on multiple nodes of the Placentia cluster. Bioconductor packages[^1] are required for supporting the job. The job makes use of BSgenome.Celegans.UCSC.ce2, BSgenome.Celegans.UCSC.ce6 and BSgenome.Celegans.UCSC.ce10 as input data which are the ce2, ce6 and ce10 genome for chromosome I of Caenorhabditis elegans [@gen04; @gen05]. A list of 5000 genome patterns each of which is a short nucleotide sequence of 15 to 25 bases is provided to be searched against the input data.
The forward and reverse strands of seven Caenorhabditis elegans chromosomes named as chrI, chrII, chrIII, chrIV, chrV, chrX, chrM are the targets of the search operation. When there is a target hit the search nodes provide to the node that gathers the results the name of the chromosome where the hit occurs, two integers giving the starting and ending positions of the hit, an indication of the hit either in the forward or reverse strand, and unique identification for every pattern in the dictionary. The results are tabulated in an output file in the combining node. A sample of the output is shown in Figure 14.
![Sample output from searching genome pattern. The output shows the name of the chromosome where the target hit occurs, followed by two integers giving the starting and ending positions of the hit, an indication of the hit either in the forward or reverse strand, and unique identification for every pattern in the dictionary.[]{data-label="figure14"}](figure14.png){width="45.00000%"}
Redundant copies of the input data are made to obtain 512 MB (which is $2^{19}$ KB) and the job is executed for one hour. In a typical experiment the number of dependencies, $Z$ was set to 4; three nodes of the cluster performed the search operation while the fourth node combined the results passed on to it from the three search nodes. In the agent intelligence based approach the time for predicting the fault is 38 seconds, the time for reinstating execution is 0.47 seconds, the overhead time is over 5 minutes and the total time when one failure occurs per hour is 1 hour, 6 minutes and 17 seconds. In the core intelligence based approach the time for predicting the single node failure is similar to the agent intelligence approach; the time for reinstating execution is 0.38 seconds, the overhead time is over 4 minutes and the total time when one failure occurs per hour is 1 hour, 5 minutes and 8 seconds.
In another experiment for 512 MB size of input data the number of dependencies was set to 12; eleven nodes for searching and one node for combining the results provided by the eleven search nodes. In the agent intelligence based approach the time for reinstating execution is 0.54 seconds, the overhead time is over 6 minutes and the total time when one failure occurs per hour is 1 hour, 7 minutes and 34 seconds. In the core intelligence based approach the time for reinstating execution is close to 0.54 seconds, the overhead time is over 6 minutes and the total time when one failure occurs per hour is 1 hour, 7 minutes and 48 seconds.
The core intelligence approach requires less time than the agent intelligence approach when $Z=3$, but the times are comparable when $Z=12$. So, the above two experiments validate Rule 1 for decision making considered in the previous section.
Experiments were performed for different input data sizes; in one case $S_{d} = 2^{19}$ KB and in the other $S_{d} = 2^{25}$ KB. The agent intelligence approach required less time in the former case than the core intelligence approach. The time was comparable for the latter case. Hence, the genome searching job in the context of the experiments validated Rule 2 for decision making. Similarly, when process size was varied Rule 3 was found to be validated.
The genome searching job is used as an example to validate the use of the multi-agent approaches for computational biology jobs. The decision making rules empirically obtained were satisfied in the case of this job. The results obtained from the experiments for the genome searching job along with comparisons against traditional fault tolerance approaches, namely centralised and decentralised checkpointing are considered in the next section.
Discussion
==========
All fault tolerance approaches initiate a response to address a failure. Based on when a response is initiated with respect to the occurrence of the failure, approaches can be classified as proactive and reactive. Proactive approaches predict failures of computing resources before they occur and then relocate a job executing on resources anticipated to fail onto resource that are not predicted to fail (for example [@64; @70; @71]). Reactive approaches on the other hand minimise the impact of failures after they have occurred (for example checkpointing [@09], rollback recovery [@72] and message logging [@73]). A hybrid of proactive and reactive, referred to as adaptive approaches, is implemented so that failures that cannot be predicted by proactive approaches are handled by the reactive approaches [@74; @75; @76].
The control of a fault tolerant approach can be either centralised or distributed. In approaches where the control is centralised, one or more servers are used for backup and a single process responsible for monitoring jobs that are executed on a network of nodes. The traditional message logging and checkpointing approach involves the periodic recording of intermediate states of execution of a job to which execution can be returned if faults occur. Such approaches are susceptible to single point failure, lack scalability over a large network of nodes, have large overheads, and require large disk storage. These drawbacks can be minimised or avoided when the control of the approaches is distributed (for example, distributed diagnosis [@77], distributed checkpointing [@68] and diskless checkpointing [@78]).
In this paper two distributed proactive approaches towards achieving fault tolerance are proposed and implemented. In both approaches a job to be computed is decomposed into sub-jobs which are then mapped onto the computing cores. The two approaches operate at the middle levels (between the sub-jobs and the computing cores) incorporating agent intelligence. In the first approach, the sub-jobs are mapped onto agents which are released onto the cores. If an agent is notified of a potential core failure during execution of the sub-job mapped onto it, then the agent moves onto another core thereby automating fault tolerance. In the second approach the sub-jobs are scheduled on virtual cores, which are an abstraction of the computing cores. If a virtual core anticipates a core failure then it moves the sub-job on it to another virtual core, in effect onto another computing core. The two approaches achieve automation in fault tolerance using intelligence in agents and using intelligence in cores respectively. A third approach is proposed which brings together the concepts of both agent intelligence and core intelligence from the first two approaches.
Overcoming the problems of Checkpointing
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The conventional approaches to fault tolerance such as checkpointing have large communication overheads based on the periodicity of checkpointing. High frequencies of checkpointing can lead to heavy network traffic since the available communication bandwidth will be saturated with data transferred from all computing nodes to the a stable storage system that maintains the checkpoint. This traffic is on top of the actual data flow of the job being executed on the network of cores. While global approaches are useful for jobs which are less memory and data intensive and can be executed over short periods of time, they may constrain the efficiency for jobs using big data in limited bandwidth platforms. Hence, local approaches can prove useful. In the case of the agent based approaches there is high periodicity for probing the cores in the background but very little data is transferred while probing unlike in checkpointing. Hence, communication overhead times will be significantly lesser.
Lack of scalability is another issue that affects efficient fault tolerance. Many checkpointing strategies are centralised (with few exceptions, such as [@68; @69]) thereby limiting the scale of adopting the strategy. This can be mitigated by using multiple centralised checkpointing servers but the distance between the nodes and the server discounts the scalability issue. In the agent based approaches, all communications are short distance since the cores only need to communicate with the adjacent cores. Local communication therefore increases the scale to which the agent based approaches can be applied.
Checkpointing is susceptible to single point failures due to the failure of the checkpoint servers. The job executed will have to be restarted. The agent-based approaches are also susceptible to single point failures. While they incorporate intelligence to anticipate hardware failure the processor core may fail before the sub-job it supports can be relocated to an adjacent processor core, before the transfer is complete, or indeed the core onto which it is being transferred may also fail. However, the incorporation of intelligence on the processor core, specifically the ability to anticipate hardware failure locally, means that the numbers of these hardware failures that lead to job failure can be reduced when compared to traditional checkpointing. But since there is the possibility of agent failure the retention of some level of human intervention is still required. Therefore, we propose combining checkpointing with the agent-based approaches, the latter acting as a first line of anticipatory response to hardware failure backed up by traditional checkpointing as a second line of reactive response.
Predicting potential failures
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Figure 15 shows the execution of a job between two checkpoints, $C_{n}$ and $C_{n+1}$, where $PF$ is the predicted failure and $F$ is the actual failure of the node on which a sub-job is executing. Figure 15(a) shows when there are no predicted failures or actual failures that occur on the node. Figure 15(b) shows when a failure occurs but could not be predicted. In this case, the system fails if the multi-agent approaches are solely employed. One way to mitigate this problem is by employing the multi-agent approaches in conjunction with checkpointing as shown in the next section. Figure 15(c) shows when the approaches predict a failure which does not happen. If a large number of such predictions occur then the sub-job needs to be shifted often from one node to the other which adds to the overhead time for executing the job. This is not an ideal case and makes the job unstable. Figure 15(d) shows the ideal case in which a fault is predicted before it occurs.
![Fault prediction between two checkpoints, $C_{n}$ and $C_{n+1}$. (a) Ideal state of the job when no faults occur. (b) Failure state of the job when a fault occurs but is not predicted. (c) Unstable state of the job when a fault is predicted but does not occur. (d) Ideal prediction state of the job when a fault is predicted and occurs thereafter.[]{data-label="figure15"}](figure15.png){width="40.00000%"}
Failure prediction is based on a machine learning approach that is incorporated within multi-agents. This prediction is based on a log that is maintained on the health of the node and its adjacent nodes. Each agent sends out ’are you alive’ signals to adjacent nodes to gather the state of the adjacent node. The machine learning approach is constantly evaluating the state of the system against the log it maintains, which is different across the nodes. The log can contain the state of the node from past failures, work load of the nodes when it failed previously and even data related to patterns of periodic failures. However, this prediction method cannot predict a range of faults due to deadlocks, hardware and power failures and instantaneously occurring faults. Hence, the multi-agent approaches are most useful when used along with checkpointing.
It was observed that nearly 29% of all faults occurring in the cluster could be predicted. Although this number is seemingly small it is helpful to not have to rollback to a previous checkpoint when a large job under time constraints is executed. Accuracy of the predictions were found to be 64%; the system was found to be stable in 64 out of the 100 times a prediction was made. To increase the impact of the multi-agent approaches more faults will need to be captured. For this extensive logging and faster methods for prediction will need to be considered. These approaches will have to be used in conjunction with checkpointing for maximum effectiveness. The instability due to the approaches shifting jobs between nodes when there is a false prediction will need to be reduced to improve the overall efficiency of the approaches. For this, the state of the node can be compared with other nodes so that a more informed choice is made by the approaches.
Comparing traditional and multi-agent approaches
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Table 1 shows a comparison between a number of fault tolerant strategies, namely centralised and decentralised checkpointing and the multi-agent approaches. An experiment was run for a genome searching job that was executed multiple times on the Placentia cluster. Data in the table was obtained to study the execution of the genome searching job between two checkpoints ($C_{n}$ and $C_{n+1}$) which are one hour apart. The execution is interrupted by failure $F$ as shown in Figure 16. Two types of single node failure are simulated in the execution. The first is a periodic node failure which occurs at 15 minutes after $C_{n}$ and 45 minutes before $C_{n+1}$ (refer Figure 16(a)), and the second is a random node failure which occurs $x$ minutes after $C_{n}$ and $60-x$ minutes before $C_{n+1}$ (refer Figure 16(b)). The average time when a random failure occurs is found to be 31 minutes and 14 seconds for 5000 trials. The size of data, $S_{d} = 2^{19}$ KB and the number of dependencies, $Z=4$.
{width="90.00000%"}
In Table 1, the average time taken for reinstating execution, for the overheads and for executing the job between the checkpoints is considered. The time taken for reinstating execution is for bringing execution back to normal after a failure has occurred. The reinstating time is obtained for one periodic single node failure and one random single node failure. The overhead time is for creating the checkpoints and transferring data for the checkpoint to the server. The overhead time is obtained for one periodic single node failure and one random single node failure. The execution time without failures, when one periodic failure occurs per hour and when five random failures occur per hour is obtained.
Centralised checkpointing using single and multiple servers is considered when the frequency of checkpointing is once every hour. In the case of both single and multiple server checkpointing the time taken for reinstating execution regardless of whether it was a periodic or random failure is 14 minutes and 8 seconds. On a single server the overhead is 8 minutes and 5 seconds where as the overhead to create the checkpoint is 9 minutes and 14 seconds which is higher than overheads on a single server and is expected. The average time taken for executing the job when one failure occurs includes the elapsed execution time (15 minutes for periodic failure and 31 minutes and 14 seconds for random failure) until the failure occurred and the combination of the time for reinstating execution after the failures and the overhead time. For one periodic failure that occurs in one hour the penalty of execution when single server checkpointing is 62% more than executing without a failure; in the case of a random failure that occurs in one hour the penalty is 89% more than executing without a failure. If five random failure occur then the penalty is 445%, requiring more than five times the time for executing the job without failures.
Centralised checkpointing with multiple servers requires more time than with a single server. This is due to the increase in the overhead time for creating checkpoints on multiple servers. Hence, checkpointing with multiple servers requires 64% and 91% more time than the time for executing the job without any failures for one periodic and one random failure per hour respectively. On the other hand executing jobs when decentralised checkpointing on multiple servers is employed requires similar time to that taken by centralised checkpointing on a single server. The time for reinstating execution is higher than centralised checkpointing methods due to the time required for determining the server closest to the node that failed. However, the overhead times are lower than other checkpoint approaches since the server closest to the node that failed is chosen for creating the checkpoint which reduces data transfer times.
The multi-agent approaches are proactive and therefore the average time taken for predicting single node failures are taken into account which is nearly 38 seconds. The time taken for reinstating execution after one periodic single node failure for the agent intelligence approach is 0.47 seconds and for the core intelligence approach is 0.38 seconds. Since $Z \leq 10$ the core intelligence approach is selected. In this case, the core intelligence approach is faster than the agent intelligence approach in the total time it takes for executing the job when there is one periodic or random fault and when there are five faults that occur in the job. The multi-agent approaches only require one-fifth the time taken by the checkpointing methods for completing execution. This is because the time for reinstating and the overhead times are significantly lower than the checkpointing approaches.
Table 2 shows a comparison between centralised and decentralised checkpointing and the multi-agent approaches for a genome searching job that is executed on the Placentia cluster for five hours. The checkpoint periodicity is once every one, two and four hours as shown in Figure 17. Similar to Table 1 periodic and random failures are simulated. Figure 17(a) shows the start and completion of the job without failures or checkpoints. When the checkpoint periodicity is one hour there are four checkpoints, $C_{1}$, $C_{2}$, $C_{3}$ and $C_{4}$ (refer Figure 17(b)); a periodic node failure is simulated after 14 minutes from a checkpoint and the average time at which a random node failure occurs is found to be 31 minutes and 14 seconds from a checkpoint for 5000 trials. When checkpoint periodicity is two hours there are two checkpoints, $C_{1}$ and $C_{2}$ (refer Figure 17(c)); a periodic node failure is simulated after 28 minutes from a checkpoint and the average time a random node failure occurs is found to be after 1 hour, 3 minutes and 22 seconds from a checkpoint for 5000 trials. When checkpoint periodicity is four hours there is only one checkpoint $C_{1}$ (refer Figure 17(d)); a periodic node failure is simulated after 56 minutes from a checkpoint and the average time at which a random failure occurs is found to be after 2 hours, 8 minutes and 47 seconds from each checkpoint for 5000 trials.
{width="75.00000%"}
Similar to Table 1, in Table 2, the average time taken for reinstating execution, for the overheads and for executing the job from the start to finish with and without checkpoints is considered. The time to bring execution back to normal after a failure has occurred is referred to as reinstating time. The time to create checkpoints and transfer checkpoint data to the server is referred to as the overhead time. The execution of the job when one periodic and one random failure occurs per hour and when five random failures occur per hour is considered.
Without checkpointing the genome searching job is run such that a human administrator monitors the job from its start until completion. In this case, if a node fails then the only option is to restart the execution of the job. Each time the job fails and given that the administrator detected it using cluster monitoring tools as soon as the node failed approximately, then at least ten minutes are required for reinstating the execution. If a periodic failure occurred once every hour from the 14th minute from execution then there are five periodic faults. Once a failure occurs the execution will always have to come back to its previous state by restarting the job. Hence, the five hour job, with just one periodic failure occurring every hour will take over 21 hours. Similarly, if a random failure occurred once every hour (average time of occurrence is 31 minutes and 14 seconds after execution starts), then there are five failure points, and over 23 hours are required for completing the job. When five random failures occur each hour of the execution then more than 80 hours are required; this is nearly 16 times the time for executing the job without a failure.
Centralised checkpointing on a single server and on multiple servers and decentralised checkpointing on multiple servers for one, two and four hour periodicity in the network are then considered in Table 2. For checkpointing methods when one hour frequency is chosen more than five times the time taken for executing the job without failures is required. When the frequency of checkpointing is every two hours then just under four times the time taken for executing the job without failures is required. In the case when the checkpoint is created every four hours just over 3 times the time taken for executing the job without failures is required. The multi-agent approaches on the other hand take only one-fourth the time taken by traditional approaches for the job with five single node faults that occur each hour. This is significant time saving for running jobs that require many hours for completing execution.
Similarities and differences between the approaches
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The agent and core intelligence approaches are similar in at least four ways. Firstly, the objective of both the approaches is to automate fault tolerance. Secondly, the job to be executed is broken down into sub-jobs which are executed. Thirdly, fault tolerance is achieved in both approaches by predicting faults likely to occur in the computing core. Fourthly, technology enabling mobility is required by both the approaches to carry the sub-job or to push the sub-job from one core onto another. These important similarities enable both the agent and core approaches to be brought together to offer the advantages as a hybrid approach.
While there are similarities between the agent and core intelligence approaches there are differences that reflect in their implementation. These differences are based on: (i) Where the job is situated - in the agent intelligence approach, the sub-job becomes the payload of an agent situated on a computing core. In the core intelligence approach, the sub-job is situated on a virtual core, which is an abstraction of the computing core. (ii) Who predicts the failures - the agent constantly probes the compute core it is situated on and predicts failure in the agent approach, whereas in the core approach the virtual core anticipates the failure. (iii) Who reacts to the prediction - the agent moves onto another core and re-establishes its dependencies in the agent approach, whereas the virtual core is responsible for moving a sub-job onto another core in the core approach. (iv) How dependencies are updated - an agent requires to carry information of its dependencies when it moves off onto another core and establishes its dependencies manually in the agent approach, whereas the dependencies of the sub-job on the core do not require to be manually updated in the core approach. (v) What view is obtained - in the agent approach, agents have a global view as they can traverse across the network of virtual cores, which is in contrast to the local view of the virtual cores in the core approach.
Conclusions
===========
The agent based approaches described in this paper offer a candidate solution for automated fault tolerance or in combination with checkpointing as proposed above offer a means of reducing current levels of human intervention. The foundational concepts of the agent and core based approaches were validated on four computer clusters using parallel reduction algorithms as a test case in this paper. Failure scenarios were considered in the experimental studies for the two approaches. The effect of the number of dependencies of a sub-job being executed, the volume of data communicated across cores, and the process size are three factors considered in the experimental studies for determining the performance of the approaches.
The approaches were studied in the context of parallel genome searching, a popular computational biology job, that fits the criteria of a parallel reduction algorithm. The experiments were performed for both periodic and random failures. The approaches were compared against centralised and decentralised checkpointing approaches. In a typical experiment in which the fault tolerant approaches are studied in between two checkpoints one hour apart when one random failure occurs, centralised and decentralised checkpointing on an average add 90% to the actual time for executing the job without any failures. On the other hand, in the same experiment the multi-agent approaches add only 10% to the overall execution time. The multi-agent approaches cannot predict all failures that occur in the computing nodes. Hence, the most efficient way of incorporating these approaches is to use them on top of checkpointing. The experiments demonstrate the feasibility of such approaches for computational biology jobs. The key result is that a job continues execution after a core has failed and the time required for reinstating execution is lesser than checkpointing methods.
Future work will explore methods to improve the accuracy of prediction as well as increase the number of faults that can be predicted using the multi-agent approaches. The challenge to achieve this will be to mine log files for predicting a wide range of faults and predict them as quickly as possible before the fault occurs. Although the approaches can reduce human administrator intervention they can be used independently only if a wider range of faults can be predicted with greater accuracy. Until then the multi-agent approaches can be used in conjunction with checkpointing for improving fault tolerance.
The authors would like to thank the administrators of the compute resources at the Centre for Advanced Computing and Emerging Technologies (ACET), University of Reading, UK and the Atlantic Computational Excellence Network (ACEnet).
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Jafar S, Krings A and Gautier T (2009) Flexible Rollback Recovery in Dynamic Heterogeneous Grid Computing. IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing. 6(1): 32-44.
Bouteiller A, Bosilca G and Dongarra J (2010) Redesigning the Message Logging Model for High Performance. Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience. 22(16): 2196-2211.
Gorender S, Macedo RJ and Raynal M (2007) An Adaptive Programming Model for Fault-Tolerant Distributed Computing. IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing. 4(1): 18-31.
Lan Z and Li Y (2008) Adaptive Fault Management of Parallel Applications for High-Performance Computing. IEEE Transactions on Computers. 57(12): 1647-1660.
Ren Y, Cukier M and Sanders WH (2001) An Adaptive Algorithm for Tolerating Value Faults and Crash Failures. IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems. 12(2): 173-192.
Subbiah A and Blough DM (2004) Distributed Diagnosis in Dynamic Fault Environments. IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems. 15(5): 453-467.
Hakkarinen D and Chen Z (2009) N-Level Diskless Checkpointing. Proceedings of the 11th IEEE International conference on High Performance Computing and Communications.
[| p[3.8cm]{} | p[1.6cm]{} | p[1.8cm]{} | p[1.8cm]{} | p[1.6cm]{} | p[1.6cm]{} | p[1.5cm]{} | p[1.5cm]{} | p[1.5cm]{} | p[1.5cm]{} |]{} &\
& Predicting one single node failure & Reinstating execution after one periodic single node failure & Reinstating execution after one random single node failure & Overheads related to one periodic single node failure & Overheads related to one random single node failure &\
& & & & & & Without failures and checkpoints & With one periodic failure per hour & With one random failure per hour & With five random failures per hour\
\
1 hour periodicity & - & 00:14:08 & 00:14:08 & 00:08:05 & 00:08:05 & 01:00:00 & 01:37:13 & 01:53:27 & 05:27:15\
\
1 hour periodicity & - & 00:14:08 & 00:14:08 & 00:09:14 & 00:09:14 & 01:00:00 & 01:38:22 & 01:54:36 & 05:33:00\
\
1 hour periodicity & - & 00:15:27 & 00:15:27 & 00:06:44 & 00:06:44 & 01:00:00 & 01:37:11 & 01:53:25 & 05:27:05\
\
Agent intelligence & 00:00:38 & 00:00:0.47 & 00:00:0.47 & 00:05:14 & 00:05:14 & & 01:06:17 & 01:06:17 & 01:32:27\
Core intelligence & 00:00:38 & 00:00:0.38 & 00:00:0.38 & 00:04:27 & 00:04:27 & & 01:05:08 & 01:05:08 & 01:25:42\
Hybrid intelligence & 00:00:38 & 00:00:0.38 & 00:00:0.38 & 00:04:27 & 00:04:27 & & 01:05:08 & 01:05:08 & 01:25:42\
[| p[3.8cm]{} | p[1.8cm]{} | p[1.8cm]{} | p[1.8cm]{} | p[1.8cm]{} | p[1.8cm]{} | p[1.2cm]{} | p[1.2cm]{} | p[1.2cm]{} | p[1.2cm]{} |]{} &\
& Predicting one single node failure & Reinstating execution after one periodic single node failure & Reinstating execution after one random single node failure & All overheads related to one periodic single node failure & All overheads related to one random single node failure &\
& & & & & & Without failures & With one periodic failure per hour & With one random failure per hour & With five random failures per hour\
Cold restart with no failure tolerance & - & 00:10:00 & 00:10:00 & - & - & 05:00:00 & 21:15:17 & 23:01:00 & 80:31:04\
\
1 hour periodicity & - & 00:14:08 & 00:14:08 & 00:08:05 & 00:08:05 & & 08:01:05 & 09:27:15 & 27:16:15\
2 hour periodicity & - & 00:15:40 & 00:15:40 & 00:10:17 & 00:10:17 & & 07:41:51 & 07:58:38 & 19:53:10\
4 hour periodicity & - & 00:16:27 & 00:16:27 & 00:11:53 & 00:11:53 & & 06:24:20 & 07:37:07 & 18:05:35\
\
1 hour periodicity & - & 00:14:08 & 00:14:08 & 00:09:14 & 00:09:14 & & 08:07:14 & 09:33:23 & 27:45:00\
2 hour periodicity & - & 00:15:40 & 00:15:40 & 00:12:22 & 00:12:22 & & 07:47:52 & 08:07:18 & 20:01:16\
4 hour periodicity & - & 00:16:27 & 00:16:27 & 00:13:57 & 00:13:57 & & 07:04:28 & 07:52:27 & 18:45:22\
\
1 hour periodicity & - & 00:15:27 & 00:15:27 & 00:06:44 & 00:06:44 & & 08:00:55 & 09:27:05 & 27:15:25\
2 hour periodicity & - & 00:17:23 & 00:17:23 & 00:09:46 & 00:09:46 & & 07:40:18 & 07:57:36 & 19:48:00\
4 hour periodicity & - & 00:18:33 & 00:18:33 & 00:13:03 & 00:13:03 & & 06:27:36 & 07:40:23 & 18:21:55\
\
1 hour periodicity & & & & 00:05:14 & 00:05:14 & & 05:31:14 & 05:31:14 & 07:37:44\
2 hour periodicity & & & & 00:06:38 & 00:06:38 & & 05:20:34 & 05:20:34 & 06:42:41\
4 hour periodicity & & & & 00:07:41 & 00:07:41 & & 05:16:27 & 05:16:27 & 05:39:16\
\
1 hour periodicity & & & & 00:04:27 & 00:04:27 & & 05:26:13 & 05:26:13 & 07:11:37\
2 hour periodicity & & & & 00:05:37 & 00:05:37 & & 05:16:22 & 05:16:22 & 06:22:34\
4 hour periodicity & & & & 00:06:29 & 00:06:29 & & 05:13:32 & 05:13:32 & 05:31:21\
[^1]: http://bioconductor.org/
| |
There is a mysterious dynamic at play while applying for a position in human resources (HR). You sit on one side of the desk as a candidate, but in many situations, if you land the job, you might just vault right over that desk into the hiring seat. As the job of a HR person has different challenges, one need to have a dynamic skills of human resource management.
Pursuing an HR career is not just for the faint of heart. Being responsible for making hiring and firing decisions is not as simple as we think. They have responsibilities of the employee welfare and handling a company’s most sensitive information isn’t easy for everyone. Human resources have to apply a lot of efforts for organizational success.
If you feel like you’re up for the challenge, but want to know exactly what will be expected from you. There is a lot of preparedness is especially important, given how well your potential interviewers may know the job, you’ve got to know your stuff as well.
Sometimes, people also wonder what exactly Human Resource (HR) manager are?
Human resources manager are nothing but a discipline that requires leadership and management training necessary to build the skills that business executives are looking for. HR professionals with a deeper understanding of relevant fields and more practical skills create further opportunities in the corporate world.
The role of company Human resources management
The role of Human resources management means the company is to interview candidates and recruit them for a suitable job position as per their skills. Whether you’re a company employee or a small business owner, what kinds of skills the company HR would like to have meant before you recruit one or before you encourage one.
Of course, the Human Resource manager is not a very large position that you need to have someone with exceptional abilities, all he does is manage a small team in an organization to make sure that the company’s employees run smoothly to provide them with an acceptable working environment. All these roles are expected from the company Human Resource, apart from this, there are other roles which we have discussed in the previous article. In addition to roles and responsibility, Human resources should also have some of the important skills.
Here, we have listed some of the fundamental skills and abilities that every HR must-have.
Employee- employer relationship
Any successful businesses grow vigorously because of the secure employee-employer relationship and the professionals who support those connections. Being able to identify and resolve employee concerns as they develop a more satisfying work environment for employees and employers alike. This is also one of the comparatively broad areas in the HR field includes everything from labor disputes to managing employee benefits packages can be tied to it. Basically, it comes down to your ability to manage conflict and be an advocate for both your employer and its employees.
Great communication skill
The communication skill is most often mentioned skill in HR job openings. Communication is essential in Human Resource Management, as the HR professional is the link between the business and the employee. On the one hand, you are an activist for employees, and on the other hand, you represent the employer.This requires great communication skills.
In addition to this role, you are also a source of information for employees. When they have questions regarding taking a day off or any other employment issue, they will come to you. Being able to efficiently handle their questions and complaints is key to most generalist roles.
Administrative experts
Administrative roles again a major part of the HR role. Administrative duties involve areas like employee leave, absence, absence files, the in- and outflow of employees, payroll and other topics.
Instead, the rise of digital HR and the increase in automation of HR tasks, administrative duties still haven’t disappeared (yet). They are mentioned as an integral part of the job in many of the job postings. Being an admin expert helps you to accurately enter data.
HRM Knowledge and expertise
No wonder, HRM knowledge, and expertise are also one of the important Human Resource skills. Previous work experience and educational background and sometimes Management or Industrial- and Organizational Psychology are also helpful in Human Resource Management.
HRM knowledge also helps you in doing most of the other skills and competencies mentioned in this article. It helps to understand recruitment, selection, absence procedures, data reporting, other personnel processes and much more.
Decision-making skill.
Human Resources involves a lot of decision-making during the recruitment process. One good example is when they have to determine whether a candidate is the best fit for the role or not. Recognizing good talent isn’t readily learnable. It requires strategic thinking, experience, and excellent skill. This must have been something for an HR manager. Another scenario is when facing a downsizing problem. There is also a part of HR’s role to get the message across efficiently even in the midst of a crisis.
Training and development skill
Another function of Human Resource is planning and progression. HR Executive is also responsible for giving delegates headway openings to help execution and addition regard. Sifting through sessions on the organization and the officials planning. For example, it will provide more diverse skills to the employee. This empowers them to acknowledge included tasks and reinforce their job advancement all the while.
Advising
Advising is one of the key skills of different stakeholders. You need to able to advise both employees, line managers, and senior managers on personnel issues.
These issues can be very operational, for example creating a re-integration plan for an employee or helping a senior manager with the formulation of an email to the department. More tactical issues are the organization and advising in restructuring efforts. Strategic advice involves the alignment of HR practices to align more with the business.
This advice also has to be communicated. This is where the previously mentioned communication skills and coaching skills come in.
Teamwork
Teamwork is most important in every field either it is digital marketing or any other kind of business model. This skill is considered as an unavoidable skill. So, being an HR professional, you’re expected to work together with your colleagues in HR and with managers in the organization. Working together internally by actively aligning HR activities benefits both the organization and HR.
Bonus skill: Technological aptitude
Though technology-specific skills did not appear in the above-mentioned skills employers were looking for in their work, many of our experts expressed that being tech-savvy gives you a lead on the competition. It could be anything from data analysis to HR virtual reality adaptations. | https://talentscrew.com/blog/human-resources-management-skills/ |
Fall Uprising Recap- 2017s Shine!
The Fall Uprising – October 31st & November 1st in Bel Air, MD
2017 Blue – UNDEFEATED in bracket play!
2017 Blue went 4-0 and DOMINATED their bracket, scoring 64 goals and allowing only 18 over the course of 4 games (average score of 16-4). Games were played against STORM F-burg (VA), Victory Black (PA), SOMD Revolution (MD) and Ravens (MD). Their undefeated record placed them 1st in their division and led them to a semifinal playoff game against Capital 2017 Blue. This game was the most competitive of the day and ultimately, Capital moved on to the finals against M&D. Overall, 20 2017 teams competed and Blast finished in the top 4! Great job girls!
2018 Blue & 2018 Red Highlights
2018 Blue played in an extremely competitive bracket alongside Elite (MD), Rebels Black (MD), Carolina Flight (NC), and York Invaders Black (PA). Each game was very physical and well fought. In the game vs Elite, Blast controlled the pace in the final two minutes of the game to come away with a 10-9 win! Against Rebels Black, both teams were aggressive and well matched but unfortunately, time ran out at the end and the Rebels pulled off an 11-9 win. Against Carolina Flight, Blast dominated in every area of the field and finished the game with a BIG team win. In their final game against York Invaders Black, the score was back and forth for all 50 minutes but the Invaders were able to hold onto a 2 goal lead to win 8-6. Blast 2018 Red played against Next Level (MD), Ravens (MD), York Invaders Silver (PA) and SuperNoVA Blue (VA). In their first game of the tournament, 2018 Red played Next Level and had an extremely exciting come back win. Despite being down to start the 2nd half, the team pulled together for some amazing transitions to finish out 9-6! The game against Ravens was also very exciting, as Abigail Evans put three consecutive goals in the back of the net for Blast to take the lead towards the end of the game!
2019 Blue & 2019 White Highlights
The 2019 bracket was the largest with 33 different teams competing over the two days. Blast 2019 Blue faced Redshirts (MD), Hero’s White (MD), No Excuse Blue (TN), and ESLC Pirates (MD). 19 Blue defeated the Redshirts as well as No Excuse Blue and tied ESLC Pirates; Hero’s White proved to be the division’s toughest team. Blast had nine different goal scorers in their big team win against No Excuse Sunday morning. Against ESLC Pirates, Haley W. had the buzzer beater goal that evened up the score! Overall, 2019 Blue played very well as a group, scoring 45 goals over their four competitive games! 2019 White went 500 on the tournament after facing M&D Red (MD), Crash Black (VA), Victory Black (PA) and SuperNoVA Gold (VA). M&D Red was the team’s toughest game – M&D continued on after bracket play to be named the 2019 tournament champions. With strong team play between the 30s and on the defensive end, 19 White was able to defeat both Crash Black and Victory Black. The game vs SuperNoVA was extremely competitive (halftime 4-4) and full of big plays by many defensive players, including goal keeper Liz Coll. | https://phillyblastlacrosse.com/news/fall-uprising-recap-2017s-shine/ |
In his film work, Jesper Just links images of an exceptional quality to sound and music. Enigmas disrupt the narrative, creating a poetry-liberating tension. The artist leaves spectators with their own doubts and emotions.
The work conceived for the Palais de Tokyo consists of an audiovisual installation and a spatial intervention, which transforms both the space and the visitor’s journey. The One World Trade Center, an iconic and controversial skyscraper, is as much the scene of the films, as a character in itself. It functions as a phantom limb, while also standing for resilience. The films follow two characters: a young girl, who is not an individual but embodies the ideals of youth and feminity conveyed today, and a disabled child. The characters mirror, oppose and interact, to explore themes of ableism and agency as well as the boundaries of body and selfhood.
Book contents
– “Servitudes”: Jesper Just in conversation with Katell Jaffrès, curator of Jesper Just’s exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo
– “In The Doubling of Dreams”: an essay by Fabien Danesi on Jesper Just’s film work
– Notes on a selection of the artist’s films
About the authors
– Fabien Danesi is an art historian. He’s managing the programme of the Pavillon Neuflize OBC, the research lab of the Palais de Tokyo.
– Katell Jaffrès is a curator at the Palais de Tokyo. | https://palaisdetokyo.com/en/produit/jesper-just/ |
The “She” Word in Uganda’s Job Market
This article was originally published by Youth4policy.
For years, Uganda has demonstrated commitment to gender equality through legal and constitutional means. This is in addition to various national policy and strategy documents. The most notable of these is the Women and Gender Development Policy of 2000 [i]and the National Strategy for Gender Development of 2008[ii]. Additionally, the National Gender Policy of 1997 was revised in 2007. Other supportive provisions are contained in the 1995 constitution, the Equal Opportunities Act and recent national development plans. The commitment to promoting gender equality is therefore evident.
Uganda has ratified key international and regional human rights instruments for empowerment of women and addressing gender parity, including the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action[iii], the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. Other supporting policies and laws in place include the Employment Act (2006), the Occupation Safety and Health Act, the Labour Union Act, 2006, the Workers’ Compensation Act and the attendant Regulations, the Sexual Harassment Regulations (2012), the Uganda Vision 2040, the National the Development Plan 11 (2010/11-2014/15
According to a New Vision Article, the participation of women in the work industry sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication, inclusive economic growth and sustainable development. Government efforts towards providing a conducive policy and legal environment aimed at promoting women’s participation and empowerment in the changing world of work are highly recognised. [iv]
However, to reach the ultimate goal of women fully participating in the work industry, there is a need to address some of the glaring gender parity issues.
Challenges such as limited ownership and access to production assets (land and capital), limited competitive skills for the job market, gender stereotypes and traditional beliefs that tend to prescribe certain kinds of jobs to women remain obstacles to their economic empowerment. For instance, biases still remain in families, schools, and workplace against female students in science and technology. Women are facing structural and cultural barriers, for instance, there is a cultural perception that STEM courses are difficult to study because of the Mathematics and Physics involved, which supposedly is one of the reasons girls opt-out.
Gender disparities are particularly seen in the informal sector where women take on high risk and low-income jobs. Here, the social, as well as cultural norms and practices, still deprive adolescent girls and young women from their full participation in the labour market, thus rendering them poor and less empowered to effectively contribute to Uganda’s economy.
Let us also take a closer look at “career mothers” who continue to pursue their respective dreams alongside nursing their young ones. Many programs, fellowships and job opportunities will make it clear that “Nursing mothers are not advised to apply”.This is a limitation and a hindrance yet such opportunities won’t wait until the baby nursing period is done!
Moreover, many career mothers still struggle with balancing work and family because they are overburdened by the gender triple role of women in society (reproduction, production and community), which is a huge hindrance to their full participation in productive work. For instance, the period of maternity leave granted to mothers by several companies is less than legally laid out while others don’t even recognise it. Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) on 6th June 2019 became the first company in Uganda to officially give its female employees up to 6 months of fully paid maternity leave. This thrilling announcement brings about the hope that other employing agencies can borrow a leaf from this.
This, unfortunately, means, once such policies that apply a gender lens are not factored in, women will either resign or quit their jobs to take care of their children/families. Otherwise, their children’s early childhood development, the time when they need their mothers most, will be affected as the mothers get busy and busier attending to their respective jobs.
Moreover, being young and female continues to pose a twin challenge for the current generation of young women seeking employment. Labour markets remain highly sex-segregated, which reflects an unequal distribution of men and women across sectors and occupation. Women continue to be segregated into particular types of occupations, often with inferior pay and poor working conditions.
I also have some personal experience to share on this matter that goes along with my argumentation. I remember when I was applying for the Youth4Policy (Y4P) fellowship organised by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung – Uganda, I was so worried about my admission because my baby girl was barely a year. During the interview as they gave closing remarks, I was given a chance to raise any concern and my question was whether it was a residential program. I was admitted into the program and, for the first workshop, requested to commute from home so that I could be with my baby during the night (this was a total sacrifice as it meant waking up really early, use several “Boda Bodas” to make it in time as well as coming back home really late). After this workshop, I was asked to carry my baby along with nanny for all the next workshops. This was so relieving and fulfilling as I would simply move out during the breaks to attend to the baby and had no worries of how she is doing as I was always with her in the same locality. How much more can it be if all programs gave such exemptions to women? Women will be able to thrive and succeed all their pursuits in life benefiting their families, communities and nation at large.
More importantly, though, it is for the government to ‘walk the talk’ and implement the existing policies that seek to promote decent employment environments for all with special attention to the females. Finally, there is a need to break down the barriers, norms and practices that keep women from realizing their full potential and their rights for equal opportunity and treatment. | https://www.hiretheyouth.org/she-word-in-ugandas-job-market/ |
NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Woven Words Prose Chapter 2
Chapter 2 in Class 11 English Woven Words Prose is a story titled A Pair of Mustachios that revolves around an instance of social pride leading to an individual’s downfall. NCERT solutions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 2 prose provides comprehensive and precise answers to all questions from the text.
These solutions have been curated by learned experts, complying with the present-day CBSE guidelines. Referring to these study materials will help enhance your understanding of the underlying themes and concepts, thereby fuelling your journey to better scores.
NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Woven Words Prose Chapter 2 PDF will be updated soon!
1. What is the Moral of the Story in Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 2 Prose?
Ans. The message conveyed through A Pair of Mustachios is that holding onto outdated values and customs does not do anyone any good. Through the character of Azam Khan, readers have been shown an example of how rooting for a superficial sense of pride in traditional standards, like class divisions, without paying heed to reason can lead to one’s downfall. It also delivers the moral that in order for a community to prosper, people need to adapt with the ideological advancements and progressing times.
2. How is Azam Khan Portrayed as a Victim of His Class Pride in A Pair of Mustachios?
Ans. Azam Khan is portrayed as an individual, belonging to an upper class, who is still living in the past grandeur of his forefathers. He exercises his superiority over Ramanand, an individual with a social standing below him, by expressing dissatisfaction in the latter’s present style of moustache and commands him to wear it in the manner ideal for his class.
Khan is a short-tempered and impractical man who lets his pride take over his common sense and eventually gets fooled by going to the extent of willing to sacrifice his property just to make Ramanand obey him. Thus he becomes a victim of his pride by summoning his disaster.
3. What are the Major Themes in NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 2 Prose A Pair of Mustachios?
Ans. The story, A Pair of Mustachios, explores the themes of class-based discrimination, age-old traditions, pride and individuality. The main conflict between the two protagonists Ramanand and Azam Khan has centred on the boundaries that societal norms demand an individual not to cross as per their standing.
Through a light-hearted satirical account, the author represents this hurdle to one’s freedom of expression in Azam Khan’s perception of Ramanand’s moustache style as inappropriate according to his class and stresses on him to change the style accordingly. | https://www.vedantu.com/ncert-solutions/ncert-solutions-class-11-english-woven-words-chapter-2-prose |
How to Calculate Pig Weight | Tractor Supply Co.
Measure the circumference of the animal, as shown in "distance C" in the illustration. Make sure to measure girth in relation to the location of the pig's heart.
Measure the length of the animal's body, as shown in distance A-B in the illustration. The pig must be standing or restrained in the position shown in the illustration for the calculation to be nearly accurate.
Using the measurements from steps 1 and 2, calculate body weight using the formula HEART GIRTH x HEART GIRTH x BODY LENGTH / 400 = ANIMAL WEIGHT IN POUNDS. For example, if an adult pig has a heart girth equal to 45 inches and a body length equal to 54 inches, the calculation would be (45 x 45 x 54) / 400 = 273 lbs.
If the hog or sow weighs less than 150 lbs., add 7 lbs. to the final answer. For example, if you have a young hog whose total body weight you have calculated to be 125 using the formula above, use the formula 125 + 7 = 132 lbs. | https://www.tractorsupply.com/know-how_pets-livestock_livestock-other_how-to-calculate-pig-weight |
Now that your assembly language and machine language specifications are complete, you should describe how you plan to implement your instruction set at the register transfer level (RTL).
Your first step in this process is to break each instruction into small steps. Each step should be of roughly equal size (i.e. they should take about the same amount of time to complete) and move data from one register to another. Complete the process by grouping steps that can be completed in parallel in a single clock cycle. Be sure to look for common steps across all of your instructions. Exploiting these can simplify your implementation.
Next, list and describe the components that will be needed to implement your RTL (e.g. "S/E is a combinational logic unit that sign-extends an 8-bit input to produce a 16-bit output").
Do not describe how the parts are connected; you just need build a 'shopping list' of generic parts (i.e. PC, IR, and ALUout are all registers). For this milestone, you are only interested in the components that are clearly needed by the RTL (so probably no muxes).
Note: Xilinx block memory does not output values from memory until the rising edge of the clock (i.e. it is synchronous). This is different from the assumption that the book makes about memory!
Be aware that your RTL specification directly impacts performance
(execution time) of and resources (the number of gates) required to
implement your design. Specifically the time required to complete the
longest step determines the cycle time (clock frequency) and the
number of groups required to complete an instruction determines the
CPI.
This is most important for designs that divide instructions into multiple stages (multi-cycle).
If you plan on doing single-cycle, you don't need registers between the stages. Instead, just indicate that wires are holding information between the stages.
That is, instead of having your instruction in
IR, you might have your instruction on the
inst wires.
You may modify your assembly language and machine language specifications for this milestone. In fact, time spent getting the instruction set architecture correct for this milestone will save you lots of time later. Please note any changes and why they were made in your design process journal.
Do not build any datapath or control for this milestone. You need to verify your RTL is robust before continuing.
You will model, test, and debug your complete processor using the Xilinx ISE design suite. It is highly recommended that you begin implementing and testing individual components in a bottom-up manner now.
2. Turning in M2
For this milestone, you will submit the following:
-
An updated design document, that includes the following:
-
An RTL description of each instruction or set of related instructions. You should include a summary chart similar to the ones discussed in class.
-
A list of generic components specifications needed to implement your register transfer language (these will eventually make up your datapath). For each component give:
-
A list of input signals, output signals, and control signals including the number of bits in each signal.
-
An unambiguous English description of how the component's output will change according to its input and control signals.
-
A list of the RTL symbols that this component will implement. For example, a generic register component might implement both the 'PC' and 'ALUout' RTL symbols.
-
-
Now that you have RTL, you can use it to design the datapath in the next milestone. However, if your RTL has errors, it will cause your datapath to be incorrect. Go back and verify that your RTL correct.
- Give a brief overview of your process for double-checking the RTL for errors.
-
A note of changes made to the Assembly language and Machine language specifications.
-
-
An updated design process journal for each team member, including:
- your thought processes and rationale behind your decisions and .
- itemized log of each member's work for the week and an estimated work time for each item. Each member is responsible for their own log.
Your design document should be updated in the
Design directory of your team's
repository.
The names of your design document and design journals should not change. | https://www.rose-hulman.edu/class/csse/csse232/M2/ |
Interested in pursuing a master’s degree to gain research experience, prepare for medical school or a PhD program, or take your career to the next level? Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine offers a variety of master’s and certificate programs designed to get you there. Our faculty members are energetic, accessible educators who aim to meet your academic needs.
This two-year masters program prepares students for challenging careers as certified anesthesiologist assistants. CAAs are highly skilled allied health professionals who work under the direction of licensed anesthesiologists to implement care plans and who are integral members of the anesthesia care team. They provide essential, pain-relieving treatments and are involved in the entire cycle of care, from intake through surgery to post-operative care. The Master of Science in Anesthesia Program is a full-time program that begins in May each year. The MSA Program is clinically-based and highly hands-on, with students beginning their work in the operating room within one month of their start date. The MSA Program is offered at three sites—Cleveland, Ohio; Houston, Texas; and Washington, D.C.—with clinical rotations at more than 80 affiliate hospitals across the country.
The Applied Anatomy program was established for students seeking a comprehensive education in the anatomical sciences, particularly for individuals pursuing careers as medical health professionals and teachers who desire an advanced degree to enhance their skills and credentials. Many students use their rigorous training in anatomy to improve their academic basis for application to professional schools. Case Western Reserve University medical students may also pursue a joint MD/MS degree program to seek advanced training in the anatomical sciences. The joint MD/MS program is undertaken and completed concurrently with the medical curriculum, particularly if a student enters the graduate program during the first year of medical school.
The Department of Biochemistry is a renowned center for research and teaching in the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. With over one hundred faculty, staff, graduate, and post-graduate trainees, the department offers you a vibrant and unique environment to being your career in biomedical research. The legacy of the department began with Harland Wood's discovery of carbon dioxide fixation. Faculty continues to carry on the tradition of research excellence with nationally and internationally recognized contributions to biomedical sciences. Graduates routinely go on to further their careers in medicine, research, teaching, biotechnology, and scientific writing.
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579 F.Supp.2d 512 (2008)
In re STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST CO. ERISA LITIGATION.
This document relates to: 07 Civ. 8488.
No. 07 CIV. 8488(RJH).
United States District Court, S.D. New York.
September 30, 2008.
*514 Avi Josefson, Jonathan Andrew Harris, Edwin G. Schallert, Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP, Jerald D. Bien-Willner, Gerald H. Silk, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, David Steven Preminger, Keller Rohrback L.L.P., New York, NY, Laura R. Gerber, Derek W. Loeser, Karin B. Swope, Lynn Lincoln Sarko, Tyler L. Farmer, Keller Rohrback L.L.P., Gretchen Freeman Cappio, Seattle, WA, Patrick T. Egan, Jeffrey Craig Block, Berman DeValerio Pease Tabacco Burt & Pucillo, Boston, MA, for Plaintiffs.
Christopher G. Green, Harvey J. Wolkoff, Jeffrey P. Palmer, Olivia S. Choe, Robert A. Skinner, Ropes & Gray, LLP, Boston, MA, Jerome Charles Katz, Ropes & Gray, LLP, New York, NY, for Defendants.
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
RICHARD J. HOLWELL, District Judge.
This is an action brought pursuant to sections 409(a) and 502(a)(2) and (3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA") by plaintiff Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company ("Prudential") as the fiduciary of over two hundred retirement plans (the "Plans") to recover losses due to the Plans' investments in funds offered by defendants State Street Bank and Trust Company and/or State Street Global Advisors, Inc. (collectively, "State Street"). Prudential alleges that two State Street funds lost significant value due to State Street's breaches of fiduciary duties in managing these funds. State Street now moves to dismiss the complaint filed in this action ("Complaint" or "Compl.") pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), for lack of standing, and 12(b)(6), for failure to state a claim, or in the alternative for summary judgment. For the reasons stated below, the motion is granted in part and denied in part.
BACKGROUND
Plaintiff Prudential "offers institutional retirement plan sponsors access to a wide variety of mutual funds and bank collective trusts ... enabling plan sponsors to assemble a menu of investment choices for retirement plans and plan participants." (Compl.¶ 10.) Prudential is an ERISA fiduciary of 210 or 215 retirement plans that invested, through Prudential, in two collective bank trusts managed by State Streetthe "Government Credit Fund" and the "Intermediate Bond Fund" (collectively, the "Funds"). By virtue of its control over plan assets invested in the Funds, State Street also acts as an ERISA fiduciary with respect to each Plan. (Id. ¶¶ 15, 31.)[1] The Plans invest their assets *515 through Prudential by investing in a "separate account" set up by Prudential to correspond to each fund on its "menu". The assets of Plans that wish to invest in a particular fund through Prudential are pooled in the appropriate separate account, which then purchases an interest in that fund. (Id. ¶¶ 11, 14, 32.)
According to the Complaint, the Plans lost roughly $80 million in the summer of 2007 due to State Street's overly risky investment strategies, including "undisclosed, highly leveraged positions in mortgage-based financial derivatives." (Id. ¶ 3.) By concentrating the holdings of the Funds in such assets, State Street "exposed the ... Funds to an inappropriate level of risk," contrary to State Street's representations that the Funds were "enhanced bond index" funds that sought "`stable, predictable returns' slightly above an index consisting of investment-grade U.S. Government and corporate bonds." (Id. ¶¶ 2, 3.)
In October 2007, Prudential made the Plans a proposal under which Prudential would loan a participating plan an "up-front payment" in an amount that to some extent compensated a plan for losses from its investment in the State Street Funds (the "Loan"), in exchange for the plan's authorization for Prudential to commence litigation against State Street on its behalf. (See, e.g., Goldman Decl. Exs. 4, 5, 6.)
The proposed Loans consisted of (1) an amount necessary to increase a plan's balance to the value it would have achieved had it been invested in the Lehman Brothers Intermediate U.S. Government Credit Index (the "Benchmark Index") instead of the State Street Funds between July 1 and August 29, 2007, plus (2) the return that would have been received on the plan's July and August losses in the State Street Funds if these had instead been invested in the Benchmark Index from August 29, 2007 to October 8, 2007, plus (3) a portion of the costs of bringing legal action against State Street. (See, e.g., Goldman Decl. Exs. 4, 5, 6; Siegel Decl. Ex. C.)
To accept the proposal, Plans were required to respond before December 1, 2007. Prudential has represented that 190 of the Plans accepted Prudential's Loan proposal (the "Participating Plans") (Siegel Decl. Ex. D), and that the total amount of the Loans was approximately $80 million (Goldman Decl. Exs. 1, 2, 3). Under the terms of the agreement entered into by the Participating Plans (the "Authorization Agreement"), a plan that receives a Loan is only obligated to repay Prudential from the proceeds (by judgment, settlement, or otherwise) of litigation against State *516 Street. (See, e.g., id. Ex. 4 at 6.) If the amount of such recovery is less than the Loan amount, the unpaid balance is forgiven. (See, e.g., id. Ex. 4 at 3.) If the amount of recovery exceeds the Loan amount, the excess will be paid to the Plan. (See, e.g., id. Ex. 4 at 4, 6.)
The Loans are structured such that the Loans are not paid directly to individual Plans, but rather to the separate accounts previously invested in the Funds (the "Separate Accounts"). (See, e.g., id. Ex. 4; Siegel Decl. Ex. C.) The Separate Accounts are then obliged to pay disbursements to the Plans and to make repayment to Prudential out of any litigation proceeds that are received. (See, e.g., Goldman Decl. Ex. 4; Siegel Decl. Ex. C.)
State Street has moved to dismiss the Complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), asserting that Prudential lacks standing to bring this action because (1) it can only act on behalf of the Plans, which State Street contends have been "made whole" as a result of the Loans, and (2) it seeks recovery on behalf of the Separate Accounts, in which State Street contends the Plans no longer have any interest. In the alternative, State Street seeks partial summary judgment that the Loan amount shall be set off against any damages awarded in this action. Finally, State Street moves under Rule 12(b)(6) to dismiss all of Prudential's claims brought pursuant to ERISA Section 502(a)(3), claiming that the Complaint states no viable claim for equitable relief.
DISCUSSION
I. The Plans Do Not Lack Standing to Recover Amounts Received From Prudential
State Street characterizes its motion as a challenge to Prudential's standing pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1). See Alliance For Envtl. Renewal, Inc. v. Pyramid Crossgates Co., 436 F.3d 82, 89 n. 6 (2d Cir.2006) (stating that the proper procedural route for a challenge to standing is a motion under Rule 12(b)(1)). However, a plaintiff's standing is "assessed as of the time the lawsuit is brought," Comer v. Cisneros, 37 F.3d 775, 787 (2d Cir.1994), in this case October 1, 2007. There is no evidence that any Plan had accepted Prudential's Loan proposal or received any payment from Prudential on or before this date. Indeed, State Street's own evidence indicates that the Authorization Agreements and materials describing the proposal were distributed to the Plans sometime in October 2007 and that these materials refer to the fact that this action had already been filed. (See Goldman Decl. Exs. 4, 5, 6, 8.)
State Street appears to contend that the Plans lacked standing at the time of filing because Prudential "publicly offered to make the Plans whole" in an October 1, 2007 SEC filing in which Prudential stated that it was "implementing a process under which affected plan clients ... will receive payments ... for the losses [from investments in State Street funds]," because at this time, "the Plans had the legal right and ability to be made whole, and thus had no injury-in-fact." (Reply Mem. 5; Goldman Decl. Ex. A.) This argument has no basis in the law and is rejected.
Because standing undisputedly existed when the complaint was filed, State Street's motion is properly characterized not as a challenge to standing but as a challenge based on mootness due to post-filing events. See Comer, 37 F.3d at 797-98 (explaining that "[w]hile the standing doctrine evaluates a litigant's personal stake at the onset of a case, the mootness doctrine ensures that the litigant's interest in the outcome continues throughout the life of the lawsuit," and that "[i]n general, *517 a case is moot when the issues presented are no longer live or the parties lack a legally cognizable interest in the outcome"). "A case can become moot at any stage of litigation, though the burden on the party alleging mootness is a `heavy' one." Associated Gen. Contractors of Conn., Inc. v. City of New Haven, 41 F.3d 62, 65 (2d Cir.1994).
The Court therefore interprets State Street's motion as seeking to dismiss this action as moot because the Plans no longer have any interest in this litigation, having already been "made whole" by Prudential. According to State Street, the Plans no longer have a legally cognizable injury because Prudential intended the Loans as complete compensation for the Plans' losses in State Street funds and referred to portions of the Loans in materials describing the proposal as "Make Whole Amounts". (See, e.g., Defs.' Mem. 1-11 (citing Goldman Decl. Ex. 4).) As an alternative to dismissal for lack of standing, State Street seeks partial summary judgment that the $79 million Loan amount shall be set off against any damages awarded in this action.
The premise of State Street's motionsthat an action is necessarily mooted when a plaintiff's damages are reimbursedis flawed. Federal courts regularly apply the "collateral source rule," which permits a plaintiff to recover damages from a tortfeasor though the plaintiff has already received compensation for its injuries from a third-party and even when such an award would lead to double recovery. "According to this doctrine, which is an established exception to the general rule that damages in a negligence action must be compensatory, a wrongdoer is not permitted to reduce a plaintiff's recovery because of benefits which the latter may have received from another source." Cunningham v. Rederiet Vindeggen A/S, 333 F.2d 308, 316 (2d Cir.1964); see also 2 Dan B. Dobbs, Law of Remedies § 8.6(3) (2d ed. 1993) ("The collateral source or collateral benefit rule denies the defendant any credit for payments or benefits conferred upon the plaintiff by any person other than the defendant himself or someone identified with him.").
To the extent State Street is arguing that the "collateral source rule" should not apply, it offers no case law or argument suggesting that the circumstances of this case justify an exception to this generally applicable rule.[2]See Hartnett v. Reiss S.S. Co., 421 F.2d 1011, 1016 (2d Cir.1970) ("The general rule in the federal courts is that the collateral source rule is applied. ..."); King v. City of New York, No. 06 Civ. 6516(SAS), 2007 WL 1711769, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. June 13, 2007) ("The collateral source rule is a substantive rule of law that bars the reduction of an award by funds or benefits received from collateral or independent sources. It applies to cases governed by federal law...."); *518 Ebert v. City of New York, No. 04 Civ. 9971(LMM), 2006 WL 3627103, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. June 26, 2006); see also 2 Dan B. Dobbs, Law of Remedies § 8.6(3) (2d ed. 1993) ("Except as modified by statute, the [collateral source] rule is almost invariably accepted in the courts."); compare Garofalo v. Empire Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 67 F.Supp.2d 343, 347 (S.D.N.Y. 1999) (noting that plaintiff had cited no cases indicating that collateral source rule applied in ERISA cases and declining to apply collateral source rule to claim for breach of fiduciary duty that, unlike the instant case, was "at worst, neither purposeful nor negligent," reasoning that "[i]n these no-fault circumstances, it would be inequitable to apply the fault-premised collateral-source rule"). In fact, application of the collateral source rule is particularly appropriate in this case. It permits Prudential, in effect, to subrogate the Plans' claims against State Street and will potentially prevent State Street from receiving a windfall benefit from a payment intended by Prudential to benefit the Plans. 2 Dan B. Dobbs, Law of Remedies § 8.6(3) (2d ed.1993) (citing protection of subrogation rights and prevention of windfall benefits to wrongdoers as two frequently cited rationales for the collateral source rule). Furthermore, because the terms of the Loans require the Plans to repay Prudential the Loan amount from any recovery obtained in this litigation, there is no threat of double recovery in this case.
Application of the collateral source rule here is also consistent with "ERISA's essentially remedial purpose of protecting beneficiaries of pension plans." Salovaara v. Eckert, 222 F.3d 19, 31 (2d Cir.2000). A fiduciary in Prudential's position would obviously be deterred from making similar loans to pension plans and bringing claims on the plans' behalf if the fiduciary were unable to recover its payment from litigation proceeds. See id. at 28 (stating that "the purpose of ERISA [is] to promote the interests of plan beneficiaries and allow them to enforce their statutory rights."). Furthermore, permitting a set-off for the Loan amount may prevent the Plans from receiving damages to which they are legally entitled, should such damages exceed $79 million, because any award up to this amount must be repaid to Prudential under the terms of the Loan. Finally, it is obviously not in the interests of ERISA plan beneficiaries to permit a defendant that has breached its fiduciary obligations to escape liability for its actions.[3]
II. The Separate Accounts Are Plan Assets
State Street also asserts that the Plans lack standing in this action because the Complaint requests that relief be paid *519 to the Separate Accounts, not to the Plans, and therefore seeks recovery for Prudential, not for the Plans. State Street alleges that the Participating Plans no longer have funds invested in the Separate Accounts, citing a provision in the Authorization Agreement permitting Prudential to redeem a Participating Plan's investment in the Separate Account and deposit that amount in a "substitute investment option" selected by the plan. (See, e.g., Goldman Decl. Ex. 4 at 6.)
A "separate account" under ERISA is defined as "an account established or maintained by an insurance company under which income, gains, and losses, whether or not realized, from assets allocated to such account, are, in accordance with the applicable contract, credited to or charged against such account without regard to other income, gains, or losses of the insurance company." 29 U.S.C. § 1002.
As noted, retirement plans that wanted to invest in the State Street Funds using Prudential did so by purchasing interests in Prudential separate accounts, which in turn purchased units of the State Street Funds. (Opp'n Mem. 4; Compl. ¶ 11.) Prudential alleges that "[u]nder ERISA, the assets of each .. . separate account are treated as the assets of the pension plans investing in such separate account." (Compl. ¶14); see also 29 C.F.R. § 2510.3-101(h)(1)(iii) (stating that a plan that holds or acquires an interest in an insurance company's "separate account" has an "undivided interest" in the underlying assets of the separate account). This is generally consistent with State Street's description of the Separate Accounts as "accounts set up within Prudential in order to aggregate the investments of participating plans for the purpose of making pooled investments in the State Street Funds." (Defs.' Mem. 2.)
The limited evidence indicates that the Plans retain an interest in the Separate Accounts. Even if a plan has transferred its funds out of the Separate Account, it retains an interest in the Separate Accounts pursuant to the Authorization Agreement, which states that Prudential "is a fiduciary of the Plan in connection with the Plan's investment in the Separate Account," and that "if Lawsuit Proceeds allocable to the Plan exceeds [the Loan amount plus allocable legal fees], any such excess amount will be allocated to the Plan in a manner consistent with [Prudential's] obligation as a fiduciary in connection with the Separate Account." (Goldman Decl. Ex. 4 at 6.) Furthermore, the agreement between Prudential and the Plans, pursuant to which the Loan amount is transferred to the Separate Accounts, indicates that if a recovery is obtained in litigation, repayment will be made from the Separate Accounts and that Prudential has no claim for repayment from and no security interest in any other asset of the Separate Accounts. (Siegel Decl. Ex. C at 2.)
The Court finds that the Plans retain an interest in this litigation seeking recovery to the Separate Accounts. The record indicates that the Separate Accounts are maintained by Prudential as a fiduciary for the benefit of the Plans and the Plans have an ongoing interest in the litigation proceeds paid to these accounts.
III. State Street's Motion to Dismiss Prudential's § 502(a)(3) Claims
State Street has also moved under Rule 12(b)(6) to dismiss Prudential's claims brought pursuant to ERISA section § 502(a)(3). State Street argues that these claims must be dismissed because Prudential's complaint states no viable claim for equitable relief.
"[E]quitable relief" under § 502(a)(3) refers to "`those categories of *520 relief that were typically available in equity,'" Great-West Life & Annuity Ins. Co. v. Knudson, 534 U.S. 204, 122 S.Ct. 708, 712, 151 L.Ed.2d 635 (2002) (quoting Mertens v. Hewitt Assocs., 508 U.S. 248, 256, 113 S.Ct. 2063, 124 L.Ed.2d 161 (1993)), and does not generally include money damages, which are "`the classic form of legal relief,'" id. at 713 (quoting Mertens, 508 U.S. at 255, 113 S.Ct. 2063). "For restitution to lie in equity, the action generally must seek not to impose personal liability on the defendant, but to restore to the plaintiff particular funds or property in the defendant's possession." Id. at 714-15.
Prudential does not contend that its claim for "restitution and disgorgement" falls into this category of equitable restitution, and, indeed, does not dispute State Street's claim that Section 502(a)(3) cannot be used to recovery monetary damages for "restitution and disgorgement" or for the "management fees" paid to State Street. The Court agrees that these demands for monetary relief are legal, not equitable, and dismisses them to the extent they are brought pursuant to Section 502(a)(3).
State Street also argues that Prudential has not alleged facts to support a demand for a permanent injunction against State Street "from further breaching, violating, or failing to discharge its duties under ERISA." (Compl. 15.) "The basic requirements to obtain injunctive relief have always been a showing of irreparable harm and the inadequacy of legal remedies." Nechis v. Oxford Health Plans, Inc., 421 F.3d 96, 103 (2d Cir.2005). Irreparable harm requires a showing of "`real or immediate threat that the plaintiff will be wronged again.'" Levin v. Harleston, 966 F.2d 85, 90 (2d Cir.1992) (quoting City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, 461 U.S. 95, 111, 103 S.Ct. 1660, 75 L.Ed.2d 675 (1983)). Prudential alleges no facts indicating that it or the Plans face irreparable harm and no facts indicating that legal remedies are inadequate. Therefore, Prudential's claim for an injunction is dismissed.[4]
CONCLUSION
For the reasons discussed herein, State Street's motion to dismiss for lack of standing [24] is denied, State Street's motion for summary judgment [24] is denied, and State Street's Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss [24] is granted.
SO ORDERED.
NOTES
[1] Under ERISA, an entity is a fiduciary with respect to a retirement plan "to the extent (i)[it] exercises any discretionary authority or discretionary control respecting management of such plan or exercises any authority or control respecting management or disposition of its assets, (ii)[it] renders investment advice for a fee or other compensation, direct or indirect, with respect to any moneys or other property of such plan, or has any authority or responsibility to do so, or (iii)[it] has any discretionary authority or discretionary responsibility in the administration of such plan." 29 U.S.C. § 1002(21)(A).
Under section 409(a) of ERISA, a fiduciary to a covered retirement plan that breaches its fiduciary obligations to the plan "shall be personally liable to make good to any plan any losses to the plan resulting from each such breach, and to restore to such plan any profits of such fiduciary which have been made through use of assets of the plan by the fiduciary, and shall be subject to such other equitable or remedial relief as the court may deem appropriate." 29 U.S.C. § 1109(a). Under section 502(a)(2), a fiduciary of an ERISA plan may bring action for relief under section 409; such an action is brought "in a representative capacity on behalf of the plan as a whole." 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(2); Mass. Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Russell, 473 U.S. 134, 142, 105 S.Ct. 3085, 87 L.Ed.2d 96 (1985). Under section 502(a)(3), a fiduciary may bring an action "to enjoin any act or practice which violates any provision of [ERISA] or the terms of the plan, or ... to obtain other appropriate equitable relief ... to redress such violations or ... to enforce any provisions of this subchapter or the terms of the plan." 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(3).
[2] Harley v. Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing, 284 F.3d 901 (8th Cir.2002), cited by State Street, is distinguishable. In that case, the court held that beneficiaries of a defined benefit plan lacked standing to sue their employer for an allegedly imprudent investment of plan assets, because the employer's voluntary contributions to the plan had created a substantial surplus. Id. at 905-08. This holding was based on the unique characteristics of a defined benefit plan, under which beneficiaries receive a "fixed periodic payment," "a decline in the value of a plan's assets does not alter accrued benefits," and "members have no entitlement to share in a plan's surplus." Id. at 905 (quoting Hughes Aircraft Co. v. Jacobson, 525 U.S. 432, 439-40, 119 S.Ct. 755, 142 L.Ed.2d 881 (1999)). The court found that the beneficiaries suffered no injury-in-fact because the plan's surplus was sufficiently large that the investment loss did not affect the beneficiaries' interests. Id. at 907.
[3] Even if State Street were correct that a Plan's receipt of a Loan divested it of standing, dismissal of Prudential's complaint in its entirety would not be warranted because some Plans did not accept the Loan proposal and therefore have received no payment in compensation for their losses. State Street does not purport to challenge the standing of any of these non-participating Plans. Furthermore, while the Loans approximated the Plans' losses based on returns earned by a benchmark index during the summer months of 2007, damages under ERISA for a Section 409(a) violation are calculated by "compar[ing]... what the Plan actually earned on the ... investment with what the Plan would have earned had the funds been available for other Plan purposes." Donovan v. Bierwirth, 754 F.2d 1049, 1056 (2d Cir.1985). "Where several alternative investment strategies were equally plausible, the court should presume that the funds would have been used in the most profitable of these." Id. Therefore, the amount recoverable from State Street under Section 409(a) of ERISA may potentially exceed the amount of the Loan. In light of this fact, the Court would be unable to find as a matter of law that the Plans have been fully compensated for their losses.
[4] In its opposition papers, Prudential argues that its request for prejudgment interest is an equitable claim that can be awarded under Section 502(a)(3). (Opp'n Mem. 22.) State Street has not moved to dismiss Prudential's claim for prejudgment interest. The Court expresses no opinion at this time about whether and/or under what statutory provision an award of prejudgment interest might be available in this action.
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