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It’s hard to believe I am already writing about week one of marathon training. I think I am ready for this crazy ride! The first week wasn’t too bad. They work you into it, but by week 2 you are up and running!
Even though it is only the first week, this is how I felt for a majority of the week.
Let’s get right to it shall we? Here is a breakdown of my running on the first week of marathon training:
Monday – 6 miles
This wasn’t much of a change from what I have been doing, except for the pace! Hansons even has a pace for your “easy” days. The range for me is between an 8:25 and a 9:01. Even though it’s still not awful for me, I do pay attention to it a bit more on these days than I am use to.
I went out too fast, but eventually slowed myself down a bit. This is always something I struggle with. I fly out and then it catches up to me later on.
Tuesday – 10 miles (workout)
I wasn’t super nervous about my first workout because I knew I had just done the same one the week before. However, the previous week I did it on the treadmill so I knew I wanted to get outside this time!
The workout was:
2 mile warm up
12 x 400 meters (with 400 recovery)
2 mile cool down
It seems simple, but after a total of 10 miles I was pretty tired! My goal for each of the 400s was 1:38. My splits were as follows: 1:35, 1:36, 1:34, 1:36, 1:34, 1:35, 1:35, 1:33, 1:37, 1:34, 1:37, and 1:35.
I was really happy with my splits and workout overall. The treadmill is great but being able to push myself outside when the treadmill isn’t encouraging me on is an even better workout!
Wednesday – 6 miles
Wednesday was another easy 6 miles. I really wish I had different courses to run, but because it is so dark when I get up I don’t venture out from the same 2-3 roads. Sometimes it gets monotonous, but it gets the job done!
I was pretty sore from my work out and weight session the previous night, but focused on keeping the pace and recovering. I also finished up with some drills.
Thursday – 8 miles
Tempo runs don’t begin until next week. Thursday’s are always my tempo day, so I played around with the idea that I might try to do a shorter tempo like I did last week but in the end decided to stick with an easy day. I’ll have plenty of morning tempo runs in the near future!
Tempo runs are the runs that make me the most nervous, but also feel awesome when I’ve completed it! We will see how my first one goes next week!
It wasn’t sunny or crazy hot, but it was really humid this morning! I’ve just embraced the heat and humidity and tried to go with it. Some days it works better than others!
Friday – Off
As usual, Friday was my rest day. I have a really appreciation for them now that’s for sure!
Saturday – 10 mile
Once again Wes had to be at the hospital super early on Saturday. I decided I get up with him, because it is so much easier to get up when you know you have the option to go back to sleep! Plus, it allowed me to spend a little time with him before he was gone all day. I really cannot wait to have my hubby back!
We started out before 4:00 am and my entire focus was just on relaxing. It was so nice to beat the 95 degree heat but I sure didn’t beat the humidity!
Overall a great 10 miles to start off a Saturday. Plus, after a quick nap I was able to have a pretty awesome and productive day and then a great night with the hubby!
Sunday – 6 miles
Easy 6 miles on the schedule for Sunday.
On top of the running I was able to complete 3 days of strength training/weights and 4 days of course work. I was really happy that I stuck with it and have found an easy plan to help me hopefully continue this throughout my training.
I try to do strength training on the days I have a workout so that if I do get extra sore I have an easy day the following day. Thursdays are especially good for it because having the day off Friday allows me plenty of time to recover.
How did your running go this week?
Did anyone else just start training? | https://www.runningwife.com/2015/06/marathon-training-week-1-6815-61415/ |
The embodiment of the application provides a processing method and system of infrared remote control data, wherein the processing method provided by the invention comprises the following steps: receiving identical multi-frame data triggered by a one-time remote keying trigger signal; combining data codes and/or data inverse codes in data code segments of the multi-frame data in pairs to form a plurality of pairs of decoding combinations; analyzing the pairs of decoding combinations, wherein two pieces of data are valid decoding data if the two pieces of data in any pair of decoding combinations are identical or are inverse codes with each other; otherwise, the two pieces of data are invalid decoding data. Multi-frame sending is carried out on the same data code segment, the sent multi-frame data segments are received, the data codes and the data inverse codes in the data segments are combined in pairs to form a plurality of decoding combinations, and the decoding combinations are analyzed to acquire the valid decoding data, thereby increasing the quantity of the decoding combinations acquired by an infrared receiving end, improving the capability of receiving the valid data of the infrared receiving end and improving the anti-jamming capability of the infrared receiving end. | |
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The Assembly is a first-person interactive story, created for mature audiences and inspired by real-world anxieties. The game centers around the Assembly, a collective of scientists, academics and engineers who have hidden themselves away from the world. In an unknown underground bunker, the Assembly conducts covert experiments and discovers shocking new truths outside of the constraints of government scrutiny and society’s morals. Explore the secrets that the Assembly is hiding through the perspectives of two characters, newcomer Madeleine Stone and experienced scientist Cal Pearson. | https://www.ign.com/games/the-assembly |
Despite the remarkable unity of the basic components of the living world (DNA, RNA, the genetic code), we are probably still not aware of the diversity of genome structures nor of the diversity of means genomes use to evolve. In addition to local mutations affecting genome sequences, various global mutations also affect their overall gene order and content: rearrangements, horizontal gene transfer, hybridization, losses, duplications ranging from single genes to the whole genome.By comparing complete or partial genomes it is possible to infer evolutionary scenarios for gene families, gene clusters or entire genomes, and to predict ancestral characteristics. This has important consequences, not only for documenting the evolutionary history of life on earth, but also for answering many fundamental biological questions regarding gene function, adaptation processes and variations on the genetic and physiological specificities of species. Each problem, each type of mutation (or set of mutations), has its own model and gives rise to specific algorithmic, combinatorial, statistical and mathematical developments. Our research projects are related to these computational biology aspects of comparative genomics.
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My research interests focus on the development of metaheuristics, such as tabu search and genetic algorithms, for solving discrete optimization problems in the transportation domain. I am particularly interested in vehicle routing problems with different side constraints, like service time windows at customer locations. These problems can model many real-world applications such as distribution of goods by commercial vehicles, courier services, para-transit services, etc. I also study dynamic variants of these problems when customer requests dynamically occur over time and must be integrated in real-time into the current routes. | https://diro.umontreal.ca/en/recherche/interets/experts/ex/Combinatorial%20optimization/ |
---
author:
- |
Gang Liu\
Department of Mathematics\
UCLA
date: 'September, 2016'
title: ' Higher-degree Smoothness of Perturbations III'
---
Introduction
=============
This paper is the sequel to [@5; @6]. The main results of this paper are the following theorems (see the relevant definitions in the later sections).
Assume that $k>1$ and $p$ is an even integer greater than $2$. Choose an positive $\nu$ with $\nu<(p-2)/p <1$. Then there is a topological embedding ${ {\cal B} }^{\nu(a)}\rightarrow { {\cal B} }^{\nu}_{C}.$
Assume that $p$ is a positive even integer. The $p$-th power of $L_{k, \nu(a)}^p$ and $L_{k;\nu}^p$ norms, denoted by $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}:
W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow {\bf R} $ and $N_{k, p, \nu}:
V^{\nu}_{C(c^0)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow {\bf R} $ are of stratified $C^{m_0}$ smooth in the sense that they are stratified $C^{m_0}$ smooth viewed in any slices. Moreover for $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}:
W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow {\bf R} $, it is stratified $C^{m_0}$ smooth with respect to any of the two stratified smooth structures. Furthermore, under the assumption that $p>2$ and $0<\nu<(p-2)/p$, let $I: W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow V^{\nu}_{C(c^0)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ be the topological embedding. Then $I^*(N_{k, p, \nu}):W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow {\bf R} $ is stratified $C^{m_0}$ smooth in the same sense above.
Recall that $m_0=[k-2/p]$.
The immediate consequence of the above theorems is that for any given $W_{\epsilon}^{\nu(a)}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ considered as a local slice of the space ${\cal B}^{\nu(a)}$ of unparametrized stable maps, there is a stratified $C^{m_0}$ cut-off function $\gamma_{f_0}$ such that (i) it is equal to $1$ on a slightly smaller local slice $W_{\epsilon'}^{\nu(a)}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ with $\epsilon'<\epsilon$, and (ii) it is globally defined considered as a “function” on ${\cal B}^{\nu(a)}$ although it is not supported inside $W_{\epsilon}^{\nu(a)}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})$. Indeed, let $W_{\epsilon}^{\nu(a)}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})\subset V^{\nu}_{C(c^0), \delta}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ be an embedding in the first theorem. When $\epsilon$ is sufficiently small, the proof of the first theorem implies that there is a positive constant $C$ such that for $\delta>\epsilon/C$, the desired embedding already exists. Moreover for $\delta'<\delta$ but sufficiently close to $\delta$, the above embedding induces the corresponding embedding of the smaller neighborhoods given by replacing $\epsilon$ by $\epsilon'$ and $\delta$ by $\delta'$. Now let ${\hat \gamma}_{f_0}$ be a stratified $C^{m_0}$-smooth cut-off function that is supported on $V^{\nu}_{C(c^0), \delta}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})$, hence global on ${\cal B}^{\nu}_{C}$, and is equal to 1 on $V^{\nu}_{C(c^0), \delta'}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})$. Using the embedding, the desired cut-off function $\gamma_{f_0}$ then is the restriction of ${\hat \gamma}_{f_0}$ to $W_{\epsilon}^{\nu(a)}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0}).$
Now recall the following main result in [@5].
Let ${ W}^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_f)$ be a local uniformizer (slice) centerd at $f=f_0:\Sigma_0\rightarrow M$ of the space ${\cal B}^{\nu(a)}$ of stable $L^p_{k, \nu(a)}$-maps with domains given by ${\cal S}_t, t\in N(\Sigma_0)$. Here $N(\Sigma_0)$ is a local chart of ${\overline {\cal M}}_{0, k}$ with $t=0$ corresponding to $\Sigma_0={\cal S}|_{t=0}$ of the central fiber of the local universal family of stable curves ${\cal S}\rightarrow N(\Sigma_0)$. Let $K\simeq K_t$ with $t\in N(\Sigma_0)$ be the fixed part of the local universal family, and ${\widetilde W}(f_{K})$ be the corresponding space of $L_k^p$ maps with domain $K$ with associated bundle ${\cal L}^{K}\rightarrow {\widetilde W}(f_{K})$. Then any section ${\xi}^{K}:{\widetilde W}(f_{K})\rightarrow {\cal L}^{K}$ satisfying the condition $C_1$ and $C_2$ gives rise a stratified $C^{m_0}$-smooth section $\xi: { W}^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_f)\rightarrow {\cal L}$, which is still stratified $C^{m_0}$-smooth viewed in any other local slices in the sense that it is so on their “common intersections” (=the fiber product over the space of unparametrized stable maps).
The above results together imply the existence of the desired global perturbations.
For the $C^{m_0}$-smooth section $\xi: { W}_{\epsilon}^{\nu(a)}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow {\cal L}$ obtained from ${\xi}^{K}$ in above theorem, the section $\gamma_{f_0}\xi$ can be considered as a stratified $C^{m_0}$-smooth global section on ${\cal B}^{\nu(a)} $ in the sense that is still stratified $C^{m_0}$-smooth viewed in any other local slices. Moreover $\gamma_{f_0}\xi=\xi$ on a smaller but prescribed local slice ${ W}_{\epsilon'}^{\nu(a)}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})$.
Clearly the section ${\xi}^{K}$ also gives rise a corresponding section, still denote by ${\xi}$, on the larger neighborhood $V^{\nu}_{C(c^0), \delta}(f_0, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ so that $\gamma_{f_0}\xi$ is globally defined on ${\cal B}_C^{\nu}$. Hence it is globally defined on ${\cal B}^{\nu(a)}$ as well by embedding theorem. The rest of the proof is clear.
[$\Box$]{}
An immediate corollary is the existence of the perturbed moduli spaces of stable maps as a topological manifolds with expected dimensions under the assumption that there is no non-trivial isotropy group.
Let $s:{\cal B}_{k, p}(A)\rightarrow {\cal L}_{k-1, p}$ be the ${\bar{\partial }}_J $-section of the “bundle” ${\cal L}_{k-1, p}$ over the space of genus zero unparametrized stable $L_k^p$-maps of class $A\in H_2(M, {\bf Z})$, Here $(M, \omega)$ is a compact symplectic manifold with an ${\omega}$-compatible almost complex structure $J$, and the fiber of ${\cal L}_{k-1, p}$ at $(f: \Sigma \rightarrow M)$ is the space $L_{k-1}^p(\Sigma , \Lambda^{0, 1}(f^*(TM))).$ Let ${\cal W}=\cup_{i\in I} W_i$ be a sufficiently fine finite covering of the compactified moduli space ${\overline {\cal M}}(J, A)=s^{-1}(0)$ of $J$-holomorphic sphere of class $A$, where $W_i=:W_{f_i}, [f]_i\in {\overline {\cal M}}(J, A)$ is a local uniformizer of a neighborhood of $[f_i]\in{\cal B}_{k, p}(A)$. Assume further that all isotropy groups are trivial and that the virtual dimension of ${\cal M}(J, A)$ is less than $m_0$. Then there are generic small perturbations ${\nu}=\{\nu_i, i\in I\}$, which are compatible stratified $C^{m_0}$-smooth sections of the local bundles $ {\cal L}_i\rightarrow W_i$, such that the perturbed moduli space ${\cal M}^{\nu}(J, A)=\cup_{i\in I}(s+\nu_i)^{-1}(0)$ is a compact topological manifold with expected dimension.
More generally, combing the theorem 1.4 above with the construction in Sec.4 of [@7] , we get the following theorem that establishes the existence of the genus zero virtual moduli cycles in GW-theory.
Under the same assumption but without the restriction on the isotropy groups, there are generic small perturbations ${\nu}=\{\nu_i, i\in I\}$, which are compatible sections of the local bundles $ {\cal L}_i\rightarrow W_i$, such that the resulting functorial system of weighted perturbed moduli spaces, $\{ (1/\#({\Gamma_I}))\cdot {\cal M}^{I, \nu}(J, A), I\in {\cal I}\}$ is a weighted compact topological orbifold with expected dimension.
We refer the readers to [@7] for the notations used in above theorem, where the weighted orbifold here is called the virtual moduli cycle.
By generalizing the weakly smooth structure in [@10] to the case by allowing changes of the topological types of the domains as in [@6] and this paper, we will prove in [@11] that the weighted topological orbifold ${\cal M}^{\nu}(J, A)$ is in fact stratified smooth of class $C^{m_0}.$
The first two theorems are proved in Sec.2 and Sec.3.
For the basic facts on Sobolev spaces and calculus of Banach spaces, we refer to [@4; @9].
Topology of the space ${\cal B}^{\nu(a)}$ and ${\cal B}^{\nu}_C$
================================================================
The space ${\cal B}^{\nu}_C$
-----------------------------
Let $\Sigma=(S; {\bf p})$ be a genus zero stable curve modeled on a tree $T=T_{\Sigma}$ with the underlying nodal curve $S$ and (the set of) distinguished points ${\bf p}$. Assume that each component $S_v, v\in T$ is marked in the sense that a biholomorphic identification $S_v\simeq S^2$ is already given for each $v\in T$. Then using the marking, at each double point $d_{vu}\in S_v$ fix a small disk $D(d_{vu})=: D_{\epsilon_2}(d_{vu})$ of radius $\epsilon_2$ and an identification $D^*(d_{vu})=: D(d_{vu})\setminus \{d_{vu}\}\simeq [0, \infty)\times S^1$ so that $D^*(d_{vu})$ becomes a cylindrical end with coordinate $(t, s)\in [0, \infty)\times S^1.$
Now assume that $f:S\setminus {\bf d}\rightarrow M$ is a $L_{k, loc}^p$-map with $k-2/p>2$ that can be continuous extended over $S$. Given a section $\xi:S\setminus {\bf d}\rightarrow f^*TM$, its exponentially weighted $L_k^p$-norm with weight ${\nu}$ with $0<\nu<1$ is defined to be $\|\xi\|_{k, p, \nu}=
\|\xi|_{S\setminus \{ \cup_{d_{uv}} D(d_{vu})\}}\|_{k, p}+
\Sigma_{d_{uv}\in {\bf d}}\|\xi|_{D^*(d_{vu})}\|_{k, p, \nu}.$ Here $\|\xi|_{D^*(d_{vu})}\|_{k, p, \nu}$ is defined to be $\| e_{ \nu}\cdot {\hat \xi}_{uv}\|_{k ,p}$, where ${\hat \xi}_{uv}$ is the section corresponding to the restriction $\xi|_{D^*(d_{vu})}$ under the identification $D^*(d_{vu})\simeq [0, \infty)\times S^1$. Here $e_{ \nu}(s, t)$ is a function on the cylindrical ends defined to be: $e_{ \nu}(s, t)=exp\{ \nu|s|\}$ on the part of cylindrical ends with $(s,t)\in [1, +\infty)
\times S^1$, and $e_{ \nu}(s, t)=1 $ on $[0, 1/2]
\times S^1$.
Now assume that two such continuous $L_{k, loc}^p$-maps $f_1:\Sigma_1\rightarrow M$ and $f_2:\Sigma_2\rightarrow M$ are in the same equivalence class so that there is a biholomorphic identification $\phi:\Sigma_1\rightarrow \Sigma_2$ such that $f_1=f_2\circ \phi.$ In general $\phi$ does not preserve the small disks (with natural metrics) at double points described above. However, a direct computation show that for any fixed automorphism $\phi:\Sigma\rightarrow \Sigma$ and any $\xi$ above, there exist a constant $C_1=C_1(\phi) $ and $C_2=C_2(\phi) $ such that $\|\phi^*(\xi)\|_{k, p, \nu}\leq C_1\cdot \|\xi\|_{k, p, \nu}$ and $\|\xi\|_{k, p, \nu}\leq C_2\cdot \|\phi^*(\xi)\|_{k, p, \nu}.$
Hence the notion of exponentially decay $L_k^p$-sections $\xi$ of the bundle $f^*TM$ along cylindrical ends with weight $\nu$ is well-defined so that the condition $\|\xi\|_{k, p, \nu}<\infty$ is invariant with respect to the choices of the identifications of the punctured small disks with $[0, \infty)\times S^1$ and the representatives $f'$ in the equivalence class $[f]$. This justifies the following definition.
Let $n(d)=n(d, S)$ be the number of the (pairs of ) double points of a node curve $S$. A continuous node map $f:S\rightarrow M$ is said to be a $L_{k, \nu}^p$-map with asymptotic limit $c\in M^{n({\bf d})}$ if $\|"f-c"\|_{k, p, \nu}<\infty.$
Here $"f-c"$ is defined by: on the fixed part $K$, $"f-c"=f$, and on $D(d_{vu})$, it is equal to $f-c_{vu}$. Note that here like $f$, $c_{vu}$ is considered as a map from $D(d_{vu})$ or $K$ to $M\subset {\bf R}^M$ so that $f-c_{vu}$ is well-defined.
Thus such a $L_{k, \nu}^p$-map approaches its asymptotic limit $c$ along the cylindrical ends at double points exponentially with weight $\nu.$ The discussion before implies that this notion is independent of the choices of the small disks and the associated end structures, and that the equivalence classes of such maps are well-defined.
Now for a fixed $T$ with $n(T)=n({\bf d})$ and $c=:c_T\in M^{n(T)},$ the space of the stable $L_{k, \nu}^p$-maps of type $T$ with a fixed asymptotic limit $c$ is defined to be
$${\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu, {T}}_{c}=:
{\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu, {T}}_{c_T}=\{g\,\, |\, g:S\rightarrow M,\, T(S)=T, \, \|g-c\|_{k, p;\nu}<\infty \}.$$ Here $T(S)$ is the tree associated with the nodal surface $S$.
Let ${\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu, {T}}_{C}=\cup_{c\in M^{n(T)}} {\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu, {T}}_{c}$ be the space of the stable $L_{k, \nu}^p$-maps of type $T$ and ${\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu}_{C}=\cup_{T} {\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu, {T}}_{C}$ be the space of the stable $L_{k, \nu}^p$-maps of all types.
The corresponding spaces of the unparametrized stable $L_{k, \nu}^p$-maps will be denoted by ${ {\cal B}}^{\nu, {T}}_{c}$, ${ {\cal B}}^{\nu, {T}}_{C}$ and ${ {\cal B}}^{\nu}_{C}$ respectively.
Like the ordinary stable $L_k^p$-maps, the topology and local (stratified ) smooth structure on these spaces of unparametrized stable $L_{k, \nu}^p$-maps can be defined by using local slices in a process similar to the one in [@6]. We now give some relevant definitions briefly assuming that readers are already familiar with the notations in [@6].
We start with the “base” deformation $\{f_t, t\in {\bar W}(\Sigma_0)\}$ of the initial $L_{k, \nu}^p$-map $f=f_0:S_0\rightarrow M$ with asymptotic limit $c^0\in {M}^{n({\bf d})}, $ where ${\bar W}(\Sigma_0)$ is a (family of) coordinate chart(s) of $ {\bar N}(\Sigma_0)$. Given $f_0$, the definition of $f_t$ used in this paper is the same as the one in [@6], which we refer the readers to for the detailed definitions and notations. Briefly, each $t=(b, a)$, for $a=0$, the parameter $b$ describe the local moduli of the stable curves $\Sigma_b$ that has the same type $T_0$ as the initial curve $\Sigma_0$. Thus it is the collection of coordinates of the distinguished points ${\bf p}_b$ of $\Sigma_b$ with respect to ${\bf p}_{b=0}$ of the initial curve $\Sigma_0$ upto the obvious componentwise ${\bf SL}(2, {\bf C})$ action. Then $f_b$ is defined to be $f_b=f_0\circ \lambda_b^0.$ Here $\lambda_b^0:S_b\rightarrow S_0$ is a family of componentwise smooth maps that send the small disks on $S_b$ centered at the double points ${\bf d}_b$ of $S_b$ to the corresponding fixed ones on $S_0$. Since $S_b$ and $S_0$ have the same desingularization, using the “marking”, we only need to construct $\lambda_b^0$ as a family self diffeomorphisms of $S^2$. Clearly, we can require that they are holomorphic aways from the small annuli abound the “double points” and localized on the small disks centered at these “double points”. Indeed they can be defined as “localized translations” near double points in the obvious way. The parameter $a=\{a_{uv}, (u, v)\in E(T_0)\}$ is the collection of gluing parameters and each $a_{uv}$ is a complex parameter associated to a double point $d_{uv}$ lying on the two components $S_{0, u} $ and $S_{0, v}$ of the initial surface $S_0$. The gluing of the two components $f_{-}:S_{-}\rightarrow M$ and $f_{+}:S_{+}\rightarrow M$ with domains $S_-=:S_{0, u}$ and $S_+=:S_{0, v}$ at the double point $d_{uv}=d_{vu}:=d_-=d_+$ with the complex parameter $a\not = 0$, denoted by ${f_-}\chi_a f_+:{S_-}\chi_a S_+\rightarrow M$, is given by (i) on $s_{\pm}<-log |a|$, it is equal to $f_{\pm};$ and on $s_{\pm}\in [-log |a|, -log |a|+1]$, ${f_-}\chi_a f_+(s_{-}, \theta)= \beta_{[-log a, -log a+1]}(s_-)f_-(s, \theta)+(1-\beta_{[-log |a|, -log |a|+1]})(s_-)c^0,$ and ${f_-}\chi_a f_+(s_{+}, \theta)$ is defined by a similarly formula but replacing $ \theta$ by $ \theta+\arg a.$ Here ${S_-}\chi_a S_+$ is defined by cut of the ends $s_{\pm}> -log |a|+1$ from $S_{\pm}$ and glue back the rest along the boundary circles with an angle twisting $\arg a.$ The general case is done inductively so that $\chi_a (f_b)$ is defined. We define $f_t=f_{b, a}=\chi_a (f_b): S_t\rightarrow M.$ Now the metric on $S_0$ with “flat” ends at each double point induces a corresponding metric on $S_b$, which in turn gives a metric on $S_t$ through the gluing. It still has a flat metric on each end. Moreover it also has a flat metric over each neck area $N(d^s)$ $\simeq $ a finite cylinder of length $2(-log |a|+1)$ which is obtained from smoothing out a double point $d^s$ in $S_0.$ We will call each such neck area $N(d^s)$ an asymptotic end around the central circle $S^1(d)$. Thus with these well-defined end structure on $S_t$, the weight function $\nu^t$ is well-defined along both types of ends.
Now for a fixed $t\in {\bar W}(\Sigma_0)$, a $\epsilon$-neighborhood of $f_t$ in ${\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu, t}_c$ is defined to be ${\widetilde W}_{c(t),\epsilon }^{\nu, t}(f_t)=\{h_t: S_t\rightarrow M\, | \|h_t-f_t\|_{k, p, \nu^t}<\epsilon\}.$ Here we use $c(t)$ to denote the ends of $f_t$. Hence for $t\in T$ in the same stratum $c(t)=c^T$ is a constant.
Note that the above condition implies that $h_t$ has the same asymptotic limits $c(t)$ as $f_t$.
The “full” neighborhoods ${\widetilde W}^{\nu}_{\epsilon, c}(f_0)=\cup_{t\in {\bar W}(\Sigma_0)}{\widetilde W}^{\nu, t}_{\epsilon, c(t)}(f_t).$
A special feature of using the exponentially weighted $L_{k, \nu}^p$-norms is that the initial map $f_0$ can be approximated by the one that is asymptotically constants along cylindrical ends of $f_0$ at double points. Indeed given any $\epsilon>0, $ the condition $\|f-c^0\|_{k, p, \nu}<\infty$ implies that there is a $s_0$ such that $\|(f-c^0)|_{[s_0, \infty)\times S^1}\|_{k, p, \nu}<\epsilon_1<<\epsilon .$ Hence we may approximate $f$ in $L_{k, \nu}^p$-norm by a map $ {\tilde f}$ such that ${\tilde f}=f$ away from the ends with $s>s_0$ and ${\tilde f}_{vu}=c^0_{vu}$ along the end at $d_{vu}$ with $s>s_0+1.$ In fact we can simply define, assuming that there is only one end for simplicity of notations, $ {\tilde f}=\beta_{[s_0, s_0+1]}f+(1-\beta_{[s_0, s_0+1]})c^0$, where $ \beta_{[s_0, s_0+1]}$ is a smooth cut-off function such that $\beta_{[s_0, s_0+1]}$ is equal to $0$ for $s>s_0+1$ and $1$ for $s<s_0.$
Then $$\|f-{\tilde f}\|_{k, p, \nu}\leq \|(f-{\tilde f})_{S_t\setminus [s_0,\infty)\times S^1}\|_{k, p, \nu}+\|(f-{\tilde f})|_{[s_0,\infty)\times S^1}\|_{k, p, \nu}$$ $$= \|(1-\beta)(f-c_0)\|_{k, p, \nu}\leq \epsilon_1 \|\beta\|_{C^k}<< \epsilon/8.$$
Assume further that the gluing parameter $|a|$ is sufficiently small such that $-log|a|>>s_0$ above, for such $a\not= 0, $ consider the two gluings ${f_-}\chi_a f_+:{S_-}\chi_a S_+\rightarrow M$ and ${{\tilde f}_-}\chi_a {\tilde f}_+:{S_-}\chi_a S_+\rightarrow M$. Away from the neck area, on $S_t\setminus [-log|a|,-log|a|+1)\times S^1 $, they are equal to $f_{\pm}$ and ${\tilde f}_{\pm}$ respectively so that the $(k, p, \nu)$-norm of their difference restricted to there is less $\epsilon_1$. On the neck area above the condition on $|a|$ implies that ${{\tilde f}_-}\chi_a {\tilde f}_+= c_0. $ Then a computation similar to above implies that the same conclusion for the $(k, p, \nu)$-norm of their difference restricted to this area. Hence $\|{{\tilde f}_-}\chi_a {\tilde f}_+-{{ f}_-}\chi_a { f}_+\|_{k, p, \nu}\leq C \epsilon_1.$
Next consider a $g=(g_{-}, g_{+})\in {\widetilde W}^{\nu, t=0}_{\epsilon, c(t=0)}(f_0)$ with $f_0=f$ above. Let $\epsilon_2=\|f-g\|_{k, p, \nu}$. Choose $\epsilon_1$ with $\epsilon_1 << \epsilon_2<\epsilon.$ Applying above argument to $g$, we get the corresponding ${\tilde g}$ and ${{\tilde g}_-}\chi_a {\tilde g}_+.$ Then for $\epsilon_1$ sufficiently small (a) since $\|{\tilde g}-{ g}\||_{k, p, \nu}\leq C\dot \epsilon_1$, we may replace $g$ by ${\tilde g}$; (b) for $|a|$ sufficiently small specified before, on the neck area of $S_t$, both ${{\tilde g}_-}\chi_a {\tilde g}_+$ and ${{\tilde f}_-}\chi_a {\tilde f}_+$ are equal to $c^0$ and away from the neck area they are equal to ${\tilde g}$ and ${\tilde f}$ respectively so that $\|{{\tilde g}_-}\chi_a {\tilde g}_+-{{\tilde f}_-}\chi_a {\tilde f}_+\||_{k, p, \nu}$ is less than or equal to $\|{\tilde g}-{\tilde f}\|_{k, p, \nu} $ ($\leq \epsilon- \epsilon_2/8$, we may assume ). This proves that there is a small “full” $\epsilon_1$-neighborhood ${\widetilde W}^{\nu}_{\epsilon_1, c}({\tilde g})$ centered at ${\tilde g}$ (or $g$) that is contained in the given $\epsilon$-neighborhood ${\widetilde W}^{\nu}_{\epsilon, c}(f_0)$ centered at $f=f_0$.
Using the argument above inductively from lower strata to higher ones, the following proposition is proved.
The topology defined by only using asymptotic constant maps and the corresponding asymptotic constant deformations is equivalent to the usual one. In particular, the usual “full” neighborhoods ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu}(f_0)=\cup_{t\in {\bar W}(\Sigma_0)}{\widetilde W}^{\nu, t}_{\epsilon, c(t)}(f_t)$ generates a topology on ${\widetilde {\cal B}}_c^{\nu}$.
Thus we have defined a topology on the total space ${\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu}_c$ with fixed asymptotic limits $c$. Using the corresponding neighborhoods $${ W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu}(f_0, {\bf H}_f)=\cup_{t\in {\bar W}(\Sigma_0)}{ W}^{\nu, t}_{\epsilon, c(t)}(f_t, {\bf H}_f)$$ as local uniformizers of the corresponding space ${ {\cal B}}^{\nu}_c$ of unparametrized stable maps, a topology on this space is defined as well.
Now for each fixed stratum labeled by $T_1\geq T_0$ and each $g_{t_0}:S_{t_0}\rightarrow M\in { W}^{\nu, T_1}_{\epsilon, c}(f_0, {\bf H}_f),$ let ${ W}_{\epsilon', c}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$ be a small $\epsilon'$-neighborhood centered at $g_{t_0}$ and inside ${ W}^{\nu, T_1}_{\epsilon, c}(f_0, {\bf H}_f)$.
As in [@6], each such neighborhood will be called of the [**first kind**]{} in the full neighborhood considered as an end near $f_0$. They will be used to verify the smoothness at $g_{t_0}$ of a function/section on ${ W}^{\nu, T_1}_{\epsilon, c}(f_0, {\bf H}_f).$
The neighborhood ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}, )$ in a fixed stratum $T_1\geq T_0$ can be defined similarly.
**Note on notations:**
\(1) In this paper, we use subscript $c$ to denote asymptotic limit(s) with different but almost self-evident meanings. For instance, for the “full” neighborhoods, the subscript $c$ stands for the collection of all $c(t)$ of the asymptotic limits of the base deformation $f_t$, which is the finite collection of $c_{T}$ with $T\geq T_0$ where $c_T$ is the [**fixed** ]{} asymptotic limit for the stratum $T$. Thus in a fixed stratum $T$, $c$ also stands for $c_{T}$ if there is no confusion. Of course, the more explicit notation $c(t)$ stands for the asymptotic limit of the base deformation$f_t$ for a fixed $t$.
\(2) In ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu}(f_0)$ or ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0})$, the superscript ${\nu}$ is used to indicate that the $L_k^p$-norm is measured using a weight function along the ends at double points and neck area as well. In the case, only the weight function along ends or neck area is used the superscript is change into ${\nu}(d)$ or ${\nu}(a)$ accordingly. We note that with $\nu$ as superscript, the object is a family of Banach manifolds even in a fixed stratum, while ${\nu}(d)$ indicate that it is Banach manifold for a fixed stratum. In the case we need to distinguish these two cases more explicitly, the letter “W” used in the [**first kind**]{} neighborhoods will be replaced by “U” for the [**second kind**]{} below.
With this understanding of notations, as in [@6], for the fixed stratum $T_1\geq T_0$ as above, we use ${ U}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu(d_{t_0}), T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$ and ${\widetilde U}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu (d_{t_0}), T_1}(g_{t_0})$ to denote the spaces corresponding to ${ W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$ and ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu , T_1}(g_{t_0})$, but with the weight function only along the ends on the [**fixed**]{} “initial” surface $S_{t_0}$. In particular, they are Banach manifolds. As in [@6], they will be called neighborhoods of the [**second kind**]{}. Note that for the neighborhoods of the [**second kind**]{} defined in [@6], the metrics for domains are the spherical ones and the $L_k^p$-norms are just the usual ones without any weight.
Since in a fixed stratum with $t$ near $t_0$, the weight function is uniformly bounded along the neck areas. This implies the following lemma.
On a fixed stratum $T_1\geq T_0$, the two kinds of neighborhoods generate the same topology.
In order to define the smooth structure on ${ W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$ and ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu , T_1}(g_{t_0})$, which are the part of ends in a fixed stratum, we introduce the product structure using the same construction in [@6]. Let $\Lambda=\Lambda^{t_0}: W^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})\times { W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu(t_0),t_0}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)\rightarrow { W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$ given by $(h_{t_0}, t)\rightarrow h_{t_0}\circ \lambda_{t}^{t_0}.$
Essentially the same proof in [@6] implies the following.
The identification $\Lambda: W^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})\times { W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu(t_0),t_0}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)\rightarrow { W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$ is compatible with the natural topology of each side and induces a smooth structure on ${ W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$.
Thus this product structure defines the smooth structure for the neighborhoods of the first kind such as ${ W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$ and ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu , T_1}(g_{t_0})$, hence the stratified smooth structure for the full neighborhood ${ W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu}(f_{0}, {\bf H}_f)$ and ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, c}^{\nu , }(f_0)$. Note that the neighborhoods of the second kind already have smooth structure as Banach manifolds. Of course, all these neighborhoods with smooth strictures are only related by continuous transition functions.
Next we extend the discussion above to allow the asymptotic limits $c$ moving.
Let $D(c(t))=:D_{\epsilon'}(c(t))$ be a small poly-disc in $M^{n({\bf d}_t)}$ centered at $c(t)$ of radius $\epsilon,$ and $\{\Gamma_{c(t)}^c, c(t)\in D(c(t)) \}$ be a smooth family of diffeomorphisms of $M^{n({\bf d}_t)}$ that is a “translation” on $D(c(t))$ sending the center $c(t)$ to a point $c\in D(c(t))$ and is the identity map outside a slightly larger poly-disc. Here $c(t)$ is the asymptotic limits of the base deformation $f_t$. Recall that $n({\bf d}_t)$ is the number of the double points (or ends) of $S_t$. Then above base family extended into the family $\{f_{t, c}, t\in {\bar W}(\Sigma_0)\}, \, c\in D(c(t)) \} $ defined by composing $f_t$ with $\Gamma_{c(t)}^c$. Clearly this new family is the deformation of $f_0$ in ${\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu}_{C}$,and for each fixed $c$, they are in ${\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu}_{c}$.
Now for each fixed $t$, let ${\widetilde W}^{\nu, t}_{\epsilon, D(c(t))}(f_t)=\cup_{c\in D(c(t))}{\widetilde W}^{\nu, t}_{\epsilon, c}(f_{t, c})$ be the neighborhood with asymptotic limits in $D(c(t))$. Then the full neighborhood as the end near $f_0$ allowing moving asymptotic limits, denoted by ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, C}^{\nu}(f_0)$ is defined to be $ {\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, C}^{\nu}(f_0)=\cup_{t\in {\bar W}(\Sigma_0)}{\widetilde W}^{\nu, t}_{\epsilon, D(c(t))}(f_{t, c}).$
Next consider the case within a fixed stratum $T_1\geq T_0$, for a map $g_{t_0}:S_{t_0}\rightarrow M$ with the same asymptotic limit $c(t_0)$ of $f_{t_0}$, we have defined a small neighborhood of type $T_1$ centered at $g_{t_0}$ with the fixed asymptotic limit $c(t_0)$, denoted by $ {\widetilde W}_{\epsilon', c(t_0)}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0})=:\cup_{t\in {W}^{T_1}_{\epsilon'}(\Sigma_{t_0})} {\widetilde W}_{\epsilon', c(t_0)}^{\nu, t}(g_{t})$. Here $g_t, t\in {W}^{T_1}_{\epsilon'}(\Sigma_{t_0})$ is the deformation of $g_{t_0}$ within the same stratum.
The corresponding neighborhood with moving asymptotic limit $c\in D_{\epsilon'}(c(t_0))$ with in the stratum is denoted by ${\widetilde W}^{\nu, T_1}_{\epsilon, C}(g_{t_0})=:\cup_{t\in {W}^{T_1}_{\epsilon'}(\Sigma_{t_0}), c\in D_{\epsilon'}(c(t_0))} {\widetilde W}_{\epsilon', c}^{\nu, t}(g_{t, c})$. Here $g_{t, c}$ is the deformation of $g_{t_0}$ within $T_1$ but with moving asymptotic limits $c\in D_{\epsilon'}(c(t_0))$. Note that for the fixed stratum $T_1$, $c(t_0)=c(t)$ for $t\in {W}^{T_1}_{\epsilon'}(\Sigma_{t_0})$ so that the definition here for a fixed stratum is consistent with the general definition of the full neighborhoods above. Now the map $h_{t_0}\rightarrow \Gamma^{c}_{c(t_0)}\circ h_{t_0}$ with $c\in D_\epsilon' (c(t_0))$ for $h_{t_0}\in {\widetilde W}^{\nu, T_1}_{\epsilon, c(t_0)}(g_{t_0})$ gives rise an identification map $\Gamma:D(c(t_0))\times {\widetilde W}^{\nu, T_1}_{\epsilon, c(t_0)}(g_{t_0})\rightarrow {\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, C}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}), $ which give a product structure for ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, C}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}) $. Combining with the product structure for ${\widetilde W}^{\nu, T_1}_{\epsilon, c(t_0)}(g_{t_0})$ obtained by $\Lambda^{t_0}$, we get the identification $$D(c(t_0))\times W^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})\times {\widetilde W}^{\nu,t_0, T_1}_{\epsilon, c(t_0)}(g_{t_0})\rightarrow {\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, C}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}) .$$
Since the diffeomorphisms $\Gamma_{c}^{c(t_0)}$ only acts on the target manifolds, it is easy to see that the corresponding statement of the previous lemma still holds.
The identification $$D(c(t_0))\times W^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})\times {\widetilde W}^{\nu,t_0, T_1}_{\epsilon, c(t_0)}(g_{t_0})\rightarrow {\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, C}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0})$$ induces a smooth structure on ${\widetilde W}_{\epsilon, C}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0})$, as a neighborhood with moving asymptotic limits. Moreover this identification is compatible with the topological structures on both sides.
Now go back the general case. We want show that these new full neighborhoods generate a topology. To this end, note that if $\|h_{t_0}-g_{t_0}\|_{\nu^{t_0}, k, p}<\epsilon$, for $t\in {\bar W}_{\epsilon'}(\Sigma_{t_0})$ with $\epsilon'<< \epsilon$ and any $c\in D{\epsilon'}(c(t))$ $\|h_{t, c}-g_{t,c}\|_{\nu^{t_0}, k, p}<\epsilon$ still holds, where $h_{t, c}$ and $g_{t,c}$ is defined in the same way as $f_{t, c}$ by composing the deformation such as $h_t$ with $\Gamma_{c(t)}^c, c\in D_{\epsilon'}(c(t))$. Indeed by the definition of $\Gamma_{c(t)}^c, c\in D_{\epsilon'}(c(t))$, it is a smooth family in $c$ which tends to identity map in $C^{\infty}$-topology as $c\rightarrow c(t)$ for $c\in D_{\epsilon'}(c(t))$ within any fixed stratum; it is compatible with process of moving from a lower stratum to a higher one in the sense that, the map on the poly-disk centered at a asymptotic limit of the higher stratum is the same as the one on the lower stratum.
As before this is the key step to prove the following lemma.
These full neighborhoods with moving asymptotic limits generate a topology.
The same discussion is applicable to ${ W}_{\epsilon, C}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$. Hence we have defined topological structures as well as weak stratified smooth structures (see \[L?\] for the definition) on ${\cal B}^{\nu}_C$ and ${\widetilde {\cal B}}^{\nu}_C$.
We note that as moving from a lower stratum to higher ones the number of ends are changing in the deformation $f_t$ and $f_{t, c}$. Despite of this seemly “jumping” discontinuity, these full neighborhoods still generate a topology. However, it is desirable to have all the constructions above with the same number of ends and asymptotic limits by introducing new asymptotic ends in the higher strata. This is done by consider the “middle” circles of the neck areas as new asymptotic ends and requiring a further condition of fixing asymptotic limits on the construction before. The construction below will be useful for later sections of this paper as well as the companion papers.
Recall that for each $t\in W^{T_1}(\Sigma_0)$, each end of $S_t$ comes from an end of $\Sigma_b$ that has a form $D(d_{vu})\subset S_{b, v}, v\in T_0, \, (vu)\in E(T_0)$ with $D^*(d_{vu})\simeq [0,\infty)\times S^1. $ Each such double point $d_{vu}$ above remains to be a double point in $\Sigma_t$. Let ${\bf d}^s_{T_1}$ be the set of double points on ${\hat S}_0={\hat S}_b$ that are smoothing out in the gluing to obtain $S_t$. Then for each $d_{uv}\in {\bf d}^s_{T_1}, $ let $N(d_{vu}, t)\simeq [-|log|a|\,|, |log|a|\,|]\times S^1$ be a neck area of length $2|log a|$ in $S_t$ with $t\in W^{T_1}(\Sigma_{_0})$ and $S^1(d_{vu}, t)$ be the corresponding “middle circle” with respect to the above finite cylindrical coordinate of $N(d_{vu}, t).$ Then $S^1(d_{vu}, t)$ will be considered as an asymptotic ends so that the number of such ends is the same as the cardinality of ${\bf d}^s_{T_1}$, and the number of total ends in the stratum $T_1$ is the same as the one of the lowest stratum $T_0.$
Note that by the definition of the deformation $f_t,$ $f_t(S^1(d_{vu}, t))=f_0(d_{vu})$ which is the asymptotic limit $c^0_{uv}$ of $f_0$ at the end at $d_{uv}\in {\bf d}^s_{T_1}.$ Hence the total asymptotic limits of deformation $f_t$ counting the ones from middle circles in any stratum is the same as $f_0$.
Then $V_{c^0}^{\nu, t}(f,{\bf H}_f)=:V_{c^0}^{\nu, t}(f_t,{\bf H}_f)$ is defined to be the collection of $g_t:(S_t, {\bf x}_t)\rightarrow (M, {\bf H}_f)$ such that (1 )$\|g_t-f_{t, c}\|_{k, p;\nu^t}<\epsilon$; (2) the value at $g_t$ of the evaluation map $Ev_{vu, t}$ along the middle circle $S^1(d_{vu}, t)$ for $d_{vu}\in {\bf d}_{T_1}^s$ satisfies the condition $ Ev_{vu, t}(g_t)=\int_{S^1(d_{vu})}g_t=c^0_{vu}$. Here (i) near each end or neck area labeled by $d_{uv}$, we consider $g_t$ as a map to a local chart of $M$ based at $c_{u, v},$ and the values of the integrations are interpreted using such charts. (ii) $c^0=\{c^0_{uv}, (uv)\in E(T_0)\}$ are the asymptotic limits of $f_0$ that are the same as the total asymptotic limits $c^0(t)$ of $f_t$, but for a $t$ in higher stratum, $c^0=c^0(t)$ decomposes as an union of $c(t)$ with the asymptotic limits $c({\bf d}^s_t)$ from the middle circles. both depending on $t$.
Now by varying $g_t$ it is easy the see that the above evaluation maps along middle circles are transversal to the asymptotic limits $c^0(t)$ so that $V_{c^0(t)}^{\nu, t}(f_t,{\bf H}_f)$ is a smooth submanifold of $W_{c(t)}^{\nu, t}(f_t,{\bf H}_f)$ with $c^0(t)=c^0.$ Moreover there is an identification $W_{c(t)}^{\nu, t}(f_t,{\bf H}_f)\simeq V_{c^0(t)}^{\nu, t}(f_t,{\bf H}_f)\times D_{\epsilon'}(c({\bf d}^s_t ))$ as Banach manifolds.
Next we consider the corresponding case with moving asymptotic limits. Denote a general point in $D_{\epsilon'}(c^0)=D_{\epsilon'}(c^0(t))$ by ${\hat c}={\hat c}(t)$ with the corresponding decomposition ${\hat c}(t)=({\hat c}({\bf d}_t), {\hat c}({\bf d}^s_t)).$ Let $f_{t, {\hat c}}=:f_{t, {\hat c}(t)}=\Gamma_{c^0(t)}^{{\hat c}(t)}\circ f_t $ be the extended base deformation with (full) moving asymptotic limits by varying ${\hat c}(t)$. Then $V_{{\hat c}(t)}^{\nu, t}(f_{t,{\hat c}(t)},{\bf H}_f)$ is defined in the obvious way as before so that for each fixed stratum $T_1\geq T_0$, a neighborhood near $g_{t_0}$ with full moving asymptotic limits is defined by $$V_{{\hat C}}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0},{\bf H}_f)=:\cup_{t\in W^{T_1}_{\epsilon'}(\Sigma_{t_0}), {\hat c}(t)\in D_{\epsilon'}(c^0(t_0))} V_{{\hat c}(t)}^{\nu, t}(g_{t,{\hat c}(t)},{\bf H}_f).$$ The full neighborhood of $f_0$ with full moving asymptotic limits is given by $$V_{{\hat C}}^{\nu}(f_{0},{\bf H}_f)=:\cup_{t\in {\bar W}_{\epsilon'}(\Sigma_0), {\hat c}(t)\in D_{\epsilon'}(c^0(t))} V_{{\hat c}(t)}^{\nu, t}(f_{t,{\hat c}(t)},{\bf H}_f).$$ There are similar constructions for ${\widetilde V}_{{\hat C}}^{\nu, T_1}(g_{t_0})$ and ${\widetilde V}_{{\hat C}}^{\nu}(f_{0})$, etc, accordingly.
Following proposition will be used later in this paper.
The function $N: {\widetilde W}_c^{\nu}(f)\rightarrow {\bf R}$ given by $N(h_t)= \|h_t\|_{k, p, \nu}^p$is continuous. So is $N: {\widetilde W}^{\nu}(f)\rightarrow {\bf R}$.
This is clear in any fixed stratum. Arguing inductively on strata, we only need to consider the case that $h_{0, a}\rightarrow h_{b=0, a=0}=h_{0, 0}$ with the gluing parameter $a\not = 0$. Clearly we may assume that the asymptotic limit $c=0$.
Then given $\epsilon >0, $ there exists a $g_{0, 0}$ and $s_0$ such $ |N(h_{0,0})-N(g_{0, 0})|\leq N(h_{0,0}-g_{0, 0})<\epsilon/3.$ Indeed we can choose $g_{0, 0}$ such that $g_{0, 0}(s, \theta)=h_{0,0}(s, \theta)$ away from the end $s>s_0$ and $g_{0, 0}(s, \theta)=0$ for $s>s_0+1.$ Then $N(h_{0,0}-g_{0, 0})=N((h_{0,0}|_{s>s_0})<\epsilon/3$ for $s_0$ sufficiently large.
Now $|N(h_{0, a})-N(h_{0,0})\leq |N(h_{0, a})-N(g_{0,a})|+|N(g_{0, a})-N(g_{0,0})|+|N(g_{0, 0})-N(h_{0,0})|.$ For $|a|$ sufficiently small, since $g_{0, 0}=0$ for $s>s_0+1$, so is the deformation $g_{0, a}$ so that $N(g_{0, a})=N(g_{0,0})$. Then it follows from that fact that at the lowest stratum, $h_{0,0}$ is in the $2/3\epsilon $-neighborhood of $g_{0, 0}$, so is $h_{0, a}$ in the “full” $2/3\epsilon $-neighborhood of $g_{0, 0}$ for $|a|$ sufficiently small. Since any such a neighborhood is also one of the neighborhoods entered at $h_{0, 0}$, this implies that there is a $\delta>0,$ such that for $|a|<\delta,$ $N(h_{0,a}-g_{0, a})<2/3\epsilon.$ Hence $|N(h_{0, a})-N(g_{0,a})|\leq N(h_{0,a}-g_{0, a})<2/3\epsilon$ for such $a$.
The last statement allowing the asymptotic limits $c$ moving can be derived from the above easily. We leave it to the readers.
[$\Box$]{}
The mixed norm for ${\cal B}^{\nu(a)}$
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Now recall that the space ${\tilde {\cal B}}^{\nu(a)}=\cup_{T}{\tilde {\cal B}}^{\nu(a), T}$ is the collection of the parametrized stable $L_{k, \nu(a)}^p$-maps in [@6]. In the analytic setting for Floer homology of [@7], it was already implicitly used. The topology on the ${ {\cal B}}^{\nu(a)}$ of unparametrized stable maps is generated by the local slices defined in [@6], denoted by $W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_f)=\cup_{T\geq T_0} {W}^{\nu(a), T}(f, {\bf H}_f)$ as the union of the strata, where the center $f=f_0:(S_0, {\bf x})\rightarrow (M, {\bf H}_f)$ is in the lowest stratum of type $T_0$. Recall that here the elements $g$ in the lowest stratum ${W}^{\nu(a), T_0}(f, {\bf H}_f)$ are $L_k^p$-maps measured in the spherical metric of the domains, but for elements $g_{t}:S_{t}\rightarrow M$ with $t_0=(b, a), a\not = 0$ in the higher stratum ${W}^{\nu(a), T_1}(f, {\bf H}_f)=\cup_{t\in W^{T_1}(\Sigma_0)} {W}^{\nu(a),t, T_1}(f, {\bf H}_f)$, an exponentially weighted $L_k^p$-norm is used with a wight $\nu $ (denoted by $\nu(a)$) along each neck area. Thus in the definition of $W^{\nu(a), T_1}(f, {\bf H}_f)$ a “mixed” $L_k^p$/$L_{k, \nu(a)}^p$-norm is used. Unlike the $L_{k, \nu}^p$-norms before, these mixed norms appear to be “discontinuous” as passing from higher strata to lower ones. Despite of this, they still define a topology on the space ${ {\cal B}}^{\nu(a)}$.
However, the easiest way to prove this is to define a modified version of above mixed norm by rescaling. The new mixed norm are equivalent to the old ones, but it is at least “upper continuous”/“monotonically increasing” with respect to degenerations from high strata to the lower ones. As explained in next subsection, this monotone property implies that any element in a neighborhood defined using the scaled norm is always deformable. Consequently these new neighborhoods generate a topology, so do the old ones.
The rescaled mixed norm and embedding theorem
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The definition of the rescaled mixed norms relies on the the estimate and the embedding theorem for fixed strata in [@5] that we recall now.
Assume that $k>1$ and $p$ is an even integer greater than $2$. Choose an positive $\nu$ with $\nu<(p-2)/p <1$. Then for $\xi$ with $\xi(0, 0)=0$ at $(x, y)=(0, 0),$ $$||\xi||_{k, p;\nu}\leq C||\xi||_{k, p}.$$
Also recall the following embedding theorem in [@5] for the case that the domain is the fixed $S^2$ ( stated in the notations used there).
Under the assumption in the above lemma, there is a smooth embedding ${\widetilde {\cal B} }_{k,p}(c)\rightarrow {\widetilde{\cal B} }_{k,p;\nu}(c)$. Here ${\widetilde {\cal B} }_{k,p}(c)\subset {\widetilde {\cal B} }_{k,p}$ is the collection of $L_k^p$-maps $f:(\Sigma, x)\rightarrow (M, c)$ from $\Sigma$ with one marked point $x$ to $M$ sending $x$ to a fixed constant $c\in M,$ and ${\widetilde {\cal B} }_{k,p;\nu}(c)$ is defined similarly with $f$ approaching to $c$ exponentially with weight $\nu$ along the cylindrical end at $x$.
With above preparations, we can defined the the rescaled mixed norms and at the same time prove the main theorem of this section.
Assume that $k>1$ and $p$ is an even integer greater than $2$. Choose an positive $\nu$ with $\nu<(p-2)/p <1$. Then after rescaling of the relevant norms given below, the uniformizers $W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_f)$, $[f]\in {\cal B}^{\nu(a)}$ defines a topology on ${ {\cal B}}^{\nu(a)}$. Here $f\in [f]$ is a representative of the unparametrized stable map $[f].$ Consequently there is a topological embedding ${ {\cal B} }^{\nu(a)}\rightarrow { {\cal B} }^{\nu}_{C}.$
To prove the first part of the theorem, we only need to show that, for any given element $g_{t_0}\in W^{\nu(a), T_1}_{\epsilon }(f, {\bf H}_f)$ in the stratum $T_1$, there is a deformation $g_t$ inside $W^{\nu(a)}_{\epsilon }(f, {\bf H}_f)$. Indeed assume that this is true, then for $t$ sufficiently close to $t_0$ and $\epsilon'<<\epsilon$, by triangle inequality applying to the $t$-dependent family of norms, the collection of stable maps $h_t$ with $||h_t-g_t||_{k, p, \nu(a)}<\epsilon'$, $t\in {\bar W}(\Sigma_{t_0})$, denoted by $W^{\nu(a)}_{\epsilon' }(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_f)$ is contained inside $W^{\nu(a)}_{\epsilon }(f, {\bf H}_f)$. Hence these neighborhoods form a topological basis.
To prove the existence of the above deformation, we assume that the mixed norm is already monotone increasing during the degenerations first. Then for any given $g_{t_0}\in W^{\nu(a), T_1}_{\epsilon }(f, {\bf H}_f)$ in the stratum $T_1$, let $g_t$ with $|t-t_0|<\epsilon_1$ be the (any) deformation constructed before. Then for $\epsilon_1$ sufficiently small, by monotonicity above $\|g_t\|_{k, p, \nu(a)}\leq \|g_{t_0}\|_{k, p, \nu(a)}<\epsilon
$ so that the deformation $g_t$ is inside $g_{t_0}\in W^{\nu(a), }_{\epsilon }(f, {\bf H}_f)$.
The desired monotonicity/up-semi-continuity follows if the embedding constant $C$ of the last lemma is equal to 1.
To see this, assume that as $t\rightarrow t_0$ from a higher stratum labeled by $T_1$ to a lower one of $T_0$, the stable map $h_t:S_t\rightarrow M $ is a degeneration to $h_{t_0}: S_{t_0}\rightarrow M$ constructed before with $h_t$ and $h_{t_0}$ in $W^{\nu(a)}_{\epsilon}(f, {\bf H}_f)$. Clearly by induction, we only need to consider the essential case that $h_t$ only has neck ares without any other ends (i.e. in the top stratum) while $h_0$ is in the lowest stratum. By the embedding theorem in [@6] recalled above, both of then are in $W^{\nu}_{\epsilon}(f, {\bf H}_f)$ with $h_t\rightarrow h_{t_0}$ as $t\rightarrow t_0$ in $L_{k,p, \nu}$-topology.
Now the continuity of $L_{k,p, \nu}$-norm proved in previous section implies that $\|h_{t_0}\|_{\nu, k, p}=\lim_{t\rightarrow t_0}\|h_{t}\|_{\nu, k, p}.$ But by assumption that $T_1$ is the top stratum with only one neck area so that $\|h_{t}\|_{\nu, k, p}=\|h_{t}\|_{\nu(a), k, p}$. Hence the embedding theorem with assumption that $C=1$ in [@6] implies that $\|h_{t_0}\|_{\nu(a), k, p}\geq \|h_{t_0}\|_{\nu, k, p}=
lim_{t\rightarrow t_0}\|h_{t}\|_{\nu(a), k, p}.$
This finishes the proof of the theorem under the assumption that $C=1$.
To get rid of above assumption, we define below a new equivalent mixed norm that is monotone increasing during degenerations and hence prove the theorem.
[**$\bullet$ Monotonicity/Up-semi-continuity of the Mixed Norm**]{}
The desired new $L_{k, \nu(a)}^p$-norm is defined by using a rescaling the metric of the domains. Let $S_t$ be the underlying nodal curve with $t=(b, a)$ so that it is obtained by gluing with the parameter $a$ from the curve $S_b$ with $b\in W^{T_0}(\Sigma_0)$ in the lowest stratum. Then on the fixed part $K_t=K_b=K_0$, the rescaled metric is the same as the spherical one on $K_b$ and $K_0$, and on all the neck areas, it is still the cylindrical one defined before. On all the small disks $D({d_{uv, t}})=:D({d_{uv}})$ centered at the double point ${d_{uv, t}}$, the new metric is the spherical (or the flat) one on $D({d_{uv}})$ before multiplying by the constant $C$ in the estimate in above lemma. Here $d_{uv, t}$ is one of the double points that comes from the corresponding double point $d_{uv}$ of $S_0$. Using cut-off functions supported in an annulus around the boundary of $D({d_{uv, t}})$, we get a family of desired smooth metrics parametrized by $t$ in the sense that (i) it is a smooth family within each stratum; (ii) as the parameters $t$ in a higher stratum tends to $t_0$ in a lower stratum, each of the finite cylindrical metrics along a neck area of $S_t$ “tends” to the cylindrical metrics on the two ends ($\simeq$ the two punctured small disks) at a corresponding double point of $S_{t_0}$ while the new metric on these two small disks are the above rescaled spherical/flat ones. Thus during the deformation, the new family of metrics like the old ones is not continuous exactly along those relevant necks.
The new $L_{k, \nu(a)}^p $-norm, denote by $\|-||_{k, p, \nu^{new}(a)}$ is defined by using the new metrics on the domains. Clearly it is equivalent to the old one.
Despite of the discontinuity of the new metric, at least in the case with fixed asymptotic limit $c$, in the neighborhood $W^{\nu^{new}(a)}(f, {\bf H}_f)$, the mixed norm $\|-||_{k, p, \nu^{new}(a)}$ is monotone decreasing by the construction based on the estimate in the previous lemma.
This also proves the second half of the theorem on the embedding at least for the case with fixed asymptotic limit $c$. The general case can be easily derived from this case. We leave it to the readers.
[$\Box$]{}
Stratified smoothness of the $p$-th power of $L_{k;\nu(a)}^p$ and $L_{k;\nu}^p$ norms
=====================================================================================
The main theorem of this section is the following.
Assume that $p$ is a positive even integer. The $p$-th power of $L_{k, \nu(a)}^p$ and $L_{k;\nu}^p$ norms, denoted by $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}:
W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow {\bf R} $ and $N_{k, p, \nu}:
V^{\nu}_{C(c^0)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow {\bf R} $ are of stratified $C^{m_0}$ smooth in the sense that they are stratified $C^{m_0}$ smooth viewed in any slices. Moreover for $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}:
W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow {\bf R} $, it is stratified $C^{m_0}$ smooth with respect to any of the two stratified smooth structures defined in [@6]. Furthermore, under the assumption that $p>2$ and $0<\nu<(p-2)/p$, let $I: W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow V^{\nu}_{C(c^0)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ be the topological embedding. Then $I^*(N_{k, p, \nu}):W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})\rightarrow {\bf R} $ is stratified $C^{m_0}$ smooth in the same sense above.
In the rest of this section, we use the notations and constructions in [@5; @6] without detailed explanations.
To prove the theorem, we make a few reductions.
\(1) Using the family of coordinate charts $Exp_{f_{t, c}}$ with $t\in { N}^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})$ and $c\in D(c^0(t_0))$ in the stratum $T_1$, $W^{\nu, T_1}_{C(c^0)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ can be identified with a family of open balls in Banach spaces parametrized by $(t, c)\in N^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})\times D(c^0(t_0)).$ Hence we simply assume that it is a family of Banach spaces. Similarly for $W^{\nu(a), T_1}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0}).$ (1) Note that the diffeomorphisms $\Gamma^{\hat c}_{{\hat c}^0}, {\hat c}\in D({\hat c}^0)$ only act on the target space $M^{n({\bf d}_0)}$, similarly for $\Gamma^{ c}_{{ c}(t)}, {c}\in D({\hat c}(t))$. Then it is easy to see that the parameter $c$/${\hat c}$ appears in the express $p$-th powers of these norm functions below only as a smooth “factor” so that these functions depend smoothly on $c$/${\hat c}$. Hence we only need to consider the case with fixed asymptotic limits.
\(3) The key step that reduces the case here to the ones in [@5] is to introduce the enlarged corresponding three spaces: (a) the space of $L_{k, \nu(a)}^p$-maps centered at $g_{t_0}$, ${\widehat W}^{\nu(a), T_1}_c({\hat g}_{t_0} )=:\prod_{v\in T_1} {\widetilde W}^{\nu(a), T_1}_c({\hat g}_{t_0, v} )$, (b) the spaces of usual $L_k^p$-maps ${\widehat U}^{T_1}_c({\hat g}_{u_0})=:\prod_{v\in T_1 }{\widetilde U}^{T_1}_c({\hat g}_{u_0, v})$, with $u_0=u^{T_1}(t_0)$ and $g_{u_0}=g_{t_0}\circ \phi_{t_0}$ as we did similarly in [@6], and (c) the corresponding spaces of $L_{k, \nu}^p$-maps. Clearly we only need to prove the corresponding results for these spaces. Here ${\hat g}_{t_0}$ is the desingularization of $g_{t_0}.$ Then one can apply the corresponding results or arguments in [@5] componentwisely.
Note that except the last statement, the proofs of the theorem for the two cases are similar, and it appears that the proof for the case for $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}$ is harder. Hence we will only deal with this case. Since in this case, there is no need to fix $c$/${\hat c}$, we drop this restriction and only consider the cases already in [@6].
First note that the restriction of $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}$ to any “fiber” with fixed $t\in T_1$, $N^{t, T_1}_{k, p, \nu(a)}:\prod_{u\in T_1} {\widetilde W}^{\nu(a),t, T_1}({\hat g}_{t_0, u} )\rightarrow {\bf R}$ is smooth, by applying componentwisely the corresponding result in [@5] for the fixed domain $S^2$. In particular, it is smooth at the central slice $\prod_{u\in T_1} {\widetilde W}^{\nu(a), t_0, T_1}({\hat g}_{t_0, u} )$. Recall that the smooth structure on $\prod_{u\in T_1} {\widetilde W}^{\nu(a), T_1}({\hat g}_{t_0, u} )$ is obtained by using the identification $\prod_{u\in T_1} {\widetilde W}^{\nu(a), T_1}({\hat g}_{t_0, u} )\simeq \{\Pi_{u\in T_1} {\widetilde W}^{\nu(a),t_0, T_1}({\hat g}_{t_0, u} )\}\times N^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})$ induced by the maps $\lambda^{t_0}_t, t\in N^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})$. Thus the smoothness of $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}$ in this case will follow from the smoothness the composition of maps $\{\prod_{u\in T_1} {\widetilde W}^{\nu(a),t_0, T_1}({\hat g}_{t_0, u} )\}\times N^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})\rightarrow \Pi_{u\in T_1} {\widetilde W}^{\nu(a), T_1}({\hat g}_{t_0, u}) $ and $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}:\prod_{u\in T_1} {\widetilde W}^{\nu(a), T_1}({\hat g}_{t_0, u}) \rightarrow {\bf R}$.
Then the composed map can be interpreted as a function on $(\xi, t)$, where $t\in N^{T_1}(\Sigma_{t_0})$ and ${\xi}$ is a $L_k^p$-section on the fixed desingularization ${\hat S}_{t_0}$ but with a varying metric $h_t$ parametrized by $t$ that is used to defined the $L_{k, \nu(a)}^p$-norm of $\xi.$
More specifically, write $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}$ as the summation $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}=\Sigma_{j=0}^k N_{(j), p, \nu(a)}.$ For simplicity, we only consider the first term of the summation, $N_{(0), p, \nu(a)}.$
Let $m=p/2$. Then in the coordinate chart above, the first summand of the composed function, still denoted by $$N_{(0), p, \nu(a)}(\xi, t)=\int_{{\hat S}_{t}} <\xi\circ \lambda^{t_0}_t, \xi\circ \lambda^{t_0}_t>^m\cdot e_{\nu(a),t}\cdot dvol_{h_t}$$ $$=\int_{{\hat S}_{t_0}} <\xi, \xi>^m e_{\nu(a),t}\circ (\lambda^{t_0}_t)^{-1}\cdot Jac ^{-1} (\lambda^{t_0}_t)\cdot (det^{1/2} (h_t\circ h^{-1}_{t_0}))\cdot dvol_{h_{t_0}}.$$
Here $ e_{\nu(a),t}$ is the weight function along the neck area on $S_t$. The key point now is that the metrics $h_t$ and diffeomorphisms ${\lambda^{t_0}_t}$ ( and $\phi_t$ used latter) are smooth in $t$ and only contribute “weight functions” to the integrand smooth in $t$ so that $N_{(0), p, \nu(a)}$ is indeed smooth by the same corresponding argument in [@5]. Hence $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}$ is smooth.
The proof of the rest of the theorem is just a adaption of the above argument in the other cases in the obvious manner. For completeness, we give the details.
Similar argument shows that the transformed $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}$ by $\Phi$, denoted by ${ N}_{k, p, \nu(a)}^{\Phi}$ , defined on $ \prod_{v\in T_1 }{\widetilde U}^{T_1}({\hat g}_{u_0, v})$ is smooth as well. Here $\prod_{v\in T_1 }{\widetilde U}^{T_1}({\hat g}_{b_0, v})$ is either with the usual smooth structure or the “product smooth structure” given by the identification $ \prod_{v\in T_1 }{\widetilde U}^{T_1}({\hat g}_{b_0, v})\simeq \prod_{v\in T_1 }{\widetilde U}^{u_0, T_1}({\hat g}_{u_0, v})\times N^{T_1}(\Sigma_{u_0})$.
Indeed the map $\Phi$ is induced by the identification maps $\phi_t, t\in N^{T_1}(t_0)$ from $S_{u_0}$ to $S_{t}$. After conjugating with $\phi_t$, the diffeomorphisms $\lambda^{t_0}_t$ become $\gamma^{u_0}_u$ with $u=u^{T_1}(t)$. Hence with respect to the “product smooth structure”, the first summand of ${ N}_{k, p, \nu(a)}^{\Phi}$ defined on ${\widehat U}^{T_1}({\hat g}_{u_0})$, evaluated at $(\eta, u)\in \prod_{u\in T_1 }{\widetilde U}^{u_0, T_1}({\hat g}_{u_0, v})\times N^{T_1}(\Sigma_{u_0})$, becomes $$N^{\Phi}_{(0), p, \nu(a)}(\eta, u)=\int_{{\hat S}_{u}} <\eta\circ \phi^{-1}_t, \eta\circ \phi^{-1}_t>^m e_{\nu(a),t}\cdot dvol_{h_t}$$ $$=\int_{{\hat S}_{u_0}} <\eta, \eta>^m e_{\nu(a),t}\circ \phi_t \cdot \phi_t^*(dvol_{h_t}).$$ Since $t=t(u)$ is smooth in $u$, so are $\phi_t$ and $ \phi_t^*(dvol_{h_t})$, this proves that $N^{\Phi}_{(0), p, \nu(a)}(\eta, u)$ is smooth in $(\eta, u)$ for the same reason as the previous one.
As for ${\widehat U}^{T_1}({\hat g}_{u_0})$ with usual smooth structure, we note that in this case, no identifications of the domains by non-holomorphic $\gamma_{u}^{u_0}$ are needed; the underlying surface of the domain $(\Sigma_u, {\bf p}_u), u\in N^{T_1}(\Sigma_{u_0})$ is the fixed ${\hat S}_{u_0}$ with the distinguished points ${\bf p}$ moving whose positions are parametrized by $u$. Of course, the identification $\phi_t:{\hat S}_{u_0}\rightarrow {\hat S}_{t}$ is the same as before. Then the first summand of ${ N}_{k, p, \nu(a)}^{\Phi}$ defined on ${\widehat U}^{T_1}({\hat g}_{u_0})$ , evaluated at $\xi$, formally takes the same form,
$$N^{\Phi}_{(0), p, \nu(a)}(\xi)=\int_{{\hat S}_{t}} <\xi\circ \phi^{-1}_t, \xi\circ \phi^{-1}_t>^m\cdot e_{\nu(a),t}\cdot dvol_{h_t}$$ $$=\int_{{\hat S}_{u_0}} <\xi, \xi>^m \cdot e_{\nu(a),t}\circ \phi_t \cdot \phi_t^*( dvol_{h_t}).$$
Now in this smooth structure of ${\widehat U}^{T_1}({\hat g}_{u_0})$, $u$ and $t$ are smooth function of $\xi$. So is $\phi_t$ so that $\phi_t^*( dvol_{h_t})$ is smooth in $\xi.$ The conclusion follows now again by the same argument in [@5].
Hence we conclude that $N_{k, p, \nu(a)}$ defined on $W^{\nu(a), T_1}(g_{t_0}, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ and ${ N}_{k, p, \nu(a)}^{\Phi}$ defined on ${ U}^{T_1}({ g}_{b_0}, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ with respect to the smooth structures above are of class $C^{m_0}$.
Since transition function from the given slice $W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ above to another slice is induced by reparametrizations $\psi=\psi_{\xi}, \xi\in W^{\nu(a)}(f, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ which are $C^{m_0}$ smooth in $\xi$, a similar argument as the last one above implies that $N^{\Phi}_{(0), p, \nu(a)}$ (or $N^{\Phi}_{(0), p, \nu})$ is stratified smooth of class $C^{m_0}$ viewed in any other slices.
Finally to prove the last statement, we use the reduction (2) so that we only need to consider the case for the slice ${ U}^{T_1}_{c}({ g}_{b_0}, {\bf H}_{f_0})$ of $L_k^p$-maps with fixed values $c$ at double points.
Then the formula for first summand of $I^*({ N}_{k, p, \nu})$ defined on ${ U}^{T_1}({ g}_{u_0}, {\bf H}_{f_0})$, evaluate at $\xi$ is given by the same formula as the one above for $N^{\Phi}_{(0), p, \nu(a)}(\xi)$ but replacing the weight function $e_{\nu(a),t}$ only along neck areas there by the weight function $e_{\nu,t}$ along both the neck areas and the cylindrical ends at double points. More specifically $$I^*({ N}_{k, p, \nu})(\xi)=\int_{{\hat S}_{t}} <\xi\circ \phi^{-1}_t, \xi\circ \phi^{-1}_t>^m\cdot e_{\nu,t}\cdot dvol_{h_t}$$ $$=\int_{{\hat S}_{u_0}} <\xi, \xi>^m \cdot e_{\nu,t}\circ \phi_t \cdot \phi_t^*( dvol_{h_t}).$$
This is a multi-linear function in $ <\xi, \xi>^m $, $e_{\nu,t}\circ \phi_t $ and $\phi_t^*( dvol_{h_t})$ (or $ dvol_{{\hat S}_{b_u}}$), and these terms are smooth in $\xi$.
The estimate in [@5] stated in the last lemma of Sec. 2, implies that this function is bounded if $\xi $ is in $L_2^p$, which is indeed the case for $\xi $ here. Hence as in [@5], the boundedness of the multi-linear map implies the required smoothness.
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Main Difference – Archaeologist vs Paleontologist
The difference between archeologist and paleontologist stems from the difference between archeology and paleontology. Archaeology and paleontology are historical sciences that deal with the past. Archeology is the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts whereas paleontology is the scientific study of fossil animals and plants. Thus, the main difference between archaeologist and paleontologist is the fact that archaeologists study human history whereas paleontologists study fossil animals and plants.
This article explains,
1. Who is an Archaeologist? – Definition, Archaeology, Job Role, Required Qualifications
2. Who is a Paleontologist? – Definition, Palentology, Job Role, Required Qualifications
3. What is the difference between Archaeologist and Paleontologist?
Who is an Archeologist
An archeologist can be defined as a person who studies history and prehistory through the discovery and exploration of artifacts, remains, structures and writings. They examine ancient sites and objects to learn about the history and to record, interpret and preserve them for future generations.
As mentioned before, archaeologists mainly deal with material remains such as artifacts and architectural remnants. Artifacts may include pottery, stone tools, weapons, coins, bones, jewelry, furniture, etc. Through the analysis of these objects, archaeologists reveal important information about ancient civilizations.
There are four main areas of archaeology, and an archaeologist can choose any one of these categories. These four types involve a contract or commercial archaeology, research or academic archaeology, public or community archaeology and specialist archaeology.
A degree in archaeology or related subjects like anthropology, ancient history, conservation or heritage management can be useful to gain entry into the field of archaeology. However, experiences, as well as post graduate qualifications, are required to move to a higher position in the field.
Who is a Paleontologist
A paleontologist is a person who studies or practices paleontology as a profession. Palaeontology is the study of the forms of life existing in prehistoric or geologic times, as represented by the fossils of plants, animals, and other organisms. Thus, a paleontologist studies fossils in order to discover information about the life forms that existed on earth.
They use fossils to learn what the Earth was like in the past and how environments have changed over time. They also use fossils to learn about evolving diversity. (e.g., when did a new species develop and when did another species go extinct?)
Paleontology is a scientific subject since the fossils are studied and analyzed through scientific techniques. Thus, a paleontologist must have a strong educational background in the natural sciences, with a focus on biology and geology.
Difference Between Archaeologist and Paleontologist
Field
Archaeologist studies archeology.
Paleontologist studies paleontology.
Subject
Archaeologists study the past human lifestyles and cultures.
Paleontologists study the history of life on earth.
Artifacts vs Fossils
Archaeologists studies artifacts.
Paleontologist studies fossils.
Education
Archaeologists need education in archeology, anthropology, ancient history, or conservation.
Paleontologists need education in natural sciences, especially in biology and geology.
Image Courtesy: | https://pediaa.com/difference-between-archaeologist-and-paleontologist/ |
If I wanted to solve a physical Rubik's cube multiple times, for practice, what is the best, most random way, to scramble the solved cube?
The best way I can think is to hold it behind my back and turn randomly until, when I look at it, it looks random enough.
Is there a better way? | https://puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/323/what-is-the-best-method-of-scrambling-a-rubiks-cube/325#325 |
boycottof the bus service in Baton Rouge, Louisianain 1953, a precursor to the Montgomery Bus Boycottlaunched two years later. He was one of the founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conferencein 1957.
Early life
Jemison came from a family of prominent ministers; he was born in
Selma, Alabama, where his father, the Rev. David V. Jemison, pastored the Tabernacle Baptist Church. At the time he moved to Baton Rouge to lead Mt. Zion First Baptist Church in 1949 [ [http://www.ebr.lib.la.us/reference/ourafamlegacy/oaal_peopleandplaces/churches/MtZionBaptist.htm Mt. Zion First Baptist Church History ] ] , his father was serving as President of the National Baptist Convention.
Before his arrival in Baton Rouge Rev. Jemison had degrees from
Alabama State Universityand Virginia Union University, and he had done graduate work at New York University. He began his service as a minister in Baton Rouge in 1949, concerned chiefly with internal church matters, such as the construction of a new church building.
Baton Rouge bus boycott
A boycott of the Baton Rouge bus system by black citizens in 1953 was forerunner of the more famous
Montgomery Bus Boycottof 1955-1956. Like many southern cities in the 1950s, Baton Rouge buses were segregated; black riders had to sit at the back of the bus or stand even if seats at the front were empty.
Jemison was struck by the sight of "buses heading into south Baton Rouge, filled with people standing behind rows of empty seats" [http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2003-06-17/news_feat.html Welcome to the Best of New Orleans! News Feature 06 17 03 ] ] . Those
African-Americanpassengers who rode the bus—and who made up 80% of the passengers on the system—were likewise fed up with standing while "white" seats remained empty, particularly after the company had raised fares from ten to fifteen cents in January, 1953.
Rev. Jemison took up the issue with the Baton Rouge City Council, going before it on
February 11, 1953to denounce the fare increase and ask for the end of the practice of reserving seats for whites. The City Council met that demand, without abolishing segregation "per se", by passing an ordinance that allowed black passengers to board the bus from the back, taking any empty seats available, while white passengers boarded from the front. The bus companies, however, largely ignored the ordinance.
When bus drivers abused black passengers seeking to enforce the ordinance, Rev. Jemison tested the law on
June 13, 1953by sitting in a front seat of a bus. The next day the bus company suspended two bus drivers for not complying with the ordinance. The drivers' union responded by striking for four days. That strike ended on June 18, 1953when LouisianaAttorney General Fred LeBlancdeclared the ordinance unconstitutional on the ground that it violated the state's segregation laws.
In response, that same day blacks formed the United Defense League (UDL). Led by Jemison and Raymond Scott, the UDL was formed to organize a bus boycott in Baton Rouge and to bring suit against the City to desegregate the buses. The organization set up a free-ride network to compensate for the lack of public transit, a system that the organizers of the Montgomery bus boycott learned from when undertaking their year-long boycott two years later. As Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.wrote, Jemison's "painstaking description of the Baton Rouge experience proved invaluable" .
The great majority of bus riders were black, and most of them refused to ride the buses. By the third day, the buses were almost entirely empty. A volunteer 'free ride' system was co-ordinated by the churches, and many others chose to walk to work. The boycott lasted only a week, as Rev. Jemison called off the boycott on
June 23, 1953after negotiations between black leaders and the city council. The following day the city council passed an ordinance under which the first-come, first-served, seating system of back to front and front to back was reinstated while setting aside the first two seats on any bus for white passengers and the back bench for black passengers and allowing anyone to sit on any of the rows in the middle. To comply with state segregation laws, blacks and white were prohibited from sitting next to each other, the two front sideways seats were absolutely reserved for whites, and the wide rear seat at the back of the bus was reserved for blacks. [ [http://www.crmvet.org/tim/timhis53.htm#1953brbb Baton Rouge Bus Boycott] ~ Civil Rights Movement Veterans] . While a number of boycotters wanted to attack segregation directly, the majority approved the compromise.
Others dispute Jemison's role in the boycott. Willis Reed, the publisher of the Baton Rouge Post, and a political activist within the black community in 1953, has stated that other organizations began organizing against segregation on the city's buses before Jemison took up the issue. Jemison himself acknowledges that the boycott was not an all-out assault on segregation, but only an effort to obtain fairer treatment for African-American bus riders. Yet the boycott established the model for Montgomery: a nonviolent mass movement, organized through the black church that confronted the white establishment both in courts and in the economic sphere.
Presidency of the National Baptist Convention
Jemison's finest achievement of his tenure as President of the National Baptist Convention was the construction of the Baptist World Center in
Nashville, Tennessee, which acts as a Headquarters for the Convention. He was also more prepared to speak out on issues of the day than his predecessor Joseph H. Jacksonhad been, notably opposing the Gulf Warand the nomination of Judge Clarence Thomasto the United States Supreme Court. Towards the end of his term as President, Jemison faced difficulties caused by his support of Mike Tysonin his rape case [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D8123BF935A25750C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Baptist President's Support for Tyson Is Assailed Inside and Outside Church - New York Times ] ] .
Fabrication of Documents and Controversy Regarding Transition of NBC Leadership
Approaching the end of his tenure as president of the National Baptist Convention (as a result of term limits), Jemison selected Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson as his successor. Richardson was defeated by Dr. Henry Lyons at the 1994 convention. Unhappy with this result, Jemison concocted evidence and filed a lawsuit in an effort to overturn the election result. Eventually, the election of Dr. Lyons was upheld, and Jemison individually as well as a co-plaintiff and their counsel to pay $150,000 in punitive damages and, in a later order, required them to pay the other side's attorney fees. The court specifically found that Jemison had concocted evidence to justify the suit. [ [http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:3UUPI6nojjAJ:www.dcappeals.gov/dccourts/appeals/pdf/95CV972X.PDF+Jemison+%24150,000+in+punitive+damages&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&client=firefox-a. 403 Forbidden ] ]
Jemison is a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans [ [http://www.rso.cornell.edu/alpha/prominent/religious.html Alpha Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc ] ] .
References
External links
* [http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/exhibits/boycott/index.html Commemorative history of the Baton Rouge bus boycott]
* [http://www.geocities.com/marcssternberg/ 1953-2003 Baton Rouge bus boycott 50th Anniversary]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D8123BF935A25750C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Baptist President's Support for Tyson Is Assailed Inside and Outside Church]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries: | https://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/832703 |
Lillian Hellman was looking for a collaborator in her project of adapting Voltaire's Candide for the musical stage. She and Leonard Bernstein had been tinkering with this project since about 1950, and various people, among them John LaTouche and Dorothy Parker had tried their hands at the lyrics, but in all cases, for some reason they had left the show, and so Lillian was looking for a replacement. Harry Levin said to her, well, maybe you ought to look at Wilbur's translation of The Misanthrope. If he did fairly well with one witty Frenchman, he might do well right with Voltaire.
And so I was invited to go down to New York and talk it over with her and Leonard Bernstein, and we all seemed to hit it off. I especially hit it off with her. We simply had a great time throughout the whole experience. They asked me to do a sample number, so I wrote them a lyric in which three kings marooned in the middle of the ocean were resolving to lead the simple life if they happened to survive, and Lenny, Lenny Bernstein liked that, Lillian liked that, and they signed me on. We spent the summer of 1956 therefore on Martha's Vineyard, writing the show, and that was exactly as intense as show-writing is always said to be, or shown to be in horror movies about such experiences. But there were a lot of good things about it too, a lot of moments of joy and self-congratulation. At one, point there was enough discord amongst the collaborators so that it was good to... it was seen as a happy thing that Tyrone Guthrie, who was to be our director, arrived on Martha's Vineyard. Lillian said, 'He looks like Charles de Gaulle and I think that perhaps he can get us all into line'. Actually, he was not particularly dictatorial, though I have one fond memory of him. I had written what I guess was the best lyric I wrote for the show, one called Dear Boy, also called Pangloss's Song, and given it to Lenny for setting, and he spent a couple of days trying to set it and said to me with a face full of misery that he simply could not get inspired, at which point Tyrone Guthrie said to him, 'Lenny, we all know that you were water-skiing at Piggy Warburg's yesterday. Now, you sit down and write a nice piece of music for Mr Wilbur's song'. Which he did, he wrote a perfectly wonderful tune once Guthrie had given him the de Gaulle treatment.
We, we opened in New York that winter at the Martin Beck Theatre, and we had the sort of reviews which should have kept it running forever, but the show was over-produced. There was much too much money in it. One would have had to fill every seat in a much larger theatre than the Martin Beck where we were playing, and so the show was technically a money-loser and actually it didn't last as long on Broadway as my Misanthrope translation, which was at the same time playing nearby at Theatre East. Since then of course the show has been repeatedly exhumed and revised, and those who invested in it have been well paid.
At some point during the, during the period in which I was working on the show, I found that I had won the Pulitzer Prize, and that of course had an effect on my career, if not on my poems. I don't think that prizes make a great difference to poets if they're at all serious, but I was gratified that that happened and that probably had something to do with the fact that I was offered a teaching job at Wesleyan University at a living wage. By that time I had to... I did have to think of what I needed in the way of a salary because my children were multiplying and they were having to go off to school and college.
Acclaimed US poet Richard Wilbur (1921-2017) published many books and was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize. He was less well known for creating a musical version of Voltaire's “Candide” with Bernstein and Hellman which is still produced throughout the world today.
Title: "Candide" comes to Broadway
Listeners: David Sofield
David Sofield is the Samuel Williston Professor of English at Amherst College, where he has taught the reading and writing of poetry since 1965. He is the co-editor and a contributor to Under Criticism (1998) and the author of a book of poems, Light Disguise (2003). | https://www.webofstories.com/play/richard.wilbur/26;jsessionid=21C85CC4FE8102A5ABD00D77A903172D |
Tag: description
We want our scenes to be immersive and believable. But sometimes description feels flat and lifeless. A common weakness is not using sensory impressions effectively. Often, there is too much focus on the visual. We don’t just see the world -we experience it through smells, sounds, temperature, and many other senses (not just five). Writing should capture these other kinds of experiences.
It’s not just about using multiple senses -it’s also about choosing the right details to construct an immersive and psychologically convincing sensory experience.
In order to make our writing more immersive and believable, we should practice engaging multiple sensory modalities, and learn how we can effectively use various sensory details to construct vivid and immersive scenes.
This post is about developing the ability to use sense impressions and details effectively. There will be a few concepts discussed, and lots of exercises for practice.
Sensory Density is the degree of compactness of different sensory modalities. A passage that only has visual sense impressions has low sensory density. A passage that engages multiple sensory modalities has high sensory density.
I could describe a walk through part of the city by showing the reader discarded shoes hanging from power-lines, old payphones caked with grime, a boarded up house on the corner, potholes. You’re beginning to see what kind of a place this is. But it’s not immersive description -not as immersive as it could have been if I also mentioned urine fumes from the sidewalk, the hacking coughs of old men, clouds of cigarette smoke -things that impinge on different senses.
A common rule of thumb is to engage three different senses to make a scene feel real.
The following lines of poetry have a very high sensory density:
All through the night the dead
crunch pieces of ice from the moon. (Yannis Ritsos)
This line of surreal poetry, though not aiming to be believable, is vivid and evocative. Part of its strength comes from the density of sensory impressions. We have sight, sound, taste, temperature, passage of time, all engaged in the space of one sentence. It conveys a creepy sense of weary, dissatisfied restlessness, and maybe dread or existential angst. I don’t know what it looks like for the dead to crunch pieces of ice from the moon -and I’m not sure you could find pieces of moon-ice big enough to crunch, or how the dead might get those pieces, or how they would crunch them- but the surreal line comes to life because of the evocative sensory imagery.
Here is another example of high sensory density.
“The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.” (The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde)
We can say that a passage conveys a sense impression to the extent that the reader is able to answer questions about the passage related to that sense. For the passage from The Picture of Dorian Gray, we could test what was conveyed by asking such questions:
Could you say what temperature the wind was?
How frequently it was blowing?
The sound it made?
The smell(s)?
What the studio looked like inside?
What it looked like outside, through the open door?
The passage manages to paint a vivid picture across several senses (and all of that from one sentence that is, grammatically, just about the smell). That’s sensory density.
Exercise – Sense Modalities
There’s way more than five senses. The point of this exercise is practicing with senses we might not normally consider, in order to expand our range with different sensory experiences. Some of these exercises will require you to really flex your descriptive and creative muscles.
There’s a table below with a series of different senses listed in the left hand column. For each one, your job is to come up with a description that uses that sense (write out a chart like this on a sheet of paper). Use your imagination to come up with any scene, setting, action, or object you want to describe. Or use any of the following prompts: piece of fruit, visiting a planet, magic spell, meeting an alien, fist fight, explosion, losing consciousness, stepping through a portal, skiing, falling asleep on a couch.
For example, in the “sight” row, you might choose to describe an apple using sight. For the “temperature” row, you might describe a cup of coffee. Use only one sentence per description. The purpose of this exercise is just to expand awareness of available sensory modalities, and to practice making descriptions using these different senses.
The point of these exercises is to practice sensory density. For each of the following prompts, write a description that engages three(3) or more senses. The main goal of this exercise is to practice coming up with different sensory impressions for the same scene. It is up to you to rely on your creativity to fill in the sensory details.
Additional instructions:
2 to 3 sentences in length per exercise
3rd person, past tense
The POV character is your choice
Prompts: (for each one, use three or more senses!)
Going to the dentist.
Playing hockey outside.
Trench warfare.
Shopping at a large mall.
Dumpster diving.
Casting a magic spell.
Exercises: Sensory Density part 2 – specific challenges
For each of the following, render the given scene/action/object by using the specified sense(s). Some of these are super challenging. Some might require a little bit of research.
Additional instructions:
4 to 6 sentences in length per exercise.
3rd person, past tense.
When a specific sense is asked for, come up with a descriptive detail that makes that sense relevant. For example, if you are asked to use smell, you will have to invent some detail in your scene that can be smelled; if you are asked to use nociception, you will have to invent some reason why the POV character is in pain.
Exercises:
Render: dumpster diving, from the POV of a blind raccoon, using touch, smell, taste, and sound. Don’t use vision.
Render: being abducted by aliens, from the POV of a farmer, using any combination of senses, but including sense of gravity, proprioception, chronoception, balance, and interoception (your choice). Make it weird.
Render: running from the police, from the POV of a burglar, using any combination of senses, but including nociception and cardioception.
Render: sick on a rollercoaster, from the POV of someone who ate too much cotton candy, using any combination of senses, but including taste, smell, and at least three different forms of interoception.
Salient Impressions
Salient impressions are the most powerful sensory impressions in a given scene or setting. They are the things that stand out to the viewpoint character.
Try to render salient sensory impressions for any scene or setting. Imagine yourself in place of the viewpoint character -or rely on a memory of something similar- and capture what draws your attention: in an outhouse, that might be the smell; in a subway, that might be the feeling of cramped bodies invading your personal space, or the jerk-and-stutter of the train while you search for something to hold for balance; if you step outside in winter, the salient impression might be the cold.
Because salient impressions are the ones that draw our attention, it makes sense for them to be included in your descriptions, not just because it helps render the scene, but because it increases psychological fidelity. Your prose will better match psychological reality if you focus on the sensory impressions that are more plausibly drawing the attention of the viewpoint character. And, conversely, immersion can be ruined by focusing on low-salience details when a high-salience detail is available (imagine reading a passage where the POV character is set on fire, and they describe the smell and the colours of the flame: immersion is guaranteed to be broken; the focus in this case should be on the heat and the pain, because of their salience).
Telling Details
The smell of flowers coming through an open window is a “telling detail”, because it also helps to illustrate a larger picture -we can picture the garden even though we are only given the scent.
Telling details are descriptions of smaller parts of the scene that help to paint a bigger picture. Unlike salient details, they are not necessarily the strongest sensory impressions. But telling details give an indication or suggestion of the larger scene, allowing the reader’s imagination fill in the gaps. For example:
The ascending-and-descending pitch of a race-car’s engine as it whooshes by. This detail is just about the characteristic sound. But it helps render the larger scene. We can picture the race-car. Maybe we can also feel the wind.
A single pair of sneakers squeaking on the basketball court, and the rhythmic bouncing of the ball. Again, this detail is just about the sound. But we can imagine someone practicing basketball by themselves on an empty -probably indoor- basketball court. We can picture their motions. The sound gives an indication of a larger scene.
Broken bottles and cigarette butts littering an apartment hallway. I don’t need to explicitly tell you that this is a dirty and run-down apartment. The telling detail informs you of the larger scene. If I asked you whether any of the lights are broken or burnt out, your imagination can probably supply the answer.
A trick for rapidly establishing a scene is to use one broad description, just to situate the reader’s imagination, and then supplement that broad description with one telling detail. The formula is: broad description plus telling detail.
Dave Chappelle used this technique with comedic effect (successful comedians are master story-tellers). He wanted to describe a particularly bad ghetto. This is how he set the scene:
We pulled up to an old rickety building[…]
That’s the broad description. Then comes a telling detail (which Dave Chappelle calls one of “the familiar symptoms of a project”):
A [expletive] crackhead ran this way [skittering noise][…] And then another one jumped out a tree [skittering noise][…].
You could think of “telling details” as “familiar symptoms” if you prefer Dave Chappelle’s terminology. He continues the routine by adding additional telling details to further colour the scene:
I look out the window. Remember, it’s 3 o’clock in the morning. […] I look out the window. There was a [expletive] baby standing on the corner. And the baby -the baby didn’t even look scared. He was just standing there.
It’s a funny picture, but it proves the point. When you want to describe a scene, give the broad description, and then colour it with “telling details” (or “familiar symptoms”).
Don’t over-describe. It is often better to let the reader’s imagination do the heavy lifting. Give them a telling detail and let their mind fill in the blanks.
Exercises: Telling Details
Your goal with these exercises is to rapidly establish a scene by using one broad description, and one or two telling details. You are practicing coming up with evocative details. They should be small details that help paint a bigger picture. Try to create as vivid a scene as you can by using small, suggestive details that create an impression of the larger scene.
Additional instructions:
1 to 2 sentences in length per exercise. Don’t cheat by using really long sentences. Part of the exercise is condensing your descriptions. Deliver a powerful punch by using telling details.
3rd person, past tense.
POV character is up to you.
Exercises:
Render: a medieval battlefield after a gruesome battle.
Render: the lobby of a fancy hotel.
Render: an island paradise.
Render: a maniacal gang leader.
Render: a bookish and nerdy university student.
Render: a magical kingdom.
Render: an evil kingdom of a dark lord.
Render: a goblin with a heart of gold.
Render: a prison with a bad reputation full of violent criminals.
Render: the class clown.
Distancing Language (also called “filter words”)
Avoid using language like “he saw” or “she smelled” or “Billy heard” in your descriptions, and instead show the sensations directly. When you present a sensory impression by indicating that a particular character is the one sensing it, you place that character as a barrier between the reader and the experience. This distances the reader from the experience. This is called using “distancing language” or “filter words”. It makes the reader experience less immediate and less immersive.
When you are editing your prose, look for distancing language and get rid of it. When rendering a sensory detail, you don’t need to indicate which sense is being engaged, or who is doing the experiencing. I don’t need to say “the smell of urine fuming from the sidewalk” -by mentioning “urine fumes” the sense modality is implied; I don’t need to say “Billy smelled urine fumes” -if Billy is the point of view character, it is implicit that it is Billy who is experiencing those fumes. By indicating either of these things explicitly, you distance the reader from the experience, putting an additional layer between them and the experience.
Fix each of the following passages by eliminating the distancing language. They are not good passages, and they need some revision. For some of them, you will have to be creative and invent your own details about the scene (eliminating distancing language is not always a simple matter of cutting words). Feel free to add or delete words as necessary, or completely rework the passage (as long as the gist is the same). Your primary goal is to make the passage feel more immersive by eliminating distancing language -but that will sometimes require inventing details.
Billy walked in to the barn. He could smell that the goat had left something for him.
Gertrude jumped out of the plane. She felt the wind, and she saw the ground far below, but growing slowly larger.
He felt a pull on his hand, like a magnet, sticking his hand to the rune-symbol on the wall.
She walked outside. The temperature was very low, and the wind felt very cold on her face. (For this one, please also get rid of the word “very” both times it appears).
X89’s cyber-sensors picked up the reading of an electromagnetic field. He could feel the buzzing of the field. The device must be nearby.
Review
Sensory density is the degree of compactness of different sensory modalities. Prose with a high sensory density will feel more real and immersive than prose with a low sensory density. A rule of thumb is to aim for three different senses.
Try to give salient sensory impressions. In addition to helping to render the scene, this increases psychological fidelity. Conversely, a passage that neglects a high-salience impression to focus on a low-salience one risks breaking reader immersion.
Writers need to be able to control how close they are to the mind of their viewpoint character. They need to be able to zoom-in or pull-back depending on the passage.
This aspect of narrative style is called “psychic distance” -how close the narration is to the mind of the viewpoint character. If you want a book for this and other topics on the craft of fiction, check out John Gardner’s “The Art of Fiction”.
Learning Goals
Our learning goals are to understand the importance of psychic distance, and its relation to emotional writing; to understand the effect of psychic distance on reader experience; to be able to recognize four different levels of psychic distance; and, to be able to modulate psychic distance in our writing.
Four Levels of Psychic Distance
Consider the following passage:
There was a pie on the windowsill. Billy was hungry, and he thought the pie smelled delicious. I’m going for it, Billy thought. Yum! Blueberry!
This passage goes through four distinct levels of psychic distance, beginning at the most psychically distant -facts outside of Billy’s head- to the most psychically proximal -inside Billy’s head, experiencing what he does directly, without the interference of a narrator.
The closer we move inside Bill’y head, the more we experience his world as our own. Psychically proximal writing is more emotional and more immediate.
The following chart summarizes the levels of psychic distance:
psychic distance
explanation
example
objective
outside of character’s head; facts/observations about world
There was a pie on the windowsill
reporting; indirect thought
inside character’s head, summarized/amended by narrator
Billy was hungry, and he thought the pie smelled delicious
transcribing; direct thought
inside character’s head,
passed directly by narrator
I’m going for it, Billy thought.
stream of consciousness
deepest inside character’s head,
unmediated by narrator
Yum! Blueberry!
We could rewrite the Billy passage to illustrate by contrast the effect of psychic distance.
A pie, right on the windowsill! That pie smells delicious, Billy thought. He decided he was going to eat the pie. And he did.
Here, the psychic distance goes from closest to furthest. It is not as good when written this way. There is something unsatisfying about pulling away from the experience as the action progresses. Really, we want to be emotionally proximal at the close of the passage, where the action is (eating the pie).
As a general rule, action and tension should increase as a passage progresses. Maybe as a related principle we could say that psychic distance should be drawn closer as a paragraph progresses -establish the necessary facts, then shrink the psychic distance, and show us the experience.
How close or far should the psychic distance generally be? I don’t think it is possible to answer this question. It is an issue of style and the type of story you are telling. The important thing is that you, as a writer, are able to control psychic distance in order to achieve the effect on the reader that you’re aiming for. You need to be able to skillfully modulate psychic distance to serve your narrative purposes.
The following exercises are designed to develop skill with psychic distance.
Exercises
For each of the following exercises, we’ll use third person limited, past tense.
Write four sentences, each at a different psychic distance, about someone running through a red light.
Write four sentences, each at a different psychic distance, about someone being chased by a dog.
Write four sentences, each at a different psychic distance, about someone passing a lemonade stand on a hot day.
Write a passage about one continuous play in soccer or hockey, involving some combination of passing, movement, shooting, etc, where there the final sentence is a goal scored; the psychic distance of the sentences, in order, will be 4(2/3)4(2/3)4321, with 4 representing the furthest psychic distance and 1 the closest (and numbers separated by a slash are a choice).
What emotional effect did the changing psychic distance have on the writing?
What did you like or not like about the passage you wrote?
What change(s) to the pattern of psychic distance could be made to improve the passage (by changing existing sentences or by adding new ones)? Make those changes.
Write a passage about a soldier in a war-zone; the psychic distance of the sentences, in order, will be 44(2/3)111(2/3)44, with 4 representing the furthest psychic distance and 1 the closest (and numbers separated by a slash are a choice).
What emotional effect did the changing psychic distance have on the writing?
What did you like or not like about the passage you wrote?
What change(s) to the pattern of psychic distance could be made to improve the passage (by changing existing sentences or by adding new ones)? Make those changes.
Recap
Psychic distance is how close the narration is to the mind of the viewpoint character. The psychic distance that is appropriate depends on the effect the writer is trying to achieve. Writers need to be able to modulate psychic distance.
We practiced writing at different levels of psychic distance; we reflected on the effect of psychic distance on reader experience; we practiced modulating psychic distance, and experimented with patterns of psychic distance as they might appear in a passage.
Final Words
I hope you liked this article on Psychic Distance. This site is updated at least once a week with articles about writing.
Is the cigar smoke “coiled around her neck” or “draped over her shoulders”? Nothing in the physical scene determines this.
“How do you describe a werewolf?” is the wrong question; “How does the protagonist see a werewolf?” is the question. The answer is: it depends on whether they are a werewolf-hunter or someone trying to run away.
A sad person might see the gray clouds, and a happy person might see the bright sun, looking up at the same sky. Our mindset and personality shapes what we perceive, so it should shape your narrative.
A scene cannot be described without knowing who is telling the story, or what kind of story it is meant to be. To properly render a scene, you need to use a narrative lens.
The Narrative Lens
The narrative lens comprises all the high-level, structural considerations that can be brought to bear on word choice when rendering a scene. The most important considerations are about your point of view character: what sort of things do they notice; what kind of language do they use; do they have habits of thought; are they in a particular mood; etc. The narrative lens also includes other high-level considerations that might be on the author’s mind (as opposed to the viewpoint character’s mind): establishing tone, developing theme or motif, foreshadowing. However, these should be secondary to considerations of the point of view character; theme, motif, and foreshadowing should emerge organically, as much as possible, from the narration, which strives primarily for psychological fidelity and believability.
Narrative lensing is the practice of rendering details by using a narrative lens. You cannot properly render a scene or describe something in a story unless you figure out the narrative lens for that story.
Learning Goal
Developing an appreciation of the utility of narrative lensing; developing an understanding of the dimensions of narrative lensing; developing the ability to apply narrative lensing to render a scene.
Exercises
These exercises are meant to practice the skill of narrative lensing. Some of these you will find easier than others. Some of them will seem very strange, and some will seem unduly challenging. Between the whole set, they cover a wide variety of different sources of narrative lensing: tone, emotional context, psychological disposition, expertise, diction, etc.
For each of the following exercises, there is a scene to describe, and a narrative lens. Your job is use the narrative lens to render the scene. Don’t take too long on these; it’s mostly about picking a few details, and choosing how to present them. Remember: the whole point is in seeing how the narrative lens shapes the description.
Further instructions/requirements:
use third person limited, past tense
use 2 to 5 sentences per description exercise
focus on description of sensory details (no internal monologuing allowed; thoughts are only allowed in the form of direct perception of sensory details and immediate reaction to those sensory details)
try to hit three different senses
Exercises
Describe a pub, from the POV of a trained assassin who suspects someone is trying to kill him. Describe a pub, from the POV of a recovering alcoholic who is there to meet an old friend.
Describe a ballroom, from the POV of an undercover agent who is posing as a wealthy investor as part of an investigation.
Describe a grocery store, from the POV of a shopper whose family has recently died in a plane crash. Describe a grocery store, from the POV of someone who has recently won the lottery.
Describe a fist fight, witnessed from the POV of a music teacher who has never been in a fight. Describe a fist fight, witnessed from the POV of a retired boxer.
Describe the steps to the courthouse, from the POV of a paraplegic ex-marine.
Describe a sky-dive, from the POV of someone obsessed with collecting marbles.
Describe a presidential speech, from the POV of a child who wants ice cream. Describe a presidential speech, from the POV of someone with blackmail material against the president. Describe a presidential speech, from the POV of an alien who has come to Earth in human form to investigate our society.
Describe an old/malfunctioning starship engine from the POV of an expert starship mechanic. Describe an old/malfunctioning car engine from the point of view of an expert mechanic.
Describe a scroll of spells that was recently discovered, from the POV of an expert wizard. Describe a wall of hieroglyphics that was recently discovered, from the POV of an expert archaeologist.
Describe a delivery van, in an early scene in a horror story about a gang that kills people to sell body parts.
Describe a funeral home, in a scene during the second act of a comedy about college students experimenting with drugs for their blog.
Describe a train station, from the POV of a blind person.
Describe an airport, using a third-person omniscient POV, in a story about how people around the world are affected by the world coming to an end because of a climate catastrophe.
Describe the planet Jupiter, using a third-person omniscient POV, in a story about the pioneers and scientists involved in humankind’s colonization of other planets.
Reflection
Which exercises did you find easy, and which were hard? Why?
What different skills were required for different exercises?
Recap
We looked at Narrative lensing -the practice of rendering details by using a narrative lens. The narrative lens comprises all the high-level, structural considerations that can be brought to bear on word choice when rendering a scene, such as tone, emotional context, psychological disposition, expertise, diction, etc. We did a series of exercises in order to develop an appreciation of the utility of narrative lensing, to develop an understanding of the dimensions of narrative lensing, and to develop the ability to apply narrative lensing to render a scene.
Bottom-line: Writers don’t describe. That’s a painter’s job. Writers render experiences by filtering them through a narrative lens. You cannot properly render the details of a scene until you figure out the narrative lens for that story.
Final Comments
I hope you liked this article on Narrative Lensing. This site is updated at least once a week with articles about writing.
Someone asked me for an example of a werewolf described from the point of view of a werewolf hunter.
Its hunched form lumbered across the treeline, snapping through dry brush. Now and then it stopped, thrusting its snout towards the moon to sniff furiously, searching for a scent. It was big. Not the biggest Kaja had ever seen, but big enough to quicken her heart, to make her own breathing seem louder, to make her second-guess the wind. She breathed in. The creature’s musk was there, like a wet dog. As long as she could smell it, it couldn’t smell her.
Kaja closed the distance carefully, matching her footsteps with the beast. Its strides were long, but hers were quick, and she gained half a pace with each burst. She would just have to get close enough before the winds changed.
The words mean roughly the same thing, but one of them intuitively feels sharper, somehow, and the other feels smooth. This is a feature of language worth noticing. The ‘k’ sound in ‘rock’ just feels kind of sharp, and the ‘n’ sound on ‘stone’ feels soft, smoothing off the word.
What’s pointier, a bauble or a trinket?
Again, the words mean roughly the same thing, but one of them feels pointier, the other rounder. ‘Bauble’ is a round word, somehow, whereas ‘trinket’ is full of sharp edges. Our corresponding mental picture will naturally map on to the shape of these sounds. Probably, a trinket is pictured as something like a little pointy item, maybe star-shaped, whereas a bauble is a round-edged thing.
What’s heavier, a bauble or a trinket?
The weight of a word depends in part on the vowel sounds. To me, it feels as though higher-pitched vowels are lighter (like in ‘tip’), and deeper-pitched vowels are heavier (like in ‘toop’). The felt weight of a word also depends on whether the consonant is voiced or unvoiced; in the following pairs, the first item will feel heavier, because its consonant is voiced: ba/pa, da/ta, ga/ka, za/sa.
Probably, you feel like a trinket is lighter than a bauble, almost weightless, and the bauble you might imagine to have a little bit of weight in the palm of your hand. This is because ‘trinket’ has higher pitched vowels and unvoiced consonants, whereas ‘bauble’ has lower pitched vowels and voiced consonants.
These things have to be sensed, and not everyone is going to feel them exactly the same way. But the point is that sounds have a kind of texture that corresponds to the mental image they create. We can call this the “sonic texture”: the mental impression created by a series of sounds (irrespective of or in addition the semantic meaning of the words they comprise).
Probably the best example of this phenomenon is the poem Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll. In this poem, a strange landscape with alien plants and creatures comes to life in the mind of the reader, all through the use of nonsense words that have been engineered to create a sonic texture:
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
Lewis Carroll was playing with sonic texture when he made Jabberwocky. Carroll was acutely aware of the “shape” of sounds, and how they invoked images in the mind of the reader. He exploited this feature of our language to create a rich landscape out of the sonic texture of his made-up words. He used simple grammatical structures so that we can understand where the nouns and verbs and adjectives were, and used a basic plot so we can follow the story easily, but the sensory content of the poem is built from the sonic texture of nonsense words. Even though they are made-up words, the poem succeeds in creating vivid mental images.
Learning Goal
Writers should develop sensitivity to the shape of sounds. It will improve their ability to convey the mental image that they are striving for. If a word doesn’t feel quite right, it might be because the sonic texture is not contributing to the desired tone or image.
The following exercises are meant to develop an awareness of the sonic texture of the various sounds -the phonemes- of the English language. If you want to do these exercises, you should probably get a few sheets of paper and something to write with. It’s better for learning.
English Phonemes
Phonemes are the sounds of a language.
Vowels
Our written language doesn’t correspond exactly to all the sounds of our language. We have five written vowels. We have three times as many spoken vowels.
One of the important features of our vowels is that they can be arranged in a pitch-scale.
Any string of syllables will have a pitch-profile: how the pitch of the vowels rises or falls. If the profile goes from high to low, it will contribute to a sense of a mood getting worse; if it goes from low to high, it will contribute to a sense of a mood improving.
Consider the following line from The Princess Bride:
“On the high seas your ship attacked, and the dread pirate Roberts never takes prisoners.”
This sentence has an overall decline in pitch, contributing to the sense that something bad has happened. Moreover, if we break it into its three constitutive peaks, each of them has a descending profile: “on the high seas your ship attacked”; “the dread pirate Roberts”; “never takes prisoners” -each of these segments has descending pitch-profile. This creates an intuitive sense of descending emotional tone, which works with the semantic content of the line to achieve the intended emotional effect. The line wouldn’t have worked if it was written this way:
“The dread pirate Roberts never takes prisoners, and your ship attacked on the high seas.”
It means the same thing, but the line isn’t good. One reason this line doesn’t work* is because the pitch-profile is mismatched with the intended tone. It goes from low to high, ending on “high seas”, which runs counter to the feeling that the sentence is meant to evoke. It should end on a low note, not a high one.
I don’t mean to imply that William Goldman was consciously engineering a pitch-profile for this sentence. But good writers have an intuitive sense of these things, honed through a lifetime of practice. They feel their way around the sentence until it does what they want it to do; they sense when a sentence isn’t working and they try changes until it does. And sometimes, what’s not working -or what could be made to work better- is the pitch-profile.
This is a skill that can be developed. You can hope to develop it just by reading and writing a lot, and paying attention to what sounds right and what doesn’t. Or you can do some exercises to specifically develop that particular skill.
The goal with the next exercises is to improve sensitivity to pitch-profiles and their corresponding impact on the reader.
Pitch-profile exercises:
Create a sentence with a roughly ascending pitch profile using made-up words; Create a contrasting sentence with the same made-up words, and a roughly descending pitch profile.
Create a sentence with something sad happening, and a roughly descending pitch-profile.
Create a sentence with something happy happening, and a roughly ascending pitch-profile.
Locate a line in a book or movie where something good or bad is revealed. Map out the pitch-profile by drawing a line graph over the sentence, representing the pitch of the vowels. Does the pitch-profile complement the semantic content?
Note: because English places varying stresses on syllables, some vowels will be more important than others in determining the pitch-profile. If you know how to do scansion, you should focus on the stressed syllables when determining a pitch-profile.
The Consonants
This is going to be harder than the vowels. The consonants don’t map on to a neat-and-tidy scale like the vowels do. And we care about more than just pitch: we care about a wide range of potential mental impressions. Some of these sounds feel rounder or sharper, weaker or stronger, smaller or bigger, hotter or colder, etc, and the features we care about will change depending on the context. This is something that has to be intuited.
The following exercises are meant to (a) increase familiarity with the consonants in the English language (not just the written ones), and (b) develop awareness of sense impressions created by the consonants.
Consonant Exercises – Familiarity with Consonants:
Write out all the consonants in a column (it doesn’t need to be organised in any way)
Think of two example words for each consonant
Consonant Exercises – Developing Sense Impressions:
On a separate sheet, put the consonants on a scale from sharp to round (and “I can’t tell” in the middle). No two consonants can occupy the exact same position (you are going to have to do some tough discrimination -it might feel arbitrary- but try anyway).
On a separate sheet, put the consonants on a scale from heavy to light (and “I can’t tell” in the middle). As above, no two consonants can occupy the same position.
On a separate sheet, put the consonants on a scale from rough to silky (and “I can’t tell” in the middle). As above, no two consonants can occupy the same position.
Are there patterns of correspondence between the different scales? Does an item’s position on one scale determine its approximate position on a different scale?
Sonic Texture Exercises
Okay, we’ve looked at vowels and consonants, now we’ll put them together. These exercises are all meant to develop awareness of the sonic texture created by strings of syllables -vowels and consonants working together to create a mental impression.
Sonic Texture Exercises:
Create a list of ten nonsense words, between one and three syllables (most should be two syllables).
For each nonsense word, choose a colour that best fits, based on its sonic texture; say the word and try to imagine what colour it invokes. You can’t use the same colour twice (but you can use patterns like stripes or dots, etc). For example: which word is “deep purple”, which is “yellow with green spots”, etc.
For each nonsense word, choose an animal that best fits, based on the sonic texture; say the word and try to imagine what animal it invokes. You can’t use the same animal twice. But you can use imaginary animals, or descriptions like “something with a long tail”.
On a separate sheet, place your nonsense words on a scale from:
sharp to round
heavy to light
magnetic to electric
another adjective of your choice to its antonym (or to another pole of meaning)
Have someone else create a scale with the same words that you used. Compare your scale(s) with theirs, looking for similarities and differences in placement of words on the scale. Which words did you place on similar points in the scale? Which words landed in different places in the scale? What do these similarities and differences tell you about the sonic texture of that word?
Write a haiku or a ballad stanza using only made-up words (you can use real articles and conjunctions if you like). Your poem should meet the following conditions:
Your poem has a real word(s) for a title (like “alligator” or “lemonade stand”)
We looked at sonic texture: the mental impression created by a series of sounds. We looked at pitch-profile, the way a string of vowels can rise or fall in pitch and contribute to the changing emotional tone of a sentence. We familiarized ourselves with the phonemes of the English language. We exercised our awareness of sonic texture, for consonants and vowels, and for their combinations. And we practiced using sonic texture to create mental impressions.
Final Comments
I hope you liked this article on Sonic Texture. This site is updated at least once a week with articles about writing.
David
* This variation also ruins the punch of the original line, which was expertly withheld until the very last word, where the full impact of the sentence unfurls on reaching the word ‘prisoner’; in the inferior variation, the implication that Westley has been killed is seen coming, so the line loses its punch by comparison.
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Tesco sells stake in Chinese joint venture for 275 mln stg
LONDON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Britain’s biggest retailer Tesco has sold its 20% share of a joint venture in China to a unit of its partner China Resources Holdings (CRH), raising 275 million pounds ($357 million) and completing its exit from the country.
Tesco had established the Gain Land joint venture with CRH in 2014, when it started its retreat from China.
The disposal allows Tesco to further simplify and focus the business on its core operations, it said on Tuesday, adding that the proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. ($1 = 0.7714 pounds) (Reporting by James Davey; editing by Kate Holton) | |
We know that, as a UI designer or web developer , it is essential that you have a thorough understanding of UI elements and how end users interact with them. It helps you design a more user-friendly application or website structure. User interface (UI) elements serve as the foundation for all apps. | https://www.ctouniverse.com/edition/daily-kpi-business-transformation-2022-01-09/ |
The calculator solves the system of linear equations using Gaussian Method.
|The General Solution of a System of Linear Equations using Gaussian elimination|
This online calculator solves a system of linear algebraic equations using the Gaussian elimination method. It produces the result whether you have a unique solution, an infinite number of solutions, or no solution. It also outputs the result in floating point and fraction format.
|Gaussian elimination in complex numbers|
Solve complex coefficient linear equation system. | https://planetcalc.com/search/?tag=4694 |
Q:
Day-time convertion
I have a data.frame A wherein the column filename you can find a kind of day-time structure in the following format:
20140925_0 - states for 25 May 2014 00:00
20140925_1 - states for 25 May 2014 01:00
20140925_10 - states for 25 May 2014 10:00
etc.
My goal is to convert filenames into something like that:
20140925_0 = 201409250000
20140925_1 = 201409250100
20140925_10 = 201409251000
Does anyone have an idea how to convert it? Please find a reproducible example.
A <- structure(list(X = 1:24, ext = c(0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
0.1, 0, 0, 0, 0.01, 0, 0.44, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0), filename = structure(1:24, .Label = c("20140925_0.",
"20140925_1.", "20140925_10", "20140925_11", "20140925_12", "20140925_13",
"20140925_14", "20140925_15", "20140925_16", "20140925_17", "20140925_18",
"20140925_19", "20140925_2.", "20140925_20", "20140925_21", "20140925_22",
"20140925_23", "20140925_3.", "20140925_4.", "20140925_5.", "20140925_6.",
"20140925_7.", "20140925_8.", "20140925_9.", "20140926_0.", "20140926_1.",
"20140926_10", "20140926_11", "20140926_12", "20140926_13", "20140926_14",
"20140926_15", "20140926_16", "20140926_17", "20140926_18", "20140926_19",
"20140926_2.", "20140926_20", "20140926_21", "20140926_22", "20140926_23",
"20140926_3.", "20140926_4.", "20140926_5.", "20140926_6.", "20140926_7.",
"20141007_9."), class = "factor"), Zlewnia = structure(c(1L,
1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L,
1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L, 1L), .Label = "Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa", class = "factor")), .Names = c("X",
"ext", "filename", "Zlewnia"), row.names = c(NA, 24L), class = "data.frame")
A:
As nicola gave you a solution. Here's another solution to this using strptime:-
A$filename <- strptime(x = as.character(A$filename),
format = "%Y%m%d_%H")
A
X ext filename Zlewnia
1 1 0.00 2014-09-25 00:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
2 2 0.00 2014-09-25 01:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
3 3 0.00 2014-09-25 10:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
4 4 0.00 2014-09-25 11:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
5 5 0.00 2014-09-25 12:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
6 6 0.00 2014-09-25 13:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
7 7 0.00 2014-09-25 14:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
8 8 0.00 2014-09-25 15:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
9 9 0.00 2014-09-25 16:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
10 10 0.00 2014-09-25 17:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
11 11 0.10 2014-09-25 18:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
12 12 0.00 2014-09-25 19:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
13 13 0.00 2014-09-25 02:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
14 14 0.00 2014-09-25 20:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
15 15 0.01 2014-09-25 21:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
16 16 0.00 2014-09-25 22:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
17 17 0.44 2014-09-25 23:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
18 18 0.00 2014-09-25 03:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
19 19 0.00 2014-09-25 04:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
20 20 0.00 2014-09-25 05:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
21 21 0.00 2014-09-25 06:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
22 22 0.00 2014-09-25 07:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
23 23 0.00 2014-09-25 08:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
24 24 0.00 2014-09-25 09:00:00 Bystrzanka_z_Cisnowa
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
PARTS LIST
Reference is made to commonly-assigned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/222,605, entitled “Automated Photo-Product Specification Method”, filed Aug. 31, 2011, by Ronald S. Cok, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/222,650, entitled “Automated Photo-Product Specification Method”, filed Aug. 31, 2011, by Ronald S. Cok et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/222,699, entitled “Automated Photo-Product Specification Method”, filed Aug. 31, 2011, by Ronald S. Cok, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/222,799, entitled “Automated Photo-Product Specification Method”, filed Aug. 31, 2011, by Ronald S. Cok, et al.; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/278,287, entitled “Making Image-Based Product From Digital Image Collection”, filed Oct. 21, 2011, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein.
The present invention relates to photographic products having digital images that include multiple digital images and more specifically to automated methods for determining and matching image-type distributions in an image collection and selecting digital images from the image collection to be included in an image-based product.
Products that include images are a popular keepsake or gift for many people. Such products typically include an image captured by a digital camera that is inserted into the product and is intended to enhance the product, the presentation of the image, or to provide storage for the image. Examples of such products include picture albums, photo-collages, posters, picture calendars, picture mugs, t-shirts and other textile products, picture ornaments, picture mouse pads, and picture post cards. Products such as picture albums, photo-collages, and picture calendars include multiple images. Products that include multiple images are designated herein as image-based products.
When designing or specifying photographic products, it is desirable to select a variety of images that provide interest, aesthetic appeal, and narrative structure. For example, a selection of images having different subjects, taken at different times under different conditions that tell a story can provide interest. In contrast, in a consumer product, a selection of similar images of the same subject taken under similar conditions is unlikely to be as interesting.
In conventional practice, images for a photographic product are selected by a product designer or customer, either manually or with the help of tools. For example, graphic and imaging software tools are available to assist a user in laying out a multi-image product, such as a photo-book. Similarly, on-line tools available over the internet from a remote computer server enable users to specify photographic products. The Kodak Gallery provides such image-product tools. However, in many cases consumers have a large number of images, for example, stored in an electronic album in a computer-controlled electronic storage device using desktop or on-line imaging software tools. The selection of an appropriate variety of images from the large number of images available can be tedious, difficult, and time consuming.
Imaging tools for automating the specification of photographic products are known in the prior art. For example, tools for automating the layout and ordering of images in a photo-book are available from the Kodak Gallery as are methods for automatically organizing images in a collection into groups of images representative of an event. It is also known to divide groups of images representative of an event into smaller groups representative of sub-events within the context of a larger event. For example, images can be segmented into event groups or sub-event groups based on the times at which the images in a collection were taken. U.S. Pat. No. 7,366,994, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes organizing digital objects according to a histogram timeline in which digital images can be grouped by time of image capture. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0008321, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes identifying images of special events based on time of image capture.
Semantic analyses of digital images are also known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,467, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes a method for determining the general semantic theme of a group of images using a confidence measure derived from feature extraction. Scene content similarity between digital images can also be used to indicate digital image membership in a group of digital images representative of an event. For example, images having similar color histograms can belong to the same event.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0304808, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes a method and system for automatically producing an image product based on media assets stored in a database. A number of stored digital media files are analyzed to determine their semantic relationship to an event and are classified according to requirements and semantic rules for generating an image product. Rule sets are applied to assets for finding one or more assets that can be included in a story product. The assets, which meet the requirements and rules of the image product, are included.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,836,093, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes systems and methods for generating user profiles based at least upon an analysis of image content from digital image records. The image content analysis is performed to identify trends that are used to identify user subject interests. The user subject interests can be incorporated into a user profile that is stored in a processor-accessible memory system.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0297045, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, teaches a method of evaluating a user subject interest based at least upon an analysis of a user's collection of digital image records and is implemented at least in part by a data-processing system. The method receives a defined user subject interest, receives a set of content requirements associated with the defined user-subject-interest, and identifies a set of digital image records from the collection of digital image records each having image characteristics in accord with the content requirements. A subject-interest trait associated with the defined user-subject-interest is evaluated based at least upon an analysis of the set of digital image records or characteristics thereof. The subject-interest trait is associated with the defined user-subject-interest in a processor-accessible memory.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0177805, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes a method of searching through a collection of images, includes providing a list of individuals of interest and features associated with such individuals; detecting people in the image collection; determining the likelihood for each listed individual of appearing in each image collection in response to the people detected and the features associated with the listed individuals; and selecting in response to the determined likelihoods a number of images such that each individual from the list appears in the selected images. This enables a user to locate images of particular people.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,181, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discusses photo-collage generation and modification using image processing by obtaining a digital record for each of a plurality of images, assigning each of the digital records a unique identifier and storing the digital records in a database. The digital records are automatically sorted using at least one date type to categorize each of the digital records according at least one predetermined criteria. The sorted digital records are used to compose a photo-collage. The method and system employ data types selected from digital image pixel data; metadata; product order information; processing goal information; or a customer profile to automatically sort data, typically by culling or grouping, to categorize images according to either an event, a person, or chronology.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,405, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, to Savakis, et al., entitled “Method for automatic assessment of emphasis and appeal in consumer images,” discloses an approach which computes a metric of “emphasis and appeal” of an image, without user intervention and is included herein in its entirety by reference. A first metric is based upon a number of factors, which can include: image semantic content (e.g. people, faces); objective features (e.g., colorfulness and sharpness); and main subject features (e.g., size of the main subject). A second metric compares the factors relative to other images in a collection. The factors are integrated using a trained reasoning engine. The method described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0075743 by Chantani et al., entitled “System and method for digital image selection”, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, is somewhat similar and discloses the sorting of images based upon user-selected parameters of semantic content or objective features in the images. U.S. Pat. No. 6,816,847 to Toyama, entitled “Computerized aesthetic judgment of images”, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses an approach to compute the aesthetic quality of images through the use of a trained and automated classifier based on features of the image. Recommendations to improve the aesthetic score based on the same features selected by the classifier can be generated with this method. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0075917, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes estimating aesthetic quality of digital images and is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. These approaches have the advantage of working from the images themselves, but are computationally intensive.
While these methods are useful for sorting images into event groups, temporally organizing the images, assessing emphasis, appeal, or image quality, or recognizing individuals in an image, they do not address the need for automating the selection of a narrative structure or digital images from a large collection of images to provide a selection of a variety of images that provide interest, aesthetic appeal, and a narrative structure. Selecting images from a large image collection to match a narrative structure can be difficult, even with the use of imaging tools or personalization information. It can also be difficult to select a narrative structure. For example, a user might desire to make an image-based product using images from an available digital image collection, but be unaware of what narratives might be supported by the available images in the collection.
There is a need therefore, for an improved automated method for selecting a narrative structure and digital images from a large collection of digital images to provide a selection of a variety of images that provide interest, aesthetic appeal, and narrative structure in an image-based product.
In accordance with the present invention, a method is provided for making an image-based product comprising:
providing an image collection having a plurality of digital images, each digital image having an image type;
providing one or more image-type distributions, each image-type distribution corresponding to a theme and including a distribution of image types related to the theme;
using a processor to automatically compare the image types of the digital images in the image collection to the image types in the image-type distribution;
using the processor to automatically determine a match between the image types in the image collection and the image types in the image-type distribution; selecting a group of digital images from the image collection having a distribution of image types specified by the determined matching image-type distribution;
assembling the digital images in the selected group of images into an image-based product; and
causing the construction of the image-based product.
The present invention provides an improved automated method for selecting a narrative structure and digital images from a large collection of digital images to provide a selection of a variety of digital images that provide interest, aesthetic appeal, and narrative structure in an image-based product.
These, and other, aspects of the present invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention and numerous specific details thereof, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. For example, the summary descriptions above are not meant to describe individual separate embodiments whose elements are not interchangeable. In fact, many of the elements described as related to a particular embodiment can be used together with and interchanged with, elements of other described embodiments. Many changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications. The figures below are not intended to be drawn to any precise scale with respect to relative size, angular relationship, or relative position or to any combinational relationship with respect to interchangeability, substitution, or representation of an actual implementation.
According to various embodiments of the present invention, a theme for an image-based product is selected, received, provided, or automatically determined based on digital images in an image collection. The digital images have one or more image types. The theme provides a narrative structure and is specified by a distribution of image types. Once the theme and image-type distribution are determined, a group of digital images having image types corresponding to the image-type distribution from the image collection is automatically selected. The group of digital images is assembled into an image-based product and the image-based product constructed.
FIG. 1
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535
Referring to , an image collection having a plurality of digital images is provided in step . Each digital image has an image type associated therewith. In step , one or more image-type distributions is provided. Each image-type distribution corresponds to one or more themes and includes a distribution of image types related to the theme(s). A processor or computer automatically compares the image types of the digital images in the image collection to the image types specified in the image-type distribution in step and then automatically determines a match between the image types in the image collection and the image types in the image-type distribution (step ). If a match is not determined, the process can end since the image collection does not have suitable matching images with image types corresponding to the image-type distributions. If a match is determined, a group of digital images having the distribution of image types specified by the determined matching image-type distribution is selected from the image collection in step . An image-based product is selected (step ) and the digital images in the selected group of images are assembled into the selected image-based product in step and the image-based product caused to be constructed in step . In step , the image-based product can be delivered, for example to a customer, user, or other recipient.
520
FIG. 1
In embodiments of the present invention, the image-based product selection of step is made on the basis of the image-type distribution determined (as illustrated in ). In alternative embodiments, the image-based product selection is done by a user separately from the image-type distribution selection. In such alternative embodiments, the image-type distribution selection can be limited to those image-type distributions associated or compatible with the selected image-based product.
In various embodiments, the image type associated with each image is included in an electronic database including the digital images or references to the digital images. Alternatively, each digital image includes metadata in an electronic digital image file, for example in a file header, specifying the image type. The image distributions can be stored as numbers in an electronic file, for example with an association between each image type and a percentage value or range of values. Digital images, electronic image files, databases, and information stored in files are all well known in the computing arts, together with computers, processors, and storage devices for accessing, storing and manipulating such information. Software tools for writing programs that manipulate information are also well known.
FIG. 2
FIG. 1
FIG. 1
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According to various embodiments of the present invention, the processor can automatically determine a match between the image types in the image collection and the image types in the image-type distribution. Referring to , the steps and of are illustrated in a more detailed example. After the image distribution is provided in step (), the image types for each image distribution are compared to the digital images in the image collection in iterated step . For each digital image of iterated step , the image types of the iterated image distribution are compared to the image types of the digital image (step ), for example by iteratively comparing each image type of the iterated image-type distribution to each image type of the iterated digital image. Matching image types between the iterated digital image and iterated image-type distribution are recorded in step . Once all of the image types for each of the digital images that match the iterated image distribution are recorded, the matches are combined (step ) to determine an overall match between the iterated image-type distribution and the digital images in the image collection, for example by summing the number of matches of each image type found in the image-distribution. If the number of matches for some image type in the image-type distribution is zero, a match between the image-type distribution and the digital images in the image collection is incomplete or not made.
925
An image-match metric is calculated to determine how well the digital images in the image collection match the image distribution in step . For example, the image-match metric could include the overall number of matching images, the average percentage match of the image types of each digital image with the image types of the image-type distribution, or the overall variety of image types in the image collection that match the image-type distribution. A variety of image-match metrics can be employed to provide a measure of the match between digital images in the image collection and the image-type distribution.
930
935
515
The image-match metric is iteratively calculated for each of the image distributions provided. The image-match metrics are then compared in step and the image-type distribution best matching the digital images in the image collection is selected in step . Once the image-type distribution is selected, the digital images are selected in step if a suitable match is found.
In various embodiments of the present invention, an image-type distribution is not associated with a particular image-based product or type of image-based product. Digital images selected from the image collection are applicable or can be used in a variety of different image-based products. In alternative embodiments of the present invention, an image-type distribution is associated with a particular image-based product or type of image-based product. Digital images selected from the image collection are adapted for use in the associated image-based products.
FIGS. 1 and 2
FIG. 3
600
605
606
607
608
610
As illustrated in , if a suitable image-type distribution match is not found and no selection made, the process can stop. In other embodiments, however, additional digital images can be provided to the image collection. Referring to , one or more of the image-type distribution matches are analyzed in step to determine image types missing from the image collection present in the image-type distribution. The missing image types are then communicated (step ), for example to a user or customer. The user or customer receives the missing image types (step ) and obtains digital images (step ), for example from a different image collection. The obtained digital images having the missing image types are communicated (step ), and received (step ). The obtained digital images can be added to the image collection and the image-type distribution and digital image type comparisons repeated until a suitable match is determined. In this way, if the image types in an image collection are not present in one or more image-type distributions, the image collection can be reinforced with additional digital images having image types corresponding to the image types needed by the image-type distributions and to thereby enable the construction of a desired image-based product.
FIG. 4
FIG. 4
FIG. 2
FIG. 3
705
710
711
712
713
714
515
In embodiments of the present invention, only one image-type distribution is provided. In those embodiments, a determination of whether a suitable match can be made is made. If no suitable match is available, additional digital images can be provided or a different image-type distribution (possibly corresponding to a different image-based product) provided. In alternative embodiments, multiple image-type distributions are provided. In such alternatives, the best match can be selected, used to specify which digital images are selected, and a corresponding image-based product constructed. Referring to , the best match determined can be approved by a user, if desired. As shown in , image-type distributions are provided in step and compared with the image types of the digital images in the image collection (step ). The matching image-type distributions are compared (step ) and the best match selected (step , for example as described with respect to ). Optionally, the best image-type distribution match is communicated (step ), for example to a user or customer who then reviews the selected best image-type distribution and responds with a match approval that is then received in step . If the image-type distribution match is not approved and received, the process can stop with no further action (or further digital images can be solicited as discussed with respect to ). Digital images corresponding to the received image-type distribution match are then selected in step .
FIG. 5
FIG. 5
705
710
811
812
813
814
515
In other embodiments, referring to , a plurality of image-type distribution matches is communicated and a preferred match selection received. As shown in , image-type distributions are provided in step and compared with the image types of the digital images in the image collection (step ). Optionally, the matching image-type distributions are compared (step ) and ordered (step ), for example by applying a metric such as that used for comparing. The matches (whether ordered or not) are communicated (step ), for example to a user or customer, and a selected image-type distribution match is received in step . Digital images corresponding to the received image-type distribution match are then selected in step .
In other embodiments, a theme can be received and one or more image-type distributions received, provided, or selected on the basis of the theme. The image types of the selected image-type distributions are then compared to the image types of the digital images in the image collection. Image-type distributions can also be received or provided. In either case, a user or customer can select the theme or the image-type distributions whose image types are compared with the image types of the digital images in the image collection.
In yet other embodiments, the digital images in the collection can be analyzed to determine one or more themes. Image types of image-type distributions corresponding to the determined themes can then be compared with the image types of the digital images in the image collection. In another embodiment, one or more image-type distributions associated with an image-based product are provided. For example, a user or customer can select a desired image-based product. Image-type distributions corresponding to the image-based product can then be used to automatically select digital images, as described above.
In any or all of these embodiments, a user or customer can communicate an image collection or select the desired theme, image-type distributions, or image-based products. The digital images, selected theme, image-type distributions, or image-based products can be communicated, for example via the internet, from a computer (e.g. a personal computer at a user's or customer's home) to a computer server that stores the image collection, image-type distributions, and image-based product information. The computer server compares the image types of the digital images in the image collection to the image types in a specified image-type distribution by accessing the image types of each digital image and comparing the accessed image types to the image-type distribution, determines a match, and selects digital images, as described above. Useful personal computers, server computers, communication network devices, and software tools for making programs that implement the steps described are all known in the art and are discussed in greater detail below.
According to the present invention, an image-based product is a printed or electronic product that includes multiple images incorporated into an image-related object (either real or virtual), such as for example a photo-book, photo-album, a photo-card, a picture greeting card, a photo-collage, a picture mug, or other image-bearing item. The image-based product can be printed on a substrate or stored in and retrieved from an electronic storage system. The images can be a user's personal images and the image product can be personalized. The images can be located in specified pre-determined locations within the image-based product or adaptively located according to the sizes, aspect ratios, orientations and other attributes of the images. Likewise, the image sizes, orientations, or aspect ratios included in the image-based product can be adjusted, either to accommodate pre-defined templates with specific pre-determined openings or adaptively adjusted for inclusion in an image-based product.
In an embodiment, the image-based product is a specified quantity of digital images, a specified size of digital images, or a specified resolution of digital images.
As intended herein, an image-based product can include printed images, for example images printed on photographic paper, cardboard, writing paper, textiles, ceramics, or rubber such as foam rubber, and polymers. These printed images can be assembled or bound into an image-based product, for example a book. In an alternative embodiment, the image-based product can be an electronic image-based product suitable for display on an electronic display by a computing device and stored as a file, or multiple files, in an electronic storage system such as a computer-controlled disk drive or solid-state memory. Such image-based products can include, for example, photobooks, collages, videos, or slide shows that include one or more images with or without ancillary images such as templates, backgrounds, clip art and the like. In various embodiments, an image-based product includes a single still image, multiple still images, or video images and can include other sensory modalities such as sound. The electronic image-based products are displayed by a computer on a display, for example as a single image or by sequentially displaying multiple pages in the image-based product together with outputting any other related image product information such as sound. Such display can be interactively controlled by a user. Such display devices and image-based products are known in the art as are user interfaces for controlling the viewing of image-based products on a display.
Similarly in various embodiments, image-type distributions and digital images in an image collection are stored as a file, or multiple files, in an electronic storage system such as a computer-controlled disk drive or solid-state memory. The storage medium can be connected directly to a computer or available over a network, such as a local area network or the internet. The stored information is accessed and manipulated by a processor that has access to the storage medium
A theme, as used in the present invention, is a narrative structure having a unifying subject. A narrative, for example, can be a story or account of events or experiences and associated, for example, with a person, group, object, or location. A narrative structure has elements corresponding to elements of the narrative. Elements are represented by images in the image-based product. Elements can include actions, characters, objects, locations, or events. A theme is a story line that can be associated with an event.
For example, the theme of an event is a birthday party (a unifying subject) that has a narrative structure including guest arrival, gift presentation, game playing, guest snack, lighting candles on a cake, blowing out candles on a cake, singing, gift opening, and guest departure. A theme can also be a macro-event that includes other events, for example, a history of primary school for a student, including events of each grade. In this example, the unifying subject is the student history and the narrative structure can include, for each grade, a school picture, a casual picture of the student with friends, and an image of a school event in which the student participates.
An image-based product is a product that includes multiple images. The plurality of digital images can form an image collection and can be stored in an electronic storage and retrieval system, for example a processor-controlled rotating magnetic- or optical-media disk or a solid-state memory. The digital images have attributes that are specified as image types. An image-type distribution is a specification for a set of digital images, each digital image having one or more image types, whose digital images match a statistical distribution of image types. An image type can be an attribute of an image. An image collection from which digital images are selected by a processor can include digital images from a variety of events, capture times, capture locations, either related or unrelated, and can correspond to different themes, either related or unrelated. An image collection can include digital images that correspond to multiple themes. A set of digital images or selected digital images within a set can correspond to multiple related themes.
Selected digital images have image types that correspond to one or more elements of a theme. The image-type distribution corresponds to a selected theme. For example, an image-type distribution can include at least one of each element of a narrative structure and can include multiple digital images of a specific element. For example, if the theme is a history of primary school for a student, selected digital images can have one or more image types such as school picture, group photo, activity, person identity, and capture time.
FIG. 6
300
Referring to , a histogram of a digital image collection having a plurality of digital images of four different image types is illustrated. This kind of histogram profile is also referred to herein as an image-type distribution. An image-type distribution can be used to describe a collection of digital images in a database (collection) of images or in an image-based product, and it can be used as a filter or template to predefine a distribution of digital images, which is then used to select digital images from an image collection (or database) to be included in an image-based product. The height of each column indicates an image type count of digital images of the image type marked. In this example, the largest plurality of the digital images is of image type 4, followed by digital images of image type 2 and then digital images of image type 1. The fewest digital images are of image type 3.
As another example, a digital image collection containing one hundred different digital images classified into four image types of twenty-five digital images each has an image-type distribution that is equivalent to a collection of four images with one each of the four exclusive image types, because both distributions contain 25% each of four image types. Thus, the one-hundred-image collection can produce twenty-five unique groups of images having the same image-type distribution as the original collection without any image repeated in any of the groups.
FIG. 7
Referring again to the example of a history theme of a student's experiences in a primary school, illustrates an example of an image-type distribution having image type counts 300 in a histogram whose corresponding digital images can be selected to narrate the theme. Other image-type distributions can be employed. In this example, the student has nine years of experience in a primary school for grades kindergarten through eight. 18 subject images, 9 single person images, 9 group images, and 9 event images are required in the image-type distribution, as well as three images per year whose capture date corresponds to the years of historical interest. This image-type distribution can be satisfied by selecting one image of the subject in a single person image, one image of the subject in a group image, and one image of an event for each of the nine years (three images per year). Note that an image can have multiple types; as illustrated here a subject image has a date image type, a subject image type, and a single or group image type. An image-type distribution can have optional elements, for example the 18 images of the subject can include at least 18 images or exactly 18 images. If the number is exactly 18, the event images do not include the subject. If the number is at least 18, the event images can, but do not have to, include the subject.
Many other image types can be included, including different subjects. For example, events are categorized by event type (e.g. athletic, musical, theatre, field trip) and an image-type distribution can require at least a specified percentage or no more than a specified percentage of images having image types corresponding to the event types.
FIGS. 1-5
The steps illustrated in are performed, for example, by a programmable processor executing a software program and connected to a memory storage device, for example an electronic storage system, as described further below. The processor can be a standalone computer, e.g. a desktop computer, a portable computer, or a server computer. Alternatively the processor can be a networked computer capable of communicating with other networked computers and the tasks of the present invention are cooperatively performed by multiple interacting processors. The network is, for example, the internet or a cellular telephone network. In one embodiment, the steps of the present invention are performed with a client—server computer network. Such processors, computer systems, and communication networks are known in the computing industry.
FIG. 8
550
A user can communicate from a remote location to provide digital images in the image collection, themes, or image-type distributions. Referring to , in further embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of digital images is received in step , for example, through a network, from an image source, for example a digital camera, remote client computer, or portable computer connected to a cellular telephony or WiFi network. In various embodiments, the plurality of digital images is stored in a permanent non-volatile storage device, such as rotating magnetic media or the plurality of digital images is stored in a volatile memory, for example, random access memory (RAM). Likewise, in an embodiment, the theme and image-type distributions are received from a remote source. In an embodiment, such a remote source is owned by a user and the processor is owned by a service provider. Alternatively, the theme and image-type distributions are stored in a memory under the control of the processor.
555
560
In one embodiment of the present invention, the image types are provided with the digital images. For example, a user might assign image types to digital images. In another embodiment, the image types are associated with the digital images by processing and analyzing (step ) the digital images to determine the image type(s) of the digital images (step ), for example, by analyzing the digital images using software executing mathematical algorithms on an electronic processor. Such mathematics, algorithms, software, and processors are known in the art. Alternatively, the image types are determined manually, for example, by an owner of the digital images interacting with the digital images through a graphic interface on a digital computer and providing metadata to the processing system which is stored therein. The metadata can be stored in a metadata database associated with the digital image collection or with the digital image itself, for example in a file header.
A theme can be selected by receiving a theme selection from a user or the theme selected by an analysis of the plurality of digital images. The present invention is explicitly intended to include both or either method of theme selection. In various embodiments, a theme is selected by receiving it from a user and an image-type distribution chosen by the processor.
FIG. 8
565
570
575
580
Thus, as further illustrated in , themes can be selected, e.g. received from a user or owner of the digital images (step ) or provided through an analysis of the digital images to determine a theme. In such an embodiment, the method further includes analyzing the plurality of digital images (step ), to determine themes associated with the plurality of digital images (step ). Similarly, image-type distributions can be provided, e.g. received from a user or owner of the digital images (step ). In various embodiments, image-type distributions are dependent on the plurality of digital images, themes, or a desired image-based product. The themes or image-type distributions determined are generated and stored, for example in an electronic storage system controlled by the processor. The determined themes or image-type distributions can also be communicated to a user or owner of the digital images.
For example, an image collection including an image of a cake with lit candles and “Happy Birthday” written on the cake is deduced to include images of a birthday party and a birthday party theme selected. If an image of a person blowing out the candles is found in the collection, the person is deduced to be the main subject of the party. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0304808 discloses semantic methods for determining themes and automatically classifying events.
In a further embodiment, the processor can cause the construction of the image-based processor, for example by printing the selected digital images, by sending the selected digital images to a third party for printing, or by making an electronic image-based product such as a slide show, video, photo-book, or collage and storing the electronic image-based product in an electronic storage system. An electronic image-based product is sent to a user electronically or a printed image-based product is sent to a user by physical delivery, e.g. through a postal or package delivery service. Alternatively, the image-based product is delivered to a third party, for example as a gift.
The image collection of digital images can have digital images corresponding to different themes. A large image collection can include images of many different, unrelated events that can overlap in time. Different subsets of the digital images in the image collection can correspond to different themes. In other embodiments, a single subset of digital images can have different themes that, for example, can correspond to different perspectives on the information recorded in the subset of digital images. A single theme can have different image-type distributions corresponding to different ways of communicating the narrative structure inherent in the theme. In other embodiments, different image-based products can correspond to different image-type distributions, for example in number of images or image types. Image-based products can be limited to particular image-type distributions or vice versa.
If an image collection does not have the digital images corresponding to an image-type distribution, an alternative distribution corresponding to the selected theme can be selected, additional digital images procured, or a different image-based product chosen.
Image types can explicitly correspond to narrative structural elements of themes. For example, image types can include introduction type, character type, person type, object type, action type, and conclusion type. The digital images can have a temporal association and the image-type distribution include an image type time order corresponding to a temporal order in the narrative structure. To support this, an image type can be a capture time of the corresponding digital image.
Since many themes are organized around specific individuals or groups of individuals, image-type distributions can include a specified distribution of image types of specific persons or character types. An image type can include an identified person type and the digital images can be analyzed to recognize and identify persons in an image. The identified person can correspond to an image type.
An image type is a category or classification of image attributes and can be associated with a digital image as image metadata stored with the digital image in a common electronic file or associated with the digital image in a separate electronic file. An image can have more than one image type. For example, a digital image can have an image type such as a portrait orientation type, a landscape orientation type, or a scenic image type. The same digital image can also be classified as an image that includes a person type, a close-up image of a person type, a group image that includes multiple people type, day-time image type, night-time image type, image including one or more animals type, black-and-white image type, color image type, identified person type, identified gender type, and flash-exposed image type. An image type can be an image-usage type classifying the digital image as a popular image and frequently used. Other types can be defined and used as needed for particular image products or as required for desired image-type distributions. Therefore, a variety of digital images having a desired distribution of image types such as those listed above can be selected.
An image type can include a value that indicates the strength or amount of a particular type for a specific image. For example, an image is a group image but, if it only includes two people, the strength of the group-type is relatively weak compared to a group image that includes 10 people. In this example, an integer value representing a number of persons appearing in the digital image is stored with or in association with the digital image to indicate its group-type strength or value. As an example of ranking group-type digital images, a collection of these images is sorted in descending order according to a magnitude of their group-type value. A selection algorithm for finding images depicting a group can be programmed to preferably select images with a higher group-type value by preferably selecting images from the top of the sorted list.
An image-usage type can have a strength value indicating how often or how much the corresponding digital image is used, for example including a combination of metrics such as how often the image is shared or viewed, whether the image was purchased, edited, used in products, or whether it was deleted from a collection. Alternatively, each of those attributes can be a separate image-type classification. The image-usage type(s) can indicate how much a user values the corresponding digital image. As an example ranking method, the number of times that an image file was opened, or an image shared or viewed is accumulated for each image and then the images ranked in descending order according to the number. A preferential selection scheme can then be implemented whereby the images listed at the top of the ranking are preferentially selected.
An image type can also include a similarity metric that indicates the relative uniqueness of the image. For example, if an image is very different from other images, it can have a high uniqueness image-type value (or an equivalent low similarity value). If an image is similar to one or more of the other images, it can have a low uniqueness image-type value (or an equivalent high similarity value) depending on the degree of similarity and the number of images to which it is similar. Thus, every image can have the same image type but with varying values. The image-type value can also be associated with a digital image as image metadata stored with the digital image in a common electronic file or associated with the digital image in a separate electronic file.
For example, a first desired image-type distribution specification can include 20% scenic images, 60% scenic images that include a person, and 20% close-up images. The actual number of images of each type is then calculated by multiplying the total number of images in the desired image-based product by the percentage associated with the image type in the desired image-type distribution. The total number of digital images in the image-based product is determined by the image-based product to be used. A desired image-type distribution can also include multiple values corresponding to an image type that has multiple values rather than a simple binary classification value.
FIGS. 9 and 10
FIG. 6
FIG. 6
320
Referring to , two different desired distributions of image types are illustrated in a 100% stacked column chart in which the total number of image types is 100%. In , a percent image-type desired image-type distribution of image type 4 is largest, similar to the desired distribution of image types in the collection. However, the prevalence of image type 3 in the desired image-type distribution is relatively smaller than in the collection and the prevalence of image types 1 and 2 in the desired image-type distribution are equal. Thus, according to the example of , the desired distribution of image types in an image-based product has relatively fewer digital images of image type 2 and 3 than are in the original collection.
FIG. 10
320
Referring to the example of , the percent image-type desired distribution of image types 2 and 4 are relatively reduced while the percent image-type desired distribution of image types 3 and 1 are increased.
Because a digital image can have multiple image types, a desired distribution need not have a relative frequency of digital images that adds to 100%. For example an image is a landscape image, a scenic image, and a scenic image that includes a person. Similarly, a close-up image is a portrait image and a flash image. Thus, in a second example, a second desired distribution can include 10% scenic images, 40% landscape orientation, 80% day-time image, 100% color image, 60% scenic image that includes a person, and 20% close-up image. In an alternative embodiment, the image types are selectively programmed to be mutually exclusive so that no image is determined to have more than one image type. In this instance the relative distribution percentages should add up to 100%.
FIG. 11
320
320
Referring to , a desired distribution of image types is illustrated in which the relative frequency of each distribution of image type is shown by the height of the corresponding column. The relative frequency ranges from 0% (not desired in any selected digital image) to 100% (desired in all selected digital images).
In another embodiment of the present invention, a desired image-type distribution can include more than, but not fewer than, the specified relative frequency of image types. This simplifies the task of selecting digital images when a digital image has more than one image type. For example, if a desired image-type distribution requires a certain relative frequency of close-up images and a different relative frequency of portrait images, a close-up image that is also a portrait image is selected, even if the relative frequency of portrait images in a desired image-type distribution is then exceeded. In various preferred embodiments of the present invention, variation in the relative frequency of images of specified image types is controlled, for example within a range such as from 60% to 80% range or 60% to 100%. Rules can be associated with the digital image selection to control the image selection process in accordance with the desired image-type distribution, for example specifying a desired degree of flexibility in selecting images that have multiple image types.
According to further embodiments of the present invention, digital images are automatically selected from the plurality of digital images to match the desired image-type distribution, for example by using a processor for executing software and an electronic storage storing digital images, theme selections, and image-type distributions.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, different desired distributions of digital images in a common plurality of digital images are specified for multiple image-based products. The same theme is then used for different image-based products for different individuals but with image-type distributions specifying different individuals. For example, if multiple people take a scenic vacation together, a commemorative photo-album for each person can be created that emphasizes images of different image types preferred by that person specified by different digital image desired distributions and that includes the corresponding subject. Thus, the same collection of digital images can be used to produce multiple image-based products having different image-type desired distributions, for example for different intended recipients of the photo-products.
In another example, a person might enjoy a beach vacation and wish to specify a photo-product such as a photo-album for each of his or her parents, siblings, friends, and others. In each photo-album, a relatively greater number of pictures including the recipient can be provided. Thus, a different selection of digital images is specified by a different desired distribution of digital images.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the various methods of the present invention are performed automatically using, for example, computer systems such as those described further below. Ways for receiving images, photo-product choices, and desired distributions, e.g. using communication circuits and networks, are known, as are ways for manually selecting digital images and specifying photo-products, e.g. by using software executing on a processor or interacting with an on-line computer server.
A method of the present invention can further include the steps of removing bad images from an image collection, for example by analyzing the images to discover duplicate images or dud images. A duplicate image can be an exact copy of an image in the plurality of images, a copy of the image at a different resolution, or a very similar image. A dud image can be a very poor image, for example an image in which the flash failed to fire or was ineffective, an image in which the camera lens of an image-capturing camera was obscured by a finger or other object, an out-of-focus image, or an image taken in error.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the image quality of the digital images in the plurality of digital images is determined, for example by analyzing the composition, color, and exposure of the digital images, and ranked. A similarity metric can also be employed describing the similarity of each digital image in the plurality of digital images to every other digital image in the plurality of digital images. Quality and similarity measures are known in the art together with software executing on a processor to determine such measures on a collection of digital images and can be employed to assist in the optional duplication and dud detection steps and to aid in the image-selection process. For example, if a desired distribution requires a close-up, portrait image of a person and several such digital images are present in the plurality of digital images, the digital image having the best image quality and the least similarity to other digital images can be chosen. The selected images then specify the photo-product. The similarity and quality values can be associated with a digital image as image metadata stored with the digital image in a common electronic file or associated with the digital image in a separate electronic file. Once the number and types of digital images are selected, the specified image-based product can be laid out and completed, as is known by practitioners in the art, and then caused to be manufactured and delivered to a recipient.
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition,
, Proceedings of the
IEEE Computer Society Conference,
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition,
; Proceedings of the
IEEE Computer Society Conference,
Image types can include images having persons therein or images having specific individuals therein. Face recognition and identification can be performed manually on an image, for example by a user, and the information stored as a corresponding image type. Face recognition and identification can also be done automatically. Using computer methods described in the article “Rapid object detection using a boosted cascade of simple features,” by P. Viola and M. Jones, in 20012001 2001, pp. I-511-I-518 vol. 1; or in “Feature-centric evaluation for efficient cascaded object detection,” by H. Schneiderman, in 20042004 2004, pp. II-29-II-36, Vol. 2., the size and location of each face can be found within each digital image and is useful in determining close-up types of images and images containing people. These two documents are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Viola uses a training set of positive face and negative non-face images. The face classification can work using a specified window size. This window is slid across and down all pixels in the image in order to detect faces. The window is enlarged so as to detect larger faces in the image. The process repeats until all faces of all sizes are found in the image. Not only will this process find all faces in the image, it will return the location and size of each face.
Computer Vision and Image Understanding
Facial Pose Estimation Using a Symmetrical Feature Model
Proceedings of ICME—Workshop on Media Information Analysis for Personal and Social Applications,
Active shape models as described in “Active shape models—their training and application,” by Cootes, T. F. Cootes, C. J. Taylor, D. H. Cooper, and J. Graham, , vol. 61, pp. 38-59, 1995, can be used to localize all facial features such as eyes, nose, lips, face outline, and eyebrows. These documents are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Using the features that are thus found, one can then determine if eyes/mouth are open, or if the expression is happy, sad, scared, serious, neutral, or if the person has a pleasing smile. Determining pose uses similar extracted features, as described in “”, by R. W. Ptucha, A. Savakis, 2009, which develops a geometric model that adheres to anthropometric constraints. This document is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. With pose and expression information stored for each face, preferred embodiments of the present invention can be programmed to classify digital images according to these various detected types (happy, sad, scared, serious, and neutral).
A main subject detection algorithm, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,317, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, involves segmenting a digital image into a few regions of homogeneous properties such as color and texture. Region segments can be grouped into larger regions based on such similarity measures. Regions are algorithmically evaluated for their saliency using two independent yet complementary types of saliency features—structural saliency features and semantic saliency features. The structural saliency features are determined by measureable characteristics such as location, size, shape and symmetry of each region in an image. The semantic saliency features are based upon previous knowledge of known objects/regions in an image which are likely to be part of foreground (for example, statues, buildings, people) or background (for example, sky, and grass), using color, brightness, and texture measurements. For example, identifying key features such as flesh, face, sky, grass, and other green vegetation by algorithmic processing are well characterized in the literature.
In one embodiment, once the image types are determined for each of the digital images in the plurality of digital images, the relative frequency of digital images of each image type can optionally be determined. For example, if a collection of 60 digital images is provided and 30 are determined by the processing system to be scenic, then the relative frequency data stored in association with the collection is a value representing 50%. This information is useful when selecting the digital images from the collection to satisfy a specified image-based product.
The relative frequency of image types in an image collection can also be optionally used by selecting the image-based product to have a desired distribution dependent on the relative frequency of image types in an image collection, since a given image-based product (e.g. a user-selected photo-product) can require a certain number of image types of digital images in a collection. The desired distribution can have an equivalent image-type distribution to the image-type distribution of the image collection, for example without repeating any digital images. Therefore, an image-based product can be selected, suggested to a user, or modified depending on the relative frequency or number of digital images of each image type in a digital image collection.
Similarly, the relative frequency of image types can also be optionally used to select the image-type distribution, since an image-type distribution can require a certain relative frequency or number of image types of digital images in a collection. If, for example, an image-based product requires a certain number of images and a first image-type distribution cannot be satisfied with a given image collection, an alternative second image-type distribution is selected. A variety of ways to specify an alternative second image-type distribution can be employed. For example, a second image-type distribution, including the same image types but requiring fewer of each image type, is selected. Alternatively, a second image-type distribution including image types related to the image types required by the first distribution (e.g. a group image with a different number of people) is selected. Therefore, a distribution can be selected depending on the relative frequency or number of digital images of each image type in a collection.
An image-based product having an image-type distribution (and a theme and intended audience) can thus be suggested to a user, depending on the relative frequency or number of image types in a digital image collection. Therefore, according to a method of the present invention, a different desired distribution is specified, received, or provided for each of a variety of different audiences or recipients. An image collection can be analyzed and the analysis used to select a theme suggested to a user.
An image type of digital image can be an image with an identified person. For example, an image type is a digital image including a specific person, for example the digital image photographer, a colleague, a friend, or a relative of the digital image photographer as identified by image metadata. Thus a distribution of digital images in a collection can include a distribution of specified individuals and a variety of the digital images that include a desired distribution of persons can be selected. For example, a variety of the digital images can include a desired distribution of close-up, individual, or group images including a desired person.
Thus, an embodiment of the present invention includes analyzing the digital images to determine the identity of persons found in the digital images, forming one or more desired distributions of digital images depending on each of the person identities, selecting a variety of the digital images each satisfying the desired distribution, and specifying a photo-product that includes each of the selected varieties of digital images.
FIG. 12
560
250
255
Referring to , automatically determining image types in step can include analyzing a digital image (step ) to determine the identity of any persons in the digital image (step ). Algorithms and software executing on processors for locating and identifying individuals in a digital image are known. Thus, an image-based product can be selected that includes a desired distribution of images of specific people. For example, at a family reunion, it might be desired to specify a distribution of image types that includes a digital image of at least one of every member of the family. If 100 digital images are taken, then the distribution can include 1% of the image types for each member. If 20 family members are at the reunion, this distribution then requires that 20% of the pictures are allocated to digital images of members (excluding group images). Depending on rules that are associated with the image selection process, a balance can be maintained between numbers of digital images of each family member in the specified photo-product. Likewise, the number of individual or group images can be controlled to provide a desired outcome. If the desired distribution cannot be achieved with the provided plurality of digital images, the determination of the relative frequency of image types can demonstrate the problem and an alternative image-based product or distribution selected or suggested. Since automated face finding and recognition software is available in the art, in an embodiment of the present invention, one can simply require that an image-based product include at least one image of each individual in a digital image collection, thus indirectly specifying a distribution. Such an indirect distribution specification is included as a specified distribution in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 13A and 13B
FIG. 13A
FIG. 13B
320
Referring to , desired relative frequencies of individual image types for two different distributions are illustrated. In , persons A and B are desired to be equally represented in the distribution of selected digital images, while person C is desired to be represented less often. In , person B is desired to be represented in the selected digital images more frequently than person A, and person C is not represented at all.
Since images frequently include more than one individual, it can be desirable, as discussed above to include a distribution selection rule that includes a desired number of images having the individual, or that controls the number of group images versus individual images. Thus, a person can be included in a desired number of selected images, selected individual images, or selected group images.
Users can specify image-type distributions using a computer, for example a desktop computer known in the prior art. A processor can be used to provide a user interface, the user interface including controls for setting the relative frequencies of digital images of each image type. Likewise, a preferred method of the present invention can include using a processor to receive a distribution of image types that includes a range of relative frequencies of image types.
In any of these embodiments, the digital image can be a still image, a graphical element, or a video image sequence, and can include an audio element. The digital images can be multi-media elements.
Users can interact with a remote server with a client computer through a computer network, such as the internet. The user can send the plurality of image to the remote server, where it is stored. The user can also provide an image-based product selection, a theme selection, and image-type distribution selection, as desired. Images based on the selected theme and image-type distribution are selected and an image-based product is assembled from the selected images. The image-based product can be printed and delivered or made into an electronic product and delivered electronically, for example by email, and viewed on a display screen by a user or other recipient.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a computer system for making an image-based product includes a computer server connected to a communication network for receiving communication from a remote client computer; and a computer program. The computer program causes the computer server to store a plurality of digital images; provide one or more image-type distributions, each image-type distribution corresponding to a theme and including a distribution of image types related to the theme; select a theme having a corresponding image-type distribution, the image-type distribution having a distribution of image types; use a computer to select digital images from the plurality of digital images, the selected digital image having the image-type distribution corresponding to the selected theme; and assemble the images in the selected group of images into an image-based product.
FIGS. 14
15
16
Various embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using a variety of computers and computer systems illustrated in , and and discussed further below. In one preferred embodiment, for example, a desktop or laptop computer executing a software application can provide a multi-media display apparatus suitable for providing image-type distributions, providing digital image collections, or photo-product choices, or for receiving such. In a preferred embodiment, a multi-media display apparatus includes: a display having a graphic user interface (GUI) including a user-interactive GUI pointing device; a plurality of multi-media elements displayed on the GUI, and user interface devices for providing a way for a user to enter information into the system. A desktop computer, for example, can provide such an apparatus.
In another preferred embodiment, a computer server can provide web pages that are served over a network to a remote client computer. The web pages can permit a user of the remote client computer to provide digital images, photo-product, or theme choices. Applications provided by the web server to a remote client can enable presentation of selected multi-media elements, either as stand-alone software tools or provided through html, Java, or other known internet interactive tools. In this preferred embodiment, a multi-media display system includes: a server computer providing graphical user interface display elements and functions to a remote client computer connected to the server computer through a computer network such as the internet, the remote client computer including a display having a graphic user interface (GUI) including a user-interactive GUI pointing device; and a plurality of multi-media elements stored on the server computer, communicated to the remote client computer, and displayed on the GUI.
Computers and computer systems are stored program machines that execute software programs to implement desired functions. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a software program executing on a computer with a display and graphic user interface (GUI) including a user-interactive GUI pointing device includes software for displaying a plurality of multi-media elements having images on the GUI and for performing the steps of the various methods described above.
FIG. 14
110
120
130
140
120
130
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110
is a high-level diagram showing the components of a system useful for various embodiments of the present invention. The system includes a data processing system , a peripheral system , a user interface system , and a data storage system . The peripheral system , the user interface system and the data storage system are communicatively connected to the data processing system . The system can be interconnected to other data processing or storage system through a network, for example the internet.
110
The data processing system includes one or more data processing devices that implement the processes of the various preferred embodiments of the present invention, including the example processes described herein. The phrases “data processing device” or “data processor” are intended to include any data processing device, such as a central processing unit (“CPU”), a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a mainframe computer, a personal digital assistant, a Blackberry™, a digital camera, a digital picture frame, cellular phone, a smart phone or any other device for processing data, managing data, communicating data, or handling data, whether implemented with electrical, magnetic, optical, biological components, or otherwise.
140
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140
The data storage system includes one or more processor-accessible memories configured to store information, including the information needed to execute the processes of the various preferred embodiments of the present invention, including the example processes described herein. The data storage system can be a distributed processor-accessible memory system including multiple processor-accessible memories communicatively connected to the data processing system via a plurality of computers or devices. On the other hand, the data storage system need not be a distributed processor-accessible memory system and, consequently, can include one or more processor-accessible memories located within a single data processor or device.
The phrase “processor-accessible memory” is intended to include any processor-accessible data storage device, whether volatile or nonvolatile, electronic, magnetic, optical, or otherwise, including but not limited to, registers, caches, floppy disks, hard disks, Compact Discs, DVDs, flash memories, ROMs, and RAMs.
140
110
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110
The phrase “communicatively connected” is intended to include any type of connection, whether wired or wireless, between devices, data processors, or programs in which data is communicated. The phrase “communicatively connected” is intended to include a connection between devices or programs within a single data processor, a connection between devices or programs located in different data processors, and a connection between devices not located in data processors at all. In this regard, although the data storage system is shown separately from the data processing system , one skilled in the art will appreciate that the data storage system can be stored completely or partially within the data processing system . Further in this regard, although the peripheral system and the user interface system are shown separately from the data processing system , one skilled in the art will appreciate that one or both of such systems can be stored completely or partially within the data processing system .
120
110
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140
The peripheral system can include one or more devices configured to provide digital content records to the data processing system . For example, the peripheral system can include digital still cameras, digital video cameras, cellular phones, smart phones, or other data processors. The data processing system , upon receipt of digital content records from a device in the peripheral system , can store such digital content records in the data storage system .
130
110
120
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120
130
The user interface system can include a mouse, a keyboard, another computer, or any device or combination of devices from which data is input to the data processing system . In this regard, although the peripheral system is shown separately from the user interface system , the peripheral system can be included as part of the user interface system .
130
110
130
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140
FIG. 14
The user interface system also can include a display device, a processor-accessible memory, or any device or combination of devices to which data is output by the data processing system . In this regard, if the user interface system includes a processor-accessible memory, such memory can be part of the data storage system even though the user interface system and the data storage system are shown separately in .
FIGS. 15 and 16
FIG. 15
FIG. 15
20
20
22
24
26
28
34
24
26
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34
22
24
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22
Referring to , computers, computer servers, and a communication system are illustrated together with various elements and components that are useful in accordance with various preferred embodiments of the present invention. illustrates a preferred embodiment of an electronic system that can be used in generating an image product or image-product specification. In the preferred embodiment of , electronic system includes a housing and a source of content data files , a user input system and an output system connected to a processor . The source of content data files , user-input system or output system and processor can be located within housing as illustrated. In other embodiments, circuits and systems of the source of content data files , user input system or output system can be located in whole or in part outside of housing .
24
34
34
24
20
24
38
40
54
FIG. 15
The source of content data files can include any form of electronic or other circuit or system that can supply digital data to processor from which processor can derive images for use in forming an image-enhanced item. In this regard, the content data files can include, for example and without limitation, still images, image sequences, video graphics, and computer-generated images. Source of content data files can optionally capture images to create content data for use in content data files by use of capture devices located at, or connected to, electronic system or can obtain content data files that have been prepared by or using other devices. In the preferred embodiment of , source of content data files includes sensors , a memory and a communication system .
38
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34
20
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38
Sensors are optional and can include light sensors, biometric sensors and other sensors known in the art that can be used to detect conditions in the environment of system and to convert this information into a form that can be used by processor of system . Sensors can also include one or more video sensors that are adapted to capture images. Sensors can also include biometric or other sensors for measuring involuntary physical and mental reactions such sensors including, but not limited to, voice inflection, body movement, eye movement, pupil dilation, body temperature, and p4000 wave sensors.
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FIG. 15
Memory can include conventional memory devices including solid-state, magnetic, optical or other data-storage devices. Memory can be fixed within system or it can be removable. In the embodiment of , system is shown having a hard drive , a disk drive for a removable disk such as an optical, magnetic or other disk memory (not shown) and a memory card slot that holds a removable memory such as, a removable memory card, and has a removable memory interface for communicating with removable memory . Data including, but not limited to, control programs, digital images and metadata can also be stored in a remote memory system such as a personal computer, computer network or other digital system. Remote memory system can also include solid-state, magnetic, optical or other data-storage devices.
FIG. 15
20
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c
In the embodiment shown in , system has a communication system that in this preferred embodiment can be used to communicate with an optional remote memory system , an optional remote display , or optional remote input . The optional remote memory system , optional remote display , optional remote input can all be part of a remote system having the remote input having remote input controls (also referred to herein as “remote input ”), can include the remote display , and that can communicate with communication system wirelessly as illustrated or can communicate in a wired fashion. In an alternative embodiment, a local input station including either or both of a local display and local input controls (also referred to herein as “local user input ”) can be connected to communication system using a wired or wireless connection.
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Communication system can include for example, one or more optical, radio frequency or other transducer circuits or other systems that convert image and other data into a form that can be conveyed to a remote device such as remote memory system or remote display using an optical signal, radio frequency signal or other form of signal. Communication system can also be used to receive a digital image and other data from a host or server computer or network (not shown), a remote memory system or the remote input . Communication system provides processor with information and instructions from signals received thereby. Typically, communication system will be adapted to communicate with the remote memory system by way of a communication network such as a conventional telecommunication or data transfer network such as the internet, a cellular, peer-to-peer or other form of mobile telecommunication network, a local communication network, such as a wired or wireless local area network or any other conventional wired or wireless data transfer system. In one useful preferred embodiment, the system can provide web access services to remotely connected computer systems (e.g. remote systems ) that access the system through a web browser. Alternatively, remote system can provide web services to system depending on the configurations of the systems.
26
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User input system provides a way for a user of system to provide instructions to processor . This permits such a user to make a designation of content data files to be used in generating an image-enhanced output product and to select an output form for the output product. User input system can also be used for a variety of other purposes including, but not limited to, permitting a user to arrange, organize and edit content data files to be incorporated into the image-enhanced output product, to provide information about the user or audience, to provide annotation data such as voice and text data, to identify characters in the content data files, and to perform such other interactions with system as will be described later.
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FIG. 15
a
b
c
a
b.
In this regard user input system can include any form of transducer or other device capable of receiving an input from a user and converting this input into a form that can be used by processor . For example, user input system can include a touch screen input, a touch pad input, a 4-way switch, a 6-way switch, an 8-way switch, a stylus system, a trackball system, a joystick system, a voice recognition system, a gesture recognition system a keyboard, a remote control or other such systems. In the preferred embodiment shown in , user input system includes an optional remote input including a remote keyboard , a remote mouse , and a remote control and a local input including a local keyboard and a local mouse
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a
b
c
FIG. 15
FIG. 15
Remote input can take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, the remote keyboard , remote mouse or remote control handheld device illustrated in . Similarly, local input can take a variety of forms. In the preferred embodiment of , local display and local user input are shown directly connected to processor .
FIG. 16
FIG. 16
68
36
34
44
70
70
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20
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68
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89
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72
a
b
As is illustrated in , local user input can take the form of a home computer having a processor and disc storage , an editing studio, or kiosk (hereafter also referred to as an “editing area ”) that can also be a remote system or system . In this illustration, a user is seated before a console including a local keyboard and mouse and a local display which is capable, for example, of displaying multimedia content. As is also illustrated in , editing area can also have sensors including, but not limited to, video sensors , digital cameras , audio sensors and other sensors such as multispectral sensors that can monitor user during a production session.
FIG. 15
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Referring back to , output system is used for rendering images, text or other graphical representations in a manner that permits image-product designs to be combined with user items and converted into an image product. In this regard, output system can include any conventional structure, system, or output device that is known for printing or recording images, including, but not limited to, printer . Printer can record images on a tangible surface using a variety of known technologies including, but not limited to, conventional four-color offset separation printing or other contact printing, silk screening, dry electrophotography such as is used in the NexPress printer sold by Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y., USA, thermal printing technology, drop-on-demand inkjet technology and continuous inkjet technology. For the purpose of the following discussions, printer will be described as a type of printer that generates color images. However, it will be appreciated that the claimed methods and apparatus herein can be practiced with a printer that prints monotone images such as black and white, grayscale, or sepia toned images. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, a system , with which a user interacts to define a user-personalized image product can be separated from a remote system (e.g. , ) connected to a printer, so that the specification of the image product is remote from its production.
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In certain embodiments, the source of content data files , user input system and output system can share components.
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FIGS. 15 and 16
Processor operates system based upon signals from user input system , sensors , memory and communication system . Processor can include, but is not limited to, a programmable digital computer, a programmable microprocessor, a programmable logic processor, a series of electronic circuits, a series of electronic circuits reduced to the form of an integrated circuit, or a series of discrete components. The system of can be employed to make and display an image product according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
9
18
, Number of Images
20
system
22
housing
24
source of content data files
26
user input system
28
output system
29
printer
30
tangible surface
32
output device
34
processor
35
remote system
36
computer
38
sensors
39
video sensors
40
memory
42
hard drive
44
disk drive
46
memory card slot
48
removable memory
50
memory interface
52
remote memory system
54
communication system
56
remote display
58
remote input
58
a
remote keyboard
58
b
remote mouse
58
c
remote control
66
local display
68
local input
68
a
local keyboard
68
b
local mouse
70
home computer, editing studio, or kiosk (“editing area”)
72
user
74
audio sensors
89
digital camera
110
data processing system
120
peripheral system
130
user interface system
140
data storage system
250
analyze images step
255
determine identities step
300
type count
320
image type distribution
500
provide image collection step
505
provide image-type distribution step
510
compare image types step
511
determine match step
515
select digital images step
520
select image-based product step
525
assemble image-based product step
530
make image-based product step
535
deliver image-based product step
550
receive digital images step
555
analyze digital images step
560
determine image types step
565
receive theme step
570
analyze digital images step
575
determine theme step
580
receive image-type distribution step
600
analyze match step
605
communicate missing image types step
606
receive missing image types step
607
obtain missing image types step
608
communicate obtained images step
610
receive missing image types step
705
provide image-type distributions step
710
compare image types step
711
compare matches step
712
select best match step
713
communicate best match optional step
714
receive match approval optional step
811
compare matches optional step
812
order matches optional step
813
communicate matches step
814
receive match selection step
900
iterated image-distribution step
905
iterated digital image step
910
image type comparison step
915
recording step
920
combine matches step
925
calculate metric step
930
compare metrics step
935
select best image-type distribution step
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when taken in conjunction with the following description and drawings wherein identical reference numerals have been used to identify identical features that are common to the figures, and wherein:
FIGS. 1-5
are flow diagrams according to various embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 6
illustrates a histogram of an image-type distribution useful in understanding the present invention;
FIG. 7
illustrates a histogram of an image-type distribution useful in understanding the present invention;
FIG. 8
illustrates a flow diagram according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9
illustrates a 100% stacked column chart of an image type distribution useful in understanding the present invention;
FIG. 10
illustrates another 100% stacked column chart of an image type distribution useful in understanding the present invention;
FIG. 11
illustrates a relative frequency column chart of an image-type distribution useful in understanding the present invention;
FIG. 12
illustrates a flow diagram according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 13A and 13B
illustrate 100% stacked column charts of two different distributions of identified persons useful in understanding the present invention;
FIG. 14
is a simplified schematic of a computer system useful for the present invention;
FIG. 15
is a schematic of a computer system useful for embodiments of the present invention; and
FIG. 16
is a schematic of another computer system useful for embodiments of the present invention. | |
The hexadecimal color code #3d3c42 is a dark shade of blue-magenta. In the RGB color model #3d3c42 is comprised of 23.92% red, 23.53% green and 25.88% blue. In the HSL color space #3d3c42 has a hue of 250° (degrees), 5% saturation and 25% lightness. This color has an approximate wavelength of 449.99 nm.
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I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way--things I had no words for.
<p style="color: #3d3c42">…</p>
Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye.. it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.
<p style="background-color: #3d3c42">…</p>
I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality. | https://encycolorpedia.com/3d3c42 |
Tom Fresenius, John Wertz and Riley Kiziah, who is 12 years old, get ready to play. Riley had spent the day before practicing hitting the ball against a garage door. He was a formidable player. Riley and his parents were visiting from North Carolina.
Tom Fresenius, John Wertz and Riley Kiziah, who is 12 years old, get ready to play. Riley had spent the day before practicing hitting the ball against a garage door. He was a formidable player. Riley and his parents were visiting from North Carolina.
With paddle in hand I stood on one of the pickleball courts set up at the Miriam Brown Community Center. The morning was warm and a bit sweaty, but the trees provided welcome shade. I had warmed up for a few minutes with three extraordinarily tolerant players and was ready to play after three or four minutes of instruction — stand here, serve the ball diagonally to the other person, and reassurances of “relax, you’ll do fine.”
Here comes the ball … there goes the ball.
Here it comes again! There it goes again.
Now I know why there is a big basket of perforated balls next to the net.
Someone asked. “Have you ever played before?” Nope. And I’m not the athletic type either.
Then the ball is handed to me to serve. I hit it, and it actually goes across the net to my opponent. Hey, not so hard after all.
The back and forth of the game continued and I routinely missed, but sometimes I managed to hit it correctly. ‘I can do this,’ I thought, ‘no wonder everyone is having such a good time.’
Rob Dewey, is a well-known figure in the East Cooper community. A former Episcopal priest and founder of the Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy, Dewey recently provided the funding for Charleston Southern University’s Dewey Center for Chaplaincy. But aside from all of his many admirable activities is his passion for the game of pickleball. He is a strong, convincing advocate for the benefits of the game. He plays every morning and there is often 30 to 40 people who join in each day. It was Dewey who encouraged me to give the game a try. It wasn’t hard to see why he loves the game so much.
Pickleball is a fascinating sport. It’s a unique blend of ping pong, tennis and badminton. There’s less running than in tennis, as the courts are smaller and the net is lower but a lot more running than ping pong. The perforated ball moves faster than in badminton, but not as fast as in tennis. However, it can move pretty quickly when the ball starts to fly between teammates if it doesn’t bounce first.
The sport is highly social and can be played as singles or doubles. Many people find playing doubles a bit easier and more engaging. Multiple teams often play simultaneously so they switch out, moving from one court to another. On the morning of my learning experience there was a lot of banter and compliments on each other’s play.
One of the best elements of the game is that young, old and in the middle can all play and have a good time. The group meeting at Miriam Brown Community Center spanned from a middle school boy to men and women who were old enough to attend Woodstock. There was a strong sense of camaraderie and support.
According to the USA Pickleball Association the game began in 1965 in the Seattle area when three fathers created the game for their bored children one summer. The popularity of the game is growing rapidly in the US and Canada with more than four million players and the game has spread to Europe and Asia as well.
There are many options to learn pickleball and to play in Mount Pleasant. Dewey said the Town has been very supportive of the game and its fans. There are beginner clinics, private lessons available, as well as indoor and outdoor courts to play on. The Park West Gym and the Town Hall Gym offer indoor play, while the Miriam Brown Community Center and the Park West Tennis Courts offer outdoor play. Information about lessons and hours of open play can be found at https://www.tompsc.com/1120/Pickleball. | |
Chelsea has reached an agreement with Everton for the transfer of 24-year old England international Ross Barkley on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a reported fee of £15m.
The new Chelsea midfielder will wear the No. 8 shirt for his new club and will soon be available to play first-team football once again, following his lay-off through a hamstring injury sustained in the summer.
Prior to signing for Chelsea, the 24-year-old, who previously had a medical at Cobham in September with a view to signing with the Blues for £35m – before pulling out of the deal – had just six months left on his contract with Everton.
Mr Barkley told the Chelsea official website “I’m overwhelmed, I’m looking forward to it and I’m really excited to get started.
‘’To be given a fresh start at a new club like Chelsea, it’s unbelievable for me. I’m looking forward to continuing where I left off at the end of last season and hoping to improve and add more goals to my game.”
Ross Barkley’s stats for Everton in the Premier League:
150 games
21 goals
18 assists
204 chances created
106 tackles
327 take-ons completed
Mr Barkley, who had been with boyhood-club Everton since the age of 11, made a total of 179 appearances for the Toffees, scoring 27 goals in the process.
Tottenham – who have often been mooted as potential suitors for Barkley – had been expected to reignite the interest they showed in the player last summer but ultimately decided to focus their attention elsewhere, according to
Mr Barkley has 22 caps for England, will now join the likes of Cesc Fabregas, N’Golo Kanté and Danny Drinkwater as competition for places hots up in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield. | https://dailynigerian.com/chelsea-complete-15m-deal-ross-barkley/ |
Call Form: Runs an indicated form while keeping the parent form active. Form Builder runs the called form with the same. Run form preferences as the parent form. When the called form is exited Form Builder processing resumes in the calling form at the point from which you initiated the call to CALL_FORM.
Open Form: Opens the indicated form. Use OPEN_FORM to create multiple-form applications, that is, applications that open more than one form at the same time.
New Form: Exits the current form and enters the indicated form. The calling form is terminated as the parent form .If the calling form had been called by a higher form, Form Builder keeps the higher call active and treats it as a call to the new form. Form Builder runs the new form with the same Run form options as the parent form. If the parent form was a called form, Form Builder runs the new form with the same options as the parent form.
|What is the difference b/w Data block and Control block?|
|Data block is a block, which connects to the database. Control block is a block, which is not connected to the database.|
|Difference b/w Pre-Query and Post-Query?|
|Pre-Query Validate the current query criteria or provide additional query criteria programmatically, just before sending the SELECT statement to the database. Post-Query Perform an action after fetching a record, such as looking up values in other tables based on a value in the current record. Fires once for each record fetched into the block.|
|Trigger sequence while opening a form?|
Pre-Form,
|Types of Record-Groups?|
Static Record Group: - A static record group is not associated with a query; instead, we define its structure and row values at design time, and they remain fixed at runtime. Static record groups can be created and modified only at design time.
Query Based Record Group: - A query record group is a record group that has an associated SELECT statement. The columns in a query record group derive their default names, data types, and lengths from the database columns referenced in the SELECT statement. The records in a query record group are the rows retrieved by the query associated with that record group.
Non Query Record Group: - A non-query record group is a group that does not have an associated query, but whose structure and values can be modified programmatically at runtime. Non-query record groups can be created and modified only at runtime.
|How many types of canvases available in forms & which is the default canvas?|
Content:- it is the base view of window which occupies the entire surface of window. It can have any no of canvases but at a time only one is visible. It is the default canvas
Stacked:-It is always displayed above the content canvas, because the content Canvas is the base view. It can have any no of stacked canvases and more than one stacked canvas can be displayed at a time. It is mainly used as headers and footers to display the tittles, dates and times etc.
Tool bar:- A toolbar canvas often is used to create toolbars for individual windows. There are two types of tool bars Horizontal and Vertical Tool bar Canvas.
Tab:- It is a collection of one or more tab pages. It is mainly used to display a large amount of related information a single dynamic form builder canvas object.
|What is property class, visual attributes and Difference between property class & visual attribute?|
Property Class:-It is a global Property sheet where we can define the properties of different objects.
Visual Attributes:-it is used to set the visual appearance of interface objects like items, records and canvases .There are three types of visual attributes.
We can change Visual Attribute properties dynamically at runtime,but we cannot change Property class properties.
|What are the triggers types in master details forms and What are the procedures that will gets created when a master details form created?|
|Triggers ISOLATED:- ON_CLEAR_DETAILS AND ON_POPULATE_DETAILS NON ISOLATED:- ON_CLEAR_DETAILS, ON_POPULATE_DETAILS AND ON_CHECK_DELETE_MASTER CASCADING:- ON_CLEAR_DETAILS, ON_POPULATE_DETAILS AND PRE-DELETE Procedures CHECK_PACKAGE_FAILURE CHECK_ALL_MASTER_DETAILS QUERY_MASTER_DETAILS|
|Apache Tomcat|
| |
What is the difference between Apache Tomcat server and Apache web server?
|MS-DOS|
| |
What is the full form of DOS?
| |
Explain the use of help DOS Command?
| |
How we can create a directory in DOS?
|Analogy|
| |
Riddle:Solve
| |
Limp:Walk
| |
Molecule:Atoms
| |
Misfortune:Catastrophe
|Pipes and Cistern|
| |
A tank can be filled by one tap in 10 minutes and by another in 30 minutes. Both the taps are kept open for 5 minutes and then the first one is shut off. In how many minutes more is the tank completely filled?
|Simplification|
| |
Assume that a sum of money is divided equally among n girls. Each girl will receive $60. If another girl is added to the group and the sum is divided equally among all the girls, each child girl gets a $50 share. What is the sum of money?
|Problems on Trains|
| |
A 300 meter long metro train crosses a platform in a metro station in 39 seconds while it crosses a lamp post in 18 seconds. What is the length of the platform?
|Problems on Ages|
| |
In a group of 7 people, the average age is found to be 17 years. Two more people joined with an average age 19 years. One person left the group whose age was 25 years. What is the new average age of the group?
|Profit and Loss|
| |
Irvin sold a book at a profit of 12%. If Irvin had sold it for Rs 18 more, then 18% would have been gained. Find the cost price?
|Chemistry|
| |
Non stick cooking utensils are coated with?
| |
The group of metals Co, Ni, Fe may best called as?
|General Knowledge of India|
| |
'Kanchipuram' is in which of the following states?
|General Knowledge of World|
| |
In which year was Pulitzer Prize established?
|Indian History|
| |
The roads of cities in the Indus Valley Civilization generally divided the city into? | http://webiwip.com/interview-questions/oracle-d2k-forms-interview-questions |
Also known as Hasselbeck potatoes, these are the cutest and most delicious way to bake a potato. The inside is like a baked potato – kind of flaky and soft. The edges get crispy and brown – like fries. The best of both worlds!. And my son loves to peel off each piece as he eats his potato. Fun with food!
1 potato per person
1 teaspoon oil per potato
Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non stick foil.
Place the potato on the cutting board and place a knife on either side.
Using a sharp knife, cut through the potato just until you hit the knife handle, so you don’t cut all the way through.
Brush each potato with a teaspoon of oil, trying to get the brush between the slices, if you can. It’s not necessary or easy so don’t worry if you don’t.
Bake until the edges are browning, 45 to 60 minutes depending on your oven.
Enjoy! | https://lisasprojectvegan.com/2016/02/23/accordion-potatoes/ |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
0001 1. Field of the Invention
0002 The present invention relates to improved multipoint ranging devices which have a plurality of ranging areas in an observing frame or a shooting frame, and which calculate ranging information by a so-called phase difference method.
0003 2. Description of the Related Art
0004 In ranging devices using the phase difference method, two images of an object are formed by a pair of receiver lenses and detected by image sensors: the ranging device may be either a TTL type or a Non-TTL type.
0005 The distance between the two images formed on the image sensors is determined by repeating a correlation calculation, and the amount of defocus or the distance to an object is calculated. Since a high load is placed on a CPU due to the correlation calculation, the amount of calculation must be reduced in order to reduce the calculation time.
0006 On the other hand, in the case in which only one ranging area is set at the center of the shooting area, defocusing occurs when a main object is not at the center and a picture in which the main object is in focus cannot be taken.
0007 Accordingly, various systems have been suggested and provided in which ranging operation is performed for a plurality of ranging areas set inside a shooting area. In such systems, pictures in which the main object is in focus can be taken even when the main object is not at the center of the shooting area.
0008 However, the amount of calculation in the phase difference method is naturally large, and a high load is placed on the CPU even when the range data for only one ranging area is calculated. Accordingly, the release time-lag is long compared with other methods. Therefore, when the range data is calculated for a plurality of ranging areas, the release time-lag is further increased.
0009 Accordingly, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-110435, a technique is disclosed in which a contrast is determined for each ranging area and the main object is assumed to be at the ranging area corresponding to the maximum contrast. The distance calculation by the phase difference method is performed only for the ranging area in which the main object is assumed to be, so that the release time-lag is minimized.
0010 In contrast, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-89098, a technique is disclosed in which a correlation calculation by the phase difference method is performed and the object distance is determined for each of the ranging areas. However, since the object is likely to be at the center of the shooting area under normal conditions, a shift range of the correlation calculation is set to be smaller for the ranging areas away from the center of the shooting area (peripheral areas) compared with the ranging area at the center of the shooting area. More specifically, in ranging areas away from the center of the shooting area, the distance range in which the object distance can be determined is limited only to distant regions so as to reduce the number of correlation calculations and the calculation time.
0011 Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a multipoint ranging device in which a correlation calculation is performed for each of a plurality of ranging areas without limiting the distance range in which the object distance can be determined in certain ranging areas, while still reducing the time for obtaining the result of a ranging operation.
0012 According to one aspect, the present invention relates to a distance/defocus detection device which includes a sensor unit formed of a first sensor and a second sensor, the sensor unit receiving an object image in each of a plurality of areas set in a frame, and a calculator which calculates the distance to the object or an amount of defocus in each of the plurality of areas on the basis of a correlation between the image received by the first sensor and the image received by the second sensor, the correlation being determined while shifting the image signal of the first sensor relative to the image signal of the second sensor. The distance/defocus detection device includes a shift-range determination circuit which, after the correlation calculation is performed for a predetermined area, determines a shift range of the correlation calculation for a subsequent area of the plurality of areas on the basis of the result of the correlation calculation for the predetermined area.
0013 According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a distance/defocus detection device which includes a sensor unit formed of a first sensor and a second sensor, the sensor unit receiving an object image in each of a plurality of areas, and a calculator which calculates the distance to the object or an amount of defocus in each of the plurality of areas on the basis of a correlation between the image received by the first sensor and the image received by the second sensor, the correlation being determined by shifting an image signal of the first sensor relative to an image signal of the second sensor. The distance/defocus detection device includes a setting circuit, which sets a shift-start position of the correlation calculation for each of the plurality of areas, and a shift-range determination circuit, which, after the correlation calculation is performed for a predetermined area, determines a shift-start position of the correlation calculation for a subsequent area, on the basis of the result of the correlation calculation for the predetermined area, and outputs the shift-start position to the setting circuit.
0014 Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
0015FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the construction of the main part of a multipoint ranging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
0016FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between ranging areas and positions where images are formed on line sensors according to the embodiment of the present invention.
0017FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an operation according to the embodiment of the present invention.
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0018FIGS. 4A to C are diagrams showing pixels on the line sensors used for a correlation calculation according to the embodiment of the present invention.
0019FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a distance-calculation subroutine according to the embodiment of the present invention.
0020FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a shift-start position calculation subroutine according to the embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
0021 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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0022FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the construction of the main part of a multipoint ranging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multipoint ranging device includes a microcomputer which controls the overall system of the ranging device, a ranging unit which determines the distance to an object, and an interface circuit which controls the ranging unit .
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0023 The ranging unit includes a pair of receiver lenses and and a line sensor unit formed of a pair of line sensors which are referred to as a left (L) sensor and a right (R) sensor . The line sensor unit is formed of photoelectric transducers such as CCDs, etc.
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0024 The receiver lenses and form images of an object on receiving surfaces, that is, detection surfaces, of the L and R sensors and , respectively. Each of the L and R sensors and outputs a detection signal representing the image formed on the receiving surface thereof. The microcomputer calculates the object distance on the basis of sensor data obtained by collecting the detection signals.
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0025 The microcomputer outputs a command to start integrating the detection signals obtained from the line sensor unit to the interface circuit . Accordingly, the interface circuit starts integrating the detection signals. Then, when the level of the collected detection signals reaches a predetermined value, the interface circuit outputs an integration-complete signal to the microcomputer .
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0026 Next, the microcomputer outputs an output command to the interface circuit , and the collected signals (sensor data) in the L and R sensors and are output to the microcomputer via the interface circuit . The sensor data input to the microcomputer are converted to digital data by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter installed in the microcomputer , and are stored in a random access memory (RAM) which is also installed in the microcomputer .
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0027 The microcomputer calculates the object distance on the basis of the data obtained from the ranging unit by a calculation process which will be described below, and drives an image-capturing lens in accordance with the calculated distance.
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0028 Next, a ranging process performed by the ranging unit according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
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0029FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the ranging areas and the positions where the images are formed on the L and R sensors and in the ranging unit . In the present embodiment, a shooting area includes, for example, three ranging areas (a left (L) area, a central (C) area, and a right (R) area). In addition, the L sensor includes standard areas A (A to A), and the R sensor includes reference areas B (B to B). The C area is set at the center of the shooting area, and an image of an object placed in the C area is formed on the standard area A of the L sensor by the receiver lens , and on the reference area B of the R sensor by the receiver lens The reference areas B can be shifted along the R sensor by the correlation calculation.
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0030 As the position of the reference area B is shifted, the correlation between the data of the L sensor at the standard area A and the data of the R sensor at the reference area B is calculated for each of the shifted positions. By determining the shift distance corresponding to the maximum correlation, the distance between the two images formed on the L and R sensors and can be determined.
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0031 The standard area A and the reference area B correspond to each other for the R area and the standard area A and the reference area B correspond to each other for the L area.
0032 A process of calculating the object distance by using the above-described construction according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 3.
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0033 First, it is determined whether a release switch is ON or OFF (S). When the release switch is turned on, the microcomputer outputs a command to start integrating the detection signals obtained from the line sensor unit to the interface circuit (S). Accordingly, the interface circuit starts integrating the detection signals obtained from the line sensor unit . Then, when the level of the collected detection signals reaches a predetermined value, the interface circuit outputs the integration-complete signal to the microcomputer (S).
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0034 The microcomputer waits until it receives the integration-complete signal, and then converts the output levels of the line sensors and obtained via the interface circuit into digital data and stores them in the RAM (S). When, for example, the line sensor unit includes 8080160 pixels in the present embodiment, the microcomputer stores the outputs from the line sensors and to RAM until the number of data items stored therein reaches 160 (SSS . . . ).
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0035 When the number of data items reaches 160 (when the result at S is YES), calculation parameters necessary for distance calculation for the R area, which is one of the ranging areas, are set (S).
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0036 With reference to FIG. 4A, the relationship between the calculation parameters and positions in the line sensors and will be described below.
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0037 Parameter N represents the number of digital data items obtained at each of the standard area A and the reference B in the line sensors and by A/D conversion of the detection signals. In addition, parameter S represents a shift distance of the reference area B for the correlation calculation, and the initial value of parameter S corresponds to a shift-start position. As will be described below, the shift-end position for the correlation calculation corresponds to S20, and the distance range in which the object distance can be determined is increased as the initial value of parameter S is reduced. If the correlation between the standard area A and the reference area B is maximum when S0, it means that the object is at the infinitely distant position. Accordingly, as parameter S corresponding to the maximum correlation is increased, it is determined that the object is at a closer position, and as parameter S corresponding to the shift-start position is increased, the distance range in which the object distance can be determined is reduced by excluding distant regions.
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0038 Parameter ADL represents the head position of the data obtained at the standard area A. More specifically, parameter ADL corresponds to one of the addresses of the 160 data items obtained by A/D conversion of the detection signals and stored in the RAM. Similarly, parameter ADR represents the head position of the data obtained at the reference area B. As shown in FIG. 4A, parameter ADL represents the address where the data corresponding to L on the line sensor is stored and parameter ADR represents the address where the data corresponding to R on the line sensor is stored.
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0039 Referring again to FIG. 3, after the above-described parameters are set, a distance-calculation subroutine is executed (S).
0040 The distance-calculation subroutine will be described below with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 5.
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0041 First, the correlation between the standard area A and the reference area B is calculated (S). The correlation is expressed as the sum of absolute differences between the data of the line sensor and the data of the line sensor obtained at areas determined in accordance with the parameters set at S, and a higher correlation exhibits a smaller sum.
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0042 When the correlation calculation at S0 is finished, it is determined whether or not the shift distance S has reached 20, which indicates the shift-end position (S). When it is determined that the shift distance S has not reached 20 yet, that is, when S is smaller than 20 (when the result at S is NO), the shift distance S is incremented (S). Then, the reference area B is shifted and the correlation calculation is performed again at S. When it is determined that the shift distance S has reached 20 (when the result at S is YES), the object distance is calculated on the basis of a maximum-correlation shift distance SM, which is the shift distance corresponding to the maximum correlation (S).
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0043 Then, referring to FIG. 3 again, a shift-start position for the C area is determined before the distance calculation for the C area is performed (S).
0044 Next, a shift-start position calculation subroutine, which characterizes the present invention, will be described below with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 6.
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0045 In the present embodiment, the shift-start position of the correlation calculation for the subsequent ranging area (in this case, the C area) is determined on the basis of the maximum-correlation shift distance SM obtained in the distance calculation for the previous ranging area. More specifically, the maximum-correlation shift distance SM obtained in the distance calculation for the previous ranging area is set as an initial value SS of the shift distance S, the initial value SS corresponding to the shift-start position of the correlation calculation for the subsequent ranging area (S).
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0046 Then, referring again to FIG. 3, calculation parameters necessary for distance calculation for the C area, which is one of the ranging areas, are set (S).
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0047 With reference to FIG. 4B, the relationship between the calculation parameters and positions in the line sensors and will be described below.
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0048 Parameter N is 20, as in the case of the R area. Parameter S is set to SS, which is determined at S and which corresponds to the shift-start position of the correlation calculation. Accordingly, the correlation calculation is not performed for regions corresponding to shift distances smaller than SS. More specifically, the correlation calculation is not performed at a shift range corresponding to regions farther than the object distance determined for the R area.
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0049 As shown in FIG. 4B, parameter ADL represents the address where the data corresponding to L on the line sensor is stored and parameter ADR represents the address where the data corresponding to a position shifted from R by the shift distance SS on the line sensor is stored.
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0050 After the above-described parameters are set, the distance-calculation subroutine is executed (S). This subroutine is the same as that shown in FIG. 5, and explanation thereof is therefore omitted here. However, it is to be noted that since the shifting starts from a distance closer by the amount corresponding to the shift distance SS (the maximum-correlation shift distance obtained in the distance calculation for the R area), unnecessary repetitions of the correlation calculation for the background can be prevented. The distance to the object disposed at a close position is determined on the basis of the maximum-correlation shift distances SM for the R and C areas.
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0051 Then, at S, a shift-start position for the L area is determined by the shift-start position calculation subroutine in a manner similar to S. Then, calculation parameters necessary for distance calculation for the L area are set (S). With respect to the parameters set for the L area, parameter ADL represents the address where the data corresponding to L on the line sensor is stored and parameter ADR represents the address where the data corresponding to a position shifted from R by the shift distance SS on the line sensor is stored. The relationship between the parameters and the positions in the line sensors and can be clearly understood by referring to FIG. 4C.
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0052 After the above-described parameters are set, the distance-calculation subroutine is executed (S). This subroutine is similar to that shown in FIG. 5, and explanation thereof is therefore omitted here. However, it is to be noted that since the shifting starts from a distance closer by the amount corresponding to the shift distance SS, unnecessary repetitions of the correlation calculation for the background can be prevented. The distance to the object at a close position is determined on the basis of the maximum-correlation shift distances SM for the R, C and L areas.
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0053 Then, the image-capturing lens is driven in accordance with the calculated distance data (S), and processes which are normally performed afterwards, such as exposure, etc., are performed.
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0054 Accordingly, the multipoint ranging device according to the above-described embodiment has a plurality of ranging areas (L area, C area, and R area), and calculates the distance to an object by performing the correlation calculation while shifting the images of the object formed by the receiver lenses and with respect to each other. The shift range of the correlation calculation for the subsequent ranging area (C area and L area) is limited by the amount corresponding to the shift distance SS, which is determined on the basis of the result of the correlation calculation for the previous ranging area (R area for the C area, and the C area for the L area). Accordingly, the correlation calculation is performed for each of the ranging areas without limiting the distance range in which the object distance can be determined in certain ranging areas, and still the time required for the ranging operation can be reduced.
0055 In addition, the correlation calculation for a shift range corresponding to regions farther than the distance determined on the basis of the maximum-correlation shift distance SM obtained in the correlation calculation for the previous ranging area is not performed in the subsequent ranging area. Accordingly, unnecessary repetitions of the correlation calculation for the background can be prevented and the distance to the object disposed at the closest position can be calculated.
0056 Modifications
0057 In the above-described embodiment, the distance calculation is performed in the order of R area, C area, and L area. However, the distance calculation for the C area, where the main object is most likely to be at the closest position, is preferably performed first, since there is a higher probability that the total calculation time then will become the shortest. More specifically, the correlation calculation for the ranging area at the center is preferably performed earlier than the correlation calculation for the ranging areas at peripheral regions. In such a case, the shift range of the correlation calculation for the ranging areas at peripheral regions is limited on the basis of the result of the correlation calculation for the ranging area at the center where the main object is more likely to be at the closest position. Accordingly, there is a higher probability that the time for the ranging operation can be reduced.
0058 In addition, in the distance-calculation subroutine shown in FIG. 5, the object distance is calculated only on the basis of the maximum-correlation shift distance SM. However, if it is determined that the reliability of this result is low by comparing the correlation with a predetermined value, SM may be set to 0 and 0 may be used as the shift distance corresponding to the shift-start position of the reference area B in the correlation calculation for the subsequent ranging area.
0059 In addition, in the shift-start position calculation subroutine shown in FIG. 6, the shift-start position SS is set to the maximum-correlation shift distance SM obtained in the distance calculation for the previous ranging area. However, in order to select the object corresponding to the maximum correlation in the depth of field, SS may be set to SM (SS is set to 0 if SS<0). Thus, in the distance calculation for the subsequent ranging area, the correlation calculation is not performed at a shift range corresponding to regions farther than the distance corresponding to the maximum-correlation shift distance SM by the amount larger than the amount corresponding to the predetermined amount . Accordingly, the distance to the object disposed at a close position in the depth of field can be determined.
0060 Although a Non-TTL-type multipoint ranging device is explained in the above-described embodiment, the present invention may also be applied to a TTL-type device (a device in which the focal point is detected). In such a case, the unnecessary correlation calculations for the background can be omitted in the subsequent ranging area on the basis of the amount of defocus determined for the previous ranging area (focal point detection area).
0061 The present invention is not limited to ranging devices installed in cameras, and may be applied to various optical devices containing a device for calculating the object distance or the amount of defocus.
0062 While the present invention has been described with reference to what are presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions. | |
Join your TAPS family during this very moving and inspiring memorial month as we honor our heroes nationwide during Carry the Load.
How Can You Participate?
There are several ways you can participate and honor your fallen hero. Join one of the relay routes near your city or town, join others at one of Rally Cities, join the finish at the Dallas Memorial March, or at a relay location with TAPS Togethers and honor your fallen loved one with every step. Be sure to wear your TAPS gear/attire and TAPS photo buttons, as you honor your heroes during these events.
Where Can You Participate?
The TAPS Family will be participating along the five National Relay Routes and Rally Cities and at seven TAPS Togethers events.
We are featuring seven locations where you can join TAPS Staff and Volunteers as we connect and honor the sacrifices made daily by our military, veterans, first responders and their families. Get details about each relay and register to participate for these six locations:
- West Point, New York Relay
Monday, May 2, 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- New York, New York Relay
Tuesday, May 3, 9:45 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Sacramento, California Relay
Tuesday, May 3, 7:45 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Washington, D.C. Relay
Sunday, May 8, 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- St. Augustine, Florida Relay
Tuesday, May 17, 4:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Fort Worth, Texas Relay
Saturday, May 28, 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Dallas, Texas Memorial March
Sunday, May 29, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Five National Relay Routes
- West Coast
Begins Thursday, April 28 in Seattle, Washington
228 Locations from Thursday, April 28 to Sunday, May 29
- Mountain States
Begins Tuesday, May 17 in Minot, North Dakota
65 Locations from Tuesday, May 17 – Sunday, May 29
- Midwest
Begins Saturday, May 7 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
183 Locations from Saturday, May 7 – Sunday, May 29
- New England
Begins Wednesday, May 4 in Burlington, Vermont
192 Locations from Wednesday, May 4 – Sunday, May 29
- East Coast
Begins Monday, May 2 in West Point, New York
215 Locations from Monday, May 2 – Sunday, May 29
The culmination of the five relay routes will happen on Sunday, May 29 in Dallas, Texas, at the Dallas Memorial March. Our TAPS Dallas Care Group will take part in this special conclusion of this “Memorial May” event honoring all of our fallen heroes.
How to Register
Register with Carry the Load to participate in one of the five national routes. Join your TAPS family, along with Carry the Load, as we honor the legacy of our loved ones. You can also email [email protected] for questions or more information.
*Please note although there is a fundraising component, fundraising is NOT required to participate. However, we do ask that you register on the website to join the team so we know you are participating with us.
Share Your Experience With Us
As you honor your fallen heroes and carry them with you, we invite you to share pictures of your memorial activity or walk and any thoughts that this inspiring event may bring out. Photos can be emailed to [email protected] or post them to your social media channels and tag us @tapsorg.
What is Carry the Load?
For many years TAPS and survivors across the country have participated in Carry the Load, a national relay bringing Americans together in honor our nation’s heroes. What originally started as a Memorial Day event has grown into “Memorial May” — a month-long series of activities that kicks off at the end of April and concludes on Memorial Day.
Partnership Info
TAPS is proud to once again be an official non-profit partner with Carry the Load in this moving memorial event. We have been an honored partner since their first inaugural event, and look forward to observing their 11th anniversary with them this May.
For more information OR if you would like to be a TAPS Team Lead in one of the Rally Cities along the five National Routes, please contact [email protected]. | https://www.taps.org/teamtaps/2022/carry-the-load |
By Christopher I. Thornton, Ph.D., P.E., and Richard Kane
Revetments are used to protect banks and shorelines from erosion caused by waves and currents. This paper briefly addresses the application of revetments in wave environments using riprap and articulated concrete blocks. The discussion is limited to low-energy wave conditions where wave heights are less than 5 feet. These conditions occur in sheltered waters such as lakes, reservoirs, rivers, channels, canals, estuaries, and bays. High-energy wave conditions that are encountered on open ocean coastlines are more appropriately addressed using armor stone or concrete armor units.
In many coastal engineering projects, determination of the design condition is a major component of the design effort. In the case of wave-induced bank erosion, it is first necessary to determine the cause of the erosion. Then, the wave and water level conditions must be determined. Wave data are usually not available in sheltered waters. For these cases, the waves must be estimated from historical wind conditions using hindcast methods such as those described in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Shore Protection Manual (SPM) and Coastal Engineering Manual (CEM) (COE, 1973, 1984; COE, 2001). High water level data may be available from gauging stations.
In the United States, it is common to design revetments based on an event of a specified occurrence (1 percent annual chance occurrence or 100 year event). The choice of the design event is a key consideration in the design. Once the occurrence level has been selected, the joint probability of waves and water levels must be determined. A conservative approach is to design the high water condition for the 1 percent wave occurring at the 1 percent water level. If the revetment does not extend to the bed or channel bottom, then a low water level design condition must also be determined.
Waves are specified by the wave height, H (vertical distance from crest to trough), the wave period, T (the time between the passage of successive waves), wave direction, ? (angle between wave crest and shoreline), and the still water depth, h (the water depth in the absence of waves). The wave length, L (horizontal distance from wave crest to wave crest), is determined from the wave period and water depth by the dispersion equation. If the water depth is greater than half the wave length (h > L/2), then conditions are considered deep water and the deep water wave length, L0, may be written as
Equation 1:
Where:
g is the acceleration due to gravity.
When wave conditions are generated by winds, there are always multiple waves. There are many wave heights, periods, and directions existing simultaneously. It is convenient to represent this collection of waves by a single representative wave height, period, and direction. The significant wave height, H, is related to the average of the highest 1/3 of the waves. The spectral wave height, Hm0, is equal to four times the square root of the total energy in the waves. In deep water, these two are taken to be equivalent. The peak wave period, Tp, is the wave period corresponding to the most energetic wave. The mean period, Tm, is determined from the distribution of wave heights and periods. A rule of thumb is
Equation 2:
The wave direction is usually specified by the peak direction, ?p, corresponding to the most common direction or the spectral direction, ?m, corresponding to the energy propagation direction.
When waves propagate into shallow water, the depth eventually limits the maximum wave height and the waves break. The breaker index, ? , relates the depth-limited breaking wave height, HB, to the breaking depth, hB.
Equation 3:
Values for ? range from about 0.6 to 1.2, depending on the wave height and period and the bottom slope. For a flat bottom, ? =0.78, and this value is commonly used. The type of breaking wave can be estimated from the surf similarity parameter,
Equation 4:
in which a is the slope. The subscript m is used to denote the use of the mean period.
A riprap revetment is distinguished from an armor stone revetment in that riprap is more widely graded. Stone armor is usually specified with a very narrow range of sizes. A typical weight range is 0.75W50 to 1.25W50, where W50 is the median weight of the stone. The nominal diameter, Dn50, is defined as
Equation 5:
in which ?is the weight density of the stone. This gives an r allowable diameter range of 0.91Dn50 to 1.08Dn50. The corresponding range for riprap is 0.125W50 to 4.0W50 (0.50D n50 to 1.59Dn50). Riprap is less stable than armor stone because the smaller sizes are susceptible to removal and it is difficult to obtain uniform placement of the size distribution on the structure. Without special considerations, riprap revetments are not recommended for large wave conditions.
The design of riprap revetments in the United States follows recommendations provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE 2001, 1984, 1973). The required riprap size can be determined using the Hudson equation or the van der Meer equation. The Hudson equation is
Equation 6:
in which KD is the empirical Hudson stability coefficient and ? is the immersed relative density defined as ? = ?r/?w-1, where ?r is the specific weight of the rock and ?wis the specific weight of the water (62.4 pounds per cubic foot (pcf) for fresh water; 64.0 pcf for sea water). The stability coefficient for angular riprap in breaking waves is KD = 2.2 (COE 1984, 1973). The wave height is computed as the wave height at the toe of the structure. The 1973 and 1984 versions of the SPM are inconsistent in the use of the Hudson equation. The 1984 SPM recommends using a wave height that is 1.27Hs. If this wave height is used in the Hudson equation, the required stone weight doubles.
The van de Meer equation is
Equation 7:
in which N is the number of waves (maximum value of 7,500), P is the notational permeability, and S is the damage level. The two equations account for different breaking wave types based on the value of ?m. For slopes of 1V:1.5H to 1V:3H, S = 2; and for slopes 1V:4H to 1V:6H, S = 3. These equations are for deep water, but can also be used in shallow water wave conditions (CUR, 1991). Guidance for selecting the notational permeability is given in CUR (1991) and COE (2001). Since riprap is well graded, the permeability is lower and a value of 0.2 is suggested in the absence of additional information.
The thickness of the riprap layer should be 2Dn50, but not less than 1 foot. Care must be taken when placing the riprap to ensure that the stone sizes are uniformly distributed over the full slope. End dump construction often results in the larger stones at the toe with smaller material on the upper slope.
An underlayer beneath the riprap provides pressure dissipation, drainage, and containment of the fines in the subgrade. Because a riprap revetment is widely graded, the underlayer size requirements are more restrictive than a stone armor revetment. The size of the underlayer is given by
Equation 8:
in which D85 underlayer is the diameter at which 85 percent of the underlayer sizes are finer and D15cover is the diameter at which 15 percent of the riprap stone sizes are finer. An approximate underlayer size is given by
Equation 9:
The underlayer beneath the riprap should have a thickness of 3Dn50underlayer, but not less than 1 foot. A typical riprap revetment cross section is shown in Figure 1.
Articulating concrete blocks (ACBs) are designed to provide stability and erosion control in a wide variety of hydraulic applications. Made on dry cast block machines, the individual units are engineered to capitalize on the weight of concrete, friction between units, and the interconnection of units into flexible mattresses. Flexibility between units is provided to allow the mat to conform to minor deformations in the subgrade. Classes of individual units can be produced at varying thicknesses, providing the designer flexibility in selecting appropriate levels of protec- tion. The range of block classes allows selection of the proper combination of unit weight, surface roughness, and open area for hydraulic stability.
For example, an ArmorFlex armor unit, shown in Figure 2, is substan- tially rectangular, having a flat bottom to distribute the weight evenly over the subgrade. The upper sides of the unit are sloped to permit articulation of the armor layer and to accommodate underlayer irregularities when the armor units are connected into mats. The units have two vertical openings providing for permeability of the armor layer. This reduces uplift forces on the armor by allowing release of dynamic pressures that occur during wave break- ing. The vertical cells also increase surface roughness and allow a flux of water into the underlayer, reducing waving runup.
Current industry standards utilize the Pilarczyk (1990) equation to select an appropriate thickness of articulating concrete block. The Pilarczyk equation was developed in the Netherlands based on analysis of numerous large-scale tests at the Delft Hydraulics Laboratory. Interestingly, full-scale testing on the ArmorFlex unit as depicted above was used in development of the design methodology. The Pilarczyk equation is as follows:
Equation 10:
in which D is the block thickness, ?u is an empirical stability upgrading factor ( ?u = 2.50 for cabled blocks on a granular sublayer), F is a stability factor for incipient motion ( F = 2.25 for blocks placed on a permeable core), and b is a coefficient related to the interaction process between waves and the revetment (b = 2/3 is acceptable for ArmorFlex open-block system). The Hudson equation has also been used to estimate block stability in waves. For this case, ? corresponds to r the specific weight of the block and an appropriate KD value is used. However, the Pilarczyk equation considers additional variables associated with revetment stability in wave environments and is the recommended approach. A typical ACB revetment cross section is shown in Figure 3.
In addition to selecting the appropri- ate riprap or block size in waves, there are other important components of revetment systems to consider in the design. These include the underlayer, filter fabric, articulation, toe, flanks, and runup/overtopping.
Underlayer — A permeable under- layer is placed beneath the armor layer. This layer provides drainage to avoid build-up of excess hydraulic pressures beneath the armor, prevents migration of fines out of the bank, and provides a suitable surface for place- ment of the armor. Build-up of excess pressure beneath the revetment is one of the most important failure modes for revetments. Permeable revetments and underlayers allow dissipation of this pressure as water can flow out of the armor layer. Also, the subgrade must be geotechnically stable for the static and dynamics conditions associated with the design. This may require compaction or other improvements of the subgrade prior to placing filter and armor layers.
Filter fabric — If filter fabrics are used, ensure that the porosity and permeability requirements are satisfied. The fabric provides separation between the underlayer and the subgrade, preventing loss of fines but allowing the flow of water. In general, the equivalent opening size (EOS) of the fabric (EOS = 95 percent smaller opening size) should be EOS = D50 subgrade. The fabric permeability should be at least 10 times the subgrade permeability. The fabric must have suitable strength capabilities in elongation, puncture, and shear. If the fabric will be exposed to sun light, it must also be UV stabilized. Additional information on using filter fabrics in wave environments is given in Pilarczyk (2000).
Articulation — Flexibility of the armor layer is a consideration with using articulating concrete block systems. The revetment system should allow for individual units to adjust to differential settling of the underlying material. Any settlement beneath a rigid revetment system may result in voids beneath the armor layer, causing points of weakness which will lead to failure. Toe protection — Toe protection may be necessary to prevent failure of the structure caused by scour and undermining. Common alternatives are: 1) place a scour blanket of hydraulically stable material, 2) place larger stones or blocks on the toe, 3) trench the toe beneath the depth of maximum anticipated scour, 4) use filter fabric to contain the armor at the toe (Dutch toe), or 5) use ground anchors or screws for restricting block motion.
Flank protection — The lateral ends of the revetment may be susceptible to damage. The flanks may be stabilized using techniques similar to the toe. If the revetment is placed on a shoreline experiencing chronic erosion, then it may be necessary to tie the revetment back into the slope using wing walls. This will reduce the tendency for the revetment to be flanked.
Runup/overtopping — If the revetment is intended to prevent backshore flooding caused by waves, then the height of the revetment must be sufficient to prevent wave overtopping. Guidelines for estimating wave runup and overtopping are given in the SPM and CEM. If wave overtopping is expected, but is allowable, then the berm of the revetment may require additional stabilization. The techniques used on the toe are applicable. Along the berm, it may also be possible to use biostabilization methods. An overtopping rate of 0.02 cubic feet per minute per foot is sufficient to cause structural damage to buildings behind the revetment.
Setting — A 200-foot reach of shoreline along the south bank on a 3-mile-long, 30-foot-deep lake is experiencing wave-induced erosion during large storms. The clay-silt bank to be protected has an average slope of 1V:3H slope (18.4 degrees). The backshore is a campground with limited infrastructure.
Design variables — Given that there is no critical development in the backshore, a 10-year design condition is selected. A gauging station in the lake indicates that the water depth at the toe of the bank is 4 feet during the 10-year design event. At this water level, the bank has 5 feet of freeboard. Analysis of historical wind measurements indicates that the 10-year, 2-minute wind speed from the north is 50 mph. Using hindcast methods given in the SPM, the wave height and period are estimated to be Hs= 4.4 feet, and Tp= 3.7 seconds. It is assumed that the storm lasts more than 40 minutes, allowing this wave condition to develop. The same storms that cause high waves also cause the high water levels, so the joint 10-year conditions correspond to the water level and wave conditions as determined.
There are no offshore islands, sand bars, vegetation, or other mechanisms that would modify the waves before they reach the shoreline, and the wave approach is normally incident to the shoreline. The breaking wave height at the shoreline can be estimated based on shoaling and the breaker index as
Using Equation 3, this wave height breaks in a water depth of approximately
Note that this depth is greater than the design depth of 4 feet. Therefore, the wave height at the toe is depth limited and, using Equation 3, is approximately
It will often be the case for revetments in shallow water that the wave heights are depth limited. In these cases, the wave height can simply be estimated using Equation 3 without the need for hindcast computations.
Riprap revetment — The necessary riprap size is determined using the Hudson and van der Meer equations. The Hudson equation gives
in which it is assumed that ?r= 165 pcf and KD = 2.2. This stone weight has a nominal diameter of Dn50 = 12.0 inches. The riprap size range is 21 to 668 pounds (6 to 19 inches) and the thickness of the riprap layer is 2Dn50 = 24.0 inches. The underlayer size using Equation 9 is D=n50 underlayer= Dn50 cover/3.7=3.2 inches. The underlayer thickness is 3Dn50 underlayer, but not less than 1 foot. In this case, the underlayer thickness is 1 foot. A fabric placed beneath the underlayer requires suitable strength, UV, porosity, and permeability properties as discussed above.
For the van der Meer equation, it is necessary to determine the mean period, the number of waves, the surf similarity parameter, and then which equation to use. The mean period is
The number of waves is the storm duration divided by the mean wave period or 7,500, whichever is less. The maximum number of waves times the mean period gives 7.0 hours. If the storm duration is longer than 7.0 hours, then N = 7,500. If the storm duration is less than 7.0 hours, a reduced value for N is used. For this example, it is assumed that storm conditions last for longer than 7.0 hours, so N = 7,500.
Next, the surf similarity parameter and critical value for the surf similarity parameter are determined.
The corresponding weight is W50 = 184 pounds. The riprap layer thickness and underlayer properties are similar to and follow the same steps as the Hudson equation results.
ACB revetment — The Pilarczyk equation is used to determine the required ACB thickness. The immersed relative density is
where the specific weight of the block has been taken as 140 pcf. The Pilarczyk equation is
in which coefficients appropriate for ArmorFlex have been used. For this case, ArmorFlex Class 60 block with a thickness of 7.5 inches would be selected. The individual blocks would be cabled together into appropriate mat sizes using either polyester, galvanized, or stainless steel cable depending on lake water salinity and project-specific logistics.
Prior to placement of the ACB cabled mat system, a site-specific filter fabric compatible with the subgrade soils would be placed on the graded formation, utilizing a minimum 1-foot overlap of successive rolls. Determination of the filter fabric follows design criteria mentioned above. A 4-to 6inch-thick, coarse, uniformly graded, granular material (#57 crushed granite typical) is then placed as a filter (bedding) layer over the site-dependent filter fabric. Blinding the ACB system with a gravel material can enhance the stability of the system by increasing the inter-block friction and providing a means of load transfer over a greater area of the revetment. Also, a site-specific soil dressing, followed by native grasses and plants with shallow root systems could be planted within the open cells of the blocks on the upper portions of the slope to provide vegetation and associated habitat. Note that stability equations have been developed for wind waves and not boat wakes. A rule of thumb is to multiply the wake height by 1.5 to estimate an equivalent Hsto use in the stability equations (CUR, 1991). Also, the number of boat wake waves is difficult to estimate. One boat passage only generates a few waves, but there are many boats. Hence, unless additional information is available, it is recommended to use a maximum value of N = 7,500 in boat wake designs.
Christopher I. Thornton, Ph.D., P.E., is director of the Hydraulics Laboratory and Engineering Research Center at Colorado State University.
Richard Kane, erosion control product manager, CONTECH Construction Products, Inc., has 10 years of experience in the geotechnical, environmental, and civil engineering industries.
Online quiz for this article is not active and PDH credit is no longer available.
This article is being maintained for informational purposes only. | https://www.conteches.com/knowledge-center/pdh-article-series/revetment-design-considerations |
CHILDREN are being invited to create and display artwork at the Town Mill in Lyme Regis.
Following its recent successful open exhibition for adult artists, the Town Mill has decided to open the concept up to children and young people up to the age of 18.
Youngsters can submit a piece of artwork they have already completed for just £2, or they can take part in events this weekend to create a new piece of work, including paintings and drawings of still life set up in the gallery.
The events will be held on Saturday, August 24, Sunday 25 and Monday 26 from 10am to 11am for those who pre-book and from 11am to 1pm for drop-ins. It costs £5 to take part, including all materials, and youngsters will be able to create one piece for display and one to take home.
Artwork will then be displayed in the Town Mill’s Courtyard Gallery until September 5.
Please note, the Town Mill is unable to return any artwork that is exhibited. | http://lyme-online.co.uk/community/children-invited-to-display-their-artwork/ |
---
abstract: 'We investigate the convergence properties of a perturbation method proposed some time ago and reveal some of it most interesting features. Anharmonic oscillators in the strong–coupling limit prove to be appropriate illustrative examples and benchmark.'
author:
- 'Francisco M. Fernández'
title: A new perturbation method in quantum mechanics
---
\[sec:Intro\]Introduction
=========================
Some time ago Bessis and Bessis (BB from now on) [@BB97] proposed a new perturbation approach in quantum mechanics based on the application of a factorization method to a Riccati equation derived from the Schrödinger one. They obtained reasonable results for some of the energies of the quartic anharmonic oscillator by means of perturbation series of order fourth and sixth, without resorting to a resummation method. In spite of this success, BB’s method has passed unnoticed as far as we know.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate BB’s perturbation method in more detail. In Section \[sec:Method\] we write it in a quite general way and derive other approaches as particular cases. In Section \[sec:Results\] we carry out perturbation calculations of sufficiently large order and try to find out numerical evidence of convergence. One–dimensional anharmonic oscillators prove to be a suitable benchmark for present numerical tests. For simplicity we restrict to ground states and choose straightforward logarithmic perturbation theory instead of the factorization method proposed by BB [@BB97]. Finally, in Section \[sec:Conclusions\] we discuss the results and draw some conclusions.
\[sec:Method\]The method
========================
In standard Rayleigh–Schrödinger perturbation theory we try to solve the eigenvalue equation $$\hat{H}\Psi =E\Psi ,\;\hat{H}=\hat{H}_{0}+\lambda \hat{H}^{\prime }
\label{eq:Schrodinger}$$ by expanding the energy $E$ and eigenfunction $\Psi $ in a Taylor series about $\lambda =0$. This method is practical provided that we can solve the eigenvalue equation for $\lambda =0$.
In some cases it is more convenient to construct a parameter–dependent Hamiltonian operator $\hat{H}(\beta )$ that one can expand in a Taylor series about $\beta =0$ $$\hat{H}(\beta )=\sum_{j=0}\hat{H}_{j}\beta ^{j} \label{eq:H(beta)_series}$$ in such a way that we can solve the eigenvalue equation for $\hat{H}(0)=\hat{%
H}_{0}$. In this case we expand the eigenfunctions $\Psi (\beta )$ and eigenvalues $E(\beta )$ in Taylor series: $$\Psi (\beta )=\sum_{j=0}^{\infty }\Psi _{j}\beta ^{j},\;E(\beta
)=\sum_{j=0}^{\infty }E_{j}\beta ^{j} \label{eq:Psi,E_series}$$ There are many practical examples of application of this alternative approach [@F01]. In particular, BB [@BB97] suggested the following form of $\hat{H}(\beta )$: $$\begin{aligned}
\hat{H}(\beta ) &=&\hat{H}+(\beta -1)\hat{W}(\beta ) \nonumber \\
\hat{W}(\beta ) &=&\sum_{j=0}\hat{W}_{j}\beta ^{j}.
\label{eq:H(beta)_Bessis}\end{aligned}$$ Comparing equations (\[eq:H(beta)\_series\]) and (\[eq:H(beta)\_Bessis\]) we conclude that $$\begin{aligned}
\hat{H}_{0} &=&\hat{H}-\hat{W}_{0}, \nonumber \\
\hat{H}_{j} &=&\hat{W}_{j-1}-\hat{W}_{j},\;j>0. \label{eq:H_j_Bessis}\end{aligned}$$ In principle there is enormous flexibility in the choice of the operator coefficients $\hat{W}_{j}$ as we show below by derivation of two known particular cases.
If we restrict the expansion (\[eq:H(beta)\_Bessis\]) to just one term $%
\hat{W}(\beta )=\hat{W}(0)=\hat{W}_{0}$ then $\hat{H}(\beta )=\hat{H}-\hat{W}%
_{0}+\beta \hat{W}_{0}$. Choosing $\hat{W}_{0}=\hat{H}-\hat{H}_{0}(\alpha )=%
\hat{H}^{\prime }(\alpha )$, where $\hat{H}_{0}(\alpha )$ is a parameter–dependent Hamiltonian operator with known eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, we obtain the method proposed by Killingbeck [@K81] some time ago. The main strategy behind this approach is to choose an appropriate value of the adjustable parameter $\alpha $ leading to a renormalized perturbation series with the best convergence properties [@F01; @K81].
If we consider two terms of the form $\hat{W}_{0}=\hat{H}-\hat{H}_{0}(\alpha
)$ and $\hat{W}_{1}=\lambda \hat{H}^{\prime }$, then we derive the Hamiltonian operator $\hat{H}(\beta )=\hat{H}_{0}(\alpha )+\beta [\hat{H}%
_{0}-\hat{H}_{0}(\alpha )]+\beta ^{2}\lambda \hat{H}^{\prime }$ that Killingbeck et al [@KGJ01] have recently found to be even more convenient for the treatment of some perturbation problems. Those approaches are practical if we can solve the eigenvalue equation for $\beta =0$ and all relevant values of $\alpha $.
We should mention that it was not the aim of BB to obtain renormalized series with an adjustable parameter but to choose the operator coefficients $%
\hat{W}_{j}$ in such a way that they could solve the perturbation equations $$\left( \hat{H}_{0}-E_{0}\right) \Psi _{j}=\sum_{i=1}^{j}\left( E_{i}-\hat{W}%
_{i}+\hat{W}_{i-1}\right) \Psi _{j-i} \label{eq:PT_j}$$ in exact algebraic form [@BB97].
For simplicity in this paper we concentrate on a one–dimensional eigenvalue equation of the form $$\Psi ^{^{\prime \prime }}(x)=[U(x)-E]\Psi (x),\;U(x)=V(x)+\frac{l(l+1)}{x^{2}%
}. \label{eq:Schro_x}$$ If $\Psi (0)=\Psi (\infty )=0$ and $l=0,1,2,\ldots $ is the angular–momentum quantum number, this equation applies to central–field models. If $\Psi (-\infty )=\Psi (\infty )=0$ and $l=-1$, we have a one–dimensional model. In particular, when $V(x)=V(-x)$ then $l=-1$, and $%
l=0$, select the spaces of even and odd solutions, respectively. In any case the regular solution to the eigenvalue equation (\[eq:Schro\_x\]) behaves asymptotically as $x^{l+1}$ at origin.
In order to calculate perturbation corrections of sufficiently large order by means of BB’s method we define $$f(x)=\frac{s}{x}-\frac{\Psi ^{\prime }(x)}{\Psi (x)},\;s=l+1 \label{eq:f(x)}$$ that satisfies the Riccati equation $$f^{\prime }+\frac{2s}{x}f-f^{2}+V-E=0. \label{eq:Riccati}$$ The corresponding equation for the Hamiltonian $\hat{H}(\beta )$ in equation (\[eq:H(beta)\_Bessis\]) reads $$f^{\prime }+\frac{2s}{x}f-f^{2}+V-E+(\beta -1)W=0, \label{eq:Riccati_beta}$$ if we restrict to the case that $\hat{W}(\beta )=W(\beta ,x)$ depends only on $\beta $ and the coordinate. The coefficients of the expansion $$f=\sum_{j=0}^{\infty }f_{j}\beta ^{j} \label{eq:f_series}$$ satisfy the perturbation equations $$f_{j}^{\prime }+\frac{2s}{x}f_{j}-\sum_{k=0}^{j}f_{k}f_{j-k}+V\delta
_{j0}-E_{j}+W_{j-1}-W_{j}=0. \label{eq:PT_f_j}$$
\[sec:Results\]Results
======================
Simple one–dimensional anharmonic oscillators $V(x)=x^{2}+\lambda x^{2K}$, $%
K=2,3,\ldots $, are a suitable demanding benchmark for testing new perturbation approaches. We easily increase the degree of difficulty by increasing the values of the coupling parameter $\lambda $ and anharmonicity exponent $K$. BB applied their method to the first four energy levels of the model with $K=2$ and several values of $\lambda $, restricting their calculation to perturbation theory of order four and six. Here we consider the strong–coupling limit ($\lambda \rightarrow \infty $) of the oscillators mentioned above: $$V(x)=x^{2K}. \label{eq:x^2K}$$ Notice that if the perturbation series gives acceptable results for this case, then it will certainly be suitable for all $0<\lambda <\infty $. Moreover, the perturbation corrections for these models are simpler enabling us to proceed to higher orders with less computational requirement.
In order to make present discussion clearer we first illustrate the main ideas of the method with the pure quartic oscillator $K=2$. We try polynomial solutions of the form $$f_{j}(x)=\sum_{m=0}^{j+1}c_{j,2m+1}x^{2m+1},\;j=0,1,\ldots
\label{eq:f_j_x4}$$ in the perturbation equations (\[eq:PT\_f\_j\]) for the ground state ($s=0$). Substitution of $f_{0}(x)$ into the perturbation equation of order zero leads to $$-c_{0,3}^{2}x^{6}+(1-2c_{0,1}c_{0,3})x^{4}+(3c_{0,3}-c_{0,1}^{2})x^{2}+c_{0,1}-E_{0}-W_{0}=0.
\label{eq:PT_0}$$ In order to have a solution with $c_{0,3}\neq 0$ we choose $%
W_{0}=-c_{0,3}^{2}x^{6}$; then $c_{0,3}=1/(2c_{0,1})$, and $%
3c_{0,3}-c_{0,1}^{2}=0$ becomes a cubic equation with two complex and one real root. If we select the later we finally have $$\begin{aligned}
f_{0} &=&\frac{12^{1/3}}{2}x+12^{-1/3}x^{3}, \nonumber \\
W_{0} &=&-12^{-2/3}x^{6}, \nonumber \\
E_{0} &=&\frac{12^{1/3}}{2}\approx 1.1447. \label{eq:f0,E0}\end{aligned}$$ We expect the resulting unperturbed wavefunction $$\Psi _{0}\propto \exp \left( -\frac{12^{1/3}}{4}x^{2}-\frac{x^{4}}{4\times
12^{1/3}}\right) \label{eq:Psi_0}$$ to be an improvement on the harmonic–oscillator one in standard Rayleigh–Schrödinger perturbation theory [@F01; @K81; @KGJ01]. The zeroth–order energy (\[eq:f0,E0\]) is reasonably close to the exact value shown in Table \[tab:1\] which was obtained with the Riccati–Padé method [@FMT89].
At first order we have $$\begin{aligned}
&-&\frac{12^{2/3}}{6}c_{1,5}x^{8}-12^{1/3}\left( c_{1,5}+\frac{%
12^{1/3}c_{1,3}}{6}+\frac{1}{12}\right) x^{6} \nonumber \\
&+&\left( 5c_{1,5}-12^{1/3}c_{1,3}-\frac{12^{2/3}c_{1,1}}{6}\right)
x^{4}+\left( 3c_{1,3}-12^{1/3}c_{1,1}\right) x^{2} \nonumber \\
&+&c_{1,1}-E_{1}-W_{1}=0. \label{eq:PT_1}\end{aligned}$$ We easily solve this equation if $W_{1}=-12^{2/3}c_{1,5}x^{8}/6$; the result is $$\begin{aligned}
f_{1} &=&-\frac{5}{112}12^{1/3}\left( x+\frac{12^{1/3}}{3}\right) -\frac{%
3x^{5}}{56}, \nonumber \\
W_{1} &=&\frac{12^{2/3}x^{8}}{112}, \nonumber \\
E_{1} &=&-\frac{5}{112}12^{1/3}\approx -0.1022. \label{eq:f1,E1}\end{aligned}$$ The energy corrected through first order is somewhat closer to the exact value: $E_{0}+E_{1}\approx 1.0425$.
The systematic calculation of perturbation corrections of larger order offers no difficulty if we resort to a computer algebra system like Maple [@Maple]. Since we are unable to prove rigorously whether the perturbation series converges, we resort to numerical investigation. Figure \[fig:1\] shows that $\log |E_{j}/E_{0}|$ first decreases rapidly as $j$ increases, but then it increases slowly suggesting that the series does not converge. If we assume that the error on the energy estimated by the partial sum $$E^{[M]}=\sum_{j=0}^{M}E_{j} \label{eq:E[M]}$$ is proportional to the first neglected term $|E-E^{[M]}|\approx |E_{M+1}|$, then it is reasonable to truncate the perturbation series so that $|E_{M+1}|$ is as small as possible [@BO78]. In this case we find that $%
E_{26}=-0.3897686104\times 10^{-7}$ is the energy coefficient with the smallest absolute value so that our best estimate is $E^{[25]}=1.06036215$ (compare with the exact value in Table \[tab:1\]).
We proceed exactly in the same way for the pure sextic oscillator $K=3$. Figure \[fig:1\] shows values of $\log |E_{j}/E_{0}|$ that clearly suggest poorer convergence properties than in the preceding example. The energy coefficient with the smallest absolute value is $E_{15}=0.2759118288\times
10^{-5}$, and our best estimate $E^{[14]}=1.14470$ is reasonably close to the exact eigenvalue in Table \[tab:1\]. In principle, it is not surprising that perturbation theory yields poorer results for $K=3$ than for $K=2$ [@F01].
For the pure octic anharmonic oscillator $K=4$ we look for polynomial solutions of the form $$f_{j}(x)=\sum_{m=0}^{j+3}c_{j,2m+1}x^{2m+1},\;j=0,1,\ldots .
\label{eq:f_j_x8}$$ In this case we have calculated less perturbation coefficients because they require more computer memory and time. Surprisingly, the values of $\log
|E_{j}/E_{0}|$ in Figure \[fig:1\] suggest that the perturbation series for $K=4$ exhibits better convergence properties than the one for $K=3$ just discussed. The energy coefficient with the smallest absolute value (among those we managed to calculate) is: $E_{12}=-0.5205493999\times 10^{-5}$ so that our best estimate is $E^{[11]}=$ $1.225822$ which is quite close to the exact one in Table \[tab:1\].
The surprising fact that the convergence properties of the perturbation series are clearly poorer for $K=3$ than for $K=4$ suggests that there should be better solutions for the former case. If we try $$f_{j}(x)=\sum_{m=0}^{j+2}c_{j,2m+1}x^{2m+1},\;j=0,1,\ldots
\label{eq:f_j_x6}$$ then the values of $\log |E_{j}/E_{0}|$ are smaller than those obtained earlier (compare $K=3\,(b)$ with $K=3$ in Figure \[fig:1\]). The coefficient with the smallest absolute value is $E_{15}=-0.2344066313\times 10^{-6}$ and our best estimate results to be $E^{[14]}=1.1448015$.
It is well known that Padé approximants give considerably better results than power series [@BO78]. We have tried diagonal Padé approximants $%
[N,N]$ on the perturbation series for the cases $K=2$, $K=3\,(b)$, and $K=4$ and show results in Table \[tab:1\]. Notice that the Padé approximants sum the $%
K=2$ series to a great accuracy but they are less efficient for $K=3\,(b)$ and $K=4$. This is exactly what is known to happen with the standard perturbation series for anharmonic oscillators [@GG78]. However, Padé approximants appear to improve the accuracy of present perturbation results in all the cases discussed above.
\[sec:Conclusions\]Conclusions
==============================
Present numerical investigation on the perturbation method proposed by Bessis and Bessis [@BB97] suggests that although the series may be divergent they are much more accurate than those derived from standard Rayleigh–Schrödinger perturbation theory. One obtains reasonable eigenvalues for difficult anharmonic problems of the form $V(x)=x^{2K}$, and results deteriorate much less dramatically than those from the standard Rayleigh–Schrödinger perturbation series as the anharmonicity exponent $%
K$ increases. In order to facilitate the calculation of perturbation corrections of sufficiently large order we restricted our analysis to polynomial solutions that are suitable for the ground state. The treatment of rational solutions for excited states (like those considered by BB [@BB97]) is straightfordward but increasingly more demanding.
Following BB [@BB97] we have implemented perturbation theory by transformation of the linear Schrödinger equation into a nonlinear Riccati one. In this way the appropriate form of each potential coefficient $%
W_{j}$ reveals itself more clearly as shown in Section \[sec:Results\] for the quartic model. However, in principle one can resort to any convenient algorithm because the perturbation method is sufficiently general as shown in Section 2.
A remarkable advantage of the method of BB [@BB97], which may not be so clear in their paper, is its extraordinary flexibility as shown by the two solutions obtained above for the case $K=3$. Moreover, the method of BB, unlike two other renormalization approaches derived above as particular cases [@K81; @KGJ01], does not require and adjustable parameter to give acceptable results.
We believe that further investigation on the perturbation method of BB [@BB97] will produce more unexpected surprises.
[9]{} N. Bessis and G. Bessis, J. Math. Phys. **38**, 5483 (1997).
F. M. Fernández, Introduction to Perturbation Theory in Quantum Mechanics (CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2001).
J. Killingbeck, J. Phys. A **14**, 1005 (1981).
J. P. Killingbeck, A. Grosjean, and G. Jolicard, J. Phys. A **34**, 8309 (2001).
F. M. Fernández, Q. Ma, and R. H. Tipping, Phys. Rev. A **39**, 1605 (1989).
Maple 7,(Waterloo Maple Inc.,2000).
C. M. Bender and S. A. Orszag, Advanced mathematical methods for scientists and engineers (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1978).
S. Graffi and V. Grecchi, J. Math. Phys. **19**, 1002 (1978).
$N$ $K=2$ $K=3 \,(b)$ $K=4$
------- ------------------- ------------------ -------------
1 1.06099633526211 1.13079274107556 1.210520271
2 1.06035870794451 1.14501385704172 1.203379654
3 1.06036222079274 1.14479406990471 1.225903753
4 1.06036204322721 1.14480776322951 1.225811686
5 1.06036210029130 1.14480229840545 1.225826780
6 1.06036209058862 1.14480243489611 1.225839331
7 1.06036209060731 1.14480245393688
8 1.06036209048882 1.14480245334362
9 1.06036209048295
10 1.06036209048246
11 1.06036209048301
12 1.06036209048423
13 1.06036209048420
14 1.06036209048417
15 1.06036209048417
16 1.06036209048408
17 1.06036209048418
18 1.06036209048418
19 1.06036209048418
20 1.06036209048417
21 1.06036209048418
22 1.06036209048418
23 1.06036209048418
Exact 1.060362090484183 1.14480245380 1.22582011
: Padé approximants $[N,N]$ for the ground states of the quartic ($K=2$) sextic ($K=3 \,(b)$) and octic ($K=4$) oscillators[]{data-label="tab:1"}
![$\log|E_j/E_0|$ vs. $j$ for the ground states of the quartic ($K=2$), sextic ($K=3$ and $K=3$ (b)) and octic ($K=4$) oscillators[]{data-label="fig:1"}](fig1.ps)
| |
claudio capriati wrote:
> i think that if existing it , we could upload one file that contains
Are you talking about .cue files? If so, Rockbox already supports those,
>> 2. Resume offset (in bytes)
You need access to the file itself, to locate the right position. The
>> 3. Shuffle seed
A (pseudo-)random number generator needs a start value, from which
>> 5. Resume time (in ms)
The minutes and seconds part is easy, just take minutes * 60 + seconds,
:)
>> 6. Repeat mode (see settings.h for possible values)
Source code file. You can see the latest version of it here:
http://svn.rockbox.org/viewvc.cgi/trunk/apps/settings.h?view=markup
>> 7. Shuffle on (1) or off (0)
It specifies the state of the shuffle setting when the bookmark was created. | https://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2008-02/0068.shtml |
A word lattice is a directed acyclic graph with a single start point and edges labeled with a word and weight. Unlike confusion networks which additionally impose the requirement that every path must pass through every node, word lattices can represent any finite set of strings (although this generality makes word lattices slightly less space-efficient than confusion networks). However, in general a word lattice can represent an exponential number of sentences in polynomial space. Here is an example lattice showing possible ways of decompounding some compound words in German:
Moses can decode input represented as a word lattice, and, in most useful cases, do this far more efficiently than if each sentence encoded in the lattice were decoded serially. When Moses translates input encoded as a word lattice the translation it chooses maximizes the translation probability along any path in the input (but, to be clear, a single translation hypothesis in Moses corresponds to a single path through the input lattice).
Lattices are encoded by ordering the nodes in a topological ordering (there may be more than one way to do this- in general, any one is as good as any other, but see the comments on
-max-phrase-length below) and using this ordering to assign consecutive numerical IDs to the nodes. Then, proceeding in order through the nodes, each node lists its outgoing edges and any weights associated with them. For example, the above lattice can be written in the moses format (also called the Python lattice format -- PLF):
( ( ('einen', 1.0, 1), ), ( ('wettbewerbsbedingten', 0.5, 2), ('wettbewerbs', 0.25, 1), ('wettbewerb', 0.25, 1), ), ( ('bedingten', 1.0, 1), ), ( ('preissturz', 0.5, 2), ('preis', 0.5, 1), ), ( ('sturz', 1.0, 1), ), )
The second number is the probability associated with an edge. The third number is distance between the start and end nodes of the edge, defined as the numerical ID of the end node minus the numerical ID of the start node. Note that the nodes must be numbered in topological order for the distance calculation.
Typically, one writes lattices this with no spaces, on a single line as follows:
((('einen',1.0,1),),(('wettbewerbsbedingten',0.5,2),('wettbewerbs',0.25,1), \ ('wettbewerb',0.25, 1),),(('bedingten',1.0,1),),(('preissturz',0.5,2), \ ('preis',0.5,1),),(('sturz',1.0,1),),)
To indicate that moses will be reading lattices in PLF format, you need to specify
-inputtype 2 on the command line or in the moses.ini configuration file. Additionally, it is necessary to specify the feature weight that will be used to incorporate arc probability (may not necessarily be a probability!) into the translation model. To do this, add
-weight-i X where
X is any real number.
In word lattices, the phrase length limit imposed by the
-max-phrase-length parameter (default: 20) limits the difference between the indices of the start and the end node of a phrase. If your lattice contains long jumps, you may need to increase
-max-phrase-length and/or renumber the nodes to make the jumps smaller.
checkplf
The command
moses-cmd/src/checkplf reads a PLF (lattice format) input file and verifies the format as well as producing statistics.
Here's an example running the application on buggy input:
./checkplf < tanaka.plf Reading PLF from STDIN... Line 1: edge goes beyond goal node at column position 8, edge label = 'ＴＡＮＡＫＡ' Goal node expected at position 12, but edge references a node at position 13
Here's an example running the application on good input:
christopher-dyers-macbook:src redpony$ ./checkplf < ok.plf Reading PLF from STDIN... PLF format appears to be correct. STATISTICS: Number of lattices: 1 Total number of nodes: 7 Total number of edges: 9 Average density: 1.28571 edges/node Total number of paths: 4 Average number of paths: 4
If you use Moses's lattice translation in your research, please cite the following paper:
Chris Dyer, Smaranda Muresan, and Philip Resnik. Generalizing Word Lattice Translation. In Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL), July 2008. | http://www.statmt.org/moses/?n=Moses.WordLattices |
Archaeologists in Sudan have reopened an ancient pyramid and extracted bones and artefacts, in order to carry out further examination including DNA tests.
The items were found in one of three burial chambers in Meriotic pyramid number 9 in Bajarawiya, a UNESCO World Heritage site where a king from the Nubian period is believed to be buried.
"Pyramid number 9 belongs to King Khalmani who reigned between 207 BC and 186 BC," Mahmoud Suleiman, the head of a team of archaeologists, told journalists in Bajarawiya, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) north of Khartoum, late Tuesday.
The bones so far discovered are believed to have belonged to more than one person and have been shown to journalists, including an AFP reporter, by a team of archaeologists in Bajarawiya.
DNA tests should shed light on the relation between the bones, while further items are expected to be recovered from another of the pyramid's chambers, the team said.
"In the coming days we will open" another of the three burial chambers, said Murtada Bushara, a second archaeologist from the team.
This chamber "contains a coffin," Bushara added.
The dig is raising hopes that the remains of King Khalmani himself may be uncovered.
This is not the first time the pyramid has been the site of significant activity. American archaeologist George Reisner presided over a dig in 1923 and took artefacts back to Boston.
Sudan's remote pyramids are not as grand as their better-known cousins in Egypt.
The first archaeological digs in Sudan took place only about 100 years ago, much later than in Egypt or Greece. | https://www.rawstory.com/2018/04/sudan-unearths-bones-pyramid-dna-testing/ |
Jane works at a large financial institution. She is a member of their DC pension plan which is invested in a balanced fund (50% dividend mutual fund and 50% global government bond fund) for a total amount of $50,000. She also has her own self-directed RRSP that has $30,000 in mortgage backed securities and $40,000 invested in CMHC bonds. Finally, her TFSA has $10,000 in cash and $45,000 invested in S&P TSX 60 ETF. What is Jane’s current asset allocation?
Barry, age 67, is a widower and has two adult children, aged 36 and 33, who are both married. Twenty years ago, Barry purchased an investment property for $100,000 and today it is worth $200,000. He is considering transferring the property into joint tenancy with his two adult children. Which of the following are the biggest risk to consider before electing a transfer to joint tenancy?
1. With the property in joint tenancy when Barry dies, it will not go through his estate and he will not have to pay probate
2. Barry will not be able to split the income related to the investment property as attribution rules will apply to him
3. He will lose control of the property and his children could make changes or even sell their shares to someone else
4. Both Barry’s children are married and if either of their marriages breakdown the investment property may be included in family assets.
Amy is a single mother with one child, Eric, who just turned 5-years-old. Amy has recently heard from her bank advisor that it would make sense for her to open an RESP to help her start saving for his future education. She has managed to save some money, even though she only makes $20,000 and is ready to deposit $5,000 into the account this year. Given her income and first contribution, what amount of CESG (Canadian Education Savings Grant) would she receive in this first year?
Connie is looking for income focused investments for her portfolio as she is nearing retirement and will require this income to live off of. Which of the following investments would you recommend for her to achieve her investment objectives?
1. Mortgage-backed securities
2. Growth stocks
3. Preferred shares
4. Absolute return hedge fund
Michelle, age 70 and her husband, Kip, age 74 were both retired for several years when Kip passed away from heart disease. He was receiving a monthly CPP payment of $495. Michelle is currently receiving a pension payment of $350 per month. As Kip’s surviving spouse, what would be the lump-sum death benefit to Michelle?
Richard, a financial planner, has been working with his client Glenn for that last 5 years. Glenn is a CEO of a small software company Glennatical listed on the TSX. Richard is considering to purchase a large amount of common shares of Gleenatical for his own personal investment account. What should Richard do in this situation?
1. 65% of home equity can be converted on a tax-free basis
2. Do not require monthly mortgage payments
3. Both partners need to be over 55 years of age to be eligible
4. Both partners need to be over 60 years of age to be eligible
1. Transferring the cottage into joint ownership with his daughter today.
2. Designating his estate as the beneficiary of his life insurance policy and utilizing the Will to create a testamentary trust for his daughter utilizing the proceeds.
3. Naming his daughter as the beneficiary to his TFSA.
4. Transfer beneficial ownership only of his non-registered portfolio to his daughter to avoid tax on the immediate transfer.
Mirhad wants to leave $500,000 to his favourite charity when he dies. If his net income in the year of death is $200,000, how much of this donation is eligible for a donation tax credit on his final return?
Max and his spouse, Beth, are both 55-years-old and have recently decided to begin focusing on retirement. Currently they have $850,000 saved in non-registered assets and are wondering how much pre-tax income can be generated on an annual basis. Retirement for them will begin in 5 years; their life expectancies are 92; their nominal return is 5% until they retire and 7% in retirement, both compounded annually; they don’t plan to make any more contributions; income will be received at the beginning of the year.
Calculate the total amount of annual pre-tax income that the asset base will provide throughout retirement, based on the assumptions outlined above.
Andrew and Leah have two children under the age of 15. They have a low family net income of $28,000 and cash flow is an issue. Last year, their parents gave them $1,000 each that they contributed to an RESP for their children. Their other assets include compound interest GICs due in 3 years and Andrew’s membership in his employers Group RRSP. If Leah is completing a cash flow summary to project her family’s expenditures, which item(s) will impact their cash flow?
Janice and Susie bought a commercial property 5 years ago as an investment. They recently purchased property insurance that included both a deductible and coinsurance provisions. The deductible was $10,000 and for the co-insurance, they would have to pay 5% of any claim. If they were to make a claim on their commercial property for $100,000 in damages, how much would they have to pay themselves to cover the claim?
Yulia, an advisor, asks her client Sarah about upcoming major expenditures in the next 24 months. Yulia would like to anticipate for any planned expenditures for Sarah that will alter her current financial plans. What planning consideration is Yulia proactively anticipating in this scenario?
How is the annual contribution room for a tax-free savings account (TFSA) calculated?
Georgina and Hank meets with their advisor regarding income splitting as they approach retirement. Hank, age 55, expects to retire in 10 years while Georgina is retiring in two years when she will turn 60. His annual income will be $125,000 up until he retires while she is expected to receive $27,000 from her defined benefit pension. Hank has $380,000 in RRSPs, $70,000 in his TFSA and has been maximizes her contributions annually while Georgina has $48,000 in her RRSP and never has contributed to her TFSA. What income splitting strategy should the advisor recommend they use.? | https://plannerprep.ca/afp-exam-1-question-bank-sample/ |
Chennai: The Tamilnadu government hasissued an order announcing an ex-gratia payment of Rs 50,000 to the families of those who died of Covid in the State.
The amount will be paid from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the Government Order (GO) issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department said.
The ex-gratia will be paid to the kin of persons who have died of Covid-19, including those involved in relief operations or associated in preparedness activities, subject to the cause of death being certified as Covid-19 as per guidelines jointly issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Indian Council of Medical Research on 3 September this year.
Expenditure on this item will be incurred from the SDRF fund only, in strict compliance with the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines issued on 11 September, the GO said.
‘This ex-gratia assistance will be applicable from the date of first Covid-19 case reported in the country and will continue till de-notification of Covid-19 as a disaster or till further orders’, it said.
However, those who have been given ex-gratia for Covid death under the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund–frontline workers (Rs 25 lakh), children who have lost both parents (Rs 5 lakh) and children who have lost one parent (Rs 3 lakh), will be excluded from this, the GO said.
The District Collectors should utlise the provisions available to provide immediate relief to the victims of Covid-19. | https://newstodaynet.com/index.php/2021/12/08/tn-govt-to-give-rs-50000-for-kin-of-covid-19-victims/ |
Q:
How to find multiplicity of prime factors in order to get number of divisors
You might have guessed that I'm doing project euler #12 by the title. My brute force solution took much too long, so I went looking for optimizations that I could understand.
I'm interested in extending the strategy outlined here
The way I've tried to tackle this is by using the Sieve of Eratosthenes to get prime factors like this:
divs = []
multiples = set()
for i in xrange(2, n + 1):
if i not in multiples:
if n % i == 0:
divs.append(i)
multiples.update(xrange(2*i, n+1, i))
return divs
This itself is a problem because line 8 will yield an overflow error long before the program gets within the range of the answer (76576500).
Now, assuming I'm able to get the prime factors, how can I find their respective multiplicities efficiently?
A:
Borrowing from the other answer:
The number a1^k1*a2^k2*...an^kn has number of factor = (k1+1)*(k2+1)...(kn+1)
You can get the prime numbers below a certain number using the following code:
Courtesy of Fastest way to list all primes below N
n = number
def primesfrom2to(n):
""" Input n>=6, Returns a array of primes, 2 <= p < n """
sieve = numpy.ones(n/3 + (n%6==2), dtype=numpy.bool)
for i in xrange(1,int(n**0.5)/3+1):
if sieve[i]:
k=3*i+1|1
sieve[ k*k/3 ::2*k] = False
sieve[k*(k-2*(i&1)+4)/3::2*k] = False
return numpy.r_[2,3,((3*numpy.nonzero(sieve)[0][1:]+1)|1)]
primes = primesfrom2to(n).tolist() # list of primes.
primes = map(int, primes)
factors = {}
for prime in primes:
n = number
factor = 0
while True:
if n%prime == 0:
factor += 1
n /= prime
factors[prime] = factor
else: break
factors will give you the multiplicity of the prime factors.
| |
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- More than three in 10 American adults (31%) say they weigh at least 20 pounds more than their "ideal" weight, and almost all of these (90%) want to do something about it. But less than half (48%) say they are "seriously trying to lose weight."
In its annual Health and Healthcare survey, Gallup asks Americans to report their weight, and later, to say what their ideal weight should be. In 2015, the average weight for U.S. adults was 176 pounds, including an average 196 pounds for men and 155 pounds for women. The reported ideal weight is 161 pounds for national adults -- 183 pounds for men and 139 pounds for women. Americans weigh an average of 15 pounds more than their perceived ideal weight.
For the group reporting their weight as 20 pounds or more above their ideal, the average self-reported actual weight was 213 pounds, including an average 237 for men and 193 for women.
These results generally echo findings from four previous Health and Healthcare surveys conducted from 2011-2014. Combining the results from the last five surveys allows a more in-depth look at how Americans view their actual weight compared with how much they think they should weigh:
- About half of Americans (48%) estimate they are within 10 pounds of what they consider their ideal weight -- 18% are at their ideal weight, 23% are no more than 10 pounds over it and 8% are no more than 10 pounds under it.
- Among those under the age of 30, 14% estimate that they weigh at least 10 pounds less than what they should. That drops to 5% for those in their 30s, and less than 4% for those in their 40s and above.
Chances of Being Overweight Affected by Age, Gender, Income
Gallup's last five annual Health and Healthcare polls (2011-2015) show that age, income, gender and education all are significant factors in whether someone exceeds his or her preferred weight by at least 20 pounds.
In addition to the basic subgroup findings, the larger data set allows for a look at some smaller subgroups. Among the findings:
- Women of all ages are more likely than men to estimate they are at least 20 pounds overweight. The differences are most pronounced for those in their 20s and 50s.
- Unmarried men (25%) are less likely than married men (32%) to say they are at least 20 pounds overweight, while there is basically no difference between unmarried women (36%) and married women (35%).
- Those without insurance, those with private insurance and those with Medicaid or Medicare are all about as likely to be 20 pounds or more overweight.
Bottom Line
Questions about how close people are to their ideal weight are dependent on the individual's idea of what that weight should be. Even with that in mind, the evidence from five years of Gallup polls clearly shows that a large percentage of Americans see themselves as overweight. It is possible or likely that people may be somewhat less than accurate in disclosing their weight in a telephone interview; even so, a substantial 31% of Americans say they are 20 pounds heavier than their self-defined ideal weight. Further, though most of those who are overweight realize they are, the far lower percentage who are doing something about it is not increasing over time.
Methodology
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and most recently, Nov. 4-8, 2015. The aggregated sample for the five polls contains 4,915 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Learn more about how Gallup Poll Social Series works. | https://news.gallup.com/poll/187580/half-overweight-not-seriously-trying-lose-weight.aspx?g_source=Well-Being&g_medium=newsfeed&g_campaign=tiles |
The most random crimes Mary-Kate and Ashley solved by dinnertime
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen can solve any crime by dinnertime, but some of the crimes are just plain strange. During all of their Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley movie series the twins managed to solve numerous crimes with the help of their dog Clue — who is the cutest bloodhound ever — but now that we’re grown up we’ve realized there were some odd crimes in some of the plots. Check out the weirdest and most random crimes the girls solved over the years below.
The Case of the Logical I Ranch
This 1994 adventure all began because of gross smells and weird noises on the Logical I Ranch. The strange part about it was that the employees assumed it was a dragon running loose. A dragon? Come on, that’s ridiculous! Spoiler alert: it wasn’t a dragon, it was oil.
The Case of the Shark Encounter
Mary-Kate and Ashley used this film to discover where the strange sounds in a shark tank were coming from after three pirates claimed there were singing sharks in their tank. If the sharks were actually singing, would that have really been a noteworthy investigation people? We don’t think so.
The Case of the Christmas Caper
OMG, Santa? This actually was one the best best mystery movies, but the crime itself is a little questionable. Throughout this 1995 film, Mary-Kate and Ashley used their crime-fighting and detective skills to uncover who hacked into Santa’s computer and stole the “Spirit of Christmas,” which was the plane Santa used to deliver all the presents. Luckily, the girls showed everyone what the holiday was really about while cracking the case. PS: Were still confused on how the girls knew Santa needed their help.
The Case of the Volcano Mystery
While volcanoes are fascinating, and being smart enough to solve this crime was badass, we can’t get fully on board with how this mystery was brought to the girls’ attention. In the Volcano Mystery they received a call from miners of marshmallows, yep, marshmallows, saying that a monster who threw snowballs had been terrorizing them. It’s insane! It ended up being ash, not snow, that geologists were using to warn them that there was an active volcano where they were working. Yikes.
The Case of the Fun House Mystery
Alright, this was SO much fun to watch, but the crime was bizarre. When something is making scary noises inside the amusement park fun house (which doesn’t sound weird, but whatever), the girls have to figure out who or what it is before it’s too late! Their clues were “Monster Mush” and bananas, which eventually led them to find the culprit… an orangutan.
The coolest mysteries that the Olsen and Olsen Mystery Agency solved however were the following two cases:
The Case of the SeaWorld Adventure
In this 1995 movie, Mary-Kate and Ashley were at SeaWorld visiting their parents who are dolphin trainers when they run into a dead body in the woods that eventually leads to a cruise ship where they try and solve the mystery. It is one of the more intense mysteries they ever solved because it involves a dead body, which was actually a ruse to get the whole family onto the cruise for a family vacation. So cool!
The Case of the Mystery Cruise
This was the sequel to The Case of the SeaWorld Adventure and revolved around the girls’ father’s laptop being stolen while on a cruise ship. They used their detective skills to discover that it was all a staged occurrence and not a crime committed by a friend of their father.
Whether or not the crimes were truly dire, we adored The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley growing up and we still love them now. | https://hellogiggles.com/reviews-coverage/random-crimes-mary-kate-ashley/ |
Free fall describes a state in which objects like rocks, coins, or falling fruit fall to earth, due to gravity.
Interesting considerations here include:
the distance traveled by an object in free fall,
for how long an object falls before it hits the ground,
the velocity at which an object falls, and
how quickly an object accelerates.
The following experiment involves the construction of a drop tower equipped with suitable sensors for observing gravitational phenomena affecting a steel ball in free fall.
Connect
Explain why it is hazardous to sit under a tree full of ripe apples.
Explain why a person jumping out of an airplane at a great height needs a parachute.
List everyday occurrences in which gravity plays a role.
Construct
Building Instructions
Download Program “10”
Notes on Using the Model
The Touch Sensor is mounted to the back of the drop tower. It is used to trigger a drop experiment.
The Grasping Gripper closes automatically for the next experiment.
The Display on the EV3 Brick shows the fall time.
• Ensure that the model has been built correctly.
• Place the model properly on a solid and level surface.
• Ensure that the tower is not shaking when releasing the ball.
The Touch Sensor can also be held and used as a manual remote control if needed. This allows you to avoid shaking the tower, which might lead to invalid tests.
Contemplate
Experiment – Measure
- Start Program ‘’10’’
2. Place the ball in the closed Grasping Gripper.
3. Start a test using the free Touch Sensor on the drop tower.
This is what happens:
The ball drops down onto the Touch Sensor at the bottom of the drop tower.
The fall time is indicated on the display.
The Grasping Gripper closes, and now you can repeat the experiment .
Invalid tests result in a Grumpy Face.
Perform the experiment at least three times.
Record the experiment numbers and fall times in the table. Expand the table if needed.
Continue
Analyse
You know the drop distance d and fall times t.
- Using the measured fall times, calculate the average velocity v of the falling ball.
- Enter the results in the table.
As a reminder: v = d/t.
According to the law of falling bodies: d = 0.5 * g * t².
g is a natural constant denoting gravitational acceleration.
- Solve the equation of the law of falling bodies for g.
- Calculate the acceleration of gravity (g) based on the measured values from your experiments.
- Enter the calculated values for g in the table.
What Did We Measure and What Did We Find Out?
Briefly summarize the results of your experiment.
Review
Briefly summarize the results of your experiment. Report on what you learned. | https://education.lego.com/en-gb/lessons/ev3-science/acceleration-of-gravity/student-worksheet |
Amidst the high number of frameworks associated with supply chain sustainability (SCS), proper consideration to the role and importance of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) has been missing in the literature. To address this research gap, this paper investigates the driving factors that support MSE supply chains to achieve sustainability. We employ institutional and complexity theories to broaden our understanding of the dynamics behind neglected supply chain structures, especially the ones predominantly formed by MSEs. An in-depth nested case study is carried out in a MSE supply chain in an emerging economy, where 33 supply chain players were involved in the data collection. Using a combination of deductive and inductive approaches to analyze the data, we find that to truly implement SCS, research and practice should consider not only the strategic, structural and process levels, but also the contextual level, which is critical dimension to SCS dynamics. Results show that MSE supply chains contribute significantly to regional socio-economic development due to their local roots and regional history. Also, findings demonstrate that MSE supply chains have enhanced resilience to crises (e.g., economic, political and other disruptions) because they are often focused on long-standing economic activities within the regional ecosystems. This paper contributes to theory by arguing that SCS is a much more complex phenomenon in practice than the current theory implies. Therefore, incorporating the diversity from reality and the peculiarities of MSE supply chains into the SCS debate helps the literature to get closer to the SCS practice.
Keywords: Supply chain sustainability | Micro and small enterprise supply chains | Supply chain resilience | Regional development | Emerging economy
|مقاله انگلیسی|
|2||
Impact of COVID-19 on the Indian seaport transportation and maritime supply chain
|
تأثیر COVID-19 در حمل و نقل و تأمین دریایی بندر دریایی هند-2021
Impacts of COVID-19 in maritime transportation and its related policy measures have been investigated by more and more organizations and researchers across the world. This paper aims to examine the impacts of COVID-19 on seaport transportation and the maritime supply chain field and its related issues in India. Secondary data are used to analyze the performance indicators of major seaports in India before and during the COVID-19 crisis. We further explore and discuss the expert’s views about the impact, preparedness, response, and recovery aspects for the maritime-related sector in India. The results on the quantitative performance of Indian major seaports during the COVID-19 indicate a negative growth in the cargo traffic and a decrease in the number of vessel traffic compared to pre-COVID-19. The expert survey results suggest a lack of preparedness for COVID-19 and the need for developing future strategies by maritime organizations. The overall findings of the study shall assist in formulating maritime strategies by enhancing supply chain resilience and sustainable business recovery process while preparing for a post-COVID-19 crisis. The study also notes that the Covid-19 crisis is still an ongoing concern, as the government, maritime organizations, and stakeholders face towards providing vaccine and remedial treatment to infected people. Further, this study can be expanded to the global maritime supply chain business context and to conduct interdisciplinary research in marine technical fields and maritime environment to measure the impact of COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19 | India | Seaports | Maritime | Supply chain | Stakeholders | Sustainability
|مقاله انگلیسی|
|3||
Review of supply chain management within project management
|
بررسی مدیریت زنجیره تأمین در داخل مدیریت پروژه-2021
Supply chain management (SCM) adoption in a project-based environment brings substantial benefits but re- quires careful planning and execution. The current research examines a number of publications that are relevant to both SCM and project management in project management journals. First, we identify the key antecedents of successful SCM implementation in a project-based environment. Then we category these factors into four main areas, namely, IT integration, organizational coordination, risk management, and supply chain resilience and complexity. Third, we explore inter-relationships among these factors through a comprehensive literature re- view. A broad and enhanced understanding of the conceptual integration of SCM with project management is provided by exploring application areas outside the more common integration domain of the construction in- dustry. This research presents and interprets this integration using a system gram that visually illustrates a SCM strategy adoption pathway and depicts the complex procedures in an understandable manner.
Keywords: Project management | Supply chain management | Systemigram | Implementation strategy
|مقاله انگلیسی|
|4||
An agent-based model for supply chain recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
|
An agent-based model for supply chain recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic-2021
The current COVID-19 pandemic has hugely disrupted supply chains (SCs) in different sectors globally. The global demand for many essential items (e.g., facemasks, food products) has been phenomenal, resulting in supply failure. SCs could not keep up with the shortage of raw materials, and manufacturing firms could not ramp up their production capacity to meet these unparalleled demand levels. This study aimed to examine a set of congruent strategies and recovery plans to minimize the cost and maximize the availability of essential items to respond to global SC disruptions. We used facemask SCs as an example and simulated the current state of its supply and demand using the agent-based modeling method. We proposed two main recovery strategies relevant to building emergency supply and extra manufacturing capacity to mitigate SC disruptions. Our findings revealed that minimizing the risk response time and maximizing the production capacity helped essential item manufacturers meet consumers’ skyrocketing demands and timely supply to consumers, reducing financial shocks to firms. Our study suggested that delayed implementation of the proposed recovery strategies could lead to supply, demand, and financial shocks for essential item manufacturers. This study scrutinized strategies to mitigate the demand–supply crisis of essential items. It further proposed congruent strategies and recovery plans to alleviate the problem in the exceptional disruptive event caused by COVID-19.
Keywords: Risk and disruption | COVID-19 pandemic | Supply chain resilience | Essential item | Recovery strategy
|مقاله انگلیسی|
|5||
Improving supply chain resilience through industry 4:0: A systematic literature review under the impressions of the COVID-19 pandemic
|
بهبود انعطاف پذیری زنجیره تأمین از طریق صنعت 4:0: بررسی ادبیات سیستماتیک تحت تأثیر همه گیری COVID-19-2021
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most severe supply chain disruptions in history and has challenged practitioners and scholars to improve the resilience of supply chains. Recent technological progress, especially industry 4.0, indicates promising possibilities to mitigate supply chain risks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the literature lacks a comprehensive analysis of the link between industry 4.0 and supply chain resilience. To close this research gap, we present evidence from a systematic literature review, including 62 papers from high-quality journals. Based on a categorization of industry 4.0 enabler technologies and supply chain resilience antecedents, we introduce a holistic framework depicting the relationship between both areas while exploring the current state-of-the-art. To verify industry 4.0’s resilience opportunities in a severe supply chain disruption, we apply our framework to a use case, the COVID-19-affected automotive industry. Overall, our results reveal that big data analytics is particularly suitable for improving supply chain resilience, while other industry 4.0 enabler technologies, including additive manufacturing and cyber-physical systems, still lack proof of effectiveness. Moreover, we demonstrate that visibility and velocity are the resilience antecedents that benefit most from industry 4.0 implementation. We also establish that industry 4.0 holistically supports pre-disruption resilience measures, enabling more effective proactive risk management. Both research and practice can benefit from this study. While scholars may analyze resilience potentials of under-explored enabler technologies, practitioners can use our findings to guide industry 4.0 investment decisions.
Keywords: Industry 4.0 | Supply chain risk management | Supply chain resilience | Supply chain disruption | Digital supply chain | Literature review
|مقاله انگلیسی|
|6||
Investigating the effect of horizontal coopetition on supply chain resilience in complex and turbulent environments
|
بررسی تأثیر همکاری افقی بر انعطاف پذیری زنجیره تأمین در محیطهای پیچیده و آشفته-2021
Today supply chain operations are continuously threatened by frequent and unpredictable disruptions. To survive in such complex and fast-changing environments, firms need to develop resilient strategies for their supply chains. To this regard, previous studies in literature have shown that cooperative relationships play a relevant role. However, there are evidence that firms more often prefer a coopetition strategy, where both cooperative and competitive relationships are simultaneously adopted to manage supply chain relationships. Despite the relevance of this topic, how coopetitive relationships influence resilience has been less investigated so far. In this paper, we use a complex adaptive system approach to conceptualize horizontal coopetition in supply chains and develop a novel agent-based model to simulate its effect on supply chain resilient performance in different environmental conditions, characterized by increasing level of complexity and frequency of disruptions. Results show that coopetition can be beneficial for supply chain resilience and that environmental complexity (turbulence) positively (negatively) moderates this relation. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are finally discussed.
Keywords: Coopetition | Horizontal coopetition | Supply chains | Resilience | Agent-based model
|مقاله انگلیسی|
|7||
Towards a resilient food supply chain in the context of food safety
|
به سمت زنجیره تأمین مواد غذایی انعطاف پذیر در زمینه ایمنی مواد غذایی-2021
Global food supply chains have been constantly challenged by various food safety incidents or crisis. Traditional approaches on enhancing robustness of the food supply chain are not sufficient to ensure a safe food supply to the society, while building resilience as a more comprehensive approach has shown to be a good alternative option. With a resilience thinking, the food supply chain is not targeting to achieve a state of zero food safety risks, but rather to pursue the capacity to adapt and manage food safety shocks. A resilient food supply chain can still be vulnerable under the constant pressure of food safety hazards and the changing food chain environment, but has the capacity to adapt to and recover from the shocks. This study aimed to1) provide a clear definition for resilient food supply chains in the context of food safety; 2) provide a procedure to assess food safety resilience; 3) specify how a resilient food supply chain can be quantified and improved by providing a numerical example in a case study. Three dimensions of resilience factors, being time, degree of impacts caused by the food safety shocks, and degree of recovery, are suggested for assessing supply chain resilience. Results of a case study on Salmonella spp. in the pork supply chain show that the proposed framework and modelling allow for selecting the most effective strategies (having alternative suppliers, enhancing animal resilience as examples for the considered case) for improving the resilience of the supply chain for food safety.
Keywords: Resilience | Framework | Quantification | Risk | Hazards | Modelling
|مقاله انگلیسی|
|8||
Modelling of supply chain disruption analytics using an integrated approach: An emerging economy example
|
مدل سازی تجزیه و تحلیل اختلال در زنجیره تامین با استفاده از یک رویکرد یکپارچه: یک مثال اقتصاد در حال ظهور-2021
The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to identify, analyze, and to assess supply chain disruption factors and drivers. Based on an empirical analysis, four disruption factor categories including natural, human- made, system accidents, and financials with a total of sixteen disruption drivers are identified and examined in a real-world industrial setting. This research utilizes an integrated approach comprising both the Delphi method and the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). To test this integrated method, one of the well-known examples in industrial contexts of developing countries, the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh is considered. To evaluate this industrial example, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to ensure the robustness and viability of the framework in practical settings. This study not only expands the literature scope of supply chain disruption risk assessment but through its application in any context or industry will reduce the impact of such disruptions and enhance the overall supply chain resilience. Consequently, these enhanced capabilities arm managers the ability to formulate relevant mitigation strategies that are robust and computationally efficient. These strategies will allow managers to take calculated decisions proactively. Finally, the results reveal that political and regulatory instability, cyclones, labor strikes, flooding, heavy rain, and factory fires are the top six disruption drivers causing disruptions to the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh.
Keywords: Supply chain management | Disruption factors and drivers | Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process | Delphi method
|مقاله انگلیسی|
|9||
Does social capital matter for supply chain resilience? The role of absorptive capacity and marketing-supply chain management alignment
|
آیا سرمایه اجتماعی برای مقاومت زنجیره تأمین اهمیت دارد؟ نقش ظرفیت جذب و تراز مدیریت زنجیره تأمین بازاریابی-2020
Marketing in an increasingly tumultuous marketplace requires resilience -the ability to withstand, adapt, and flourish despite turmoil and adverse change- that extends beyond firm boundaries. Although external resources are arguably essential to achieve resilience, little is known how and when firms social capital derived from interorganizational relationships can lead to supply chain resilience. Therefore, we investigate the role of absorptive capacity and marketing-supply chain management alignment in realizing the potential impact of social capital on supply chain resilience. Using data obtained from dual respondents from 265 Turkish firms, we test the mediating role of absorptive capacity and the moderating role of marketing-supply chain management alignment. Our findings indicate absorptive capacity mediates the relationship between social capital and supply chain resilience, and the links between social capital and absorptive capacity and social capital and supply chain resilience are stronger when marketing-supply chain management alignment is high. We also find that supply chain resilience is positively associated with organizational performance, empirically supporting the proposed value of supply chain resilience for firm strategy. Accordingly, our paper highlights that both absorptive capacity and marketing-supply chain management alignment are necessary to realize the actual value of social capital for supply chain resilience and ensuing performance.
Keywords: Supply chain resilience | Social capital | Absorptive capacity | Marketing-supply chain management | alignment
|مقاله انگلیسی|
|10||
What causes organizations to fail? A review of literature to inform future food sector (management) research
|
چه عواملی باعث شکست سازمان ها می شود؟ مروری بر ادبیات جهت آگاهی از تحقیقات مربوط به بخش غذایی (مدیریت) آینده-2020
Background: Organizational failure in food markets is a potential threat to food security. Thus, a greater understanding of the factors that influence organizational failure and reduce supply chain resilience is essential to underpin agile and dynamic food supply chains. Scope and approach: The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of system level factors that influence organizational failure in food supply chains in order to conceptualize the horizontal and vertical in- teraction of such factors at the three levels described: the micro system, the meso system and the macro system level. A systematic review, based on a specific search strategy, incorporated articles from the fields of management, business and economics research. Whilst 616 articles were initially identified, only 41 of these were within the established inclusion criteria and reviewed. A model of organizational failure, determined here as “The House of Cards Model”, is developed, that can then be empirically tested in further research. Key findings and conclusions: A hierarchy was developed to contextualize the factors deemed to be of influence. The macro (external environment) level includes criteria such as economic conditions, formal institutions, government policies, competitors and rumors. The factors addressed in the meso (organizational) level include organization age and size, location, property structure, client, supplier and shareholder relationships, financial resources, physical resources, human resources and succession process. At the micro (individual) level the managers’ skill, characteristics, actions and mindset are of influence. This paper contributes to advancing the debate and underpins further empirical research on organizational failure in food supply chains. | https://www.hotpaper.net/tags/Supply+chain+resilience/ |
The La Vie Shopping Center, in Funchal, is preparing to reopen its stores to the public next Monday, May 4, guaranteeing complete security for visitors and employees.
After the Regional Government decreed the opening of Shopping Centers, all La Vie tenants were contacted in order to ensure the “reinforcement of the contingency, safety and hygiene measures plan for all employees and all visitors who visit Monday will increase”, says the La Vie administration, recalling that this space“ was not closed on any day and always kept stores that could be secured during the emergency period, with protection measures appropriate to cash flows. people who have been reduced ”.
At this moment, we are entering “another cycle, of the need to consciously reactivate the economy, of the obligation of individual protection and of everyone around us, as well as of the management of adequate expectations regarding the time that it will be necessary to maintain altered previous habits. ”, Also points out a source from the Shopping administration who will have, next Monday, a clear orientation to guarantee the safety of its visitors and employees, implementing“ strictly all the measures defined by the Regional Government ”.
Tight security
Security at the La Vie shopping center will be guaranteed through “conditioned access to the use of a mask, in one of the models available for this purpose, doors exclusively for entry and exit, circuits defined with specific signage and control of the maximum number of people at any time inside the shopping center, as well as by reducing the capacity of the car park to 1/3 ”.
Cleaning services will also be reinforced in order to comply with all DGS recommendations, with vigilance being maintained over the recommended social distance criteria.
In parallel, La Vie management will implement “adequate control routines to ensure compliance with all rules, including the reinforcement of cleaning care within the stores, as well as all employees of the shopping center and stores will be subject to two daily measurements of temperature”.
Opening hours
With regard to opening hours, the car park will operate between 7 am and 11 pm, while the Shopping Center will be open between 9 am and 10 pm.
In catering, as it is known, only the takeaway service will be available for now, with hairdressers subject to prior appointment.
The administration also informs that La Vie Funchal’s commitment to the rules of gradual deflation in Madeira, is “total” in order to “contribute to an exemplary image of the Region in the international panorama, which will be very useful next, to continue to be a privileged and awarded destination ”.
Adaptation of habits and social distancing are protection needs and the motivation is to safely and responsibly suspect.
La Vie also ensures that all the teams in the shopping center and shopkeepers are “prepared for the new cycle”, being important “not to regress in the good results achieved” and maintaining “total commitment and involvement in guaranteeing safety and functioning in the ‘new ‘normal’. | https://www.madeiraislandnews.com/2020/05/all-la-vie-funchal-stores-reopen-next-monday.html |
The Splits Graph highlights time loss on individual legs and allows split times to be compared between runners.
A vertical black line indicates the currently selected control. Runner annotation to the right of the graph displays the runners name and data for the currently selected control.
Popup windows display the fastest split times for the selected courses (left mouse) and fastest leg time for all classes that included the leg (right mouse).
The Race Graph is a real-time view that identifies who was running with who and how groups form and split up as the race progresses.
The X axis shows a representative total time for each control. The Y axis shows the competitors total time minus the optimum time at each control. This view is not available if the results do not contain start time data.
A popup window (left or right mouse button) displays all competitors passing through a control two minutes either side of the current mouse position.
When only one runner is selected the 'Crossing runners' button is enabled. This automatically selects all runners that passed or were passed by the selected runner.
The results table displays a simple table of results - enough said!
The class to view may be selected from the class dropdown. Other classes running the course are displayed in the course checkbox next to the class dropdown. These may be included in the displayed results by single clicking on them.
The checkboxes to the bottom right of the window select the data values to display in the annotation.
1. Calculate competitors rate of time loss for each leg compared the fastest time on the course for the leg.
2. Find the median leg time loss rate for the competitor. Using the median means it will not be influenced by large losses or short legs.
3. Using this median loss rate calculate the target time for each control.
4. Calculate loss based on this target time.
Q - How long did I lose at control 3?
A - In Splits View check that the 'Time loss' checkbox is selected in the bottom right. Select your class and result and place the cursor on the required control. The time loss is displayed in the runner annotation to the right of the graph. The time loss is the last entry in the annotation.
Q - How does my run compare to my mates?
A - In Splits View selecting both runners will give a direct comparison. At any control the line on top will be the one that is ahead at that point. For each control the line that slopes upwards more will be the faster split. For a more accurate comparison use your time as the optimum by selecting 'Any runner' in the 'Compare with' and then selecting yourself in competitor dropdown. Now your line will be horizontal. Any faster splits than you will slope upwards and any slower ones downwards.
Q - Who has the fastest run-in split both overall and in my class?
A - In Splits View place the mouse to the right of the 'Finish' leg. Pressing the left mouse button will give the fastest competitors in your class. Pressing the right button will display the fastest competitor in each class with the same last control.
Q - How long had I taken up to number 6?
A - In Splits View check the 'Total time' checkbox on the bottom of the graph. The runner annotation to the right of the graph will nor show the total time immediately after the name. Move the move the mouse to the required control to display the total time for the required leg.
Q - Who was running with me between controls 2 and 3?
A - In Race View clear all current selections and then select yourself. Pressing the 'Crossing runners' button will select all runners that you passed/were passed by you. Deselecting runners much slower then you will expand the scale if required.
Q - Who was that stunning blond/rugged M21 that I saw at control 2.
A - In Race View select yourself, place the mouse pointer at control two at your time and press the left mouse button. The pop-up will display all competitors 2 passing the control within 2 minutes of you. | http://splitsbrowser.org.uk/help/mainhelp.shtml |
Find it here:
MOUS_ICO Modelling >Terrain shaping
You can define new heights and creat new TIN (Triangular Irregular Network) with this tool.
Under input: Choose Objects you want to use existing heights from. Point elevation calculated from chosen input will show with a underline
There are three possibilities under settings that are on the toolbar:
Equidistance
Slope
Widgets
Equidistance: Select in what kind of equidistance you want the contourlines to show. Contourlines will show and change dynamically in the model when you create the terrain. Default is 10 cm.
Select wheter you want to create slope With percent or ratio. Default is percent. By clicking on the ikon you chose between percent or ratio.
Widget on / off: Widget displays available short commands and their function. By default, the widget is on. Press to turn on / off.
To begin designing the terrain you must have a plan window open.
Tip: Create a separate plan window where you do not have many surfaces so you easily can see the terrain. By having a 3D window open in addition, you will be able to see the terrain in 3D when you are creating the terrain.
Methodology:
These are the different commands you can use:
O: use height(Z) from Object/ surface (the height from input is used)
V: select nearest point elevation as Reference (by holding the mouse near a point it will snap to that elevation point)
P: Select next point elevation to insert slope arrow ( insert a New slope arrrow from an elevation point by holding Your mouse close to the elevation point you want to put a new slope arrow towards)
L: enter new slope (gives the possibility to change the slope value)
H: enter a height
R: fixed reference / running reference (calculates elevation points from one point/ calculates elevation points consecutively)
F: descend / ascend ( the next point will be below the last point/ next point will be abow the last point)
When you press enter you quit create - mode, and you come to a pause mode in which you can click on another location to add a new elevation point, or use V to select one reference point or O to an existing height. You can also click on point or slope to edit this.
You do editing by:
To edit height og slope:
Click point height or slope and change the height (Z), or roll the mouse wheel, O provides existing height. With M selects all and you can roll the mouse wheel to change all heights. To change the slope must also specify (with V ) which point height you chose to be a reference.
To move a point elevation: Click the plus sign and drag it to the new position (X,Y).
Esc erases everything you have done up to the last pause mode, witch is the last time you pressed enter. If you want to delete points you created before the pause mode select the elevation points and press delete.
Select OK to exit, if you select cancel a dialog comes up asking if you want to exit the tool. By leaving the tool you will lose the work you have done until the last time you pressed enter. | http://resourcecenter.novapoint.com/doku.php?id=en:np:landscape:terrainshaping:start |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
TECHNICAL FIELD
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/591,352, filed Nov. 28, 2017, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
This disclosure relates to web-based image maps generally and, more specifically, to systems, apparatuses, and methods for generating a geospatial interactive composite web-based image map.
BACKGROUND
FIG. 1
Currently, many existing websites and apps display images corresponding to specific geographic locations on a map, but such maps may not be efficient and/or effective. For example, conventional web-based maps that display corresponding images at geographic locations often only show a small icon or other tag indicating that one or more images exist that correspond to that location on the map and/or that more information is available to be displayed. In order for the user to view the images or information, the user needs to either click on an icon or hover over icons one icon at a time, which may be tedious and not efficient for understanding the information associated with the tag or icon placed on the map—particularly as the user adjusts the map views. is an example of a conventional map for traffic cameras generated that includes icons, the map forcing the user to click each camera individually to display each image. This example is not very user friendly for quickly displaying images that represent a geographical area. Other conventional web-based maps may have a panel of the user interface adjacent to the map region that displays images or other information associated with items within the map view—again, often in response to the user selecting an item located on the map.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is an example of a conventional map generated that includes camera icons that forces the user to click each camera icon individually to display each traffic image.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram of a web-based composite image map generation system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 3
FIG. 2
is a simplified block diagram of the management server of .
FIG. 4
FIG. 2
is a screen shot of a graphical user interface that a user may operate on its user device to interact with the system of .
FIGS. 5-9
are screen shots of collages including map data with locations for images that may by the graphical user interface; and
FIG. 10
is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating a geospatial interactive composite web-based image map according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating examples of embodiments of the disclosure, are given by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation. From this disclosure, various substitutions, modifications, additions rearrangements, or combinations thereof within the scope of the disclosure may be made and will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.
In accordance with common practice, the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. The illustrations presented herein are not meant to be actual views of any particular apparatus (e.g., device, system, etc.) or method, but are merely representations that are employed to describe various embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus or all operations of a particular method.
Information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof. Some drawings may illustrate signals as a single signal for clarity of presentation and description. It should be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the signal may represent a bus of signals, wherein the bus may have a variety of bit widths and the disclosure may be implemented on any number of data signals including a single data signal.
The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm acts described in connection with embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and acts are described generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the embodiments of the disclosure described herein.
A processor herein may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, system on a chip, or state machine suitable for carrying out processes of the disclosure. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. When configured according to embodiments of the disclosure, a special-purpose computer improves the function of a computer because, absent the disclosure, the computer would not be able to carry out the processes of the disclosure.
The disclosure also provides meaningful limitations in one or more particular technical environments that go beyond an abstract idea. For example, embodiments of the disclosure provide improvements in the technical field of web-based mapping, particularly in generating a geospatial interactive composite web-based image map displaying a collage of images. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure may solve problems of conventional methods by creating the composite image (i.e., collage) that displays multiple relevant images at once and overlaid onto a map. Such a collage may also be referred to herein as “a geospatial composite image map” or the like. The method may provide a web-based interface for a user to interactively interact with the image map to change the view and/or hierarchical view of the image map, thereby dynamically updating the collage by retrieving additional relevant images for the selected geographic location displayed by the map data. As a result, a better user experience may be achieved to provide faster access and an improved visualization of various types of data by simultaneously viewing image data (e.g., still images, streaming video, etc.) as a composite image overlaid on the map data in comparison with conventional methods.
In addition, it is noted that the embodiments are described in terms of a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart or signal diagram show operational acts as a sequential process, many of these acts can be performed in another sequence, in parallel, or substantially concurrently. In addition, the order of the acts may be re-arranged. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. Furthermore, the methods disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, software, or both. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more computer-readable instructions (e.g., software code) on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that may be executed by a processor to perform the described functions, or that facilitates transfer of a computer program or data from one place to another.
It should be understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not limit the quantity or order of those elements, unless such limitation is explicitly stated. Rather, these designations are used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements can be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner. Also, unless stated otherwise a set of elements may comprise one or more elements. Likewise, sometimes elements referred to in the singular form may also include one or more instances of the element.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a system for generating a geospatial interactive composite web-based image map. The system comprises at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the system to receive, from a user device, a request for creating a geospatial interactive composite web-based image map for a selected region of map data displayed by the user device, select images responsive to the request corresponding to defined sub-regions within the selected region of the map data displayed by the user device, construct a collage for the geospatial composite web-based image map responsive to selecting the images, and transmit the collage to a user device for display thereon as an overlay to the map data.
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is a block diagram of a web-based composite image map system (also referred to as “system ”) according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The system may include one or more management server(s) configured to execute a collage generation tool that is configured to manage (e.g., create, modify, etc.) databases A-D including data objects and create collages responsive to user interactions with the system via user devices A-D coupled to the management server . For simplicity, the management server may be referred to in the singular at times; however, it should be understood that one or more servers may be used to perform the operations executed by the management server . Thus, the management server may include one or more types of servers, one or more data stores, one or more interfaces, including but not limited to APIs, one or more web services, one or more content sources, one or more networks, or any other suitable components to enable communication with other devices or to a network. In this sense, the system may provide a platform (e.g., backbone), with which other systems or devices may communicate to manage the databases A-D, access the databases A-D, and generate the collages described herein.
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The system may also be coupled to one or more content generators A-D configured to provide image content (e.g., static images, streaming video, etc.) to the management server for adding to the databases A-D. For example, content generators A-D may include internet-enabled cameras (e.g., webcams, traffic cameras, security cameras, dash cameras, body cameras, computers, smartphones, etc.) that are configured to capture and/or transmit to the management server with the image content. Content generators A-D may be third party entities (e.g., governmental agencies, private businesses, private individuals, etc.) that are different than and not controlled by, the administrator of the system . In other words, the system may receive image content (e.g., free content, licensed content, etc.) from third party entities. In some embodiments, the administrator of the system may generate its own content, such as building its own infrastructure and network of content generators A-D. In some embodiments, the user devices A-D may function as content generators configured to enable the users to provide image content to the system . Source images may be screened by the system administrator for content and accuracy prior to adding new source images to the large collection of images that may be used. For privacy reasons, people could be removed or blocked from the images, as well as license plate numbers and other personal information.
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The management server may be configured to communicate with the user devices A-D and/or content generators A-D over a network including the internet, an intranet, wired networks, wireless networks, fiber optic networks, cellular networks, satellite networks, or any other network component configured to facilitating communication between computing platforms, or any combination thereof. Communication between platforms may include control information (e.g., requests, commands, etc.) as well as an exchange of data. Of course, additional components of the network may not be shown for convenience, but it should be understood that additional intermediate components may be included that buffer, store, and/or route communication between devices.
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The user devices A-D may include any computing device configured to communicate with the management server to send requests to generate a collage and receive the information in response thereto. In addition, the user devices A-D may be configured to receive and display the collage on an electronic display to provide valuable information that is arranged as a collage on a map that may improve visual display of the information for an improved user experience, such as enhanced understanding and a more efficient way to present the information to the user. The user devices A-D may, therefore, include a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a network server, a portable computing device, a personal digital assistant, a smartphone, a mobile telephone, cellular telephone (i.e., cell phone), a navigation system, a wearable device, a watch, a terminal, a distributed computing network device, a mobile media device, or any other device configured to operate as described herein in conjunction with a web browser, client application, operating system, and the like, using any programming language or communication protocol to directly or indirectly interface with the management server . The user devices A-D may include components, such as a processor, input/output devices, memory, an electronic display, a battery, a speaker, and an antenna. The input/output devices may include a touch screen.
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The databases A-D may be configured to store and organize the information for each entry as one or more data objects used to generate web-based collages as described herein. Each database A-D may be configured according to the category (e.g., type) of image data available to the user. For example, a first database A may be a restaurant database having data objects with information about various restaurants stored therein such as the name of the restaurant, geolocation data (e.g., address, GPS data, etc.), an image representative of the restaurant (e.g., a logo image, a photo image of a building, etc.), contact information, etc. In some embodiments, the image data or streaming data itself may include a geo-tag embedded therein that correlates the image data (e.g., still image or video images) to a specific geolocation. Such information may be used by the system to build a collage for restaurants if such is desired by the user. A second database B may be a hotel database having information about various hotels stored therein. Such information may be used by the system to build a collage for hotels if such is desired by the user. A third database C may be an auto mechanics database having information about various mechanics stored therein. Such information may be used by the system to build a collage for mechanics if such is desired by the user. A fourth database D may be a dentist's database having information about various dentists stored therein. In some embodiments, the databases A-D may include links to files stored by the system and/or to externally stored images, information, and/or to live feeds. Such information may be used by the system to build a collage for dentists if such is desired by the user.
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In addition to data about the business itself, the databases A-D may include additional data that may be used for one or more priority filters (e.g., based on image selection criteria such as a popularity ranking, a customer review ranking, an affordability ranking, etc.) that may be used to determine which images to use when building the collage as will be discussed below. In some embodiments, the user may desire to apply more than one priority filter. As a result, the selected images to build the collage may be based on a combined score for multiple rankings. The combined score may be evenly weighted across all criteria or have some form of weighting if some criteria is more important.
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Of course, the database examples above are non-limiting and additional databases may be included. In addition, it is contemplated that the information may be organized and/or combined differently within the various databases. In some embodiments, one or more servers may be dedicated to storing images while other servers may be dedicated to informational data, such as geo-locational data, popularity data, rating data, etc. In addition, additional servers may be used to manage user accounts and maintain data (e.g., email address, login information, physical address, age, gender, and/or other personally identifiable information) for each user of the system .
The examples provided above with respect to the types of collages of images are described in terms of types of businesses (e.g., hotels, restaurants, mechanics, dentists, etc.). Embodiments of the disclosure include other types of information that can be categorized and mapped to geographic regions. For example, images for destinations such as landmarks, attractions, national parks, and so forth may be categorized and collages may be generated similarly as those discussed above.
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is a simplified block diagram of the management server of . The management server may include a processor operably coupled with a memory device and communication elements . The processor may be configured to coordinate the communication between the various devices as well as execute instructions stored in computer-readable media of the memory device . The memory device may include volatile and non-volatile memory storage for the management server . The memory device may also have the databases A-D stored therein. The communication elements may include devices such as receivers, transmitters, transceivers, etc., that are configured to communicate with external devices (e.g., administrator computers, user devices, etc.). In some embodiments, the management server may include other devices (e.g., input devices, output devices, etc.) if needed to facilitate its processes. The management server may also execute (via processor ) the collage generation tool that retrieves information from the databases A-D and automatically generates collages responsive to user requests as will be discussed further below. The management server may also execute (via processor ) to collage generation tool to apply one or more priority filters for selecting the images for generating the collages.
Embodiments of the disclosure also include a non-transitory computer readable medium of a user device storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform steps comprising: displaying, on an electronic display of a user device, a geospatial interactive composite web-based image map, receiving, from a user input, a request to construct a collage for a selected region of map data of the geospatial interactive composite web-based image map, transmitting the request to a management server for generating the collage including selecting images for defined sub-regions within the selected region of map data, receiving the collage from the management server, and displaying the collage as overlay to the map data on the electronic display of the user device. The user device may include one or more processors coupled to communication elements and a memory device including the non-transitory computer readable medium.
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is a screen shot of a graphical user interface that a user may operate on its user device to interact with the system of . The graphical user interface may be include a web browser (e.g., GOOGLE CHROME®, INTERNET EXPLORER®, FIREFOX®, etc.) configured to access the system through a URL or as a dedicated application stored on the user device, such as a mobile application.
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The graphical user interface may include a map region configured to display the map data as well as the collage generated by the system to be displayed and updated with the map data. The graphical user interface may also include user input elements such as zoom elements configured to cause the map data to zoom in and out and automatically generate an updated collage responsive to the user inputs. Zooming in and out and/or readjusting the current view of the map data may also be performed through various methods, such as keyboard commands, scrolling and/or clicking with a mouse, various touch commands on a touch screen interface, voice commands, among other interactions by the user.
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Additional input elements may include input fields , configured to apply different priority filters when generating the collage. For example, one filter input field may determine the type of collage to be generated as desired by the user. The user may select from a list of possible collages that are supported by the system . For example, the first topic input field may include a drop down menu or other feature (e.g., scroll bar) so that the user may select the type of collage desired (e.g., restaurants, hotels, mechanics, dentists, etc.). In another embodiment, the first topic input field may include a search field that the user may type in the desired subject if such is supported by the system . Some embodiments may include a management server that is configured to support a variety of different types of collages through a single user interface. Other embodiments may include a management server that is dedicated to a single type of collage. As a result, the graphical user interface may not have need for the first topic input field for selecting the type or subject matter for the collage.
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A second input field may be used to apply the priority filter when choosing which images to use when building the collage for different regions in which multiple images may be available but not all will be used. The second input field may also be configured as a drop down menu, scroll bar, search field, or other similar element. Of course the regions and elements shown in are non-limiting, and other regions are also contemplated to be displayed and offered to the user.
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In response to the user inputs, a user device may send a request to the management server to generate a desired collage with the map data displayed in the map region of the graphical user interface . The management server receives the request that includes the collage type and any priority filters selected. In addition, the management server may receive map data indicating the map area displayed in the map region to determine which images to use and how to configure the images (e.g., arrange, size, shape, etc.) to fit the map data. The collage may be generated and transmitted from the management server to the user device for display thereon and interaction with a user. Changes to the map view, collage type, and/or priority filters may generate a new request to the management server to update the collage according to the changes made. In some embodiments, the map data and its associated functionality (e.g., zoom in/out) may be provided through an application programming interface (API) to a server for an online map provider such as GOOGLE® Maps, MICROSOFT® BING® Maps, among other map platforms. The collage may be generated as an overlay to the map data. In some embodiments, some existing map features (e.g., roads, rivers, boundary lines, and other map elements) may be obscured by the collage overlaid on the map data. In other embodiments, the map features may be displayed such as, for example, the image data at least being partially transparent to certain map features as desired by the user.
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are screen shots of collages - including map data with locations for images that may be displayed by the graphical user interface. For simplicity, specific images are not shown in the collages -. Rather, numerals are shown in the collages - showing locations for images as would be selected based on the subject matter for the collage as well as priority filters applied by the management server. In addition, the map data shown is simplified to show certain features such as boundaries. Other maps features such as location names, physical features (e.g., mountains, rivers, etc.), roads, etc., may be included as desired depending on the embodiment and/or hierarchical level.
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The map data may be received by the user devices, processed, and displayed in the graphical user interface. For simplicity, the map data of is a high level view showing North America and Central America. Country boundaries may be displayed. At this level, the collage may be generated by the management server by analyzing the geolocation data and other priority filter data associated with the images to select the images to be overlaid and fill out the map data being displayed. For example, if the user selects “restaurants” as the image type, and “most popular” as the priority filter, the processor may query the databases and image data to determine the most popular restaurants across the defined sub-regions shown by the current view of the map data. As shown in , the countries of North America and Central America are shown. The image data associated with the most popular restaurant for each country (if available) may be overlaid within the region of each country shown on the map. For example, a first image associated with the most popular restaurant of the United States may be displayed within the United States region shown, a second image associated with the most popular restaurant of Canada may be displayed within the Canada region shown, a third image associated with the most popular restaurant of Mexico may be displayed within the Mexico region shown, and so on for the other countries displayed. Other images for other countries shown are not labeled for convenience and simplicity of description. If no images are available for a particular sub-region (e.g., country) the sub-region may simply be left blank or some other indication may be displayed that no image is available.
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The selected images may all be seamlessly displayed at once to primarily fill the entire map shown. Each image fills the appropriate place on the map where it geospatially originates from with regard to the hierarchical level shown in the current view of the map data. In some embodiments, the original images may be pre-processed when generating the collage to primarily fit the geospatial area being represented. For example, the dimensions of the first image associated with the most popular restaurant in the United States may be adjusted to fit the boundaries of the United States so that the image (e.g., logo, meme with text, photograph, etc.) fills out the majority of the internal area of the United States. For some embodiments in which the area for the image has a shape that is not particularly suitable for image adjustment during the pre-processing stage, the image may be sized for that area and the remaining space of the area around the image may be filled with a background that distinguishes (e.g., by color or design) from backgrounds from adjacent areas with the other images of the collage .
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As the user interacts with the graphical user interface to zoom in to a selected region of the map, the collage will be continuously re-populated with more images from that region, if available. Again, the management server may determine the regions being shown and the hierarchical level of the map data to select images for the defined regions. For example, the user may zoom in to focus just on the United States as shown in . As a result, state boundaries in the map data of collage may be used as in to define the regions for the collage as opposed to country boundaries as in . Again, the images may be selected for each region based on the type of image and the priority filters selected. For example, a first image associated with the most popular restaurant of Idaho may be displayed within the Idaho region shown, a second image associated with the most popular restaurant of California may be displayed within the California region shown, a third image associated with the most popular restaurant of Nevada may be displayed within the Nevada region shown, and so on for the other states displayed. Other images for other states shown are not labeled for convenience and simplicity of description. The images (e.g., , , ) for each state in could each be instances of the same image as the image used for the first image used for the United States in , but depending on the application of the priority filters for these new regions one or more of the images may be different than the image used for the first image used for the United States in . For example, the most popular restaurant across the entire United States may be McDonalds, but the most popular restaurant within California may be In-N-Out Burger. As the user continues to drill down and zoom in, a specific restaurant within a specific community may be the most popular.
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The user may further zoom in to a state, such as Idaho, as shown in such that only images from Idaho in the region that is being zoomed into will be displayed. As a result, county boundaries in the map data may be used as in to define the regions for the collage as opposed to state boundaries as in . Again, the images may be selected for each region based on the type of image and the priority filters selected. For example, a first image associated with the most popular restaurant of Ada County may be displayed within the Ada County region shown, a second image associated with the most popular restaurant of Twin Falls County may be displayed within the Twin Falls County region shown, and a third image associated with the most popular restaurant of Bonneville County may be displayed within the Bonneville County region shown, and so on for the other counties displayed. Other images for other counties shown are not labeled for convenience and simplicity of description.
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The user may further zoom in to a county, such as Ada County, as shown in such that only images from Ada County in the region that is being zoomed into will be displayed. As a result, city boundaries in the map data may be used as in to define the regions for the collage as opposed to county boundaries as in . Again, the images may be selected for each region based on the type of image and the priority filters selected. For example, a first image associated with the most popular restaurant of Boise may be displayed within the Boise city region shown, a second image associated with the most popular restaurant of Meridian may be displayed within the Meridian city region shown, a third image associated with the most popular restaurant of Eagle may be displayed within the Eagle city region shown, and so on for the other cities displayed. Other images for other counties shown are not labeled for convenience and simplicity of description.
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The user may further zoom in to a city, such as Boise, as shown in such that only images from Boise in the region that is being zoomed into will be displayed. As a result, sub-regions in the map data may be used as in to define the regions for the collage as opposed to city boundaries as in . The sub regions may be pre-defined based on factors such as size, roads, neighborhoods, commercial districts, or some other designation. Again, the images may be selected for each region based on the type of image and the priority filters selected. For example, a first image associated with the most popular restaurant of the first sub-region may be displayed within the Boise city sub-region shown, a second image associated with the most popular restaurant of the second sub-region may be displayed within the Boise city sub-region shown, a third image associated with the most popular restaurant of the third sub-region may be displayed within the Boise city sub-region shown, a fourth image associated with the most popular restaurant of the fourth sub-region may be displayed within the Boise city sub-region shown, and so on for any other sub-regions displayed. Other images for other counties shown are not labeled for convenience and simplicity of description.
As discussed above, processing adjustments may be made for different hierarchical levels to generate collages based on country boundaries, state boundaries, county boundaries, city boundaries, or other defined sub-region boundaries. Additional regions may be defined at extremely high resolutions, such as within a neighborhood or even within a building. For example, the user may zoom into a shopping mall to generate a collage for the most popular restaurants within different areas within the shopping mall.
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It should be recognized that the examples given demonstrate views that are focused clearly on a specific region within its hierarchical level. For example, shows only Idaho isolated from its neighboring states. It is contemplated that map views may contain partial views of countries, states, counties, cities, etc. Thus, a map view of Idaho as in may also provide counties from neighboring states (e.g., Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington). As a result, the generated collage may include images for counties from different states depending on the particular view of the map data within the graphical user interface. This can further extend to collages that include cities from neighboring states, sub-regions of neighboring cities, and so on.
In addition, while political boundaries such as countries, states, counties, cities, etc., may be used to define boundaries that are used to select images and generate the collages, other boundaries may also be implemented such as boundaries for area codes, zip codes, and so on. Non-political boundaries may be defined, such as based on physical features (e.g., rivers, valleys, mountain ranges, etc.), population densities, or other criteria. Other boundary user-defined boundary definitions are also contemplated that may be drawn on the fly. For example, the graphical user interface may enable the user to draw his or her own boundaries to create a custom collage for a particular view. Once the boundaries are defined and saved by the user, the collage may be generated based on the images that have geolocation data that fall within the defined boundaries.
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Embodiments of the disclosure may also include hyperlink data associated with the images that may provide additional functionality for the user to click on an image to obtain additional information, place a call, redirect to a website, make a purchase, open a new window, among other actions. Interacting with the image may impact various rankings associated with the images, such as popularity, ratings, etc., such that when users interact with the system by providing clicks, reviews, purchases, the databases may be modified to reflect newer rankings. As a result, subsequent collages may be different if the rankings for a priority filter change.
As described above, embodiments of the disclosure include other types of information that can be categorized and mapped to geographic regions other than business-type applications. For example, images for destinations such as landmarks, attractions, national parks, and so forth may be categorized and collages may be generated similarly as those discussed above. A user may desire to build a collage for the most popular national parks or monuments over a desired region (e.g., the Western United States) and be able to zoom in and out between a low resolution collage (e.g., showing multiple states) and higher resolution collage where the images are more closely aligned to the specific location on the map.
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Embodiments of the disclosure may include informational collages that can be categorized and mapped according to geographic regions. For example, images for various forms of information may be categorized and collages may be generated similarly as those discussed above. As a specific example, the user may desire to build a collage for the most popular baby names over a desired region (e.g., the United States) and be able to zoom in and out of the map to automatically update the map and generate a new higher resolution collage where the images are more closely aligned to a specific location on the map. Thus, the user may be able to quickly access and identify what the most popular baby name is for the United States, individual states, counties, cities, and all the way down to a very high resolution collage at a neighborhood level if such detailed information is available to the system . Similar collages may be generated for things like average household incomes across low resolution collages and high resolution collages if such information is available at a hyper local level. By being able to quickly zoom in and out of a map, the user may be able to quickly learn and compare such information across different regions. The images shown for such informational collages may be as simple as a color background with the textual information being conveyed for that region of the collage.
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Embodiments of the disclosure may also include collages that include video data. For example, streaming video from multiple locations may be provided to the appropriate region for the collage. For example, security cameras, body cameras, police cameras, weather cameras, traffic cameras, etc., may transmit live video to the system at a particular location. Depending on the type of device, the location may be stationary or mobile at which point the geo-locational data may be constantly changing for a mobile camera. The video data may be filtered based on the source of the video data, such as mobile news crews, celebrity live video broadcasts, non-celebrity video broadcasts, government official video broadcasts, and so forth. Video broadcasts may be recorded from within buildings, and the geolocation data accompanying the video may provide a high enough possible geographic resolution to create a collage associated with a map to view simultaneous video streams within a single building (e.g., public buildings, private residences, etc.) if such are available.
Additional embodiments may also include collages that promote experiences. For example, a collage may be generated for a region with image data showing what video content people within that region are watching at a given point in time. The collage may be filtered based on type of show being watched (e.g., movie, sporting event, TV series, etc.) at a given moment for people within that region. Creating such a collage may influence the users viewing decisions, and the user may select the image (e.g., video stream) on the collage to open a larger window or enter full screen mode to view the show. In some embodiments, a priority filter may be applied for a popular show and/or highest rated show over a window of time (e.g., week) to generate the collage for the region rather than in real-time. Changing views by moving the map data and/or zooming in and out may automatically adjust the map display and dynamically and automatically generate the new collage for the new map view. Such a collage may not be customer facing. For example, a video streaming service may desire to enable its employees to create such a collage to better visually understand the viewing habits of their customers.
Additional embodiments may also include collages based on purchase data. For example, a collage may use images from purchase data for a given region. For example, the images associated with the most popular child's toy for a given region may be used to generate a collage that is overlaid on map data for a user to interact with. Such purchase data may be received from one or more third party sellers (e.g., Amazon, Wal-Mart) to visualize purchase habits for different types of products. Generating such a collage may be also be a feature offered to customers directly by the seller itself using its own purchase data by integrating the collage generation tool into their website or apps. As a result, customers may visualize such information at different hierarchical levels, which may influence their purchases. Such a tool may be used by analysts to better visualize purchases for different regions to better allocate resources or inventory.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a method of updating a geospatial interactive composite web-based image map. The method comprises receiving, from a user device, a request to construct a collage for a selected region of map data of a geospatial interactive composite web-based image map displayed by the user device, generating the collage including selecting images for defined sub-regions within the selected region of map data responsive to the request, and transmitting the collage to the user device for display thereon as an overlay to the map data.
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is a flow chart illustrating a method for generating a geospatial interactive composite web-based image map. At operation , the method includes a management server receiving a request from a user device responsive to a user input to a graphical user interface displayed by the user device (e.g., through a web browser, a client application, etc.). The graphical user interface displayed by the user device may display map data and other information and features to assist in facilitating the request. The request may include the type of images desired to form the collage, such as the category (i.e., subject matter) of images to be used when compiling the images to generate the collage. The request may also include map information about the current view of the map being displayed on the graphical user interface, such as the location and zoom level to determine the metes and bounds of the current map view. The request may also include filter data, such as any priority filters that are also to be applied to the collage, such as whether images should be selected based on popularity, a rating, or other specialty filters depending on the selected subject matter. In some embodiments, such information may be received via a single request. In some situations, different requests may include different information depending on specific interactions by the user. In some embodiments, the map information may be received by the system if that information is already available from other internal programs supporting the map functionality and/or from a third party provider that provides the support for the map functionality.
1020
At operation , the method includes the management server determining sub-regions within the map data for placement of images. As discussed above, the management server may retrieve the geolocation data along the outer boundary of the current map view being displayed to determine a hierarchical level, and from which the internal area may be divided to define the sub-regions that are used for image placement. The hierarchical level may be the highest hierarchical level that fits a threshold number of sub-regions within the current selected view of the map data.
1030
At operation , the method includes querying the databases to select images for each defined region for the current map view. Selection may be based on criteria such as the type of images and the corresponding geolocation data falling within the defined region, as well as one or more priority filters used to select between multiple images that may have geolocation data that falls within the defined region.
1040
At operation , the method includes processing the selected images that will be displayed in each sub-regions according to the shapes of the respective sub-region. In some embodiments, the shapes of the images themselves may be cropped or otherwise adjusted to correspond to the actual shape of the sub-region. In other words, the shapes of the processed images and the shapes of the corresponding sub-region are identical. In some embodiments, the image may be adjusted to primarily fit within the sub-region with the remaining area of the sub-region being filled with a contrasting background relative to adjacent sub-regions. The contrasting background may be built into the image file itself or applied by the user device when the images of the collage are displayed.
1050
At operation , the method includes transmitting the collage data to the user device. In some embodiments, the image data may be fully constructed by the management server as a single image prior to transmission such that the single image is overlaid on the map data. In other embodiments, the collage data may include the group of processed images and data and/or instructions for their corresponding sub-regions of the collage for the user device to overlay the image data on the map data when displayed by the user device.
While certain illustrative embodiments have been described in connection with the figures, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize and appreciate that embodiments encompassed by the disclosure are not limited to those embodiments explicitly shown and described herein. Rather, many additions, deletions, and modifications to the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the scope of embodiments encompassed by the disclosure, such as those hereinafter claimed, including legal equivalents. In addition, features from one disclosed embodiment may be combined with features of another disclosed embodiment while still being encompassed within the scope of embodiments encompassed by the disclosure as contemplated by the inventors. | |
The Washington Wizards (15-27) are underdogs as they attempt to end a four-game road losing streak when they visit the New York Knicks (22-22) on Thursday, March 25 at Madison Square Garden. The game airs at 7:30 PM ET on MSG. The matchup has a point total of .
The betting insights in this article reflect odds data from DraftKings Sportsbook as of March 25, 2021, 12:40 AM ET. See table below for current betting odds.
Knicks vs Wizards Betting Odds
Knicks vs Wizards Props
Looking to bet on props for this game? Use our prop search tool to find the best odds across legal sportsbooks in the US.
Injury Report as of March 25
Knicks:
Austin Rivers: Day To Day (Personal)
Wizards:
Davis Bertans: Out (Calf),
Ish Smith: Out (Quad),
Thomas Bryant: Out For Season (Left knee)
Knicks and Wizards Records ATS
- New York has put together a 26-18 record against the spread this season.
- When favored by at least 2.5 points, the Knicks are 5-3 against the spread this season.
- New York and its opponents have gone over the set total in only 17 of 44 games this season (38.6%).
- Washington has consistently covered the spread this season with a record of 21-20.
- When they play as at least a 2.5-point underdog, the Wizards tend to fail to meet expectations with only a 1-3 record against the spread.
- 46.3% of Washington’s 41 games this season have stayed under the over/under.
Click here to get the best DraftKings Sportsbook deposit bonus!
Head to Head
In their last meeting, the Knicks defeated the Wizards 131-113. Julius Randle led the Knicks with 37 points, and Bradley Beal paced the Wizards with 22. The Knicks covered the spread as 2.5-point favorites, and the teams combined to score 244 total points to hit the over on the 221.5-point over/under.
|Date||Favorite||Home Team||Spread||Total||Favorite Moneyline||Underdog Moneyline||Game Type||Result|
|3/23/2021||Knicks||Knicks||-2.5||221.5||-141||118||Regular Season||131-113 NY|
|2/12/2021||Knicks||Wizards||-3||219||-149||124||Regular Season||109-91 NY|
Scoring Trends
- New York and its opponents have gone over Thursday’s 227 total in nine out of 44 games (20.5%) this year.
- 27 Washington games this year (64.3% of its matchups) ended with a final total greater than Thursday’s over/under of 227 points.
- On average, the over/under in Knicks games is 16.7 points fewer than the over/under of 227 points in this contest.
- A difference of 8.1 points separates the average total points bet in Wizards’ games (235.1 points) and this contest’s over/under (227 points).
- The average implied total for the Knicks this season is 109.7 points, 5.3 fewer points than their implied total of 115 points in Thursday’s game.
- So far this season, New York has outscored its implied point total for this matchup (115) eight times.
- The Wizards’ average implied point total on the season (120.7 points) is 8.7 points higher than their implied total in this matchup (112 points).
- Washington has scored more than 112 points in 25 games on the season.
- The Knicks are the league’s 28th-highest scoring team (105.3 PPG), while the Wizards allow the most points per game (120.2) in NBA action.
- The Knicks have out-scored their opponents by only 16 points this season (0.3 points per game on average), and opponents of the Wizards have out-scored them by 225 more points on the year (5.3 per game).
Knicks Leaders
- The Knicks points, rebounds and assists leader is Randle. He contributes 23.3 points per game and adds 10.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
- The Knicks are led by Reggie Bullock from beyond the arc. He connects on 2.1 shots from deep per game.
- Derrick Rose leads the team with 1.2 steals per game. Nerlens Noel collects 2.0 blocks a contest to pace New York.
Wizards Leaders
- Russell Westbrook is number one on the Wizards leaderboard in both rebounds (9.5 per game) and assists (10.3 per game).
- Beal has outperformed his Washington teammates in scoring, putting up 31.8 points per game to go with 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
- Davis Bertans is tops from three-point range for the Wizards, hitting 2.8 threes per game.
- Nobody on Washington grabs more steals than Westbrook (1.3 per game) or blocks more shots than Alex Len (1.1 per game).
Predictions
Click here for today’s NBA betting picks from our team of experts. | https://www.thelines.com/knicks-wizards-nba-betting-lines-odds-trends-march-25-2021/ |
Every three years, since 2000, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) performs a series of tests in a number of countries at national level to 15-years-old students, in order to assess the degree of knowledge in three main groups of areas: science, reading and math. This is the PISA program, whose last edition took place in 2015.
In addition to test scores in these areas, a lot of statistical data on the socioeconomic status of the students, their attitude towards studies, school and life in general are collected, well as data on schools and, in some countries, the student parents. All these data are used by the governments of the participating countries to evaluate their education policies, and a lot of technical studies are produced, many of them available online for download.
In this link you have a more detailed introduction to the PISA program.
All the data collected are published in the PISA official website of the OECD, and they are available for download approximately one year after completion of the tests. At present, there are data until 2012. They are plain text files with the answers to all questions of all questionnaires, along with control files for loading data in SPSS and SAS.
All this makes this data set excellent for statistical analysis practices, since we have many works for which we can try to reproduce the results. In this link you have examples of reports based on PISA data. As SPSS and SAS have a fairly high price, what I have done is dump this data in SQL Server, in the PISA database, from which you can extract data using SQL queries. Also, you can use the SQL Server features for data analysis and data mining.
The data can be extracted from the database using the WinPODUtil application, with which you obtain CSV files that can then be processed using the R program, which is an open code free application. All the examples that we'll see in this series of articles are made with this program.
Here we'll see a brief introduction of the main characteristics of these data and the main techniques that must be used with them for their analysis. In this link you can download the PISA data analysis manual, where they explain in great detail and more rigorously all those techniques. This manual is devoted to the analysis using SPSS, and all the examples are coded for this application, but the theoretical part is excellent, and here we'll see all the examples made in R code.
In this first article in the series we will see how data from these studies are collected and what to keep in mind when performing the sampling. In this link you can download the PISA data sampling source code examples.
The selection of students for the PISA studies is performed following a two-stage sampling. In a first phase, are selected the schools that will participate, ensuring that the distribution and characteristics of them is representative of the country's educational system in which the study is conducted. After this, is made a random selection of students within each school, of all those who are 15 years old at the time of the test. This means that not all students necessarily belong to the same course.
In each school are selected about 35 students, but not all schools have this number of students and, as participation is voluntary, not all selected students participate in testing at the end. For this reason, it is assigned to each student a weight, which is calculated using the probability for the school to be selected for the study and the probability of the student to be selected within the school.
The sum of the weights of all students in the sample of a country gives a value approximately equal to the total population of 15-years-old students in the country.
All calculations should be made taking into account the weight of each student. Thus, each record shouldn't be viewed as the personal data of an individual student, but each student represents a population of individuals with similar characteristics.
Therefore, when you take a subsample of data from a given country with an amount of individuals less than the size of the entire sample, these weights must be corrected so that their sum continue being the total population. The adjustment is very simple, simply multiply the weight by the number of individuals in the full sample and divide it by the number of selected individuals for the subsample.
In WinPODUtil, the weights of the students are in the Estimates tab (Previously you must select at least one year and a country with its territorial divisions). Select Estimator types in the drop-down list, and then select Weights in the list of available options. Then, select Weights and estimators from the dropdown list in order to see the different types of weights available.
The student weight is W_FSTUWT, and the corresponding for the school is SCWEIGHT. It is advisable to download a separate file with all weights of students in a country, as the query is pretty heavy. Later you can combine this file with other files with a selection of responses, as exposed in the article process and merge csv files with the Process option of the WinPODUtil tool.
Due to the large number of questions comprised in each of these studies, it is impossible that students answer all of them, so they are distributed in a number of questionnaires, each of which contains a different set of questions. For this reason, we find a large number of missing values in the responses in each of the records.
In the next article in the series, you will see another set of weights that is essential for calculations of the sampling variance and standard error, the replicated weights. You can also find examples of R code to perform these calculations, which are quite heavy.
Site devoted to the comercialization of an electronic target for air guns.
Online portfolio of the graphic designer Carlos Pueyo Mariñoso.
Software técnico libre by Miguel Díaz Kusztrich is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License. | http://software-tecnico-libre.es/en/article-by-topic/all-sections/r-analytics/pisa-analytics-with-r/introduction-to-pisa-data-analytics |
MY NAME IS EMILY is a feature film by Simon Fitzmaurice, an award winning Irish film-maker with Motor Neurone Disease (ALS). Produced by Kennedy Films and Newgrange Pictures the script is written, but a budget is needed to make it happen – and while there are lots of great films and film makers out there, this project has the backing of names who really know what they are talking about when they say it’s brilliant.
Alan Rickman, a colleague of Nick’s says “This is an exceptional script that deserves all support.”
EMILY is a teenage girl who runs away from her foster home on her 16th birthday. With her school friend ARDEN, they take an old yellow Renault 4, and set out to rescue Emily’s Father, a visionary writer, locked up in a far-off psychiatric institution. Along the way, driving across Ireland.. Emily and Arden fall in love. In the end, Emily learns she must face her Father’s madness to find happiness.
Simon Fitzmaurice was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (ALS) in 2008 – just after his film THE SOUND OF PEOPLE screened at Robert Redford’s Sundance Film festival.
At the time, Simon was the father of 2 children, his wife Ruth was pregnant with their third, and he had been heralded as “Ireland’s most promising film-maker” by Film Ireland
But Simon refused to allow his disease to affect his drive towards becoming a feature film director. In the face of this adversity he wrote the script for MY NAME IS EMILY.
Simon Fitzmaurice began writing the script typing with his hands, and as he lost all physical function, he persisted, finishing it by typing on an iris-recognition screen, with his eyes.
A team of dedicated actors and directors endorsed by Alan Rickman, and including Jim Sheridan, Nick Dunning, and Kristen Sheridan want to enable Simon to direct his feature film in Spring 2014. But film-making is a very expensive, challenging and time-consuming process. Motor Neuron Disease (ALS) means that Simon needs more support and more time.
The traditional production model for a feature film has to be adjusted to support Simon and enable him to make MY NAME IS EMILY. The team behind him have to challenge the norms to find a way for Simon to do his job.
Here’s their plan for achieving this and how YOUR DONATIONS will help:
PRE- PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
Preparation is key. The more we can map out in prep, the easier it will make the challenge of shooting MY NAME IS EMILY.
Typically there are 8 weeks prep on a feature film.
Due to Simon’s condition MY NAME IS EMILY will need at least 12 weeks. This then translates across all departments and crew.
KEY SUPPORT CREW
- SUPPORT DIRECTOR - Simon will have a Support Director who will be with him every step of the way as back-up and support. The Support Director will be a facilitator to Simon’s vision at all times.
- DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - Simon’s creative partner Ivan McCullough will begin full-time preparation with Simon at a much earlier stage then on a usual production. Together they will work closely with a STORYBOARD ARTIST mapping out every frame before they go to shoot.
- FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - Our 1st AD will also begin prep much earlier working out shooting schedules and timetables that can work for Simon.
- LOCATIONS MANAGER - While searching for locations that suit the film, the Locations Manager will also have the additional and important task of ensuring all locations are accessible for Simon
PRODUCTION
A typical low budget feature film shoot is 5 weeks. MY NAME IS EMILY will be at least 8 weeks, allowing for shorter shooting days, but with more of them.
Simon’s mobility and access to set is hugely important. He will need special transport, ramps, Eye-Gaze screen hardware and batteries, weather protection gear.
For example, they will be aiming to have a specialised van which can serve as Simon’s base when on set. A place for Simon to have TV monitors to watch the performances on set while the camera is rolling, as the sound from Simon’s ventilator means that he can’t be next to camera at these times.
Filmmaking is an incredibly physically and mentally exhausting challenge. But with the right amount of preparation and supports in place, they will ENABLE SIMON to achieve this film, but he needs your help.
With all of the above to consider, they have to allow EXTRA BUDGET and these extra support requirements equates to the 200,000 euro that they want to raise on indiegogo.
Click the link to see more videos about the project and to DONATE – as little as $10 will make a huge difference – and you get something back for every donation – go take a look! | https://jayfaulkner.com/blog/archives/date/2013/11/20 |
Avelynn, 7, spent the day at The Robinson Family Pumpkin Patch in Temple, but she's searching for a family to call her own.
This is now the second time Avelynn will be adopted. Fun fall activities are just what Avelynn needed.
"Once she opens up to you, she is so kind and affectionate. She is almost like a little nurturer," said CPS Adoption Caseworker Carese Grey.
Behind her beautiful brown eyes, is a tender heart that has been broken before.
"Her grandmother unexpectedly passed and that's why she returned to our care," said Grey.
Grey helped place Avelynn in her grandmother's care and now she is looking for a forever family for the second time.
"I just put it in my heart to be one of my top priorities to find an adoptive home for her again. One that is safe and appropriate and nurturing for her," said Grey.
Her smile gives you a peek into her endless potential.
"She's kind of like a little rosebud and once the layers and petals fall off she blossoms into this little rose and it's wonderful to see," said Grey.
Avelynn is intelligent, loves arts and crafts and has a beautiful imagination but the complete picture includes a forever family.
"The first time when we were able to get her grandmother to adopt her, it was a moment of peace and I feel like it will be like that again and I will have that peace of mind and security knowing this is where she was supposed to be," said Grey.
Avelynn's bio is featured in The Heart Gallery of Central Texas , a program of Partnerships for Children . Central Texas News Now "Forever Families" airs every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. | https://www.kxxv.com/story/39388057/forever-families-avelynn |
Chocolate Peanut Slice
Servings:
12
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
25 mins
A word from the cook
Whoever thought a tiny candy bar should be called "fun size" was a moron.
Ingredients
250 grams plain sweet biscuit crumbs
Topping
250 grams plain sweet biscuit crumbs
125 grams melted butter
1 can condensed milk
4 x 60 gram snickers bars chopped
Topping
125 grams dark chocolate chopped
25 grams butter chopped
Instructions
- Combine crumbs and butter in bowl.
- Mix well and press over base of lamington tin. Refrigerate 20 mins.
- Combine milk and chocolate bars in heavy base pan, stir over low heat till well combined.
- Cook stirring constantly about 5 mins or until thickened slightly.
- Place hot caramel mixture over base.
- Bake in moderate oven about 15 mins or until beginning to set.
- Cool. Spread warm topping over caramel mixture.
- Cool and refrigerate until set.
Topping
- Combine chocolate and butter in pan, stir over low heat until smooth. | http://www.familyandfriendsrecipes.com.au/recipe/chocolate-peanut-slice/ |
An In-House Test Laboratory in Ecological Building
One of the core competencies of soniKKs is to develop and implement customer-specific applications. Many of our customers are successfully using products developed individually for them.
In order to be able to realize the development and production of customer-specific applications even better, a new commercial building is currently being built in Dobel. This will mean noticeable optimizations thanks to our own test laboratory and shortened work routes.
The two-storey building will cover approximately 1400 square meters of space. Moreover, options for the future are offered with the 6400 square meters property.
The base plate is already finished, the scaffolding will be put up shortly. The exterior facade can be implemented in March. The new headquarters should be ready for occupancy in summer 2020. Customers and employees can expect an all-round ecological head quarter, built from native, renewable woods.
If you have a question about our company or an enquiry, please feel free to contact us! | https://sonikks.de/en/news/a-new-head-quarter-rises |
What is Biomechanics?
mechanical principles of living organisms
What is linear translation?
all parts of the object move the same distance
What is linear translation (Curvilinear)?
move along a curved line
What is linear translation (rectilinear)?
move along a straight line
What is angular motion?
all parts of the object move not the same distance but around the same point
What does angular motion always act around?
axis of rotation
What is general motion?
Combination of linear and angular motion. Example - Running, your body is moving in a straight line (linear) with angular motion of the legs and arms
What is a scalar?
quantities that deal with only magnitude (Money, Time, Speed, Mass, Temperature, Distance)
What is a vector?
quantities that deal with magnitude AND direction (velocity, displacement, acceleration, weight, force, momentum)
What are the 3 anatomical planes and which axis corresponds with each?
sagittal- mediolateral
frontal- anteroposterior
transverse- longitudinal
Name a movement that takes place in each axis
mediolateral- running, anteroposterior- jumping jack, longitudinal- bench press/ pirouette
What is a force?
Push or Pull between objects that may or may not result in a movement
What does a net force cause when it is applied to an object? (2 options)
accelerates or deforms an object
What is the center of gravity?
The central balance point. The point through which the resultant force acts
What is the difference between weight and mass and what are their SI units?
Weight = N = mass * gravity (vector)
Mass = kg = (scalar)
What two components can contact force be resolved into?
Reaction and Friction Forces
What is the difference between contact external forces and non-contact external forces?
Contact external forces are forces transmitted through contact and non contact is non contact
What is the difference between contact external forces and non-contact external forces? Give Examples of each.
Example contact forces - feet on the ground
Example non-contact forces - gravity
If the contact area between a 50 kg metal ball and the ground is 20 cm, what is the pressure exerted by the ball on the ground?
(50kg * 9.8 m/s)/0.2m = 24,500 Pascal/ 24.5 kPa
What is kinematics?
Spacial and Temporal components of motion (Position, Velocity, Acceleration, No Forces!), or description of motion
What is the difference between distance and displacement?
Distance = measure of the length of the path traveled. Direction of travel not taken into account. (Scalar)
Displacement = Straight line distance in a specific direction from start to finish. (Vector)
What is the relationship between distance and displacement?
Distance (may) = Displacement
Distance (may) > Displacement
Displacement (never) > Distance
What does this mean about the relationship between speed and velocity?
Speed (may) = Velocity
Speed (may) > Velocity
Velocity (never) > Speed
When does acceleration occur? (4 answers)
Speeds up, Slows down, Changes direction, Stops
What is acceleration and when is it considered a scalar or a vector?
Acceleration = The rate of change in linear velocity.
(acceleration is a vector if derived from velocity)
What do split times add to an event?
The more split times, the more descriptive of the event
Describe the difference between average and instantaneous acceleration
average acceleration is the change in velocity divided by the time it took for that velocity to change.
instantaneous - measurement of average acceleration over shorter time intervals will allow instantaneous acceleration measurement
What qualifies something as a projectile?
Object ONLY affected by gravity and air resistance
What is the optimal trajectory for max distance if take off height and landing height are the same?
45 degrees
What factors influence the trajectory of a projectile? (two)
Relative projection height & Takeoff Velocity
What is the magnus force and what 3 things are necessary for it to happen?
air resistance, rotation, high velocity
What is kinetics?
Examination of forces acting on a segment or system
What happens when external forces are applied to a rigid body as opposed to a non-rigid body?
rigid body will cause motion; non-rigid body will cause deformation
Why do internal forces exist?
To resist external forces
What are internal forces created by?
Bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons
What is Newton's first law?
Law of inertia, an object in motion will stay in motion unless it is acted upon by an external force
What is Newton's Second law?
Law of force, F= m*a
What is Newton's third law?
Law of Reaction, every action has an equal or opposite reaction
What is inertia?
resistance to change in motion
What is linear momentum?
L= m*v
What is the conservation of momentum?
Momentum is conserved unless the object is acted on by an net external force
What is the difference between an elastic collision and an in-elastic collision?
Elastic: Objects bounce off of each other , each object transfers all of its momentum to the other object
In-Elastic: Objects stick together after collision, objects stay together thus have the same velocity
What is the relationship between static friction and dynamic friction?
Static is between two surfaces that are not moving (maximum amount of friction that develops before surfaces slide or produce motion)
Dynamic friction between sliding surfaces
What is impulse?
change in momentum; I = f*t
What are the two options to increase impulse? Which one is applicable to human movement? | https://quizlet.com/267567318/exam-1-review-biomechanics-flash-cards/ |
Top MP officials retain seats
MOUNTAIN PROVINCE – The top three incumbent officials in the province have retained their seats in the May 9 presidential elections that also led to defeats among incumbent municipal mayors.
The rivalry between Rep. Maximo Dalog, Jr. and former Sabangan Mayor Jupiter Dominguez remained peaceful, as the former has secured a commanding lead with his 51,995 votes, as against the latter’s 40,790 votes.
The younger Dalog won in the towns of Bauko, Barlig, Bontoc, Besao, Sadanga, Paracelis, Natonin, and Tadian while Dominguez won in his hometown Sabangan and nearby Sagada.
It was a walk in the park for Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr. in his reelection bid for second term for garnering 74,871 votes as of 9:17 a.m. of May 11, as against the 8,956 votes garnered by his lone rival, Albert Paddy-os.
Vice Gov. Francis Tauli, who garnered 44,602 votes, had a challenging reelection bid against closest rival Bauko Mayor Abraham Akilit, who had 39,558 votes. The third candidate, Alexandre Claver, had 2,412 votes.
In the provincial board, Federico Onsat topped the race for District 1 with 17,971 votes followed by Joshua Fronda with 17,956; Ezra Gomez with 17,942; and Cariño Tamang with 17,713 votes.
Incumbent Besao Mayor Johnson Bantog, who opted not to seek for third term but ran for higher elective post, topped the race for District 2 with 24,876 votes followed by Ricardo Masidong, Jr. with 21,322; Henry Bastian, Jr. with 19,159; and Donato Danglose with 17, 407 votes.
In the municipal level, Jerome Tudlong garnered 3,378 votes in the race for mayor in the capital town of Bontoc, edging closest rival Alsannyster Patingan, who garnered 3,215 votes while unopposed Vice Mayor Eusebio Kabluyen garnered 9,363 votes.
In Barlig, Clark Ngaya, who ran unopposed in the mayoralty race, garnered 2,370 votes while Delio Focad won as vice mayor against two rivals with 1,853 votes. It is the first time that a mayor secured a fresh mandate through reelection since the creation of the municipality in 1929 (See related story).
In Natonin, Mayor Jose Agagon retained his post with 3,737 votes and was tailed by former mayor Mateo Chiyawan, who got 2,381 votes. The town will have a new vice mayor in Raymundo Lapasen who garnered 4,472 votes to win over incumbent vice mayor Christopher Bayowan who got 2,010 votes.
The vote-rich Bauko town will have new mayor in Randy Awisan who got 10,014 votes while Vice Mayor Bartolo retained his post against three rivals with 6,367 votes.
Butch Bacwaden will sit as new mayor of Besao with 2,686 votes while Elizabeth Buyagan garnered 2,602 votes to win the vice mayoralty race against incumbent Vice Mayor June Lopsoten.
Paracelis town will also have new mayor and vice mayor, as comebacking Avelino Amangyen garnered 9,220 votes to win against incumbent mayor Marcos Ayangwa while Djarma Rafael had 6,968 votes to win the vice mayoralty post.
In Sabangan, Mayor Marcial Lawilao, Jr. retained his post with 4,516 votes edging closest rival, Vice Mayor Dario Esden. Rodolfo Mencion will sit as vice mayor with 2,762 votes.
In Sadanga, Adolf Ganggangan, son of the late mayor Gabino Ganggangan, will sit as mayor after he replaced his father following the latter’s demise in January this year, with 2,757 votes while Paul Farong-ey was elected vice mayor with 3,086 votes.
In Sagada, Vice Mayor Felicito Dula edged out Mayor James Pooten, Jr. who sought reelection for his last term. Dula got 3,984 votes while Pooten got 2,822 votes. David Buyagan will sit as vice mayor with 3,514 votes. | https://www.baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph/top-mp-officials-retain-seats/ |
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abstract: 'We present a combined study of the electronic structure of the superconducting skutterudite derivative SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and full potential band structure calculations including an analysis of the chemical bonding. We establish that the states at the Fermi level originate predominantly from the Ge 4$p$ electrons and that the Pt $5d$ shell is effectively full. We find excellent agreement between the measured and the calculated valence band spectra, thereby validating that band structure calculations in combination with photoelectron spectroscopy can provide a solid basis for the modeling of superconductivity in the compounds $M$Pt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ ($M$ = Sr, Ba, La, Pr) series.'
author:
- 'H. Rosner'
- 'J. Gegner'
- 'D. Regesch'
- 'W. Schnelle'
- 'R. Gumeniuk'
- 'A. Leithe-Jasper'
- 'H. Fujiwara'
- 'T. Haupricht'
- 'T. C. Koethe'
- 'H.-H. Hsieh'
- 'H.-J. Lin'
- 'C. T. Chen'
- 'A. Ormeci'
- 'Yu. Grin'
- 'L. H. Tjeng'
title: 'Electronic structure of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$: a combined photoelectron spectroscopy and band structure study'
---
introduction
============
Compounds with crystal structures featuring a rigid covalently bonded framework enclosing differently bonded guest atoms attracted much attention in the last decade. In particular the skutterudite and clathrate families have been investigated in depth, and a fascinating diversity of physical phenomena is observed, many of which are due to subtle host-guest interactions. Among the skutterudites they range from magnetic ordering to heavy-fermion and non-Fermi liquids, superconductivity, itinerant ferromagnetism, half-metallicity, and good thermoelectric properties. [@Uher01; @SalesREHandbook; @LeitheJasper03etal; @Nolas99] Superconductivity of conventional [@Meisner81; @Kawaji95; @Tanigaki03] and heavy-fermion type is found in skutterudites with $T_\mathrm{c}$’s up to 17K. [@EDBauer02; @Imai07a; @Shirotani05]
The formula of the filled skutterudites, being derived from the mineral CoAs$_3$, is given by $M_yT_4X_{12}$, with $M$ a cation, $T$ a transition metal, and $X$ usually a pnicogen (P, As, or Sb). The $M$ atoms reside in large icosahedral cages formed by \[$TX_6$\] octahedra. A new family of superconducting skutterudites $M$Pt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ ($M$ = Sr, Ba, La, Pr, Th) has been reported recently. [@Bauer07a; @Gumeniuk08a; @Kaczorowski08] With trivalent La and Pr, $T_c$’s up to 8.3K are observed. The compounds with the divalent cations Sr and Ba have lower $T_c$’s around 5.0K.[@Bauer07a; @Gumeniuk08a]
Band structure calculations predict that the electronic density of states (DOS) close to the Fermi level $E_F$ is determined by Ge-$4p$ states in all $M$Pt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ materials.[@Bauer07a; @Gumeniuk08a; @Tran09] The position of $E_F$ is adjusted by the electron count on the polyanionic host structure. This leads to the situation that the band structure at $E_F$ can be shifted in an almost rigid-band manner by “doping” of the polyanion, which can be achieved either by charge transfer from the guest $M$ or by internal substitution of the transition metal $T$. Recently, this principle was demonstrated on the Pt-by-Au substitution in BaPt$_{4-x}$Au$_x$Ge$_{12}$: while BaPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ has a calculated DOS of 8.8states/(eV f.u.), at the composition BaPt$_3$AuGe$_{12}$ the DOS is enhanced to 11.5states/(eV f.u.).[@Gumeniuk08b] Experimentally, an increase of the superconducting $T_c$ from 5.0K to 7.0K.[@Gumeniuk08b] was observed. The rigid-band shift of the DOS peak at $E_F$ with gold substitution is due to the Pt(Au) $5d$ electrons which, according to band structure calculations, lie rather deep below $E_F$ and provide only a minor contribution to the DOS at $E_F$.[@Gumeniuk08b]
Another prediction from the band structure calculations concerns the special role played by the Pt $5d$ states in SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ for the chemical bonding. It is known, assuming two-center-two-electron bonds within the $T$-$X$ framework for the binary skutterudites, that 72 electrons are required for the stabilization of the \[$T$$_4$$X$$_{12}$\] formula unit.[@Uher01] In the case of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$, the total number of $s$ and $p$ electrons of Sr, Pt and Ge is 2+4$\times$2+12$\times$4=58. To achieve the target value of 72, each Pt atom should use 3.5 $d$ electrons for bonding, which would be a rather large value compared to the one $d$ electron per Co atom in Co$_4$As$_{12}$ (4$\times$CoAs$_3$).
In order to determine the electron counts for SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ as a characteristic for the chemical bonding, we evaluated the so-called electron localizability indicator (ELI). The combined analysis of the ELI and electron density (ED), see Figure \[theo\_elf\], shows indeed three types of attractors in the valence region: two representing Ge-Ge bonds and one reflecting the Pt-Ge bond. No attractors were found between Sr and the framework atoms, suggesting predominantly ionic interaction here. The Ge-Ge bonds are two-electron bonds (electron counts 1.90 and 2.01), the Pt-Ge bond has a count of only 1.53 electrons, summing up to 60.18 electrons total per \[Pt$_4$Ge$_{12}$\] formula unit.
![Chemical bonding in SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$: isosurface of ELI revealing Ge-Ge and Pt-Ge bonds together with their electron counts. []{data-label="theo_elf"}](fig2_theo_elf.ps){width="40.00000%"}
This means that only about 0.5 $d$ electrons per Pt are participating in the stablization of the \[Pt$_4$Ge$_{12}$\] polyanion. Both procedures, valence electron counting and combined ELI/ED analysis yield unusual results and raise the question about the role of 5$d$ electrons of Pt in the formation of the $M$Pt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ compounds.
Up to now, no spectroscopic data are available to challenge the above mentioned band structure predictions and chemical bonding analysis. Such a validation is important since one would like to know whether band theory can provide a solid basis for the modeling of superconductivity in the $M$Pt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ ($M$ = Sr, Ba, La, Pr) series. We therefore set out to perform a comparative study of the valence band electronic structure of the superconducting skutterudite derivative SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and full potential band structure calculations.
methods
=======
Samples were prepared by standard techniques as described in Refs. and . Metallographic and electron microprobe tests of polished specimens detected only traces of PtGe$_2$ ($<$4vol[%]{}) and SrPt$_2$Ge$_2$ ($<$1vol[%]{}) as impurity phases in the sample SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$. EPMA confirmed the ideal composition of the target phase. The lattice parameter is 8.6509(5)Å, as reported earlier. [@Gumeniuk08a] For the cation position full occupancy was derived from full-profile crystal structure refinements of powder XRD data, which are in good agreement with single crystal data obtained in Ref. .
The PES experiments were performed at the Dragon beamline of the NSRRC in Taiwan using an ultra-high vacuum system (pressure in the low 10$^{-10}$ mbar range) which is equipped with a Scienta SES-100 electron energy analyzer. The photon energy was set to 700 eV and to 190 eV. The latter energy is close to the Cooper minimum in the photo-ionization cross section of the Pt $5d$ valence shell.[@Yeh85] The overall energy resolution was set to 0.35eV and 0.25eV, respectively, as determined from the Fermi cut-off in the valence band of a Au reference which was also taken as the zero of the binding energy scale. The 4$f_{7/2}$ core level of Pt metal was used as an energy reference, too. The reference samples were scraped *in-situ* with a diamond file. The polycrystalline SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ sample with dimensions of $2$$\times 2$$\times
3$mm$^3$ was cleaved *in-situ* exposing a shiny surface and measured at room temperature at normal emission.
Electronic structure calculations within the local density approximation (LDA) of DFT were employed using the full-potential local-orbital code FPLO (version 5.00-19) .[@FPLOKoepernik99] In the full-relativistic calculations, the exchange and correlation potential of Perdew and Wang [@PerdewWang92] was used. As the basis set, Sr(4$s$, 4$p$, 5$s$, 5$p$, 4$d$), Pt (5$s$, 5$p$, 6$s$, 6$p$, 5$d$), and Ge (3$d$, 4$s$, 4$p$,4$d$) states were employed. Lower-lying states were treated as core. A very dense $k$-mesh of 1256 points in the irreducible part of the Brillouin zone (30$\times$30$\times$30 in the full zone) was used to ensure accurate density of states (DOS) information.
The electron localizability indicator was evaluated according to Ref. with an ELI/ELF module implemented within the FPLO program package.[@Ormeci06] The topology of ELI was analyzed using the program Basin [@Kohout08] with consecutive integration of the electron density in basins, which are bound by zero-flux surfaces in the ELI gradient field. This procedure, similar to the one proposed by Bader for the electron density [@Bader99] allows to assign an electron count for each basin, providing fingerprints of direct (covalent) interactions.
![ Calculated total and atom resolved partial electronic density of states of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$. The Fermi level is at zero energy.[]{data-label="theo_dos"}](fig1_theo_dos.eps){width="45.00000%"}
Figure \[theo\_dos\] shows the calculated DOS for SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ ($E_F$ is at zero binding energy). The valence band is almost exclusively formed by Pt and Ge states. The low and featureless Sr DOS indicates that it plays basically the role of a charge reservoir. Further inspection of the DOS shows that the high-lying states between about 6 and 12 eV binding energies originate predominantly from Ge 4$s$ electrons, whereas the lower lying part of the valence band is formed by Pt 5$d$ and Ge 4$p$ states. The Pt 5$d$ states essentially form a narrow band complex of approximately 3 eV band width centered at about 4 eV binding energy. Our calculated DOS is in good agreement with the previous results of Bauer et al.[@Bauer07a]
![Valence band photoemission spectra of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ taken with a photon energy of h$\nu$=700eV (upper panel) and 190 eV (middle panel). As reference, the valence band spectrum of elemental Pt metal taken at h$\nu$=700eV is also given (bottom panel). The spectra are normalized with respect to their integrated intensities after subtracting an integral background indicated by the dashed curves.[]{data-label="exp_xps"}](fig3_exp_xps.eps){width="45.00000%"}
Figure \[exp\_xps\] displays the valence band photoemission spectra of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$, taken with a photon energy of h$\nu$=700 eV (upper panel) and 190 eV (middle panel), together with the reference spectrum of elemental Pt metal (bottom panel). The spectra are normalized to their integrated intensities, after an integral background has been subtracted to account for inelastic scattering. All spectra show a clear cut-off at $E_F$ (zero binding energy) consistent with the systems being good metals. It is of no surprise that the 700 eV spectrum of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ is very much different from that of Pt since they are different materials. More interesting is that there are also differences between the 700 eV and 190 eV spectra of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ itself. This is caused by differences in the photon energy dependence of the photo-ionization cross-section of the relevant subshells forming the valence band, in this case, the Ge $4s$, $4p$, and Pt $5d$.[@Yeh85] In fact, we chose those 190 eV and 700 eV photon energies in order to make optimal use of the cross-section effects for identifying the individual contributions of the Ge and Pt states to the valence band as we will show in the next sections. In particular, at 700 eV the Pt $5d$ cross-section is calculated to be a factor 3.9 larger than that of the Ge 4p, while at 190 eV (close to the Cooper minimum for the Pt $5d$) it is equal or even slightly smaller, i.e. a factor 0.92, see Table \[tabcross\]. In other words, the 700 eV spectra is dominated by the Pt $5d$ contribution while at 190 eV the contributions become comparable.
$h\nu$ (eV) $\sigma^{Pt5d}$ $\sigma^{Ge4p}$ $\sigma^{Ge4s}$ $\sigma^{Pt5d}$/$\sigma^{Ge4p}$ $\sigma^{Pt5d}$/$\sigma^{Ge4s}$
------------- ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- --------------------------------- ---------------------------------
190 0.0099 0.0108 0.021 0.92 0.47
700 0.0074 0.0019 0.0030 3.9 2.5
: Calculated photo-ionization cross-sections per electron ($\sigma$ in Mb/e) for the Pt $5d$, Ge $4p$ and Ge $4s$ subshells, from Yeh and Lindau.[@Yeh85][]{data-label="tabcross"}
The intensity $I$ of a normalized spectrum as depicted in Figure \[exp\_xps\] is built up from the Pt $5d$, Ge $4p$ and Ge $4s$ partial DOS ($\rho$), weighted with their respective photo-ionization cross-sections ($\sigma$). This is formulated in equations 1 and 2 which take into account that the cross-sections at 190 eV photon energy are different from those at 700 eV, respectively. The proportionality factors $c_{190}$ and $c_{700}$, respectively, also enter here since the absolute values for the photon flux and the transmission efficiency of the electron energy analyzer are not known. In addition, the constants $\alpha$, $\beta$, and $\gamma$ are introduced to express the non-uniqueness in the calculation of the weight of the Pt $5d$, Ge $4p$, and Ge $4s$ DOS, respectively, since these depend (somewhat) on which calculational method has been used.
$$\begin{aligned}
I_{190} = c_{190}[\sigma_{190}^{Pt5d}\alpha\rho^{Pt5d} +
\sigma_{190}^{Ge4p}\beta\rho^{Ge4p} +
\sigma_{190}^{Ge4s}\gamma\rho^{Ge4s}]\\[.2cm]
%\end{equation}
%\begin{equation}
I_{700} = c_{700}[\sigma_{700}^{Pt5d}\alpha\rho^{Pt5d} +
\sigma_{700}^{Ge4p}\beta\rho^{Ge4p} +
\sigma_{700}^{Ge4s}\gamma\rho^{Ge4s}]\end{aligned}$$
Using the predictions of the band structure calculations as a guide, we notice that the Ge $4s$ states hardly give a contribution in the energy range between the Fermi level and 6 eV binding energy. In this range, i.e. most relevant for the properties, the valence band seems to be determined mostly by the Pt $5d$ and Ge $4p$ states. We now analyze the experimental spectra along these lines. Using equations (1) and (2), we can experimentally extract the Pt $5d$ and Ge $4p$ DOS as follows:
$$\begin{aligned}
\rho^{Pt5d} \sim I_{700} - A \times I_{190}\\[.2cm]
%
\rho^{Ge4p} \sim I_{190} - B \times I_{700}\end{aligned}$$
with $A$ = ($c_{700}/c_{190}$)$\times$($\sigma_{700}^{Ge4p}/\sigma_{190}^{Ge4p}$) and $B$ = ($c_{190}/c_{700}$)$\times$($\sigma_{190}^{Pt5d}/\sigma_{700}^{Pt5d}$). While the cross-sections $\sigma$ can be readily obtained from Table \[tabcross\], it would be an enormous task to determine (experimentally) the ratio between $c_{700}$ and $c_{190}$. Thus, since it is difficult to obtain directly an estimate for $A$ and $B$, we use the product $AB$ given by ($\sigma_{190}^{Pt5d}/\sigma_{190}^{Ge4p}$)/($\sigma_{700}^{Pt5d}/\sigma_{700}^{Ge4p}$), which can be calculated from Table \[tabcross\] to be about 0.92/3.9 = 0.24. Therefore, we vary the values for A and B under the constraint that $AB$=0.24, searching for difference spectra which reproduce both the Pt $5d$ and the Ge $4p$ DOS as obtained by the band structure calculations.
![(Color online) Normalized and background-corrected valence band photoemission spectra of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ taken with a photon energy of $h\nu$=700eV (black solid line) and 190 eV (black dashed line). The 190 eV spectrum has been rescaled with a factor 0.6 (see text). The difference spectrum (red solid line) is compared to the calculated Pt $5d$ DOS (red thin line).[]{data-label="diff700"}](fig4_diff700.eps){width="45.00000%"}
![(Color online) Normalized and background-corrected valence band photoemission spectra of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ taken with a photon energy of h$\nu$=190 eV (black dashed line) and 700 eV (black solid line). The 700 eV spectrum has been rescaled with a factor 0.4. The difference spectrum (green solid line) is compared to the calculated Ge $4p$ DOS (green thin line) and Ge $4s$ DOS (blue dashed line).[]{data-label="diff190"}](fig5_diff190.eps){width="45.00000%"}
We find good results for $A$=0.6 and $B$=0.4 as displayed in Figures \[diff700\] and \[diff190\]. Focusing first at Figure \[diff700\] in which the rescaled 190 eV spectrum is subtracted from the 700 eV one, we can observe that the difference spectrum resembles very much that of the calculated Pt $5d$ DOS. Here the latter has been broadened to account for the experimental resolution and lifetime effects. Interestingly, the main Pt intensity is positioned at around 3-6 eV binding energies and its weight near the $E_F$ region is very small. The experiment fully confirms this particular aspect of the theoretical prediction, which is important for the modeling of the superconducting properties as discussed above. We would like to note that the main peak of the calculated Pt $5d$ DOS is positioned at a somewhat lower binding energy than that of the experimental difference spectrum. Similar small deviations have been observed in other intermetallic materials[@Gegner06; @Gegner08] and can be attributed to the inherent limitations of mean-field methods like the LDA to calculate the dynamic response of a system.
Figure \[diff190\] shows the difference of the spectrum taken at 190 eV and the rescaled spectrum at 700 eV. This experimental difference spectrum reveals structures which can be divided into two major energy regions: the first region extends from 0 to 6 eV binding energy, and the second from 6 to 12 eV. For the first region we can make a comparison with the calculated Ge $4p$ DOS, since the calculated Ge $4s$ contribution is negligible as explained above. We obtain a very satisfying agreement between the experiment and theory for the Ge $4p$ states. In particular, we would like to point out that the experiment confirms the strong presence the Ge $4p$ states in the vicinity of the Fermi level $E_F$. Looking now at the second region, we see that the calculated Ge $4s$ also reproduces nicely the experimental difference spectrum. Here we remark that the calculated Ge $4p$ has a negligible contribution in this region.
![(Color online) Valence band photoemission spectrum of elemental Pt metal taken with a photon energy of $h\nu$=700eV (black-solid line) and the calculated Pt $5d$ DOS (red-solid line).[]{data-label="PtMetal"}](fig6_PtMetal.eps){width="45.00000%"}
As a further check we also perform a comparison between the experimental photoemission spectrum of elemental Pt metal and the corresponding calculated Pt $5d$ DOS. The result is shown in Figure \[PtMetal\]. Also here we find satisfying agreement between experiment and theory. The Pt $5d$ states range from 9 eV binding energy all the way up to $E_F$. Clearly, the high Fermi cut-off in Pt metal is formed by these Pt $5d$ states, in strong contrast to the SrPt$_{4}$Ge$_{12}$ case.
![Pt 4$f$ core level photoemission spectra of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ (top) and elemental Pt metal (bottom). Solid vertical lines represent the peak positions of the $4f_{7/2}$ levels, dashed vertical lines the center of gravity positions (see text).[]{data-label="CoreLevels4f"}](fig7_CoreLevels4f.eps){width="40.00000%"}
Figure \[CoreLevels4f\] shows the Pt 4$f$ core levels of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ (top) and elemental Pt metal (bottom). The spectra exhibit the characteristic spin-orbit splitting giving the 4$f_{5/2}$ and 4$f_{7/2}$ peaks. For SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$, the peak positions for the 4$f_{5/2}$ and 4$f_{7/2}$ are 75.4 and 72.1 eV binding energy, respectively. For Pt metal, the values are 74.4 and 71.1 eV, respectively. The spin orbit splitting is thus 3.3 eV for both materials. This compares well with the calculated spin-orbit splitting of about 3.45 eV for both compounds from the LDA calculations.
Remarkable is that the SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ 4$f$ peaks are shifted by 1 eV to higher binding energies in comparison to those of Pt metal. Similar shifts have also been observed in other noble metal intermetallic compounds,[@Franco03; @Gegner06; @Gegner08] indicating a more dilute electron density around the noble metal sites. To compare this chemical shift to LDA calculations, one has to take into account that LDA does not incorporate many body effects of the final state, manifesting in the asymmetric line shape of the spectra as we will discuss below in more detail. But it can be shown [@Lundqvist68] that final state effects do not alter the average energy of the spectrum. If we determine the center of gravity of the 4$f_{7/2}$, we find a binding energy of 72.4 eV for SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ and 71.9$\pm$0.2eV (indicated by dashed lines in Figure \[CoreLevels4f\]) for Pt metal, resulting in a chemical shift of 0.4eV to 0.6eV. This agrees well with the shift obtained from our band structure calculations which amounts to 0.43 eV.
One can clearly observe that the line shape of the core levels in SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ is narrower and not as asymmetric as in the case of Pt metal. An asymmetry in the line shape is caused by the presence of electron-hole pair excitations upon the creation of the core hole, i.e. screening of the core hole by conduction band electrons, and can be well understood in terms of the Doniac-Sunjic theory.[@Doniach70] The strong asymmetry of the 4$f$ of Pt metal can therefore be taken as an indication for the high DOS with Pt character at $E_F$.[@Huefner75] The rather symmetric line shape of the 4$f$ of SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$, on the other hand, indicates very low DOS at $E_F$. All this confirms the results of the valence band measurements: the main intensity of the Pt 5$d$ band is at 3-6 eV binding energies, strongly reducing its weight at $E_F$.
In conclusion, we find excellent agreement between the measured photoemission spectra and the LDA band structure calculations for SrPt$_4$Ge$_{12}$. This confirms the picture of the chemical bonding analysis yielding rather deep lying Pt 5$d$ states which only partially form covalent bands with the Ge 4$p$ electrons. In turn, the states at the Fermi level that are relevant for the superconducting behavior of this compound can be firmly assigned to Ge 4$p$ electrons. This study provides strong support that band theory is a good starting point for the understanding of the electronic structure of the $M$Pt$_4$Ge$_{12}$ ($M$ = Sr, Ba, La, Pr, Th) material class, and is thus of valuable help in the search for new compositions with higher superconducting transition temperatures.
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Author
Topic: Your Loyalty? (Read 6416 times)
Over the weekend I was really steaming ay Hasbro for shortpacking the Concept Stormtrooper. It occured to me, that as a company, I really don't like Hasbro. While they've made some great toys and figures over the years, their treatment of collectors has always been questionable.
Then I figured that if someone else was making 3 3/4 SW Figures, I would drop Hasbro in a minute. My loyalty is to Star Wars, not Hasbro. What about you?
I think my loyalty is to the basic figure line - which is somewhere between. While it is first to Star Wars, I think if somebody else picked it up, we'd have to start ALL over with Farmboy Luke, etc. With Hasbro, at least you know that there's a BUNCH of stuff completed, and that they continue to get into the more obscure, and interesting possibilities - just don't think that would be the case if somebody else picked up the line.
As for the McTrooper - relax, it comes two-per-case in the W1R1 assortment. Haven't had a hard time finding them so far, even have an extra that somebody locally didn't need!
We all gripe about Hasbro but I can't really see another toy company doing it much better than Hasbro. McFarlane would be statues. Mattell I don't know what they would come up with. Someone showed Playmates prototypes of their SW offerings to Lucasfilm back in the day they were competing for the license. Those looked horrible.
I don't know as much as people whine about Hasbro (me included) it could be far, far worse. I am always glad that they have at least given us tons of obscure figures that I seriously doubt any other company would even consider.
However, I am not a pro-Hasbro fan or anything. So, I guess I would be open to it. Oh well. It's not happening until at least 2008.
I kind of agree with Darth Broem - we all complain about Hasbro from time to time (myself included), but at the same time, they have done some pretty good stuff. I mean, figure these days especially are often top notch ("vintage" figures, much of ROTS, and the current/recent TSC/TAC collections) - and we've gotten a number of characters/figures that I never thought would see the light of day (starting back with ones like BoShek and Duros, and even now with the McQuarrie concept figures, Myo, Feltipern Trevagg, Jerjerrod, Imperial Officers box set, etc.). Don't get me wrong, I'm not someone who says they do no wrong either - it is frustrating when you can't find a particular figure(s), as well as constant repacks and some questionable decisions, but overall I can honestly say I'm pretty happy with the line. That said, I don't know that I'm necessarily "brand loyal" either. If another company took over, I'd probably buy from them too. But, that would likely depend on whether or not they would "fit in" with the figures we already have. Like many others, I don't know if I would "start over" if the line was all new/different. Hasbro can be frustrating, but I'm not sure what mass retailing license would do better. We all know Mattel's faults with lines in the past, McFarlane would likely be similar to what we have gotten in Unleashed, and I'm not sure which others could/would take over the license. So, I'm not necessarily brand loyal, but I'm happy with what Hasbro has done/is doing for the most part.
There is one company out there that also could do this line justice and IMO its Zizzle. Their Pirates stuff is great with great likenesses but it also lacks in articulation. Hasbro has listened over the years for more SA and for the most part we've gotten it on pretty much every single figure. Sure its not all ball and socket type joints and not all knees and ankles are articulated but its there. Case packs and the addition of "chase" crap is where Hasbro still has room to improve (as well as perfecting a Mark Hamill likeness)
One thing I'd be sorely tempted by is a 6" Marvel Legendsesque SW line...but that doesn't have to be Hasbro running the show. We've debated many times if another company took over would you still collect. I know I would as long as like Brian said, they were in scale and similar feel as to the Hasbro stuff. I couldn't see another company wanting to do that...they would want to start fresh with their own take/scale etc. And hell...Hasbro if they ever did do a SA Marvel Legends SW line. It would be in 5" scale and then I don't really see the point as its basically a little bit bigger than 4" and to me not worth it.
I feel loyal to the Hasbro line in theory, but the line is losing interest for me. The last 12 years have been fun and full of figures, then figures getting re-done and improved, then figures repainted and repackaged, then new or semi new figures getting packaged with figures I have no interest in. The biggest fact for me is that for most of the figures, there is nothing left to do with them but stick them in a box and say "I have it." I'm not done buying Hasbro's line, but I can't imagine I would start another action figure line if the license were re-awarded in the future. As far as brand loyalty- the Lucaslicensingmachine has done a pretty good job of keeping the various manufacturers from stepping on each others toes, so they really don't have comparble lines for us to choose from. There aren't 2-3 action figure brands out there like colas or cars. I guess you could say that my Kubrick collection is the closest thing to competing with Hasbro for similar play toys. If I were to choose between them, the kubricks would win. Right now I find myself collecting Hasbro ships and playsets to use as props for the kubricks.
I don't have loyalty to Hasbro at all. It's purely about Star Wars for me. I admit they do a great job sometimes, other times they are terrible. They seem to jump around quite a bit in their quality of product, and their decision making.
What do I love about Hasbro? The variety of characters they make. If some other line had this, I'm afraid that when TPM came out, we would have seen nothing but Darth Maul, Obi Wan, Qui Gon, Anakin, and Yoda. That's about it. Look at the Spiderman lines in the past - really nothing but SPIDERMAN was available until this year with Spiderman 3, finally there's variety in that line now that Hasbro runs it. They do a fantastic job in variety of characters, kudos to them for that. BUT - I think that the foundation for that was laid with KENNER. KENNER is who we should really thank. If they hadn't done the variety in figures they offered in the vintage days, and with GI JOE... it's scary to think what Star Wars toys would (or would NOT be today).
What do I hate about Hasbro? Their excuses for not making some items available, like small playsets that cater to collectors (or bigger ones!). Therefore, I make my own or get something like the Death Star hand made from www.owenscustoms.com... Hasbro appears to have absolutely no clue how to even make something like this, so I wish they do what they did with the 12" line - sell the rights to a company who actually has an interest in this niche. I'm sure Gentle Giant or Sideshow would jump at the opportunity to have the license for playsets. Why doesn't Hasbro do this? I think it's because they DO realize there is an opportunity here, but they fail to act on it, and instead of us having access to these things being made, we're left hanging. Piss poor job on this Hasbro. It would be impossible for a company with your resources to screw this up any worse than you have.
Overall though, I give Hasbro a passing score of course, they have improved a lot. But my loyalty is with the Star Wars franchise of 3-3/4" scale items, not with Hasbro. They have done many great things but failed miserably in some areas.
There is one company out there that also could do this line justice and IMO its Zizzle. Their Pirates stuff is great with great likenesses but it also lacks in articulation.
That's one company I didn't think of, and Scott makes a great point. Their line is pretty well done (articulation issues aside), and they might be able to do a good job with Star Wars. Aside from the Hasbro SW line, its Zizzle's POTC stuff that reminds me most of the SW of my youth. I know I've said before, but if I were a kid now, I'd be all over that line I'm guessing. A good variety of characters/figures (and even minor characters), a nice big Black Pearl playset/ship, and other stuff in between. A good choice there.
Quote
One thing I'd be sorely tempted by is a 6" Marvel Legendsesque SW line...but that doesn't have to be Hasbro running the show.
Sadly, I can almost say with 100% that I'd be all over a new Marvel Legend-ish SW line as well. I wouldn't want it alongside the basic line though, as it is hard enough for me to keep up now the way it is . If for some reason the 3 3/4" line wrapped up, and then later on we were "re-started" with a SW line like this, I know I couldn't help but collect it. I wouldn't want to start over fresh with a line, but this concept might get me to do that. It wouldn't need to be as expansive in character selection necessarily, but getting the "big names" and troops done in this fashion would be enough for me. That, and the releases could be cut back a bit too. Like I said before, 60-100 figures each year (in the basic line alone) is more than enough for me - if the releases were cut down a bit to a more manageable number, it would be ok by me. Sure, we choose to collect it so it is our own fault, but if you think about it I don't know that there is another line around with so much stuff out in a year to keep up with. Marvel/DC/GI Joe/POTC/etc. have full lines, but I still bet the number of different characters/figures each year is probably closer to half that for the most part.
My sentiments exactaly.My loyality is to Star wars.Hasbro is great for Varity.Their sculpts have been getting better.In some case others not.I still yet to find SA Qui-Gon without funky hair,but that's beside the point.What might be lacking.I don't know.Hasbro has come a long way.So far they've catered to us quite a bit. I really couldn't imagine this from any other line,but that was what Kenner has first done.So my loyality is to Star Wars,nothing but Star Wars!!
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We all gripe about Hasbro but I can't really see another toy company doing it much better than Hasbro. McFarlane would be statues. Mattell I don't know what they would come up with. Someone showed Playmates prototypes of their SW offerings to Lucasfilm back in the day they were competing for the license. Those looked horrible.
I com-pletely agree with you, but I agree with OCB & Brian, I'd like to see Zizzle snatch up the license in 2018 if Hasbro dosen't re-snatch it up. Mattel's figures would be the crappiest things ever.
My loyalty is to Star Wars. Star Wars is the only thing I buy from Hasbro. Hasbro really pisses me off sometimes with over-packing main characters (Vader in praticular) & under-packing army builders, who both kids & colelctors snatch up quickly. But you have to admit Hasbro is really improving over the past years this year. Last year 80% of the figures were re-packs, this year as of now there's not one re-pack. Also look at what Hasbro gave us in the 90's & early 2000's, buky, 6-point figures, sometimes with gay action features or weird facial expressions. Now it's acurate ( or close) sculpts with great points of articulation. Though Hasbro still needs to get Mark Hammil's, Carrie Fisher's & Samuel L. Jackson's face sculpts as good as they have with Harrison Ford's & Ewan Mcgregor's.
I'd like to see Zizzle snatch up the license in 2018 if Hasbro dosen't re-snatch it up.
Do you guys honestly think that you'll be collecting SW toys in 10 more years?? Hasbro cranks out hundreds of figures per year and I'm pretty sure that they will have covered all the bases by then. I'm already on overload from the stuff I have and I can't even fathom how much more stuff I'll have by 2018.
So if another toy company takes over the license - are some of you guys really thinking about starting all over again - from ground Zero??
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I think Zizzle has done well with the pirates line, but alot of the figures look terrible. At one point i considered buying a few until i really looked at them. I think for the most part hasbro has done well. The figures are for the most part always improving upon themselves. They are finally willing to expand into the EU characters and they have listened to the fans. They give us fan choice polls year after year. Now they have the Q & A's (which i am very surprised about). We may not get all the figures we all want right away (i want Yarna but who knows if i will ever get one) but they seem to acknowledge the fact we want her. (There sense of humor is not the best) With that said, if another company puts out quality product (Sideshow), my money is given to them. If another company got the rights to do STar Wars figures in the same scale, and they were better for whatever reason, i may abondon the Hasbro figures and move onto those. If anything i think i am more loyal to the scale of the figures.
I'd like to see Zizzle snatch up the license in 2018 if Hasbro dosen't re-snatch it up.
Do you guys honestly think that you'll be collecting SW toys in 10 more years?? Hasbro cranks out hundreds of figures per year and I'm pretty sure that they will have covered all the bases by then. I'm already on overload from the stuff I have and I can't even fathom how much more stuff I'll have by 2018.
So if another toy company takes over the license - are some of you guys really thinking about starting all over again - from ground Zero??
I started collecting in 2005 so I'll be. Who knows maybe there'll be a new movie by then.
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This invention relates to illumination devices for inspection systems.
Illumination devices for inspection systems are of many types, each designed specifically for illuminating certain types and sizes of articles.
Some illumination devices are designed and used for illuminating small articles to enable the relative positions of the articles to be determined by inspection systems. Inspection systems are sometimes used for determining the relative positions of ends of terminal pins extending from bodies of surface mount components to be assembled onto circuit cards. Such circuit cards may be printed circuit boards or resistor networks. It is necessary for free ends of the terminal pins to be soldered onto terminal pads on circuit cards to secure the surface mount components thereon. As the terminal pads are precisely positioned on the circuit cards, it is also necessary for the free ends of the terminal pins to be precisely positioned relative to each other for faultless soldering to be provided. The free ends of the pins are normally precoated with solder to assist in the soldering operation. The solder coating creates a convex or hemispherical surface shape to the free ends of the pins.
However, in known illumination devices for inspection systems for determining the relative positions of the free ends of terminal pins, an annular light source is used for projecting light onto the free ends. The annular light source produces a cone of light which cannot be controlled. This cone of light is scattered and tends to illuminate side surfaces of the pins in addition to the surface under inspection. Reflected light from the pin side surfaces tends to be transmitted to the light sensitive recording means of an inspection system whereas light reflected from the convex end surface may be reflected away from the recording means. Thus, the position of the outline of the end of a pin may not be received by the recording means while reflected light from outside the outline further confuse the readings. In addition, the maintenance time for the known equipment is unacceptably high. For instance, the light source has an extremely limited life expectancy and it has been found in practice that an average life span is approximately twenty hours.
The present invention seeks to provide an illumination device which when used in an inspection system overcomes or minimizes the above problems.
An illumination device for an inspection system according to the present invention comprises a mounting means for mounting a plurality of spaced apart light emitting diodes in mounting locations disposed in a part spherical array to cause light from the diodes to converge upon a particular restricted field of view, and a location means for locating an article to be illuminated in the restricted field of view.
With the illumination device according to the invention, the mounting locations for the diodes are preferably connected into an electrical circuit so that when the light emitting diodes are mounted in those locations, they may be operable selectively in groups. Such groups may be located side-by-side angularly around the restricted field of view or alternatively, the groups may form annular groups centered upon an axis coincident with the restricted field of view. In a specific manner of performing the invention, the mounting means comprises a dish with a part spherical concave surface, the dish being formed with mounting apertures for holding the diodes within the wall of the dish. The apertures open at the concave surface of the dish to direct the light from the diodes towards the restricted field of view which is confronted by the concave surface. The groups of mounting locations may be sectorial groups of locations centered upon the restricted field of view, or alternatively, with the mounting apertures located on coaxial pitch circles centered on the restricted field of view, then the groups of locations may be arranged with the mounting positions of each group located upon a common pitch circle. With the mounting location connected in groups in the manner discussed above, the light emitting diodes may all be operated together to focus upon the restricted field of view or only a selected group or groups may be operated at any particular time. Where the groups are operated selectively, they will enable images to be provided of the same convex surface at the free end of a terminal pin from different positions so that light reflected to a light sensitive recording means clearly shows the position of the peripheral edge of the free end of the pin.
A further advantage of the illumination devices according to the invention is that when infrared light emitting diodes are used, this involves the use of an extremely small current, for instance one hundred and fifty milliamps for a group of in-series diodes totalling about fourteen diodes per group. When used in a pulse mode the current may be up to about six amps for each group. The devices according to the invention require little maintenance therefore and little or no "downtime" during operation.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a prior art surface mount component for a circuit card and which is to be inspected;
FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1, and on a larger scale, showing the end of a terminal pin of the prior surface mount component;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of an inspection system incorporating an illumination device according to the embodiment and carrying a surface mount component;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the system shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view, not to scale, showing a selection of groups of light emitting diodes of the illumination device for a preferred angular range of illumination of the free ends of a series of adjacent terminal pins of the surface mount component of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the pins taken along lines VI- -VI in FIG. 5 and directed towards a mounting means of the device to further show the preferred range of illumination of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is a view in the direction of arrow VII in FIG. 5 still further to show the preferred range of illumination.
As shown in FIG. 1, a known surface mount component for mounting upon a circuit card for a printed circuit board comprises a body 12 of rectangular plan view, and a plurality of terminal pins 14 extending outwardly from side edges 16 of the body 12. Each of the terminal pins 14 extends outwardly from the side edges and then downwardly to terminate in a free end 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the end 18 of each pin is provided with a small globule of hardened solder, for the purpose of attaching the surface mount component to solder pads of a circuit card. The undersurface 20 of the globule has a general convexity in all directions so that it is substantially part spherical.
The inspection system shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and according to the embodiment, is used for determining the relative positions of the free ends of the terminal pins so that the manufacturing accuracy of the component 10 may be judged together with its suitability for assembly onto a circuit card.
An illumination device of the inspection system, generally indicated at 20, comprises a location means 22 for holding the surface mount component 10 and for moving it incrementally into different positions of orientation in which free ends of successive series of the terminal pins 14 are located in a restricted field of view indicated at 24 in FIG. 3, to enable the relative positions of the free ends of each series to be determined. If successive series of pins overlap by, for instance, a single pin, then the relative positions of all the free ends may be determined. This method of determination of free end positions is known in the art of surface mount component manufacture and need not be discussed further. The location means 22 may be of any suitable design for holding the surface mount component in position and for controllably moving it in the manner desired. As shown in FIG. 3, the locating means comprises a vacuum operated gripping device 26 of known form for holding the body of such surface mount component 10. The gripping device is controllably movable by means not shown, in a rotational and horizontal fashion. Any known and suitable method for moving the device 26 in these directions with controlled accuracy may be used.
The illumination device also includes a mounting means 30 disposed beneath the location means 22. The mounting means is provided for mounting a plurality of spaced apart light emitting diodes 32 in mounting locations disposed in a part spherical array to cause light from the diodes to converge upon the restricted field of view 24. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting means 30 comprises a rigid dish 34 formed with mounting apertures 36 for the diodes 32. The apertures extend completely through the thickness of the dish and open at a part spherical concave surface 38 of the dish to direct the light from the diodes towards the restricted field of view 24 which faces the concave surface 38. The diodes are inserted into position within the apertures 36, as shown in FIG. 3, and are connected with an electrical circuit for control of the operation of the diodes. Electrical wiring of the circuit on the other side, the convex surface of the dish, is not shown for clarity. The radius of the part spherical inner surface 38 of the dish is approximately 2.12 inches. Thus, the diodes 32 are directed generally towards the center of radius while enabling the diodes to be effective in reflecting light from free end surfaces 18 located in the restricted field of view.
The diodes are infrared diodes for the purpose of providing sufficient power for inspection purposes. Alternatively, the infrared diodes may be replaced with red light emitting diodes. The infrared light emitting diodes provide a close match between the wavelength of the light source and the wavelength sensitivity of a silicon device camera which will be described below and which is to be used as a light sensitive recording means.
While the light emitting diodes 32 have been described as being received within mounting apertures of the dish 32, this structure is not essential. Alternatively, the diodes may be supported by a mounting framework without the use of a dish, bearing in mind that the important aspect is that the diodes are directed to cause convergence of their light towards the restricted field of view.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a hole 40 is symmetrically formed through the center of the dish for passage of reflected light from surfaces of any series of free ends 18 located in the restricted field of view 24. The mounting apertures are disposed on pitch circles having centers coincident with the center of the hole 40 which is substantially axially aligned with the general center of the restricted field of view.
The electrical circuit has terminals at groups of mounting locations for the diodes 32, these groups either being arranged sectorially around the center of the hole 40 or with each group of mounting locations located upon a common pitch circle. The number of groups is a question of choice and is also dependent upon dish design and numbers of diodes used. For instance, the mounting locations may be arranged in six, eight or ten sectors around the center of the hole 40. Alternatively, each group may comprise the mounting locations on each of the pitch circles shown in FIG. 4 whereby there are six groups. Otherwise, one or more groups may include mounting locations in one, two or more of the pitch circles. In this particular embodiment, there are one hundred and forty diode mounting locations with ten sectorial groups of fourteen mounting locations to each group. The fourteen diodes to each group are electrically connected in-series to operate with a current of one hundred and fifty milliamps. This may increase up to six amps in a pulsed mode.
With the diodes 32 in their locations, the circuitry is such that the groups of diodes may all be operated together or a group or selected groups of diodes may be operated selectively. With this type of selection being available with the illumination device, then different images of the same surface illuminated from different directions or combinations of different directions may result. The groups may also be chosen to prevent light reflection through the hole 40 from surfaces other than the free ends 18 of the pins. It follows that control may be exerted on the type of imagery which is produced by the reflected light from a surface under consideration.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the dish 34 is secured to and lies beneath a horizontal support 42 of square plan with a circular hole of sufficient size to permit the diodes to illuminate undersurfaces 20 of the pins 14 in the restricted field of view 24. From the support 42 depend four downwardly extending walls 44 which surround the dish 34. A bottom horizontal wall 46 lies beneath the dish so as to substantially totally enclose the convex surface of the dish except for a central hole 48 which lies in alignment with the hole 40. The whole of the dish and support assembly is secured to a support clamp 50 which is movable vertically upon a cylindrical shaft 52 and may be clamped in any desirable vertical position by a clamping screw 54 passing through bifurcated ends of the clamp to grip onto the cylindrical shaft.
Disposed beneath the lower wall 46 is a prism 56 of the inspection system, the prism 56 being in alignment through the two holes 40 and 48 with the restricted field of view 24 so as to receive light reflected from the under-surface 20 of any free end 18 in that position. The prism directs the reflected light to light sensitive recording means which, in this embodiment, comprises a silicon device camera 58 referred to above. The camera is preferably a video camera so that the quality of the undersurface 20 of any pin may be assessed actually during the test, or the camera may permanently record the images upon photographic film.
The prism 56 is not necessary in a modification of the embodiment (not shown) when the camera is aligned directly beneath the holes 40 and 48.
In use of the inspection device, the groups of diodes may be fired by the electric circuit either together or selectively as single groups or as combinations of groups to obtain the desired lighting upon the undersurfaces 20 of the free ends of the series of pins 18 disposed in the restricted field of view 24. Many different types of illuminated images can be reflected to the camera 58 for study purposes. Further, the diodes may be fired in a pulsed mode in which case they may collectively use a six amp current for each group.
As an example of the use of the lighting groups chosen upon the free ends of a particular series of pins, reference is made to FIGS. 5 to 7. These figures are not to scale as the component 10 together with the pins 14 are to a much larger scale than the representations of the diodes 32. The reason for this is to give a clear representation of how the light is provided in the restricted field of view.
As shown in FIG. 5, the particular series of pins 14 of the component 10 which are presently under examination, tend to extend outwardly from the body 12 from their fixed ends towards their free ends 18. Because of this, any light shone directly upon the inclined inwardly facing surfaces 60 of the pins from the diodes on the opposite side of the dish 34, i.e. generally in the direction of chain-dotted arrow 62 in FIG. 5, may cause an undesirable degree of reflection in the direction of arrow 64 through the holes 40 and 48 to the camera. This could cause confusion and difficulty in being able to determine the position of the inwardly facing peripheral edge 66 of the undersurface 20 of the free ends of the pins. This inwardly facing edge extends normal to the plane of FIG. 5 and is thus shown as a single point in FIG. 5 by a lead line 66. The inwardly facing edge 66 is shown more clearly in FIG. 7.
To prevent the above problem from arising, groups of diodes are chosen for operation which will cause a negligible or lack of reflection from the pin surfaces 60 and through the holes 40 and 48. As shown by FIG. 5, with each group of diodes lying completely at one side of dish 34 from the hole 40, the restricted field of view 24 in the region of the free ends of the pins extends laterally beyond the pairs. However, as may be seen from the theoretical edges of the converging light, shown by chain- dotted lines 68 in FIG. 5, while light is directly shone onto the whole of each under-surface 20 of the pins 14 for reflection through holes 40 and 48, no other surface of the pins will reflect light through the holes with an intensity which cause confusion to a reading of the peripheral edge region of each of the under-surfaces. The only surface which has any directional component towards the hole 40 is surface 60 and with light shining upwardly from the inner ring of diodes either at a low angle to that surface or so as to place the surface in shadow, only an extremely poor quality of illumination is able to return and pass through the hole 40.
Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the chosen groups of diodes may extend for approximately 180° around the dish between the two spaced diodes 32 and around the chain-dotted arc 70 shown therein. For 180. degree., in this embodiment, there are five groups of diodes which may be operated together or selectively as desired.
FIG. 7 shows the theoretical edges 68 of the light in that view to provide the restricted field of view laterally beyond a chosen series of pins with the ends of all of those pins illuminated.
As may be seen from the above embodiment, the illumination device is of simple construction and is easily operated with selected diode groups directed together upon the restricted field of view 24. Because of the use of diodes, there are little maintenance requirements as compared to a conventional inspection device. In addition, the illumination device of the embodiment and of the invention may be operated so as not to allow for light to be reflected from side surfaces of pins and which could misrepresent the true shape and position of the undersurfaces 20 of the pins so that inaccurate readings cannot be obtained. Furthermore, different types of images may be reflected from the same surface 20, dependent upon the groups of combination of groups of diodes used at any particular time, so that a true representation of the peripheral edge and position of each undersurface 20 may more accurately be obtained. | |
The official currency of Norway is the Norwegian krone (NOK), but several attractions, local buses, the Tourist Information Office and taxi companies accept some foreign currencies. However, they may charge a fee, offer a poorer exchange rate or only give change in NOK.
There are currently no money exchange agencies in Tromsø, so we recommend that you exchange currency at Oslo airport on arrival in Norway.
ATM machines are widely available in downtown Tromsø and at Tromsø airport. Please note that owing to bank fees it may be cheaper to use your credit card instead of exchanging money.
Major credit and debit cards, such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners, are widely accepted throughout Norway.
You can book a wide range of quality activities, and find out all the information you need about our city and region in our fantastic new premises in the new terminal building by the waterfront. Just follow this link to learn more. | https://www.cigreb5tromsoe2019.com/troms |
Q:
Clear an IMG with jQuery
I'm trying to remove the loaded image from a <img> element, but clearing or removing the src doesn't do it. What to do?
HTML:
<img src='https://www.google.com/images/srpr/logo3w.png'>
JQUERY:
$('img').attr('src', ''); // Clear the src
$('img').removeAttr('src'); // Remove the src
Image remains...
fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/6x9NZ/
A:
You would have to either remove the <img> element entirely or replace it with a different image (which could be a transparent gif).
A:
This worked for me:
var $image = $('.my-image-selector');
$image.removeAttr('src').replaceWith($image.clone());
However, be wary of any event handlers that you might have attached to the image. There's always the withDataAndEvents and deepWithDataAndEvents options for jQuery clone, but I haven't tested the code with them: http://api.jquery.com/clone/#clone-withDataAndEvents
Also, if you want to do this for multiple images, you will probably have to use something like jQuery each.
I posted an identical answer on a similar question: Setting image src attribute not working in Chrome
A:
You can do this. First assign the image an ID
<img id='image_id' src='https://www.google.com/images/srpr/logo3w.png'>
And then remove the source attribute.
jQuery('#image_id').removeAttr('src')
jQuery('#image_id').show();
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Mrscdh1028
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Beta with growth on its head
Hi I am new to this forum but have a beta fish with a growth on its head for about 3 weeks. Eating fine, active. I do weekly water changes. I had added betafix initially for a few days but nothing changed. I have searched for anything remotely close to what the growth looks like... I've attached a pic. Can anyone help?
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Delapool
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Hi welcome, unfortunately can't zoom in on picture (web software issue here). Does it look lumpy - might be viral? I assume the betta has been in this tank for some time? Is it heated and filtered and no food is getting trapped in that glass pebble substrate to rot?
If you can I would check nitrates as well.
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The LibX LibApp Builder
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LibX is a browser extension that provides direct access to library resources. LibX enables users to add additional features to a webpage, such as placing a tutorial video on a digital library homepage. LibX achieves this ability of enhancing web pages through library applications, called LibApps. A LibApp examines a webpage, extracts and processes information of the page, and modifies the web content. It is possible to build an unlimited number of LibApps and enhance web pages in numerous ways. The developers of LibX team cannot build all possible LibApps by themselves. Hence, we decided to create an environment that allows users to create and share LibApps, thereby creating an eco-system of library applications.
We developed the LibApp Builder, a cloud-based end-user programming tool that assists users in creating customized library applications with minimal effort. We designed an easy-to-understand meta-design language model with modularized, reusable components. The LibApp language model is designed to hide the complex programming details from the target audiences who are mostly non-technical users, primarily librarians.
The LibApp Builder is a web-based editor that allows users to build and test LibApps in an executable environment. A built-in publishing mechanism allows users to group LibApps into packages and publish them in AtomPub format. Any user can directly reuse or adapt published components as required. Two error checking mechanisms have been built into the LibApp Builder viz., type checking and semantic checking to enhance user experience and reduce debugging effort. Additionally, the web interface displays help tooltips to guide users through the process of building a LibApp.
We adhered to good software engineering practices such as the agile development model and the model-view-controller design paradigm. The LibApp Builder is built with the ZK AJAX framework and provides a rich interactive user interface. The LibApp Builder is integrated with an optimized full-text, fuzzy search engine and facilitates faceted search by exploiting the BaseX XML database system and XPath/XQuery processor. Users can locate and reuse existing language components through the search interface. To summarize, the LibApp Builder is a community platform for librarians to create, adapt and share LibApps.
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This page groups scores according to the numbers of players or instruments required.
Please note that this list is not yet complete, but will grow longer as part of IMSLP's ongoing categorization project.
You can also use the following link to our Category Walker to help you to browse or further narrow down the list according to work types, featured instruments, languages, periods and composers. | https://imslp.org/wiki/Browse_by_instrumentation |
Fruitland Park commissioners approved an agreement Thursday night with a longtime local firefighter to provide fire inspection services for the city.
The agreement calls for Fire Prevention and Inspections LLC to provide a certified fire inspector to review plans, perform annual fire inspections, attend technical review committee meetings and be available for special call outs. The company is owned by Fruitland Park resident Daniel Hickey and his wife, Jocelyn, both of whom are listed as managers. Daniel Hickey served close to 20 years as a firefighter and fire marshal with The Villages Public Safety Department before starting his new company.
The proposal submitted by Hickey calls for annual fire inspections to begin in March of each year and continue until they are completed. A minimum of six full days each week will be dedicated to the annual inspections. And they will be completed by Aug. 1, the proposal states.
The company also promises that “all efforts will be made” to have a representative at the city’s monthly technical review committee meetings. And a representative will be available to respond to requests from building officials, the city manager, the community development director, and the police or fire chief.
The contract calls for the company to be paid $50 an hour for its services, with the price climbing to $200 per hour after regular business hours and on weekends. Hickey also is required to provide an employee uniform, a vehicle and an umbrella insurance policy of $1 million. | https://www.villages-news.com/2019/03/16/former-villages-fire-marshal-to-provide-fruitland-parks-fire-inspection-services/ |
The study analyzes curriculum document (teacher course guides) of ADE and B.Ed. (Hons) programs in terms of Assessment Tasks, Teaching Learning Approaches, Course Outcomes and Course Description. Study also focuses on prospective teachers and teacher educator’s perceptions about these teacher course guides and their execution in class room at selected Teachers’ Training Institutes. The sample comprises three universities and four Regional Institutions of Teacher Education offering B.Ed. (Hons) and ADE programs. Researcher congregated data from 21 teacher educators teaching to prospective teachers enrolled in ADE and B.Ed. (Hons) in the chosen institutions. Mixed methods (approach) were used to collect quantitative as well as qualitative data for extensive analysis of the research problem. The qualitative data was collected through a check list and quantitative data was collected through questionnaire. The manuscripts (Draft guide for teaching instructor) for B.Ed. (Hons). Experts developed curriculum meets the requirement of the society of Pakistan with the purpose to create more competent, proficient and well-informed teaching instructors. Effective implementation of teacher guides need improvement in terms of availability of resources like well-equipped class rooms, computer lab, library, learning materials and Information and Communication Technology.
Key Words:
Teaching Approaches, Teacher Educators, Assessment, Course-guide
Introduction
To overcome the teachers ‘weaknesses of teaching programs of education in Pakistan, the Pre – Services Teachers education Project (Funded by USAID) was. Its purpose was to nurture better capable, proficient and high-performing teachers (Ramzan, Iqbal & Khan, 2013).
A Bachelor Degree, with B.Ed. (Hons), shall be the lowest prerequisite for teaching at the elementary level according to recently launched program. By 2018 for higher secondary and secondary level, a Master’s degree with B.Ed. (Hons), shall be ensured all over Pakistan. B.Ed. (Hons) program will replace courses like PTC and CT (Govt. of Pakistan, 2009).
Consequently in August, 2008 a four years B. Ed. (Hons) Elementary program and two years Associate Degree in Education (ADE) was launched by USAID funded Pre-STEP (Pre Service Teacher Education Program) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Higher Education Commission (HEC). To set a latest standard for teacher education was its key purpose. It emphasized to produce better proficient teachers who must be prepared in using student-centered pedagogies (USAID Teacher Education Program, 2011).
Professional training of instructors of the teacher training institutes, preparation of new curricula, endowment of additional materials of teaching in the shape of teacher’s guides and other resources etc. were extremely accentuated for achieving this aim (Jamil, Tariq &Jamil, 2013). Primarily, a total of seventy five (75) government colleges of education and five (5) Public sector Higher Educational Institutions were selected for initiating the USAID Pre-STEP and offered the two main programs to their potential instructors (Ramzan, Iqbal & Khan, 2013). The innovative curriculum has been premeditated keeping in view of the contemporary philosophy of education but making them relevant to the current perspective (Ali, 2012).
Pre-Step, Pakistan (2010) offered a new format, according to these format eligibility criteria for admission in B.Ed. (Hons) program is students having with a minimum of 12years of education (Higher secondary Level or other equivalent education) with at least second division/ sixty five percent obtained marks and those candidates meeting the above criteria can easily enroll in B.Ed. (Hons) program. Latest scheme of studies planned for the Four year degree programme shall comprised an uniform/standardized format including i.e. Courses’ contents, Basic initial courses in Education, Professional Training courses, and a set of General Education Core courses to extend/develop proficiency in subject matter in at least two disciplines of knowledge a sequence of supervised field teaching experiences in school i.e. Practicum. B.Ed. (Hons) degree is being offered at RITES (Regional Institutes of Teacher Education and Government Colleges of Teachers Education) and Universities (Rationalization Study, 2010).
Findings of Baseline Survey
The Pre-STEP (Pre-Service Teacher Education Program) intended to improve classroom teaching in Pakistan's public education system by strengthening pre-service training. For this purpose in the months of April and May 2009, Pre-STEP conducted a survey, called as, baseline survey. The survey was conducted in 12 Faculties of Education and 39 GCETS (Government Colleges of Elementary Training) and a number of education managers at national, provincial and district levels in all over the country. Data was collected about those areas which needed improvement in term of creating a better teaching learning environment.
The data about the perceptions of 578 respondents was collected on policy and systemic change while the data about perception of 1111 respondents was collected on operational and academic quality and efficiency in teacher training institutions. Findings of the survey revealed that improvement is needed largely in four areas, teaching and learning, physical infrastructure and resources management capacities of teacher educators and principals and institutions and programs.
Gaps in Teaching and Learning
On the basis of survey findings it was concluded that these critical gaps will need to be addressed in the ADE/ B.Ed. (Hons) programs. During survey it was revealed that generally teachers concentrate on content knowledge of their subjects and pay very little heed to prepare prospective teacher practically to teach those subjects .It was revealed that there is great need of professional development of principals and other college leaders. Further the shortage of learning resources was also the case in university Faculties of Education. The findings also call for restructuring the practicum program.
Poor Physical Infrastructure
According to baseline survey Physical Infrastructure of teacher training institutes was poor therefore needed significant improvements. According to baseline survey 60% of the classrooms at GCET had inadequate lighting, insufficient furniture, not viable blackboards, scarce teaching and learning materials and therefore overall an unsupportive teaching learning environment. Buildings assessment in university faculties of education was also not encouraging. Many lacked well equipped labs and libraries. Lack of a steady flow of electricity in both the GCETs and faculties of education buildings was a major problem.
Research and Qualification Gap
According to baseline survey the institutional capacity for research was not adequate. It is shown in survey results that in university Faculties of Education only 25% members of current faculty have a Ph.D. in education or in another subject. It showed that there is a great need to improve this important deficiency in educational institutes.
Teacher Policy Planning and Implementation
Respondents expressed their concern about the five areas policy of education, proposed diploma, including the 4-years B.Ed. program, teacher's certification, grade and pay scales. As there is no assurance of employment after the completion of the proposed academic program Respondents viewed that the longer academic program will delay the earnings. Therefore this could result in rejection of the programs altogether or opt for short period programs.
Opportunities for Interventions
If the following amendments occur by 2013, people's perceptions about teacher education would certainly change positively.
· The improved Diploma (associate degree) program should be developed and implemented in all GCETs.
· A 4-years B.Ed. Program should be introduced in universities.
· Capacity of instructors and professors should be enhanced to deliver quality teacher education.
· To encourage continuous professional development, teaching pay and grade scales should be revised.
· Development of teacher- and subject-based standards (Baseline Survey a Summary Report, 2009).
Objectives
Following objectives of the study were formulated:
1. To explore perceptions of teacher educators’ regarding course guides for B.Ed.(Hons) program and ADE in term of Teaching Learning Approaches, Course Description, Assessment Tasks and Course Outcomes.
2. To analyze the provision of resources for effective implementation of course guides.
Methods
Sample
Teacher educators (21 to respond check list + 10 to respond questionnaire) were randomly selected to constitute the sample of the study from Departments of Education of selected Universities i.e. Hazara University, University of Haripur and University of Peshawar as well as four Regional Institutes of Teacher Education (RITEs) i.e. RITE (Female) Abbottabad, (RITE (Male) Haripur, RITE (Female) Peshawar, RITE (Male) Peshawar at KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
Instruments
A pro forma was designed to collect the data concerning respondent’s perceptions about course guides in term of Course Outcomes, Assessment Tasks, Teaching Learning Approaches and Course Description. A close ended questionnaire was also designed comprising seventeen questions to gather information concerning availability of resources and their utilization to achieve objectives of the curriculum effectively.
Procedure
Researcher took prior consent and permission from the respondents of study. To administer the research instruments and to collect the data the researcher personally visited the sample Institutions.
Results
A pro forma was constructed by researcher herself with the purpose to explore the effectiveness of the course guides, to be filled by the randomly selected teachers teaching B.Ed. /ADE courses at selected teachers training institutions. A qualitative Data analysis technique like seeking themes was used to analyze and interpret this pro forma.
Data assembled for assessment of course guides for all the subjects being taught in first 4(four) semesters were analyzed in terms of Assessment tasks, Course description, Course outcomes, and Teaching learning strategies and over all coherence and interpreted in form of subsequent paragraphs.
Course Description: Mainstream of the respondents were of the view that course description is vividly stated which provide complete information about course objectives. But small numbers of teachers were of the view that course description contains repetition and extra detail. According to their opinion inappropriate/irrelevant material needs to be eradicated.
Course Outcomes: Course outcomes are clearly stated and are attainable according to majority of teachers. Some respondents were of the view that improvement is required in logical arrangement of outcomes. There is dire need of improvement in term of available resources according to few respondents for better achievement of outcomes.
Teaching Learning Strategies: Teaching learning strategies are learner centered, activity based and easy to implement in class room according to majority of the teachers. But according to few respondents some strategies are time consuming i.e. role play. Teachers need proper and relevant trainings for proper implementation of given teaching learning strategies as suggested by some respondents.
Assessment Tasks: In most of the course guide draft Assessment tasks are not given in proper form.
Tabulation of the data collected through questionnaire is done in term of frequency and further explained in form of percentages, calculated for various categories. After analysis of data from the questionnaire the results are presented in the following tables:
Criteria Used
0= not at all
1=to some extent,
2= to great extent,
Table 1. Provision of Multimedia
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
3
|
|
14%
|
|
1
|
|
16
|
|
76%
|
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
10%
Table no 1 indicates that majority of the teachers about (76%) is of the view that class rooms are not equipped with Multimedia.
Table 2. Provision of Well-Furnished Computer Lab
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
3
|
|
14%
|
|
1
|
|
16
|
|
76%
|
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
10%
The above table indicates that 33% institutions are in dire need of well-furnished computer labs while (52%) of institutions are provided with well-furnished computer lab.
Table 3, Provision of Computer Facility and Student Ratio
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
5
|
|
24%
|
|
1
|
|
7
|
|
33%
|
|
2
|
|
9
|
|
43%
This table indicates that computer to student ratio in 33% of departments it’s less satisfactory, in 24% of departments this ratio is unsatisfactory while in 43% of departments is satisfactory to great extent.
Table 4. Access of Internet to Students
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
2
|
|
10%
|
|
1
|
|
11
|
|
52%
|
|
2
|
|
8
|
|
38%
No one can deny the importance of internet in teaching learning process. But this table indicates that in view of more than half of the respondents the student’s easy access to internet is not satisfactory to great extent.
Table 5. Availability of Library
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
2
|
|
10%
|
|
1
|
|
16
|
|
76%
|
|
2
|
|
3
|
|
14%
According to this table, 76%of the teachers perceived the availability of library as less satisfactory. It showed unsatisfactory conditions of resources for implementation of new program.
Table 6. Transport Facility
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
5
|
|
24%
|
|
1
|
|
4
|
|
19%
|
|
2
|
|
12
|
|
57%
This table indicates that 57% institutions are providing facility of transport to students.
Table 7. English as Medium of Communication and Instruction
|
|
Total respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
3
|
|
14%
|
|
1
|
|
5
|
|
24%
|
|
2
|
|
13
|
|
62%
The above table indicates that according to 62% of respondents, to great extent English is the medium of communication and Instruction.
Table 8. Ample Time Availability as Compared to Work Load
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
2
|
|
10%
|
|
1
|
|
12
|
|
57%
|
|
2
|
|
7
|
|
33%
Above table indicates that time availability for preparation as compare to work load is satisfactory to some extent according to 57%of respondents of study.
Table 9. Learners Mindset/ Attitude towards Interactive Teaching Learning Strategies
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
---
|
|
1
|
|
9
|
|
48%
|
|
2
|
|
12
|
|
57%
This table shows that 48% teachers are of the view that prospective teachers’ attitude is supportive to some extent while according to 57% teachers to a great extent attitude of prospective teachers is supportive.
Table 10. Gap between Difficulty Level of Courses and Learning Skills of Students
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
---
|
|
1
|
|
13
|
|
62%
|
|
2
|
|
8
|
|
38%
To achieve the desired objectives the learning skills of the learners must match the difficulty level of the course content. But 62% of the teachers are not satisfied to great extent.
Table 11. Balance Between Theory and Practice
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
2
|
|
10%
|
|
1
|
|
12
|
|
57%
|
|
2
|
|
7
|
|
33%
Above table shows that according to 57% of teachers the balance of practice and theory are required to be revised while 33% are of the view to great extent it is well balanced.
Table 12. Monitoring of Implementation Process of New Curriculum
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
1
|
|
5%
|
|
1
|
|
9
|
|
43%
|
|
2
|
|
11
|
|
52%
Coordination and monitoring of the implementation process of new program is satisfactory to great extent according to 52% teachers while 43% are satisfied to some extent.
Table 13. Provision of Information & Communication Technology
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
12
|
|
57%
|
|
1
|
|
9
|
|
43%
|
|
2
|
|
0
|
|
---
The table explains that unsatisfactory availability of ICTs tools. As 57% of teachers were in the view that the provision of ICTs is not enough to fulfill the requirement in term of effective achievements of objects set in curriculum document.
Table 14. The Motivation Level of Learners to Participate in Class Room Activities
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
---
|
|
1
|
|
6
|
|
29%
|
|
2
|
|
15
|
|
71%
This table shows, about 71% of the teachers admitted that learners are well motivated by teachers to contribute or participate in class room activities.
Table 15. Conduction of Training Workshops on Regular Basis
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
---
|
|
1
|
|
13
|
|
62%
|
|
2
|
|
8
|
|
38%
According to this table 62% teachers are not very much satisfied with the conduction of training workshops while only 38% showed great satisfaction.
Table 16. Impact of Workshops on Teaching
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
1
|
|
5%
|
|
1
|
|
11
|
|
52%
|
|
2
|
|
9
|
|
43%
This table shows that more than half of the respondents showed less satisfaction about fruitfulness of workshops while 43% claimed workshops are fruitful to great extent.
Table 17. Support for Outdoor Activities from Community
|
|
Total Respondents
|
|
21
|
|
%
|
|
0
|
|
4
|
|
19%
|
|
1
|
|
7
|
|
33%
|
|
2
|
|
10
|
|
48%
This table points out that as said by 48% teachers, the community supports the outdoor activities while according to 33% community is supportive to some extent.
Conclusions
Perceptions about Teachers Course Guides. It was concluded from the analysis of the data collected through the check list that teacher course guides need to be revised to some extent in following areas:
Course Description. In most of the drafts course description may be made more comprehensive, precise and vivid by eliminating extra details.
Course Outcomes. It was concluded by the researcher that less provision of resources like, well-furnished computer lab, multimedia, a highly well-equipped library, access to internet, AV aids, ICTs and reference books are the key barriers in making the outcomes less realistic and hard to achieve. Course outcomes need to be written in précised form and arranged in coherent order.
Teaching Learning Strategies. Although teaching learning approaches given in teacher course guides are exemplary to attain the desired outcomes but in an ideal situation. Because these strategies are time consuming and the existing teaching faculty needs training to use the given strategies in class room. Therefore it is needed to include teaching strategies like lecture demonstration and others along with new innovative teaching learning strategies.
Assessment Tasks. Assessment tasks are not given in most of the drafts which means these drafts are incomplete. New innovative assessment tasks in accordance with the given teaching learning strategies should be included in the drafts.
Perception about provision of resources. Most of the respondents are of the view that provision of multimedia is not up to the mark. Provision of well-furnished computer lab, students to computers ratio and access to internet is not satisfactory. More than half of the respondents showed satisfaction concerning transport facility. English is used as medium of instruction and communication in more than 60% institutions. Most of the teachers are of the view that time availability for lesson preparation is not adequate. Supportive attitude of students is very important in effective implementation of interactive teaching learning strategies most of the respondents showed satisfaction in this concern. Similarly the learning skills of the students need to match difficulty level of course content and this study revealed that most of the respondents are not fully satisfied.
Most of the respondents are of the view that, balance of theory and practice in course content is needs to be revised. No program can be run smoothly and effectively without proper coordination and monitoring of implementation process. Most of the respondent showed high satisfaction in this area. Learning couldn’t be effective without motivation of students. More than 70% respondents are of the opinion that students are highly motivated to participate in learning activities. To implement activity based curriculum teachers need training workshops on regular basis. But study revealed that most of the showed less satisfaction in this concern. Similarly less satisfaction is showed about fruitfulness of these workshops. Without the support of the community the success of newly launched is not possible. Large number respondents are satisfied to great extent in this concerned.
Recommendations
Description of Course may be more vivid, precise and comprehensive. Extra detail may be eradicated from course description. Course outcomes possibly designed more practically/realistically and may be attainable. It is need of the hour to write down course outcomes in more specific and extensive statements. Logical sequence is required in course outcomes.
· To cover sufficient amount of subject matter in less time, teaching strategies like lecture demonstration may also be included for making teaching learning process more effective.
· New innovative assessment tools may be included in teacher course guides drafts.
· Availability of well-equipped library and computer labs should be made sure.
· Class rooms may be equipped with multimedia, ICTs etc.
· There is dire need of conduction of teacher training workshops on regular basis because it’s necessary to develop the skills of teachers for effectual use of latest and interactive teaching learning strategies.
· To make the teacher training workshops more fruitful new innovative ideas
i.e. (field work etc.) may be implemented in classrooms. | https://gssrjournal.com/fulltext/perception-of-teacher-educator-regarding-course-guides-for-bed-hons-and-ade-associate-degree-in-education-program-and-provision-of-resources-for-effective-implementation-of-the-program |
This dowelling jig automatically centers itself on any board from 3/8" to 2-3/8" wide.
It comes with two sets of removable bushings for hole sizes 1/4", 5/16" and 3/8", allowing you to drill two holes of the same size at one setting. An extra bushing set of these three sizes (one of each) is available.
Hole sizes 7/16" and 1/2" do not require bushings. | http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=32250&cat=1,180,42311,42319&ap=1 |
Reference number for this case: 7-Sep-54-Foucaucourt-en-Santerre. Thank you for including this reference number in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The author indicates that on September 7, 1954 in the morning a flying saucer landed in a field near Amiens, between Harponville and Contay.
He adds that numerous residents of the district of Peronne reported that they had seen at the same hour as that indicated by the two witnesses a craft of exactly identical description above the wood of Foucancourt-in-Santerre.
A rather interesting event is described by Aime Michel, although briefly, concerning an object reported flying over a wooded area in the Peronne district called Foucaucourt-en-Santerre. People living in an area covering some 30 kilometers got a glimpse of the UFO, various witnesses reporting the same details as to time and size. Michel was struck by the fact the UFO, a cigar-like body, resembled the thing reported at Marignane, France, back on October 26, 1952. 70.
70. Michel, Aime. "Flying Saucers in Europe, Saucers -- or Delusions?" Fate. January 1958. Vol.11, No.I. #94. pp.33-34.
[jg2] "Black-Out Sur Les Soucoupes Volantes", book by Jimmy Guieu, Fleuve Noir éditeur, France, 1956.
[jg2] "Flying Saucers Come from Another World", book by Jimmy Guieu, English version of "Black-out Sur Les Soucoupes Volantes", Citadel Press publishers, USA, 1956.
[---] "Flying Saucers in Europe, Saucers -- or Delusions?", article by Aimé Michel, in Fate magazine, Vol. II, No.I. #94. pp 33-34, January 1958.
[lg1] "The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse - UFOs: A History - 1954 October", monography by Loren E. Gross, USA, page 15, 1991.
1.0 Patrick Gross December 7, 2016 First published. | http://ufologie.patrickgross.org/1954/7sep1954foucaucourt.htm |
The invention discloses energy-saving mechanical hydraulic energy storage equipment and method. The energy-saving mechanical hydraulic energy storage equipment and method comprise an energy storage part, an oil valve system, a counterweight water tank system and a pulley part. The energy storage part is an energy storage device and is used for storing high-pressure working hydraulic oil sprayed out of the oil valve system. The oil valve system and the energy storage part constitute an oil liquid circulating pipeline system used for conveying hydraulic oil in the energy storage equipment. The counterweight water tank system comprises a counterweight part and a water ball valve pipeline part. The counterweight part comprises a water storage tank, a traction steel wire rope and a counterweight device. The counterweight device and the water storage tank form a motion system of the energy storage equipment through the traction steel wire rope and the pulley part. According to the energy-saving mechanical hydraulic energy storage equipment and method, because the potential energy of water resources of the energy-saving mechanical hydraulic energy storage equipment is mainly converted into hydraulic potential energy which can be conveniently used, energy conversion links are reduced, the electric energy consumption of a motor is reduced, the control is simple, the cost investment is reduced, the maintenance is convenient, the operation cost is low, the potential energy levels are different and can be conveniently switched, and an energy station of a gas system and an oil system can be built. | |
This Blog Was Updated In November of 2022
There were more than 617,000 bridges in the United States as of 2019.
Out of these, close to 260,000 of them – or 42 percent – are at least 50 years old. In addition, it’s been reported that 46,154, or almost eight percent of our nation’s bridges, are considered structurally deficient (S.D.). These statistics come from the 2021 Infrastructure Report Card issued by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
The report noted that while the average age of our highway bridges has increased to 44 years, the total number of structurally deficient bridges have continued to decline over recent years. This is due largely to the renewed infrastructure efforts and the ongoing program of routine bridge inspections.
However, the need nationwide is still pressing. According to the report’s Executive Summary,
“A recent estimate for the nation’s backlog of bridge repair needs is $125 billion. We need to increase spending on bridge rehabilitation from $14.4 billion annually to $22.7 billion annually, or by 58%, if we are to improve the condition. At the current rate of investment, it will take until 2071 to make all of the repairs that are currently necessary, and the additional deterioration over the next 50 years will become overwhelming.”
Highway bridge inspections are critical, essential, and required to maintain our nation’s key infrastructure and ensure safety. Routine highway bridge inspections allow inspectors and engineers to identify small defects, minor structural damage, and other potential problem areas on bridge structures before they develop into major issues.
Federal Bridge Inspection Standards and the Need for Under Bridge Inspections
On December 5, 1967, the worst bridge collapse disaster in the United States happened as the Silver Bridge between Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio, fell into the Ohio River. The disaster claimed 46 lives and triggered a demand for improved highway bridge safety.
As a result, legislation was passed, and the National bridge inspection program (NBIS) was created.
A significant component of the program was the establishment of regular inspections of roadway bridges throughout the United States that include extensive under bridge inspections.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT),
“The NBIS requires safety inspections at least once every 24 months for highway bridges that exceed 20 feet in total length located on public roads. Many bridges are inspected more frequently. However, with the express approval by FHWA of State-specific policies and criteria, some bridges can be inspected at intervals greater than 24 months. New or newly reconstructed bridges, for example, may qualify for less frequent inspections.”
The National Bridge Inspection Standards were established along with a bridge inspection program and regulations. In addition, a bridge inspector’s training manual was prepared along with a training course to provide specialized training.
Because of the various requirements and different types of bridges throughout the country, many state and local inspection standards have been established in addition to federal standards.
The need for more, improved, and consistent bridge inspections were underscored by a recent Congressional Research Service report that noted, among other points, that even though the number of bridges classified as poor has declined gradually for many years, there were still about 44,000 bridges in poor condition as of June 2021.
The report goes on to point out that,
“The vast majority of bridges in poor condition, over four out of five, are in rural areas, and these bridges tend to be small and relatively lightly traveled. In urban areas, bridges in poor condition, while far fewer, are generally much larger and, therefore, more expensive to fix. In 2021, 58% of the deck area classified as in poor condition was on urban bridges.
Bridges on roads carrying heavy traffic loads, particularly Interstate Highway bridges, are generally in better condition than those on more lightly traveled routes. Although improvements have been made in most states, there remain major differences among states in the share of bridges in poor condition.”
The good news is that the nation’s highway bridges are arguably the safest in the world, and the processes and systems committed to ensuring their safety are constantly being improved.
As one recent article stated,
“After a half-century and millions of bridge inspections, FHWA’s bridge inspection standards continue to ensure that only safe bridges are open to traffic. For years to come, the program will continue to evolve, using state-of-the-art training and equipment, to serve the needs of the nation’s traveling public.”
More Funding, Improved Inspections
In May 2022, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced an additional $1.14 billion in “formula funding” for bridge repair and replacement.
According to a press release on the FHWA website,
“The $1.14 billion in funding for bridge replacement and rehabilitation was provided by the Department of Transportation Appropriations Act, 2022 and complements the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s focus on bridge improvement and safety, which included $27.5 billion for the Bridge Formula Program and $12.5 billion for the Bridge Investment Program.”
As part of the Federal Highway Administration’s efforts to improve and “upgrade” the efficacy of the current highway bridge inspections program, they also issued a final rule that updates and revises its highway bridge inspection standards for the first time since 2009.
The new regulation was published in the Federal Register on May 6, 2022, and was mandated by the 2012 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21, as it is known.
One of the critical provisions of the updated standards focuses on the required minimum interval between inspections. According to an article in Engineering News-Record,
“In general, bridges now must be inspected every 24 months. State departments of transportation (DOTs) can seek FHWA approval for longer intervals than 24 months. The maximum is 48 months, and some bridges are subject to 12-month intervals.
Under the new standard, there are options for state DOTs and other inspection organizations allowing routine inspection intervals of up to 48 months and a maximum of 72 months for underwater inspections.”
Of course, there is much more to highway bridge inspections than bi-annual routine inspections.
Regular Bridge and Under Bridge Inspections
Not all bridges are subject to the same inspection schedules.
Most bridges are inspected every two years unless they’re rated as being in “very good” condition, in which case they are only inspected every four years. Highway bridges that are labeled as “structurally deficient” are required to be inspected annually, though many states inspect these bridges far more often.
Information from the USDOT shows that approximately 12 percent of the nation’s highway bridges are inspected annually. Just five percent are inspected every four years, leaving 82 percent of bridges that are inspected every 24 months.
According to the USDOT, there are “five basic types of bridge inspections” that are conducted:
- Initial inspections
- Routine inspections
- In-depth inspections
- Damage inspections
- Special inspections
“The ‘routine’ inspection is the most common type of inspection performed and is generally required every two years. The purpose of “routine” inspections is to determine the physical and functional condition of a bridge on a regularly scheduled basis.”
It is these routine inspections that make up the bulk of bridge inspections carried out by contractors, engineers, and state DOTs most frequently. And they are almost always involved in bridge inspections and under bridge inspection equipment.
Routine Inspections and the Need for Under Bridge Inspection
The primary purpose of routine inspections is to determine the physical and functional condition and integrity of a bridge structure.
However, bridge structures are not limited to the bridge deck and superstructure just as critical is the bridge substructure, which includes all the vertical supports, piers or columns, caps, and other components that are located underneath the bridge deck.
Bridge inspectors conducting under bridge inspections look for flaws, defects, or potential problem areas that may require maintenance. The goal is to identify these issues early to avoid more extensive problems. Routine inspections are often visual inspections using a variety of tools for cleaning, probing, sounding, and measuring.
Some of the techniques used include:
Visual inspections
Inspectors visually assess the condition of the bridge structure by standing directly in front or beneath components, usually from a bucket or platform on an under bridge inspection unit.
Acoustic inspections
Hammers and other tools allow inspectors to observe changes in sound pitch. This technique can detect defects in the bridge materials, such as coating splits or delamination issues.
Thermal inspections
Thermal or infrared tools can detect changes in infrared radiation from the surface areas of bridge components, possibly indicating degradation or delamination in the concrete.
Coring and Chipping inspections
Essentially, these are minimally destructive inspection methods that involve drilling holes into the surface of a bridge deck to obtain data on the condition of the steel reinforcement and access any corrosion damage. In addition, this allows inspectors to determine the physical and chemical properties of the concrete elements. Indications of deterioration or any unexpected results can indicate a significant structural problem.
Other, less common, methods for inspection include Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) inspections that use electromagnetic radiation to look below the concrete surfaces of bridges and a non-invasive testing method known as half-cell potential to check the voltage between the steel reinforcement within the concrete and to monitor corrosion levels.
Inspectors performing routine inspections assess the condition of the bridge and note changes since the last inspection. They look for defects like cracking in the concrete, unusual movement in the bridge, or issues with any bearings that may be used.
In addition, signs of decay, such as rust, corrosion, or paint loss, can be indications of underlying structural issues that have developed over time.
The goal is to ensure that the bridge is still safe to operate according to existing standards.
Under Bridge Inspection Equipment and Under Bridge Inspection Truck Rental
According to a 2007 testimony transcript from the U.S. Department of Transportation,
“Bridge inspection techniques and technologies have been continuously evolving since the NBIS were established over 30 years ago and the NBIS regulation has been updated several times, as Congress has revised the inspection program and its companion program, the Highway Bridge Program (formerly Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program).”
A large part of these bridge inspection technologies includes the various vehicles used for under bridge inspections, repair, and maintenance work.
The most common and efficient method for gaining under bridge access is with an under bridge inspection unit. These versatile under bridge buckets or platform vehicles are often the only reliable means for accessing under bridge areas.
Most every professional working with bridge repair, cleaning, maintenance, and inspections uses some type of under bridge inspection platform.
Recently, technology has moved into highway bridge inspection equipment in various ways, including the increased use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or UAS, also commonly known as drones.
For decades now, Under Bridge Inspection Trucks (UBITs) have been the most common tool utilized for gaining access to difficult and hard-to-reach areas of bridges throughout the country. These versatile and often agile trucks allow bridge inspection personnel to get underneath bridge decks to visually inspect areas that would otherwise be unreachable.
That being said, it is clear that as the capabilities and technology of drones, or UAS, improves, their use will become more widespread and common among engineers and bridge inspectors. But it is doubtful that they will bring about the demise of UBITs.
As an article on the Caltrans website has made clear,
“Though the use of a UAS can be limited due to several factors, including weather, landscaping, and wildlife, these eyes in the sky have already proven their ability to be an effective tool, and in some cases, it is as if the inspector was in the UBIT basket.
While the use of UAS will never replace the ability to be able to get up and touch and inspect a damaged bridge, they are slowly becoming more common during inspections and are creating a safer and more efficient process for bridge inspectors.”
Turn to the Experts in Under Bridge Inspections: McClain & Co., Inc.
McClain and Company owner Daniel McClain and the McClain team of service and equipment rental professionals are committed to providing the very best in customer service. And we believe this also means offering our customers the best in aerial access and under bridge inspection equipment rentals.
A principle of ours that we genuinely believe in is summed up in the sentiment that “Your success is our success.”
This is also why it is our goal at McClain to do all that we can to provide you with the best under bridge inspection equipment rentals for your particular project.
It’s possible that you already know which model of under bridge inspection equipment you want to rent.
If so, you can simply request a quote from us today, and we can schedule your rental. Keep in mind, too, that along with our wide selection of Under Bridge Inspection Equipment rentals, McClain and Company also offers a number of different Utility and Aerial Equipment rentals, as well as other related services.
Our rental units are available as under bridge inspection truck rentals for inspectors, contractors, and engineers working on highway bridges and similar structures.
To learn more, you can reach us at [email protected] or call us at 1-888-889-1284 today! | https://mcclain1.com/a-brief-guide-to-under-bridge-inspections/ |
Shade-grown Eco-friendly coffee Plantations in India is a part of the Western Ghats, recognized the world over as a hotspot of biodiversity. Coffee Plantations extending thousands of hectares provide an ideal habitat for a number of wildlife species, both resident and migratory. Birds in general play different roles in any given ecosystem. Birds help maintain sustainable population levels of their prey and predator species and after death, provide food for scavengers and decomposers. Many birds are important in plant reproduction through their services as seed dispersal agents.
In this article, we would like to highlight the beneficial role of woodpeckers as keystone species inside bird-friendly coffee plantations. Birds play important functional roles in ecosystems as seed dispersers, pollinators, or predators and ecosystem engineers, thereby providing a direct link between biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services.
Woodpeckers observed in Western Ghats.
Speckled Piculet (Picumnus innominatus)
Greater Flameback (Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus)
Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense)
Common Flameback (Dinopium javanense)
Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus nanus)
Rufous Woodpecker (Micropternus brachyurus)
Yellow-crowned Woodpecker (Leiopicus mahrattensis)
White-bellied Woodpecker (Dryocopus javensis)
Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus)
Streak-throated Woodpecker (Picus xanthopygaeus)
White-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus)
Heart-spotted Woodpecker (Hemicircus canente)
The black-rumped flame back, also known as the lesser golden-backed woodpecker or lesser golden back, is a woodpecker found widely distributed inside coffee forests. It is one of the few woodpeckers that has a characteristic rattling-whinnying call. At first, we were under the impression that the tapping sound made by the woodpecker was a result of the impact of the hammering onto the trees. Only when we spoke to bird experts, did we know that woodpeckers do not have vocal cords. Both the males and females have the ability to peck trees, and none of them has vocal cords, so they use the pecking as a way of communication as well. In fact, Woodpeckers advertise their presence by drumming rapidly on a tree. Different species have different time intervals between knocking.
Significance of Keystone species.
Keystone species are considered as one of the most vital components that shape a given ecosystem. It binds the entire community together. They have an extremely high impact on a particular ecosystem, relative to its population.
The keystone concept is defined by its ecological effects, and these in turn make it important for conservation. In this, it overlaps with several other species conservation concepts such as flagship species, indicator species and umbrella species.
A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance. Such species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem, and helping to determine the types and numbers of various other species in the community. Without keystone species, the ecological integrity of the ecosystem gets significantly altered. If the numbers of keystone species start declining due to inadequate conservation measures, even though that species was a small part of the ecosystem by measures of biomass or productivity, the given ecosystem, will start disintegrating. Keystone species are usually noticed when they are removed or they disappear from an ecosystem, resulting in dramatic and adverse changes to the rest of the community. In fact, it will help invasive species to take over and dramatically shift the ecosystem in a new direction. Some wildlife scientists say the concept oversimplifies one animal or plant’s role in complex food webs and habitats. The National Geographic states that calling a particular plant or animal in an ecosystem a keystone species is a way to help the public understand just how important one species can be to the survival of many others.
The prestigious Audubon Society designates woodpeckers as keystone species, for their crucial role in creating habitat suited to other woodland wildlife.
Woodpeckers as a keystone species.
The Coffee ecosystem is gifted with a number of woodpecker species. All species are tree dwellers and live in the hollow cavities of both living and dead trees. Woodpeckers have specialized beaks that serve three main purposes. First, they use it to drill holes in dead or dying trees to make a home and once they migrate, the same is made use of by other species of birds to nest their young ones. More than 60 % percent of all available nesting cavities are created by the handiwork of one or the other species of woodpeckers. The greater the number of these birds, the more cavities in a forest. The more cavities, the more secondary cavity nesters the forest can support. Diversity begets diversity.
Second, their probing bill can detect and consume beetles, borer, and other insects, larvae, and eggs. They help maintain the predator-prey balance. Lastly, they use a particular hammering pattern depending on the tree species to communicate and mark territories. These added benefits significantly add to the role of woodpeckers as a critical keystone species within a forest ecosystem. Their presence and sustainability are therefore essential to successfully maintain adequate forest biodiversity. Grant Brydle (2008) in his research paper titled “Woodpeckers as keystone species”, describes in-depth Woodpecker activities, especially of the larger pileated woodpecker, benefit other species through the provision of foraging opportunities, accelerated forest decay processes, increased nutrient recycling, control of insect populations, and facilitated inoculation by heart–rot fungi (Phellinus tremulae), an ecologically important disturbance agent. His research findings throw light on many important aspects of woodpecker behavior. Woodpecker creates wounds into the heartwood of healthy trees which in turn provide an invasion pathway for the airborne heart–rot fungi spores if the wound is not flushed out and quickly sealed with tree sap. Heartwood decay produces hollow chambers in live trees and the resulting softened wood is essential for nest–cavity excavation by most woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches. Woodpeckers are often classified as keystone habitat modifiers, ecosystem architects, or tree surgeons because of their creation of cavity sites in hard snags and decadent live trees. He further states that Woodpeckers also fill a key role in controlling insect populations through direct consumption as they are well adapted to access insect prey that other avian predators cannot reach. Indirect effects include altering insect microhabitats, increasing parasite densities, and exposing remaining prey to consumption by both vertebrate and invertebrate predators. Woodpeckers are important biological control agents of bark beetles and wood-boring beetles. As most woodpeckers are non–migratory, they are the primary avian insectivores during the winter months.
Woodpeckers as seed dispersal agents.
Most Coffee Planters are unaware that woodpeckers also eat a variety of fruits. Many species of trees depend on their seeds passing through the digestive tracts of woodpeckers, for better germination and survival. More research needs to be carried out to identify the various species of trees that are obligate symbionts with the woodpecker.
Future Research.
In many advanced countries, it is a common practice to use indicator organisms to monitor the health of the ecosystem. The use of birds to monitor environmental conditions continues because birds are highly sensitive to changes in the environment. Since the coffee forests has a number of woodpecker species, research needs to be carried out regarding their role as keystone species inside the coffee ecosystem.
Why woodpeckers can be considered as suitable candidates as environmental indicators.
Since various species of woodpeckers are observed in abundance, in all coffee growing States of India, throughout the year, they can be considered as indicators of overall habitat quality. However, more research needs to be carried out in terms of how various species respond to environmental changes. Environmental sensitivity is a prerequisite in order to serve as an early warning. Another important indicator is, whether the species can respond to changes in a predictable manner.
Conclusion.
The bond between coffee farmers and birds is more complex than anticipated. Coffee farmers have a scared belief that if bird and animal life vanishes, then the pest population will reach its zenith resulting in significant losses of coffee and allied crops. Understanding the key role played by various species of woodpeckers will immensely benefit not only coffee but multiple crops associated with coffee. More importantly, it will help the coffee Planters to be guardians of wildlife.
References.
Anand T Pereira and Geeta N Pereira. 2009. Shade Grown Ecofriendly Indian Coffee. Volume-1.
Bopanna, P.T. 2011.The Romance of Indian Coffee. Prism Books ltd.
Amazing facts about woodpeckers
Woodpeckers as a keystone species
Birds as Environmental Indicators
Woodpeckers as Keystone Species
Can shade-grown coffee really save endangered migratory birds? | https://ecofriendlycoffee.org/woodpeckers-as-keystone-species-in-eco-friendly-shade-coffee/ |
Google compiles enough data to build comprehensive portfolios of most users – Who they are, where they go and what they do – and the information is all available at google.com/dashboard.
Here are just a few things WSJ reporter Tom Gara found out about himself.
134,966 – All Tom’s emails since he first got a Gmail account in 2004. Google also stores his 6,147 chats.
2,702 – Google knows the people that Tom emails most. At the top is a friend in Egypt.
9,220 – Videos Tom has watched, listed in chronological order, including a series viewed in June about canoes.
64,019 – Google thinks To performs most of his searches around 8AM, ET, but this is probably skewed by years spent outside the U.S.
3 – Google Knows all of tom’s synchronized Android phones, including the old Nexus S phone that he gave to his mom.
117 – That’s how many apps Tom has downloaded from Google’s store.
3 – Credit Card (two expired) saved in Google Wallet, plus two shipping addresses and 13 itemized purchases since June 2009.
35 – Number of Website passords saved in Google’s Chrome browser.
855 – Documents Tom has created, plus the 115 he has opened that belong to other people.
Willunga, South Australia – Due to an unknown glitch, Google bases Tom’s Location from one of his old Android phones,which h gave to his other in Australia. | http://realestatelabs.in/what-google-knows-about-you/ |
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England is on course to be lacking more than one million new homes to meet the demands of a growing population after years of reducing new home build development.
According to research by conveyancing search provider Search Acumen, using official figures from the UK government and the Office for National Statistics (ONS), England has been experiencing a shortfall in the number of new houses being built compared with the number of new households being added to the population for more than a decade.
Search Acumen compared the volume of new homes completed in England each year since 1976 with new dwellings needed to accommodate the growing number of households over the same period. It estimated household growth by assessing annual ONS birth, death and migration data, and used the ONS’ average annual number of people deemed a household to determine how many new homes would meet the extra demand.
Table 1: Comparison of new homes built in England from 1976 to 2016 with growth of English households based upon population growth and annual average household sizes
According to the data, in the mid-noughties the creation of new households outstripped supply for the first time in three decades – a trend which has accelerated as the population in England has increased. This drop has been exacerbated by the average UK household size reducing by 16%, from 2.78 persons in 1976 to 2.34 in 2016, meaning more but smaller households putting increasing demand on property supply.
On the eve of the 2017 General Election, both the Conservatives and Labour pledged to increase new home builds between 2017 and 2022. Search Acumen has compared those pledges – of 300,000 and 200,000 completed new homes each year over a five year period respectively – to its findings. According to projections, only the Tories’ immediate jump to 300,000 homes per year – double 2016’s completions – would only address the current shortfall in the short term.
Taking a closer look at the gap that developed after 2005, the data can estimate the shortfall in supply created by the slowdown in new house builds. Between 2005 and 2016, more than 530,000 too few homes were built to meet the growing demand.
Table 3: Cumulative shortfall of new homes in England between 2005 and 2016
Search Acumen’s research also projected how many homes would be completed each year and how many more households would be created. If trends do continue, England will need an additional 510,000 homes to meet demand. This, on top of the current shortfall means England could have more one million too few homes by 2022.
Table 4: Assessment of projected cumulative shortfall of new homes in England over the next five years
Finding space to build a million more new homes
More than one million homes additional homes may sound like a daunting proposal in a relatively small country. To illustrate the amount of space needed Search Acumen theoretically speculated as to the amount of potential available land for housing development in England by assessing only available brownfield and green belt land. According to government figures, there are currently more than 31,000 hectares of brownfield land in England that is suitable to build homes on. In 2015, housebuilders were able to build 37 domiciles per hectare on brownfield land. Therefore, Search Acumen’s analysis suggests that there is enough brownfield land in England to meet cumulative demand for housing for the next five years if trends continue.
Finally, Search Acumen estimated how much green belt land could be theoretically affected. The research found that if housebuilders continued to build 14 domiciles per hectare on the more than 1.1 million hectares of green belt land in England, only 14% of all green belt would have to be turned over to developers to meet cumulative demand into 2047.
Table 5: Cumulative number of houses needed to meet England’s household growth demand against available hectares of space on brownfield and green belt land
Andrew Lloyd, Managing Director of Search Acumen, commented:
“The housing market in all corners of England has ground to a halt as people struggle to find a home that fits their needs and their budgets. Our research suggests that, even with housing supposedly higher up the political agenda, the pledges made at the last election won’t do the job of keeping up with demand in the long-term after years of under-investment into new housing.”
“As supply has weakened, demand continues unabated with more dispersed households, an increasing number of births, and net migration unlikely to be affected by Brexit and proposed changes to border controls.”
“We face a future where first-time buyers are further squeezed by rising prices, and where those already on the ladder looking for an affordable home simply cannot.”
“To make up for years of under supply, we need to embark on the greatest housing boom this country has seen in a century. But it is possible: we have the space, we have the desire and we have tens of thousands of housing professionals in the private and public sector ready to go. We just need our leaders to share our industry’s sense of urgency and begin laying foundations for economic success right away.”
This article was submitted to be published by Search Acumen as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer. | https://www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk/partner-news/englands-new-homes-shortfall-will-reach-one-million-2022/ |
This fall, more than 350 entrepreneurship experts from the United States and abroad will arrive in Rochester, N.Y., as the city showcases two universities' entrepreneurial expertise and endeavors as well as dynamic growth, excellence in programming and the impact on the local community and beyond. The 2016 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers,...
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Five companies graduate from RIT's Venture Creations business incubator
Venture Creations, the business incubator at Rochester Institute of Technology, celebrated the launch of five new businesses at a graduation ceremony Oct. 28. In addition to recognizing the business start ups, the event featured a networking reception and a keynote address delivered by Austin McChord, a 2009 RIT graduate and founder and...
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Award-winning photographer Robert Latorre, noted for engineering a camera system called The Big Freeze, is the keynote speaker at the RIT Entrepreneurs Conference at Rochester Institute of Technology on Oct. 23. The RIT alumnus '75 (photography) earned the Clio award for special effects for his large metal truss system with up... | http://www.rit.edu/research/vc/about-us/news-and-events?page=1 |
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216 views
Im having issue with my bass guitar
I'm new to bass, and I just got a new 200 dollar fender. The issue that I'm having is a clanging noise when I play in the upper frets. The strings are a lot higher from the upper frets than the ...
1
vote
1answer
43 views
I want to start recording some bass riffs in FL studio to use them later in making songs. What are good practices for this?
I have heard before it is good to record clean audio in a separate track and apply effects later. I am very new to this and any advice would be appreciated.
20
votes
4answers
3k views
Very little time to learn pretty complex songs. What should my strategy be?
I got invited to join this band. They've got plenty more experience than I do, but I've been playing with one of the members for quite a while and, I guess, I wasn't doing so bad, since he's now ...
4
votes
3answers
197 views
What do I need to consider when changing to a Bassist Vocalist from Guitarist Vocalist
I have played the guitar for about 17 years now and I have become quite comfortable with the instrument. I have also been singing for about two years and though its not a very long time, I am okay at ...
1
vote
3answers
156 views
How do I achieve this bass tone?
How do I achieve the bass tone that can be heard at the beginning of this song? What combination of playing technique and equipment is being utilized here? Does this kind of sound have a name?
0
votes
0answers
35 views
NVM ((Bass Strings and Neck Taped?))
Does anyone know what his bass setup is? Is he actually taping the strings down onto the neck? I've never seen this before... Thanks! I'm a beginner just trying to soak up as much info as I can.
2
votes
2answers
535 views
Bass buzz how do I fix it?
I’m quite new to playing the bass guitar and I’m hearing a lot of buzz. I mainly play with my thumb. Could that be contributing to it? I do play somewhat hard and I’m trying to calm down with it, but ...
3
votes
3answers
127 views
Approach notes on bass guitar clashing with vocal
When I write bass lines, I find that they sound better with approach notes but I also find that sometimes the approach notes clash with or clutter certain run-in vocal phrases that start with a few ...
6
votes
4answers
744 views
Finger picking on bass vs finger picking on guitar
I'm learning bass after playing guitar for a long time. Anyway, it seems that the bass finger picking style is significantly different from the style I would use on the guitar. The standard bass ...
0
votes
1answer
130 views
Can an F# replace an A?
I play the bass in a band. We are playing Ray LaMontagne's "A Falling Through." The chords for the intro and verses are C/G and F, but our guitarist prefers playing C Cmaj7 Am and F. The problem ...
1
vote
2answers
132 views
How did I make this noise?
This is a really specific question, but I was fooling around on bass guitar and made a really cool (imo) noise which I couldn't replicate afterwards. I happened to record it. If someone could tell me ...
4
votes
1answer
725 views
How to change bass guitar tuning in Sibelius 8?
How can I change my bass guitar tuning? In this case I want to have a whole step down standard tuning (DGCFAD) (for 4 string bass it should be DGCF). How can I do it?
13
votes
3answers
17k views
When creating a bass line, how do I know what notes I'm allowed to use?
I've been playing bass for about two years now. I've learned plenty of beginner/intermediate songs and play with some friends about once a week. I have no problem playing the songs, but I kinda just ...
0
votes
2answers
241 views
Bass Guitar Strings for Chordal Playing
So I play a lot of chords on bass, (I loop a progression and walk over it) my chords sound good besides the fact that my strings are outdated and kinda give them a bad tone. Does anybody have an ...
0
votes
3answers
354 views
Melody vs harmony and context
When a song is playing, what the bass is doing is called harmony. But what if you mute all the other tracks: would the bass alone be called a melody?
2
votes
5answers
517 views
How do I approach music theory practically?
I am an amateur bass guitar player. At some point I decided to do something about my lack of theory knowledge. Now I know a few basic scales and can read sheet music in simple keys (from zero to one ...
3
votes
1answer
329 views
How to cut off a pick noise a little bit using an equalizer?
Maybe this question has an answer already, but search bar didn't help much :( So I have my bass guitar part (in MIDI) and I'm using IK Multimedia MODO BASS as my bass guitar emulator (synthesizer or ...
0
votes
1answer
766 views
How to understand a minor chord using the harmonic series?
I play bass guitar and I have often wondered why a bass note would synchronise well with both major and minor chords of say a piano when we consider the harmonic series. For instance, the C Major is ...
2
votes
4answers
297 views
Practice for skill maintenance with busy life
When I was younger I learned piano to grade 6 level, and I also picked up some bass guitar along the way. I enjoy playing music and composing from time to time. But life is busy (PhD thesis/work/etc.) ...
2
votes
1answer
356 views
Chord chart - who plays what part
When looking at a chord chart like the following, D G/D D Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound Looking specifically at the G/D, is it true that typically the bass guitar plays ...
0
votes
2answers
165 views
Having trouble understanding my homework
I have some questions about this and my teacher is not understandable at all so I came here looking for answers. I am supposed to write a bassline that has C Am F and G chords on a provided ...
4
votes
1answer
394 views
How does a Guitar Sustainer Clamp work?
I've encountered a few stores peddling sustainer clamps, and am absolutely blown away by the idea that they could do anything at all. Can a solid metal clamp on the headstock of a guitar or bass ...
1
vote
4answers
692 views
How do pink floyd create their groovy basslines?
I'm heavily inspired by Roger Waters' basslines, and they are the reason I picked up bass - Yet, there's a problem -- I can't find any tutorial on how to create basslines like they do. For example, "...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
Help with string gauges for my vintage bass
I need help with my vintage 1956 Danelectro bass, its in a baritone style body and i believe its either a short or a medium scale neck. I'm just terrified of what gauge strings to give it, cause i ...
0
votes
0answers
451 views
How to make hammer on in Sibelius 8
I'm using Sibelius 8 on OS X. I want to add hammer on to my bass guitar part. How do I do it? No good and exact tutorials or answers found yet.
1
vote
3answers
3k views
Pain in hand while playing bass and hand positioning
I have been playing bass/guitar for around 2 and a half years, and still my left hand (fretting hand) hurts while playing and i need help with hand positioning my hand and wrist have to go to a 90 ...
0
votes
2answers
69 views
Fret buzz-Harmony H22
So I've been trying to look at ways to find fix fret buzz on my Harmony H22 bass guitar; it doesn't have a whole lot of buzz and I find it be on multiple frets. I'm not sure if it's just me or if it ...
3
votes
2answers
4k views
What is the difference between the speaker in a bass amp and sub?
I have a 12 inch 100 watt speaker in my bass amp and no subwoofer. The subwoofer I am looking to buy is also 12 inches 100 watts. Is there a difference between the actual speakers found in a bass amp ...
4
votes
4answers
2k views
Bass line melodies
Can a bassline act as the melody of a song or be the focal point over a melody in a song? Listen to the instrumental below for example. It sounds like the bass-guitar is the lead tune throughout the ...
5
votes
0answers
107 views
Slides with SampleTank 3 bass and guitar
Maybe someone here knows how to write slides in SampleTank 3? I work in Reaper and i can't find it anywhere. The problem is I can neither find any info in the manuals of neither Reaper nor SampleTank ...
6
votes
6answers
17k views
Bass guitar: how to avoid sound when string hits fret
I picked up the bass a few months ago, and I've noticed that when I'm playing something, the strings make loud clicky sounds when they hit the fret. This happens especially when I'm trying to play ...
5
votes
2answers
115 views
Bass needs a cleanin'
So I bought a used bass and I can tell the previous owner has stickers on it because the pick guard is an eggshell color and the shape of the stickers is still white. Any idea on how to clean this?
7
votes
6answers
2k views
Using a bass guitar on a guitar amplifier through a bass pre-amplifier?
I've read that plugging a bass guitar into a guitar amplifier is not advisable as it can fry the speaker. However, could a pre-amplifier solve this problem (adjusting output power and impedance). I'm ...
0
votes
0answers
439 views
Single Coil Bass Buzz, stops when metal is touched
At home I have four basses, a Fender Flea signature Jazz bass, a 1964 Gibson EB-0, and Gibson Thunderbird, and a Squier P/J bass. I mostly used the Fender Flea, and whenever I practiced with it I ... | https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/bass-guitar |
The future of work is uncertain and the world of work is changing. To stay relevant in this ever-changing world, it is important that we master our time. We need to learn how to manage our time better and use it more efficiently.
This article will discuss the importance of mastering your time and why it's important for people in the workplace. It will also discuss some ways that you can start mastering your time today.
It's Time to Master Your Time, time management, productivity,
This article provides an introduction to time management. It talks about how we can master our time and improve our productivity by using the right tools and techniques.
The article also provides a list of ideas that can help you manage your time better.
Table Of Content(toc)
How to Keep Track of Your To-Dos with an App
There are a lot of apps available in the market that help you manage your time. They can be used to track your tasks, prioritize them, and keep them organized.
This article will show you how to use an app to organize your tasks and make sure that you're on top of things.
Time management apps are often recommended for people who have a lot of things going on in their lives and need to manage their time effectively. However, they can also be helpful for people who want to simplify their lives and focus on what matters most.
It can be difficult to keep track of all the tasks that need to be done in a day. You might have a list of things to do, but you can’t remember who you need to contact or what your next step is.
This is where an app like this comes into play. It's a time management app that helps you do your tasks and keep track of what's coming up next.
There are many ways that this app can help with time management, but one of the most important is being able to set reminders for yourself so you don't forget anything important.
How to Set Up a Schedule That Works for You
We all have a life, and we all need to prioritize our time. It can be hard to manage time when you have a busy work schedule, but there are tools out there that can help. One of those tools is personal life software. This software helps you organize your schedule so that you know when and where everything is happening in your day-to-day life.
Personal life software is designed to help people with their schedules so they can get the most out of their lives. They allow people to set up a schedule for themselves that works best for them, whether it's planning for the week or setting up meetings with friends or family members on specific days of the week or month.
You might be wondering how to keep track of your tasks and appointments with a time management app. The best way to do this is by using an app specifically designed for this purpose.
A time management app is a software that helps you organize your tasks and appointments in advance so you don't have to worry about forgetting them. You can also use it as a reminder for when certain things are due so you don't forget about them either.
There are many different types of apps out there, but some of the most popular ones are:
- Time Management App: This app will help you organize your activities, set reminders, and keep track of deadlines.
- To-Do List: This app will allow you to create lists and prioritize what needs to get done first or last.
How to Handle Waiting for Important Things as a Busy Person
Busy people often have a hard time waiting for things. They might have to wait for hours, days or even weeks for important things. However, there are tools that can help them with the waiting process.
There are many apps and websites that offer tools to help you manage your time and make sure you don't waste it by waiting. Here are some of the most popular ones:
- Rescue Time: A free app that tracks how much time you spend on different activities on your device and offers productivity tips based on those results.
- Trello: A free web-based project management tool that helps you visualize and prioritize tasks.
- Rescue Time Chrome Extension: This extension tracks how long you spend in different tabs in your browser, so you can make sure not to waste time browsing Facebook
As a busy person, you might be wondering how to handle waiting for important things as a busy person. There are tools that can help busy people like you with their waiting time.
Productivity tools for busy people:
- Pomodoro timer - this is a time management tool that helps users to manage their work in short blocks of time (25 minutes). It is designed to help users break down large tasks into smaller chunks.
- Waiting tools - these are apps that can help users manage the waiting time in their day and make it more productive. They offer various features like reminders, timers, and games to keep the user engaged during the waiting period.
3 Tips that Will Help You Manage Your Time Better and Get Things Done
. Prioritize
. Set Deadlines
. Create a Plan of Action
The first tip is to prioritize what you need to get done in your day. The second tip is to set deadlines for your tasks and the third is to create a plan of action for the day that will help you stay on track and accomplish the tasks that are most important for you.
It’s important to set realistic deadlines for your work and tasks. If you can manage your time well, you will be able to get more done in a shorter period of time. | https://www.viperflick.com/2022/05/3-time-management-tips-that-actually-work.html |
Kinport Peak is normally accessed from one of the two City Creek trailheads (upper or lower). I chose the upper one for this hike. It takes a few hundred feet of elevation off the vertical climb. I also made a loop and connected a few other no-name high points together. I jogged a bit of the downhill and was charged by a moose in the treed section! Round-trip stats: 9.2 miles with 2,574 feet of elevation gain. Most people take the City Creek Road up to about 6,400 feet and then follow the northeast ridge to the summit. This route is usually free of snow by April/May.
Below are Steve Mandella’s photos from the loop route.
Livingston Douglas 2018 Update
The “Pocatello Greenbelt Trailhead” referred to in the book is now called the “City Creek Management Area”. Use either Center Street or Benton Street to reach Lincoln Avenue. Drive southeast on Lincoln Avenue until it ends at a street junction/stop sign. This is City Creek Road. Turn LEFT here and drive 0.4 miles to the trailhead parking area (4,805 feet).
Passenger vehicles can drive another ¾ mile (up Kinport Road) to two other, small pullout parking areas near the road’s junction with the North Fork Road. You can drive another 1.4 miles up Kinport Road to a sharp left turn. At this point, the road becomes a rough, 4WD high-clearance road. There is a parking pullout for only one vehicle here.
The current City Creek Management Area Trails Map is linked here. You should have it with you if you plan to hike up Kinport Peak or Wild Horse Mountain. By the way, the book refers to nearby “Wild Mountain” on Page 356. The mountain’s correct name is Wild Horse Mountain as per the National Forest map. Both the USGS topo map and the book are incorrect on the nomenclature.
The summit of Kinport Peak has two potential high points. The south summit is larger and more gentle and has the most prominent communication towers. The north summit is smaller, rockier, and has two smaller communication towers. Which summit is higher? The official/measured high point is the north summit (7,222 feet). However, when you stand on the south summit (which is the first summit that you reach), you are quite sure (visually-speaking) that you are on the high point of Kinport Peak.
I measured both summits and the south summit is about 20 feet higher (based on altimeter measurements), confirming my visual observation. Since it is not on a higher contour line, the elevation of Kinport Peak is just shy of 7,240 feet. I am generally a believer that, without a specific measurement, you can’t know if a non-measured summit is higher than a measured summit. But in the case of Kinport Peak, it’s so visually obvious and is so different that there is no doubt in my mind that Kinport’s true summit is the non-measured south summit. | https://www.idahoaclimbingguide.com/bookupdates/kinport-peak/ |
The Balance Sheet logic is completely consistent with the two basic rules (the rules of debit/credit) that were demonstrated at the beginning of the tutorial.
Debit Side- Describes either assets that belong to the business (property, a real account, according to Rule No. 2 an asset is always a debit) or debts owed by customers to us. Customers according to Rule No. 1 - are a personal account that must be a debit (the accounting entity must have a "debt" to the business).
External agencies (suppliers, lenders and so forth).
The owner of the business (Capital Account or accumulated profits).
In either case, according to Rule 1 either the external agencies or the owner of the business are eligible to be "credited" with money from the business and therefore they are in credit.
Why does the Balance Sheet balance?
In principle, there are two explanations for why the Balance Sheet must balance.
The total assets of the business (the debit side) = The total obligations to external agencies (the credit side) + the total obligations to the owner of the business.
The Balance Sheet is made up directly from the Trial Balance (Balances) which is itself a Balance Sheet.
It is clear, therefore, that if we went from a Trial Balance to a Balance Sheet, then the final result (a Balance Sheet), that also takes account of the balance in the Profit and Loss Statement, will be balanced.
At this stage, now that the subject of the Profit and Loss Statement and the is quite clear, during the year, you can easily survey the Nominal Ledger and locate balances which would appear to be unreasonable. | http://www.bookkeeping-course.com/lesson07.asp |
What Can You Do With a Business Information Technology degree?
5 Jobs You Can Land With A Business Information Technology Degree
- Software Architects build and design software.
- Systems and Network Trainers maintain computer and network systems.
- Support Specialists keep the technology side of business up and running—fixing network issues and even employee computers.
Is business information technology a good major?
MIS is one of the most optimal majors for continuing education; the nature of the work means that schedules can be flexible and accommodate remote working as well as career-building activities that other business roles might not have access to.
What is a good salary at 30?
I’d say $150,000- $200,000 annually is a “good salary” for a 30 year old with a college degree and a tech job in a metro city in the United States. This question can be answered much better if you provide more details on said 30 year old’s background.
What is the salary for 35 an hour?
about $72,800 per year
How much does a business information technology make?
As of Mar 24, 2021, the average annual pay for a Business Information Technology in the United States is $75,269 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $36.19 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,447/week or $6,272/month.
How much is 32 a year?
Comparison Table Of $32 An Hour
|$32 An Hour||Total Income|
|Yearly (50 weeks)||$64,000|
|Yearly (262 Work Days)||$67,072|
|Monthly (175 Hours)||$5,600|
|Weekly (40 Hours)||$1,280|
How much salary is 32 dollars an hour?
32 dollars an hour is what per year? It depends on how many hours you work, but assuming a 40 hour work week, and working 50 weeks a year, then a $32 hourly wage is about $64,000 per year, or $5,333 a month.
Is 30 hr a good salary?
To someone who just graduated highscool or even college, a $30 an hour full time position would be a good (possibly great) salary. To an individual with 20 years of experience and multiple advanced degrees, $30 an hour would likely be far below market value.
What are 3 careers in information technology?
Here are some of the fastest-growing IT jobs:
- Information Security Analyst.
- Software Developer.
- Computer and Information Research Scientist.
- Web Developer.
- Database Administrator.
- Computer Support Specialist.
- Computer Systems Analyst.
- Computer Network Architect. | https://www.bodyloveconference.com/blog/what-can-you-do-with-a-business-information-technology-degree/ |
Northpoint Seattle’s outpatient treatment program is located in beautiful Seattle, Washington, and we work to help the surrounding communities.
2111 N Northgate Way Suite 101,
Seattle, WA 98133, United States
There are plenty of addiction resources for alcohol and drug abusers in Dupont, Washington. Many of these individuals are not aware of the resources that are available just a phone call or just a short drive away.
This guide aims to cover all the information that alcoholics and drug addicts need to recover. A successful recovery involves many steps and resources. Our aim is to help these individuals find what they’re looking for.
Recovery meetings and groups can be greatly beneficial to those recovering from a substance use disorder (SUD). Here, recovering alcoholics and drug addicts can receive peer support and drug education. There are quite a few mutual support groups in Dupont, WA. Check out some of the options below.
Recovering alcoholics looking for peer support should consider going to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings in DuPont, Washington. These faith-based mutual support groups help recovering alcoholics abusers abstain from drinking. The DuPont Circle Club is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization in this city that offers AA meetings and groups.
Dupont Circle Club
Where: 1623 Connecticut Ave NW
Talking about one’s struggle with drug addiction is never an easy task. Luckily, individuals can find solace in Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, where they can share their experiences and get help from others who find themselves in similar circumstances. NA programs are easy to navigate, and they welcome all newcomers and returning participants with the same enthusiasm.
American Lake VA
Where: 9600 Veterans Drive SW, Tacoma, WA 98493
Distance Away: 4.04 miles
Lake City Community Church
Where: 8810 Lawndale Avenue Southwest, Lakewood, WA 98498-2420
Distance away: 5.27 miles
Saint Andrew's United Methodist Church
Where: 540 School Street, Lacey, WA 98503-6740
Distance away: 7.39 miles
For individuals living with family members that are struggling with an alcohol addiction, the stress they experience can take a huge emotional toll over time. Luckily, Al-anon meetings can provide loved ones of alcoholics with an open environment where they can share their struggles and receive support from others who are in the same boat.
Lakewood United Methodist
Where: 6900 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood, WA, 98499, USA
Distance away: 12.2 km
St. Johns Lutheran Church
Where: 8602 Bridgeport Way SW, Lakewood, WA, 98499, USA
Distance away: 13.0 km
St Benedict’s Episcopal Church
Where: 910 Bowker St SE, Lacey, WA, 98503, USA
Distance away: 14.2 km away
When it comes to drug addiction, the addict’s choices often impact his or her loved ones emotionally. It is never easy for family members to help their loved ones get clean. By attending Nar Anon meetings, family and friends can learn valuable tools that can guide the person they love onto the road of recovery. Nar Anon programs also provide loved ones with an environment where they can share their experiences without judgement.
Manitou Presbyterian Church
Where: 6613 South Cheyenne Street, Tacoma, Washington 98409
Distance away: 9.3 miles
St. John's Episcopal Church
Where: 114 20th Avenue SE., Olympia, Washington 98501
Distance away: 13.5 miles
Harbor Covenant Church
Where: 5601 Gustafason Dr. NW., Gig Harbor, Washington 98335
Distance away: 14.8 miles
Many teenagers often have a difficult time coming to terms with addiction when the addict is a family member. These teens may be forced to grow up a lot earlier, as they see more issues. Alateen meetings are designed for those between the ages of 8 to 21.
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Where: 1001 Princeton Street, Fircrest, WA, 98466, USA
Age range: 10 to 18
Distance away: 18.3 km
Tibbet’s United Methodist Church
Where: 3940 41st Avenue SW, Seattle, WA, 98116, USA
Age range: 13 to 18
Distance away: 43.3 km
Poulsbo Middle School
Where: 2003 NE Hostmark St, Poulsbo, WA, 98370, USA
Age range: 11 to 15
Distance away: 43.5 km
Science-based meetings, like Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART), are becoming increasingly popular. These meetings teach members practical recovery skills that help them manage addictive behaviors.
Bldg 111
Where: 9600 Veterans Drive S.W. Lakewood, WA 98493 USA
Alta Counseling
Where: 1712 6th Ave Ste 400 Tacoma, WA 98405, USA
Gig Harbor Thursday
Where: 5500 Olympic Drive , Gig Harbor, Washington 98335, USA
Northpoint Seattle is an outpatient facility with two locations. Our closest facility to DuPoint, Washington is located in Bellevue, which is about an hour drive away. Our other location is located in the neighborhood of Northgate in Seattle.
Both of our alcohol and drug addiction treatment facilities offer the following addiction treatment programs: outpatient treatment, Intensive Outpatient treatment and Partial Hospitalization treatment. Check out our outpatient programs to see what may be a better fit for your needs.
Although the Northpoint Seattle may not be a recovery solution for everyone, we strive to offer a diverse range of addiction treatment services, programs and plans. Our goal is to help those struggling with addiction achieve long-term recovery.
To learn more about our programs, contact us at any time. Our addiction specialists and admissions team are available 24 hours a day. | https://www.northpointseattle.com/washington/dupont/ |
BACKGROUND
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to circuits and, particularly, to a power conversion circuit, and an electronic device with the power conversion circuit.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays, electronic device, such as mobile phone, tablet computer, media player, usually has an audio play back function. Therefore, a power amplifier is a necessary component in the electronic device with the audio play back function. Usually, there is need to provide positive voltage and negative voltage to power the power amplifier at the same time by using a power conversion circuit. However, the common power conversion circuit is complex and expensive.
A power conversion circuit and an electronic device with the power conversion circuit, to overcome the described limitations is thus needed.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 1 and 2
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Referring to together, an electronic device of the embodiment is shown. The electronic device includes a power conversion circuit , a power port , and a power amplifier . The power port is used to connect to a power source , for example a power adapter, a battery, for example. The power amplifier is used to amplify audio signals. The power amplifier includes a positive voltage input port and a negative voltage input port .
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The power conversion circuit is connected between the power port and the power amplifier . The power conversion circuit includes a pulse width modulator , a feedback module , a negative voltage producing module , a voltage regulating module , a path switch , and a rectifier module .
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The path switch is electrically connected between the power port and the power amplifier . The feedback module is connected to the positive voltage input port of the power amplifier , and is used to obtain the voltage of the positive voltage input port and produce a feedback signal reflecting the voltage of the positive voltage input port .
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The pulse width modulator is connected to the path switch and the feedback module . The pulse width modulator is used to output a pulse signal with a certain duty cycle to the path switch and receive the feedback signal from the feedback module . The pulse width modulator is also used to adjust the duty cycle of the pulse signal to a suitable duty cycle according to the feedback signal received from the feedback module , and then output the pulse signal with the suitable duty cycle. Therefore, the path switch is turned on and off alternately according to the pulse signal, and converts a voltage of the power supply connected by the power port to a switching power supply signal.
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The rectifier module is connected between the path switch and the positive voltage input port of the power amplifier , and is used to convert the switching power supply signal to a direct current signal with a suitable positive voltage and provide the suitable positive voltage to the positive voltage input port .
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The negative voltage producing module and the voltage regulating module is electrically connected between the path switch and the negative voltage input port of the power amplifier in series. The negative voltage producing module produces a first negative voltage when the path switch is turned on, and produces a second negative voltage when the path switch is turned off.
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The voltage regulating module is used to regulate the first negative voltage and the second negative voltage to a suitable negative voltage and provide the suitable negative voltage to the negative voltage input port of the power amplifier .
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Therefore, the power conversion circuit converts the voltage of the power supply connected to the power port to a positive voltage and the negative voltage to power the power amplifier .
FIG. 2
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In detail, as shown in , the path switch is an n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOSFET) Q. The pulse width modulator includes a feedback port and a control port . The feedback port is connected to the feedback module , and the control port of the pulse width modulator is connected to a gate of the NMOSFET Q. A source of the NMOSFET Q is connected to the power port . In another embodiment, the path switch can be a negative-positive-negative bipolar junction transistor (NPN BJT). In further embodiments, the path switch can be a P-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (PMOSFET) or a positive-negative-positive bipolar junction transistor (PNP BJT).
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The pulse width modulator receives the feedback signal from the feedback module via the feedback port , and outputs the pulse signal with a corresponding duty cycle to the gate of the NMOSFET Q, then the NMOSFET Q is turned on or off alternately. Then the switching power supply signal is produced due to the NMOSFET Q is turned on or off alternately.
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1
2
The feedback module includes a first resistor R and a second resistor R which are connected between the positive voltage input terminal and ground. A connection node A of the first resistor R and the second resistor R is connected to the feedback port . In the embodiment, the feedback signal is a voltage of the connection node A. Obviously, to those familiar with the art, a voltage of the connection node A is proportional to the voltage of the positive voltage input terminal . Assume the voltage of the positive voltage input terminal is Vcc, then the voltage of the connection node A is Vcc*R/(R+R).
10
31
31
31
10
1
31
10
1
31
In detail, the pulse width modulator receives the feedback signal, and determines the voltage of the positive voltage input terminal according to the feedback signal, and compares the voltage of the positive voltage input terminal with a predetermined positive voltage. Therein, the predetermined positive voltage is the suitable positive voltage provided for the positive voltage input terminal . The pulse width modulator enhances the duty cycle of the pulse signal output to the gate of the NMOSFET Q when determining the voltage of the positive voltage input terminal is less than the predetermined positive voltage. The pulse width modulator decreases the duty cycle of the pulse signal output to the gate of the NMOSFET Q when determining the voltage of the positive voltage input terminal is greater than the predetermined positive voltage.
60
1
1
1
1
1
31
3
60
The rectifier module includes an inductor L and a capacitor C which are connected between a drain of the NMOSFET Q. A connection node of the inductor L and the capacitor C is connected to the positive voltage input port of the power amplifier . The rectifier module converts the switching power supply signal to a direct current signal with the suitable voltage.
30
2
3
1
2
1
2
3
1
2
21
3
1
30
22
3
2
3
The negative voltage producing module includes capacitors C, C, a first diode D, and a second diode D. The first diode D, the second diode D, and the capacitor C are connected in series and constitute a loop circuit. Therein, a cathode of the first diode D is connected to an anode of the second diode D. A first terminal P of the capacitor C is connected to the anode of the first diode D and constitutes an output port of the negative voltage producing module , a second terminal P of the capacitor C is connected to the cathode of the second diode D and is also connected to ground via a resistor R.
2
1
1
1
2
The capacitor C is connected between the drain of the NMOSFET Q and a connection node N of the cathode of the first diode D and the anode of the second diode D.
40
3
3
3
30
32
3
The voltage regulating module includes a zener diode D. A cathode of the zener diode D is grounded, and an anode of the zener diode D is connected to the output port OP of the negative voltage producing module and the negative voltage input port of the power amplifier .
50
1
2
50
3
2
22
21
2
22
3
22
21
30
3
32
3
When the path switch , namely the NMOSFET Q is turned on, the capacitor C is charged via the turned on path switch , and the capacitor C is charged via the second diode D. Therefore, the voltage of the second terminal P is higher than the voltage of the first terminal P of the capacitor C. Because the second terminal P is grounded via the resistor R, the voltage of the second terminal P is nearly zero, and the voltage of the first terminal P is a negative voltage accordingly. Then the negative voltage producing module outputs the first negative voltage, the zener diode D regulates the first negative voltage to a predetermined negative voltage and provides the predetermined negative voltage to the negative voltage input port of the power amplifier .
50
1
2
3
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
21
3
1
When the path switch , namely the NMOSFET Q is turned off, the capacitor C is discharged via the resistor R, and the voltage of the terminal of the capacitor C connected to the drain of the NMOSFET Q is decreased to zero. The voltage of the other terminal of the capacitor C connected to the connection node N is lower than the terminal connected to the drain of the NMOSFET Q when the NMOSFET Q is turned on, and the situation would maintain for a period of time after the NMOSFET Q is turned off. Therefore, the voltage of the other terminal of the capacitor C connected to the connection node N is a negative voltage, the voltage of the first terminal P of the capacitor C is pulled down to a second negative voltage lower than the first negative voltage via the first diode D.
3
32
3
The zener diode D regulates the second negative voltage to the predetermined negative voltage and provides the predetermined negative voltage to the negative voltage input port of the power amplifier .
3
1
Therefore, the present disclosure can provide the suitable positive voltage and the suitable negative voltage to power the power amplifier via the power conversion circuit .
It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Many aspects of the present disclosure are better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of an electronic device with a power supply circuit, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 2
FIG. 1
is a circuit diagram of a power supply device of the electronic device of , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. | |
pressure of 1,440 psig at 70°F (101.5 kg/cm2-g at 21°C). The silane release from a fully open cylinder valve (Cv = 0.25) with no RFO is calculated to be 414 scfm (11,700 slpm) producing a jet fire length in still air of 20 ft (6.1 m). The silane release from the same cylinder incorporating a 0.010 inch (0.25 mm) diameter RFO is calculated to be
There are also two other specialized units of pressure measurement in the SI system: the Bar, equal to 105 Pa and the Torr, equal to 133 Pa. Meteorologists, scientists who study weather patterns, use the millibar (mb) which is equal to 0.001 bars. At sea level, atmospheric pressure is approximately 1013 mb.
On the other hand, some fields require accurate air pressure measurements for a variety of applications. That calls for more than a basic formula. That's why it's useful to understand the differences between PSI, PSIA, and PSIG. PSI, PSIA, and PSIG. PSI, PSIA, and PSIG—they're all units of pressure measurement.In order to get the psi to lbs multiplier for our motorcycle manufacturing friends, we need to calculate the area of the 5 inch diameter ram. The formula for this is: Area = pi X the radius 2 (A=πR 2). So we multiply π (3.14) by 6.25 inches (radius of 2.5 inches 2) to get 19.625 square inches.The unit is intended for low pressure applications up to 30 PSIG (2 bar). The PK II tester may also be calibrated to the user’s local gravity or to inches or centimeters of H. 2. O at 20°C per ISA recommended practices, or to reference water columns at 60°F per AGA standard practices. Task: Convert 75 psi to bars (show work) Formula: psi ÷ 14.5038 = bar Calculations: 75 psi ÷ 14.5038 = 5.17106797 bar Result: 75 psi is equal to 5.17106797 bar Conversion Table For quick reference purposes, below is a conversion table that you can use to convert from psi to bar.LIQUID FLOW CV EQUATION Cv = Q G ∆P This equation applied to all liquids including cryogenic liquids. LEGEND Cv - Flow coefficient Q - Flow in GPM ∆P - Differential Pressure (Difference between inlet and outlet pressure) in PSI. G - Specific Gravity (Taken from Properties of Liquids) EXAMPLE GIVEN: Flow - 20 GPM of Water Inlet pressure ...
Pneumatic Testing of Pipelines as an Alternative to Hydrostatic Testing David Simpson posted on July 31, 2014 | The site www.eng-tips.com is a technical forum for practicing engineers to discuss relevant topics with other practicing engineers. Instant free online tool for psi to bar conversion or vice versa. The psi [psi] to bar conversion table and conversion steps are also listed. Also, explore tools to convert psi or bar to other pressure units or learn more about pressure conversions.174 psig/374˚F 12 barg/190˚C TMA Max. allowable temperature 374˚F/0-174 psig 190˚C/0-12 barg Typical Applications Clean steam, gas, and liquid supplies to bio-reactors, centrifuges, freeze dryers (lyophiliz-ers), sterilizers, autoclaves, process tanks, Capacities Pressure ranges 4 – 16 psi 0.3 – 1.1 bar 12 – 36 psi 0.8 – 2.5 bar Saturation Pressure-Temperature Data for R-134a (psig)* *Red Italics Indicate Inches of Mercury Below Atmospheric Pressure. Title: Forane 134a Pressure Temperature Chart Dec 17, 2011 · For displacement pumps (rotary and reciprocating), NPSH values are normally expressed in pressure units such as pounds per square inch (psi), kilopascals, or bars. NPSH values are neither gauge pressures nor absolute pressures. The g in psig means that the pressure is measured above atmospheric pressure. | https://tszsy.l0l.in.net/new-bright-9.6-v-battery.html |
Location: Ground floor of the old building with a high ceilings, near the Primorskiy Blvd, Potemkin stairs and the sea side.
Current price for 4 and more nights: $42/night.
For 1 night rent: +$10.00
For 2-3 nights : +$ 5.00
small apartment of 30 sq.m. Queen size bed and a choach with the airchairs. Fully equipped for the comfortable stay.
Reservation. You may book this apartment for the dates of your visit. Check availability first (fill and send the form below) and provide deposit (10% of the total amount but not less than a 1 night stay fee) if the apartment is available. | http://www.ukraine-accommodation.com/apartments/odessa/view_detail/?type=7&town=2&obj=138 |
Although her body is paralyzed and she doesn’t believe in love, Tova the Matchmaker works tirelessly to find love for everybody else.
Lilach Wallach, walla.co.il
Ariana Melamed, Ynet
15 June 2015 Jewish Renaissance: “You find yourself hoping against hope that they will find happiness…” Film review (UK)
18 May 2014 Ynet: “Rolling through the chambers of the heart.” Film review (Israel, Hebrew)
18 May 2014 walla.co.il: “Realistic and charming documentary…” Film Review (Israel, Hebrew)
Music: ELI SOORANI
Tova, who is paralyzed due to muscular dystrophy, specializes in matchmaking for people with disabilities. Even though Tova herself does not believe in love, she has had remarkable success as a matchmaker, and her passion for the job and her clients is undeniable. Her tough-love approach has invented a unique matchmaking style which has inspired many to flock to her apartment where her husband and daughter weigh in as she assigns matches.
This documentary follows Tova over the course of a year, introducing the viewer to her family and inviting us to join in on her pain, humor, love and enormous lust for life. | https://www.heymannfilms.com/movie/do-you-believe-in-love/press/ |
HEAT oven to 500°F. BEAT eggs and milk in large bowl until blended. POUR 1/2 of the egg mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. PLACE 6 bread slices in pan; turn slices over and let stand until egg mixture is absorbed. PLACE bread in single layer on well-greased baking sheet.
REPEAT with remaining egg mixture and bread, using a second baking sheet.
BAKE in 500°F oven 6 minutes. TURN slices over; spread with butter, if desired. BAKE until golden brown and no visible liquid egg remains, 3 to 4 minutes longer. SERVE or FREEZE for later use.
Serve with your favorite syrup or preserves, or try applesauce, vanilla yogurt, cinnamon sugar or chopped nuts.
To freeze: Cool French toast on wire racks. Return to baking sheets; freeze in single layer 1 to 2 hours. Wrap well, individually or stacked; freeze up to 1 month.
To reheat frozen French toast: Single servings can be reheated in the toaster. To reheat more servings, unwrap slices, place on baking sheets and bake in preheated 375°F oven until hot, 8 to 10 minutes. | https://www.incredibleegg.org/recipe/baked-french-toast/ |
Tillicum Beach campground
Tillicum Beach campground, located on the central Oregon coast between the towns of Waldport and Yachats, provides great access to hiking in the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area.
Highlights
Campsites with views of the ocean and an expansive beach make this a popular campground. Note that not all of the sites are next to the ocean, with most of the campsites located in a wooded area. Located 4 miles south of Waldport and 3 miles north of Yachats, this campground has 60 campsites for RVs and tents. While the campsites vary in size, most have good privacy with trees and shrubs separating them. Note that there is some highway noise due to being located next to Highway 101, but this also provides great access to exploring the central Oregon coast, including Cape Perpetua located 6 miles south. View campground map.
Campground info
- Location: central Oregon Coast – Google map
- Campground & park info: Tillicum Beach campground
- Campsite cost: tent sites – $28 per night; RV sites – $36 per night
- Reservations: reserve online up to 6 months in advance at www.recreation.gov or phone 1-877-444-6777
- Season: open all year
- Facilities: 60 total campsites, some have partial hookups (no dump station)
- Amenities: potable water, flushing toilets, picnic tables, fire pits, beach access
- Nearby town for supplies: Waldport and Yachats – gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores
Hiking trails near the campground
The Cape Perpetua Scenic Area is located 6 miles south of Tillicum Beach campground. With 26 miles of trails, this area contains some of the best remaining old growth forest on the Oregon Coast. Also not to be missed are short trails to coastline features including Devils Churn, Cooks Chasm, Thors Well, and Spouting Horn. A visitors center has exhibits that highlight the cultural and natural history of this unique area. View my trip report for the Cooks Ridge/Gwynn Creek loop hike. | https://www.iheartpacificnorthwest.com/blog_post/tillicum-beach-campground/ |
Janet Griffith is a Coordinator within the Student Access Services at Rose State College. She is the only full time employee within the department, working alongside a part-time AT specialist.
Understanding Admin Burden
We hear it time and time again – volunteer note takers cost a huge amount of time and effort to organize. And when this burden is paired with small disability support departments and a lack of financial resources, faculty can become swamped. Despite the hard work of everyone in these departments, the service they provide to their students can begin to be affected.
‘A couple of years ago we had the realization we were not meeting the needs of students approved for note taking accommodations.’
Rose State’s Increasing Workload
The number of students needing support from Rose State’s Access Services has increased by 217% in the last 10 years. But Janet remains the only full time employee in the department.
She realized there were major gaps in the services being provided. Their system depended on what she called ‘the kindness of strangers’ – people willing to share their notes with another student. Furthermore, these ‘strangers’ needed an extensive skill set to benefit the student needing support. Skills such as:
- Good note taking
- Good penmanship
- Good attention in class
- Consistent attendance
- Commitment to finish the semester
Unfortunately, this meant students often received inadequate notes. In fact, 50% of students surveyed explained that the notes they received before using Sonocent only allowed them ‘to get by’.
‘We found many students either do not know how to make notes, or do not adequately understand the value of taking notes.’
Implementing Sonocent
After speaking to us at the AHEAD conference, Janet decided to try out our Pilot Program. The following semester, as one of Disability Services’ busiest periods of the year began, Janet started to feel the benefit of Sonocent.
Initially student engagement with the software was challenging. But Janet was able to host two 1-hour training sessions with students. The sessions consisted of showing the training videos that Sonocent provides, helping with software installation, and answering any questions or concerns. This made life so much easier for Janet as it freed up a lot of time to be able to provide support in different ways.
‘We showed them the 3 minute intro video that Sonocent provided and let it do the explaining.’
Here is one of a selection of our training videos:
These videos are provided alongside Audio Notetaker for both faculty and students. It means time spent implementing Sonocent is minimal.
‘The videos make it simple enough that even an old person like me can figure out what to do.’
Student Feedback
During Rose State’s pilot, Janet conducted student surveys asking for feedback on the software. After receiving this feedback, Janet felt confident that students were now getting the note taking support that they needed.
What’s next?
For Janet, the goal is to give students the tools to function independently and build success. Therefore, it was clear to her that Rose State should go on to purchase Sonocent licences. She used the survey data to explain her ‘win-win’ situation to the Vice President of Information Technology. From there she accessed funding to purchase 50 licences for two years.
In the future, she hopes Rose State will purchase a site licence so Sonocent is available to all students. | https://blog.sonocent.com/2019/05/31/improving-note-taking-accommodations-and-reducing-admin-burden-how-rose-state-succeeded-in-implementing-sonocent/ |
The province is teaming up with the federal government to make sure companies consider hiring local workers before resorting to temporary foreign workers.
The program will use already-available data on workers — such as employment insurance numbers — to determine if there are Albertans available in certain skilled trades. For example, if a business applies for temporary foreign workers who specialize in carpentry, the application may be denied if there are Albertan carpenters looking for work.
If that happens, the business will be matched up with a liaison officer who will put them in contact with the local workers.
The program is a pilot, targeting specific skilled trades, and won’t cost anything because the province already employs the liaison workers.
Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray and federal Labour Minister Patricia Hadju announced the new program at the NAIT Centre for Applied Technology on Wednesday morning.
As Advertised in the Edmonton SUN
As Alberta's economy slowly turns the corner and shows the first signs of growth, the province is hoping to offer local workers a helping hand.
Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray and federal Labour Minister Patricia Hadju will announce a new program that focuses on hiring local workers, at the NAIT Centre for Applied Technology on Wednesday morning.
The announcement starts at 9:30 a.m.. Stay tuned for more details as they become available. | |
.
Prep Time
20
mins
Cook Time
12
mins
Total Time
32
mins
Course:
Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
halloween cookies, monster cookies
Servings:
24
Calories:
147
kcal
Author:
Joanna Cismaru
Equipment
KitchenAid Hand Mixer
Aluminum Baking Sheet (2 pack)
Ingredients
6
tablespoon
butter
softened
2
large
eggs
8
ounce
cream cheese
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
1
box
white cake mix
neon food coloring
½
cup
powdered sugar
candy eyeballs
US Customary
-
Metric
Instructions
Preheat Oven:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix Ingredients:
Add the, butter, eggs, cream cheese and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix until smooth. Add the cake mix and mix until well combined.
Add Color:
Divide the cake batter between 4 bowl, add a different dye color to each bowl and mix well. Roll dough into balls and then roll each ball through powdered sugar. To make this easier, use an ice cream scoop. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet.
Bake:
Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. While the cookies are still warm stick the candy eyeballs over the cookies. Cool completely before serving.
Notes
Optional step: If you find the cake batter is too soft and you cannot roll them into balls, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes first.
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for
4 days at room temp
, or up to
1 week in the fridge
.
Wait until your cookies have completely cooled, then freeze in an airtight container or plastic freezer bag for
up to 3 months
.
Nutrition
Serving:
1
cookie
|
Calories:
147
kcal
|
Carbohydrates:
22
g
|
Protein:
2
g
|
Fat:
6
g
|
Saturated Fat:
3
g
|
Cholesterol:
28
mg
|
Sodium:
205
mg
|
Potassium:
42
mg
|
Fiber:
1
g
|
Sugar:
13
g
|
Vitamin A:
163
IU
|
Calcium:
64
mg
|
Iron: | https://www.jocooks.com/wprm_print/recipe/30467 |
As a mom with three little ones, I understand and live through the daily vegetable battle. My two older boys have distinctly different tastes when it comes to vegetables. The middle man likes most of them plain, straight steamed or boiled, with a little salt and pepper. But he won’t touch carrots to save his or my life. My older guy needs to have just about every vegetable that goes onto his plate doctored somehow. Except “trees,” he’ll eat broccoli straight up. Well, and green beans too, but only if he picked them from the garden!
So the ultimate vegetable challenge at our house revolves mostly around carrots. One won’t touch them, and the other requires them doctored up. These gingered carrots “coins,” as we call them, have done the trick! With just the right amount of sweetness and the bold ginger flavor, these carrots please both of my boys.
Gingered Carrot Coins
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. whole carrots peeled and sliced into circles
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or other sweetener
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup water
- 1 sprinkle cinnamon
Instructions
- Place the peeled and sliced carrots into a saucepan with 1 cups of water. Let the carrots boil in the water for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until slightly softened.
- While the carrots are cooking, place the butter or margarine and brown sugar into a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 15 seconds. Stir together and mix in the ground ginger.
- Pour the melted butter-brown sugar mixture over the carrots and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, allowing the butter to glaze the carrots.
- Sprinkle cinnamon over the carrots before serving.
- Serve Gingered Carrot Coins, as side dish.
How do you get your children to eat their vegetables? Do you sneak them into dishes? Do you doctor them like these carrots? | https://www.5dollardinners.com/gingered-carrot-coins/ |
To create a corpus of ₹10 crore in 10 years, you will have to invest ₹4.05 lakh every month for the coming 10 years, if the returns from your equity portfolio are assumed to be 12% per annum
If we assume a 10% yearly return, you will have to invest ₹4.58 lakh per month. The monthly investment also includes the growth of the present corpus of ₹32 lakh at the same rate. Alternatively, you can start investing ₹1.8 lakh every month and increase systematic investment plan (SIP) amount by 20% every year to achieve your goal assuming a 12% annual return. While the information on the monthly investible surplus is not available, if I assume that your monthly investible surplus is ₹50,000, you will be able to create a corpus of ₹2.1 crore.
For a monthly investment of ₹1 lakh, your corpus could reach ₹3.2 crore, and for a monthly investment of ₹2 lakh, you will be able to accumulate ₹5.43 crore at the end of 10 years. This can help you get some idea of how much you will be able to accumulate depending on your monthly surplus.
On the portfolio construction, it is better to diversify investment across six to eight funds. Along with the existing funds, you can consider funds like Canara Robeco Emerging Equities Fund, Sundaram Large & Mid Cap Fund, SBI or IIFL Focused Equity Fund, and Kotak Emerging Equity Fund. You can restrict the allocation to Kotak Emerging Equity Fund to 10% as this is a mid-cap fund and carries additional risk.
10 Crore rupees in Lumpsum Investment
It may appear impossible to create a plan to build Rs. 10 crore in 20 years. However, much like planning for any financial goal, you must ascertain three things.
First, start-up cash or the first investment. The yearly returns, second. Thirdly, there is the time frame, which in this case is 20 years.
Calculating the starting money and the yearly returns you would need to attain over the following 20 years is one method to make plans for this Rs. 10 crore aim.
For instance, if you had Rs. 10 lakh in investible excess, you would reach Rs. 10 crore after 20 years at a rate of return of 26%. Similar to this, it will take 20 years and a 20.3 percent yearly return for someone starting with Rs. 25 lakh to attain Rs. 10 crores.
The issue remains in the prospect of obtaining a 20 or 25 percent annual return every year for the following 20 years, despite the fact that the math is straightforward. Such astounding gains are only seen during market rallies, and obtaining such returns continuously over the following two decades looks to be nearly impossible.
However, if history is any indication, such returns are not unusual. Over the past 20 years, up to 19 Indian mutual fund schemes have generated an average annual return of 20%. And each of these is a Regular Plan. That would have been an extra 1-1.5 percent increase in returns if these had been Direct Plans.
Investing monthly using a Sip for Mutual Funds
The ideal approach to accomplish your long-term objectives is with a SIP investment in an equity mutual fund plan. It might potentially provide better returns than other asset classes. It could also aid in your fight against inflation, which is necessary to reach long-term objectives. They also receive favourable tax treatment. Long-term Capital Gains Tax on Investments Held for More Than A Year Is Now Tax-Free
Use our Investment Calculator to have an idea of the returns calculations.
According to the Union Budget for Fiscal Year 2018–19 as of First February Gains above one lakh per year are subject to a 10% tax, meaning that if a person makes 1.1 lakhs in long-term capital gains in a fiscal year, he must pay tax on the following amount: 1,10,000 – 1,00,000 = 10,000. Taxes of $1,000 result from 10% of $10,000.
SIP Plans to Earn $10 Million
You need discipline to amass a nine-figure fortune. And making investments through a SIP programme is probably the most efficient method to achieve it.
Investors are required to make a specified amount of money contributions at regular intervals under a systematic investment plan, or SIP. Additionally, even modest long-term SIP investments in mutual funds may dramatically increase your wealth.
You can construct a strategy for building a Rs. 10 crore corpus using certain SIP-related general guidelines. One such thumb rule is known as the 15-15-15 rule. According to the 15-15-15 rule, if you maintain a monthly SIP of Rs. 15,000 for 15 years and the mutual fund plan generates an annualised return of 15%, you would end up with a corpus of Rs. 1 crore.
Simply said, earning Rs. 1 crore with Rs. 15,000 a month for 15 years at a rate of 15% is possible.This 15-15-15 rule can also be usefully modified somewhat. For example, if you change this rule into a 15-15-30 rule, where you invest Rs. 15,000 at a rate of 15% over 30 years, you may amass a corpus of Rs. 10 crore.
In order to reach all of your financial goals, you should consider giving yourself a longer runway if you are in your 20s or 30s. You should also never undervalue the significance of disciplined investing utilising the SIP technique. However, the goal is to merely amass Rs. 10 crore in the next 20 years. Furthermore, you cannot place your faith in the possibility that stocks may provide a 15 %, 20%, or 25% annualised return.
SIP and Lumpsum in Combination
The difficulty of reaching a big amount like Rs. 10 crore is far more manageable when the lumpsum strategy and the SIP approach are combined.
Say, for instance, that our initial investment was Rs. 10 lakh. When this Rs. 10 lakh is compounded over 20 years, the wealth it creates is now roughly equivalent to what you would invest if you put aside Rs. 10,000 each month for the following 20 years. This indicates that you may attain your goal with a smaller SIP of Rs. 90,000 rather from needing to spend a lakh per month. The monthly SIP amount would also continue to decrease if the initial lump payment corpus was bigger, such as Rs. 30 lakhs or Rs. 50 lakh.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the goal of this blog is to provide you with investing ideas and tactics that will enable you to amass a sizeable corpus over time. The sum of Rs. 10 crore was used as a stand-in. Let’s say you wish to develop a strategy for a different sum, such as Rs. 5 crore, Rs. 15 crore, or any other sum you want. If so, you may quickly put together an investing strategy utilising the same investment concepts covered in this blog: Start with a substantial lump sum investment and then make disciplined SIP investments moving forward. | https://www.omozing.com/how-to-make-10-crore-corpus-in-10-years/ |
There are many reasons for wanting to change your username in Windows 11. Maybe a typo happened during setup, or the name has to be changed for security reasons. It takes just a few simple steps to rename your user account or Microsoft account. Read on to find out how.
Contents
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SSL certificate24/7/365 supportHow to change the username of a local account in Windows 11
Local user accounts are the classic account type for logging on to Windows operating systems. The account provides access to all important resources and lets users adjust settings and install applications. However, unlike Microsoft accounts, which are discussed in the next section, you cannot use local user accounts across multiple devices.
If you want to change the username of a local Windows 11 account, follow the step-by-step instructions below:
Step 1: Launch Control Panel
Local user accounts are managed via the Windows 11 Control Panel. You can open this by launching the search function (magnifying glass icon) and typing “Control Panel” or typing “control” into the search bar. Alternatively, use the Windows shortcut[Win] + [R] to start the “Run” dialog and open the configuration menu by typing “control”.
Windows 11: search for “Control Panel”Step 2: Call User Accounts
In the Control Panel, click on “User Accounts”. Then click on “Change account type”. Depending on your system’s security settings administrator rights may be required for this step.
User Accounts in Windows 11Step 3: Change the username of the local Windows 11 account
In the next window, left-click the local user account you wish to change. Windows 11 will open a menu to customize the account. Select the “Change the account name” option:
Windows 11 window “Change the account name”
Enter the desired username and complete the name change by clicking on “Change Name”.
Windows 11: Change username – Local account Tip
Not a Windows 11 user? You can change the username in Windows 10 just as easily.
How to change the Windows 11 username of a Microsoft account
Since Windows 10, you can log in to the system as a user using your Microsoft account. The main advantage is that you can synchronize your system settings across multiple devices. However, the respective device has to be connected to the Internet.
Usually, the email address associated with the Microsoft account acts as your username. However, you can also enter your first and last name. These entries can be modified at any time. The steps to do so are summarized in the following section.
Step 1: Log in to Microsoft account
If you want to modify the Windows 11 username associated with your Microsoft account, you must first log in to the web-based Microsoft Account Management. You can access the login page from the system settings as follows:
Login page to manage Windows accountStep 2: Launch menu to manage personal settings
After login, your browser presents a detailed overview of your Microsoft account: linked devices, subscriptions, privacy settings, and more. Below the menu bar, the current Windows 11 username associated with the account is displayed. To change it, navigate to the “Your info” menu tab.
Microsoft account: Management on the WebStep 3: Change username of Windows 11 Microsoft account
Click on “Edit name” to adjust the entries for first and last name. Then solve the captcha and apply the changes by hitting “Save”:
Microsoft account: edit name
The username associated with the Microsoft account should now be customized to your liking. You can always swap back to the previous name using the same steps. The same principle applies if you want to change the Windows 11 username of a local account.
Related articlesHow to partition a hard drive in Windows 10
Partitioning a hard drive is relatively simple and has several advantages. It makes it easier to manage your disk space and makes your data more secure in the event of an accident. Our step-by-step guide shows you how to partition a hard drive in Windows 10.
Cloud ServersSee packages Web hosting for agencies
Provide powerful and reliable service to your clients with a web hosting package from IONOS. | https://www.deshonlineit.com/how-to-change-your-username-in-windows-11/ |
[unreadable] [unreadable] An important goal in cancer research is to identify genomic biomarkers that can be used to obtain a better understanding of the genetic basis of cancers, and construct models that can be used to predict cancer occurrence and progression. Many studies have used microarrays to identify genes that have altered expression levels in various cancer tissues. Meta analysis makes it possible to (1) effectively combine experiments with different microarray platforms and/or other setup; (2) lead to more reliable and consistent gene identification results across studies and more satisfactory predictions; and (3) identify genes that are commonly activated in different types of cancer. [unreadable] [unreadable] The proposed study is the first to investigate novel regularized methods for microarray meta analysis where cancer clinical outcomes are measured along with gene expressions in multiple independent experiments. The proposed approaches can (1) effectively combine data from different platforms/ experimental setup; (2) carry out efficient biomarker selection and predictive model building simultaneously; and (3) identify influential genes that are important across different experiments, while allowing for experiment-specific predictive models. [unreadable] [unreadable] The specific aims of this study include: (1) Develop MTGDR (Meta Threshold Gradient Directed Regularization) method for regularized microarray meta analysis. (2) Develop penalized group-bridge method for regularized microarray meta analysis. (3) Apply the proposed general methodologies to cancer classification and survival analysis with microarray data. Develop user-friendly R packages implementing the proposed approaches and make them publicly available. [unreadable] [unreadable] We will consider cancer microarray meta analysis where individual experiments can have categorical clinical outcomes and right censored survival outcomes. Analysis of practical cancer studies and extensive simulations will be conducted to assess performance of proposed approaches and compare with alternatives. In this application, we emphasize not only development of new general methodologies, but also their computer implementation, applications and empirical performances. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]
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- Vernal pools are small, temporary bodies of water that can serve as critical habitat for frogs, salamanders, reptiles, invertebrates, and other species. This project compiled a comprehensive GIS dataset of known and potential vernal pool locations in the North Atlantic region, reviewing vernal pool mapping approaches, and demonstrating a remote sensing method to identify potential vernal pool sites.
- Stream Temperature Inventory and Mapper
- This project developed a coordinated, multi-agency regional stream temperature framework and database for New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Great Lakes states. The project compiled metadata about existing stream temperature monitoring locations and networks; developed a web-based decision support mapper to display, integrate, and share that information; built a community of contacts with interest in this effort; and developed data portal capabilities that integrate stream temperature data from several sources.
- North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative
- This project is developing a partner-driven, science-based approach for identifying and prioritizing culvert road stream crossings in the area impacted by Hurricane Sandy for increasing resilience to future floods while improving aquatic connectivity for fish passage. The resulting information and tools will be used to inform and improve decision making by towns, states and other key decision makers.
- Development of a Rapid Assessment Protocol for Aquatic Passability of Tidally Influenced Road-Stream Crossings
- There is growing interest among conservation practitioners to have a method to assess tidally influenced crossings for their potential as barriers to aquatic organism passage. Protocols designed for freshwater streams will not adequately address the passage challenges of bi-directional flow and widely variable depth and velocity of tidally influenced systems. Diadromous and coastal fish must be able to overcome the enhanced water velocities associated with tidal restrictions to reach upstream spawning habitat. This project will build on the existing North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative's protocol, database and scoring procedures to extend the applicability of this region-wide program to road-stream crossings in tidally influenced settings.
- Salt marsh Habitat and Avian Research Program (SHARP)
- A collaborative effort to assess risks and set response priorities for tidal-marsh dependent bird species from Virginia to maritime Canada.
- Salt marsh modeling coupled with hydrodynamic modeling
- Combining marsh equilibrium modeling approach with a hydrodynamic modeling approach, this coupled model forecasts the evolution of marsh landscapes under different sea-level rise scenarios, with or without marsh restoration and storm surge factored in, to inform future management decisions with regard to system dynamics.
- Piping Plovers and Sea-level Rise
- This collaborative project provided biologists and managers along the Atlantic coast with tools to predict effects of accelerating sea-level rise on the distribution of piping plover breeding habitat, test those predictions, and feed results back into the modeling framework to improve predictive capabilities. Immediate model results will be used to inform a coast-wide assessment of threats from sea-level rise and related habitat conservation recommendations that can be implemented by land managers and inform recommendations to regulators. Case studies incorporating resilience of piping plover habitat into management plans for specific locations demonstrate potential applications.
- iPlover: Piping plover habitat suitability in a changing climate
- Designed by scientists to simplify consistent data collection and management, the iPlover smartphone application gives trained resource managers an easy-to-use platform where they can collect and share data about coastal habitat utilization across a diverse community of field technicians, scientists, and managers. With the click of a button, users can contribute biological and geomorphological data to regional models designed to forecast the habitat outlook for piping plover, and other species that depend upon sandy beach habitat.
- Increasing Resiliency of Tidal Marsh Habitats and Species
- This project is designed to guide decisions about where to conduct tidal marsh restoration, conservation, and management to sustain coastal ecosystems and services, including the fish and wildlife that depend upon tidal marshes, taking into account rising sea levels and other stressors.
- Increasing Resiliency of Beach Habitats and Species
- This project is a coordinated effort by Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) partners to integrate existing data, models and tools with foundational data and assessments of both the impacts of Hurricane Sandy and the immediate response. The project will integrate new and existing data and build decision support tools to guide beach restoration, management and conservation actions. Project objectives are to sustain ecological function, habitat suitability for wildlife, and ecosystem services including flood abatement in the face of storm impacts and sea level rise.
- Identifying Resilient Sites for Coastal Conservation
- Sea levels are expected to rise by one to six feet over the next century, and coastal sites vary markedly in their ability to accommodate such inundation. In response to this threat, scientists from The Nature Conservancy evaluated 10,736 sites in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for the size, configuration and adequacy of their migration space, and for the natural processes necessary to support the migration of coastal habitats in response to sea-level rise.
- Decision Support Framework for Sea-level Rise Impacts
- One of the principal impacts of sea-level rise will be the loss of land in coastal areas through erosion and submergence of the coastal landscape. However, changes vary across space and time and are difficult to predict because landforms such as beaches, barriers, and marshes can respond to sea level rise in complicated, dynamic ways. This project developed decision support models to address critical management decisions at regional and local scales, considering both dynamic and simple inundation responses to sea-level rise.
- Beach and Tidal Habitat Inventories
- This series of reports, databases, and data layers generated using Google Earth imagery provides an inventory of sandy beach and tidal inlet habitats from Maine to North Carolina, as well as modifications to sandy beaches and tidal inlets prior to, immediately after, and three years after Hurricane Sandy.
- Atlantic and Gulf Coast Resiliency Project
- Coastal change is a shared challenge along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States, yet there are vast differences in the tools and information available in these regions. This project coordinated, synthesized, and delivered coastal resilience information, activities and lessons learned across the coastal portion of the Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) network.
- Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Models
- The project developed habitat capability models for representative wildlife species. It was part of a project led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst to enhance the capacity of partners to assess and design sustainable landscape conservation in the Northeast. These models (as subsequently expanded and enhanced by UMass) have been incorporated into two North Atlantic LCC-sponsored projects, "Connect the Connecticut" and "Nature's Network."
- River Corridor Assessment for the North Atlantic Region
- An urgent need exists to uniformly assess river corridors, including floodplains, and to prioritize areas for protection across the North Atlantic landscape. This project will develop a river corridor assessment method and conservation prioritization toolkit. The tools will be tested through three pilot projects across different topographies before being expanded to additional river corridors across the region.
- Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Areas (PARCAs)
- Amphibians and reptiles are experiencing threats throughout North America due to habitat loss and other factors. To help conserve these species, this project will identify Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Areas (PARCAs) that are most vital in sustaining amphibian and reptile populations, taking into account potential future climatic conditions.
- Prioritization and Conservation Status of Rare Plants in the North Atlantic
- This project created a prioritized list of rare plant species for conservation actions, with a comprehensive analysis of rarity, threats, trends, legal protection, inclusion in State Wildlife Action Plan revisions, conservation status, habitat, and climate change.
- North Atlantic LCC Demonstration Project: White Mountains to Moosehead Lake Initiative
- The purpose of this demonstration project was to show how North Atlantic LCC science products can be used to inform conservation for a Northeast habitat and resilience "hotspot." The Trust for Public Land will integrate LCC and other science products into a clearinghouse and analysis tool for parcel-level conservation planning in the 2.7 million acre White Mountains to Moosehead Lake region of Maine and New Hampshire.
- Impacts of Climate Change on Stream Temperature
- This study gathered existing stream temperature data, identified data gaps, deployed temperature monitoring to locations lacking data, and compared state-of-the-art stream temperature models across the Northeast domain. | http://landscape.abstractstaging.it/projects/projects-aggregator |
Algorithms Making Music
I’m someone who enjoys listening to music a lot. It’s become an important part of my daily life: I listen to music almost every day while working on my thesis or while doing things around the house. Being that I’m rather curious by nature, I’ve become interested in understanding music, so to speak. For slightly over a year now, I’ve taken a special interest in learning about music. I decided I’d like to combine my love of programming with my interest in music.
I love science, programming and other technical things. I enjoy building things and solving technical puzzles. The question that started to spike my curiosity with respect to music is the following one:
What is it that makes music sound “good”? What makes sound be music?
It’s a superficially simple question with a complicated answer, perhaps more than one answer, really. The most obvious issue with this question is that not everyone has the same musical tastes. Some people prefer musical genres that seem very different, from hip hop to dubstep to classical to jazz. Another issue is that it’s perhaps difficult to even define what music is. Where does something stop being noise and start becoming music? Your grandparents might say that Aphex Twin and dubstep aren’t music.
Perhaps my question partly answers itself. The main appeal I find in music is that some of it is very enjoyable to me. This is probably true for everyone. Music has the power to trigger a strong emotional response within us, that’s where the appeal lies, that’s why movies have soundtracks. Music comes in many varieties, but it’s also generally quite structured. To most people, music has rythm, it has repetition, it has tonal color and texture. As a technically-minded person, this is what interests me most: how do you structure sounds to build music out of them?
I took some piano lessons for a year or two when I was 6-7, but unfortunately, I barely remember anything besides the most basic things. In the interest of improving my musical knowledge, I bought several books about music, synthesizers and sound synthesis. Over the course of a year, by reading a little bit every day on the bus and the subway, and whenever I ended up in a waiting room, I was able to read the following books:
Music Theory for Computer Musicians
Composition for Computer Musicians
The Audio Programming Book
Computer Sound Synthesis for the Electronic Music
Welsh’s Synthesizer Cookbook
Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming
BasicSynth
Learning about synthesizers and sound synthesis was interesting as it gave me some understanding of how to create sounds and give them different textures. I ended up acquiring a microKORG synthesizer and installing synthesis software so I could play with this first-hand. Music theory is more directly related to the question of how to build music. People have been studying what makes music music for centuries. Music theory books don’t provide a magic recipe for songmaking, but they do provide some hints as to what kinds of pitches and musical structures tend to work well together.
I thought it would be interesting to attempt building software that can compose music on its own. If it was possible to infuse enough musical knowledge in a piece of software, it ought to be possible to get something that sounds musical out of it. There are obviously issues when it comes to making software be “creative”, but I still found the concept was interesting. What if you could at least use software to assist you in musical creation? Can’t think of a melody for your song? Generate random melodies and sample them. Use them as a starting point and modify them until you get something you like. This is computer-assisted musical composition.
A year ago, Dimitry Zolotaryov and I created a web application called EvoTune for a Google Hackathon event. The idea was simple: create software that can generate random drum loops using samples and a pattern sequencer. The software has elementary concepts about the structure of drum loops, but it relies on users voting for the best sounding patterns, which are then mated in a genetic algorithm sort of way. We found that EvoTune worked quite well in practice and produced usable drum loops.
I decided to embark on something a little more ambitious and try to create melodies using pitched instruments instead of drum samples. For the past few weeks, I’ve been building code for a virtual synthesizer and sequencer. I also wrote some code to generate chords and musical scales. I have a simple virtual analog synthesizer going that can be used to synthesize piano-like sounds. Below are some samples of my early experiments with procedural melody generation:
Sample 1 (C major)
Sample 2 (C major)
Sample 3 (A minor)
Sample 4 (G minor)
Whether I do that or not, I’ll probably try to generate more electronic techno/dance sounding melodies using this :)
-
Have you ever heard of Markov chains? You can use them to produce melodies that sound “good” because they have similar statistics to human-composed melodies (random google result: http://peabody.sapp.org/class/dmp2/lab/markov1/). I saw a capstone project at my alma mater that did this, and it sounded pretty good.
A similar application is to generate random text that has the same statistics as English. Given a sophisticated enough Markov chain, what comes out is pronouncable, albeit nonsense.
-
Glumling permalink
You may also want to check out these two guides and consider learning a technique called absolute pitch if you haven’t already. | https://pointersgonewild.com/2012/01/21/algorithms-making-music/ |
We have been developing various tools to enhance novice programmer experience, such as a type debugger and an algebraic stepper, for the strongly-typed functional language OCaml. However, novice programmers still suffer from syntax errors. To address this problem, we have designed a graphical syntax editor based on block interface. Using this tool, we expect that the novice programmers can easily write programs without encountering tedious errors and can concentrate on the essence of programming.
"Data structures and algorithms" for data structures, "Functional Language" for the fundamental concepts in programming, "Formal language and automaton" for the basics of language processors, and "Compiler construction" for the internals of compilers.
We plan to use the tool we have developed in the class and see how effective it is. | http://researchers2.ao.ocha.ac.jp/html/100001320_en.html |
cats and bandages was surpassed only by their thirst for knowledge. But mystery still surrounds the level of sophistication the Ancient Egyptians achieved. How technologically advanced were they?The Ancient Egyptians were notoriously brilliant at mathematics, and we also believe they were the first civilization to practice scientific endeavour on a widespread scale. But did they really known enough to enable them to build the Great Pyramid of Giza at the exact centre of Earth’s landmass? One of the most compelling theories about the Ancient Egyptians concerns the link between the three largest pyramids of Giza and the constellation Orion. So we know that the Great Pyramids of Giza may have been deliberately built in a place that would survive a devastating world event, but might they also have been constructed to form a clock whose purpose is to count down to mankind’s final days? | http://ideaspractically.com/mind-boggling-stories/3-very-mysterious-things-the-egyptians-knew/ |
Bogalusa man arrested, charged with playing part in disposing body in connection with murder investigation
Bogalusa Police Department announced the arrest of a man who they say played a part in disposing a body in connection with a murder case.
Police say after an extensive investigation into the disappearance and murder of Dominique James, that took place on May 2, detectives with the Bogalusa Police Department arrested and charged Derek Moss Jr. He was charged on Friday with felony obstruction of justice and being in possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to the police report, through GPS location data, cell phone text messaging, and multiple interviews, police determined that Moss was in the area where the body of James was found, on the day James was murdered.
The forensic analysis of cell tower information confirmed that Moss traveled from Bogalusa to the area west of Bogalusa, where James’ body was disposed of, remained there for approximately 17 minutes, then immediately returned to Bogalusa, according to the report.
Police say it is believed that Moss took an active role in the disposal of James’ body.
Moss, being a prior convicted felon, was also found to have been in possession of a firearm, while detectives investigated the matter. It is not believed that the firearm was used in the murder of James, according to police.
Detectives are continuing the investigation, and further forensic evidence analysis remains pending at the crime lab.
Detectives say they do not think Moss acted alone, and are continuing to pursue leads in the case, to identify and charge all parties involved in the murder of James.
It is believed that James was murdered at a location other than the location where his vehicle and body were found, indicating that one perpetrator had to have driven the victim’s vehicle to where the body was left, while another perpetrator had to have picked up the driver of the victim’s vehicle, once it was hidden in the wooded area, according to police.
Moss was already incarcerated in the Parish Jail in Franklinton on a probation and parole violation, was served with the active warrants for his arrest, and booked into the Parish Jail on the charges of obstruction of justice and convicted felon in possession of a firearm. | https://www.wdsu.com/article/bogalusa-man-arrested-charged-with-playing-part-in-disposing-body-in-connection-with-murder-investigation/32917490 |
1. Introduction {#sec1}
===============
In an effort to mitigate anthropogenic effects on the global climate system, industrialised countries (known as Annex I countries) are required to make an inventory of annual emissions of greenhouse gases, and absorption of the same in various sinks, in different economic sectors and report this to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This inventory allows governments to track changes in emissions and so ensure that reductions are on track with agreed targets, and also allows research scientists, industry and members of the public to see how much the various sectors contribute to total emissions and so decide where mitigation effort should be best spent.
The estimated emissions are calculated using the models and guidance published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ([@bib2]). At their simplest, these models combine country specific activity data (for example cattle numbers) with IPCC emission factors. Estimates of emissions are uncertain both because of errors in the conceptualization of the model framework and because the model inputs (e.g. the activity data and emissions factors) are themselves uncertain. All Annex I countries are obliged, as far as possible, to quantify the uncertainties in their estimates of emissions by determining how uncertainties in the model inputs propagate through the model ([@bib2; @bib7; @bib6]). To do this we treat the model inputs as random variables with distributions which are either derived from available data or are elicited from experts. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we sample from the distributions of all of the model inputs, then calculate emissions using the sampled values and so derive model outputs (see [@bib6]). The model output is therefore a random quantity with a distribution. We regard this distribution of outputs as the basic representation of our uncertainty about the emissions that the model predicts.
It is important to report the uncertainty in the estimates of emissions because this information enables the users of the inventory to assess the reliability of estimates and allows them to determine whether significant reductions in emissions have been made. Without this understanding it is not possible to draw proper conclusions and so make sound decisions. Therefore the uncertainty in the estimated emissions must be effectively communicated. Communicating uncertainty is challenging. The everyday use of 'uncertainty' has negative connotations. The admission that scientific knowledge is uncertain may be interpreted popularly as: 'scientists don\'t know what they are talking about' ([@bib12]). This is a problem if important, though uncertain, information is consequently ignored in public debate and policy-making. Much research has been done on how to communicate the uncertainty in weather predictions, and medical information, and this has been reasonably successful ([@bib13; @bib11]). The methods used to communicate uncertainty generally depend on the subject matter and the background of the target audience.
Our interest is in communicating the uncertainty in estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture to those who directly use the results from the inventory. This includes UK government representatives (in England the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and analogue departments of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), economists, representatives from non-government organisations with an environmental focus, research organisations, agricultural levy boards, and industry representatives. These individuals may in turn be required to communicate the uncertainty to other groups, such as farmers or the general public, but communicating to these groups was not our central concern.
Given our basic quantification of uncertainty, the output distribution, we can communicate the uncertainty in a number of ways. For example, we can present the distribution as a histogram, or an empirical probability density function (PDF). These methods are graphical. Graphics are used widely to communicate uncertainty and there are various types. For example, the graphic that we call a 'shaded array' in this study portrays the PDF by a shaded bar. The density of shading at a position on the bar is proportional to the probability density at that value of the variable. This graphic was used effectively in the DESSAC decision support system for arable crops to present the uncertainty in yield estimates ([@bib9]), and is similar to the fan chart used by the Bank of England to show predicted economic growth ([@bib11]). [@bib11] reviewed how graphics can be used to convey uncertainty to a general audience. They explain that the most suitable choice of visualization depends on the objectives of the presenter, the context of the communication, and the audience.
Alternatively, or in addition to graphical methods, we may characterize the uncertainty numerically, for example as a probability interval for the model output\'s distribution. This interval is defined by two percentiles of the empirical distribution, *P*~*L*~ and *P*~*U*~. Given the uncertainty in those aspects of the model which we treat as uncertain, and conditional on the assumption that other aspects of the model are sound, the probability interval is therefore an interval within which we expect to find the quantity predicted by the model with a probability of *P*~*U*~−*P*~*L*~%. This probability interval is called a 95% confidence interval in the IPCC manual, in the case where *P*~*U*~ is set to 97.5 and *P*~*L*~ to is set to 2.5 ([@bib2]) and we follow that convention.
Uncertainty can also be simply described using words, for example, on a verbal scale. Words can be adapted to any level of understanding, and for most, the message they convey can be easily remembered. Words are often used to convey the uncertainty of events, for example, weather forecasters might tell us that snow is *likely*, and health workers might tell us that smoking is *very likely* to damage our health. Words can be straightforward to understand, but the transfer of information from a numerical to a verbal scale inevitably loses information, and so the result may lack precision. This method of communicating uncertainty is primarily criticized because of its ambiguity and the fact that verbal information may be interpreted inconsistently by different individuals ([@bib4; @bib11]). In an attempt to overcome this, the IPCC ([@bib5]) introduced a verbal scale in which particular ranges of probabilities correspond to 'calibrated phrases', for example an event which is expected to occur with a probability of more than 99% is said to be 'virtually certain'. This scale is enhanced by some authors with the use of a traffic light scheme colour code, whereby the most uncertain phrases are linked to red, and the least uncertain green ([Table 1](#tbl1){ref-type="table"}). The verbal scale has been criticized, as studies have shown that it is not always interpreted consistently ([@bib1; @bib3]).
To establish how best to communicate the uncertainty in emissions estimates to the users of the inventory, we tested six methods of communication. These were words (a verbal scale in the form of calibrated phrases), probabilities, confidence intervals, histograms, box plots and shaded arrays. We used all these methods to present uncertainty about information concerning four particular questions about greenhouse gas emissions in the UK to 64 individuals who use results from the greenhouse gas inventory professionally. We then recorded their opinions about how effectively these methods communicated uncertainty. We present the results of this study and show that responses are influenced by both professional background and the level to which individuals were educated in mathematics. Based on our results we propose some guidelines for reporting uncertainty to various groups who might use the results of the greenhouse gas inventory.
2. Material and methods {#sec2}
=======================
We held three workshops at which the participants were invited to answer questions on six different methods of communicating the uncertainty in greenhouse gas emissions. In total 64 individuals took part. Each workshop followed the same format and was attended by participants from various professional backgrounds.
Each workshop began with an introductory talk in which we explained why estimates of greenhouse gas emissions were uncertain and that it was important to communicate this effectively. We explained that we would present estimates of emissions using six different methods and that we wanted the participants to complete a questionnaire on how effective they thought each method was. We then showed the participants the questionnaire format and explained how it should be filled in. We did not disclose any of the methods at this point. We emphasised that whilst we were happy for the participants to talk to each other during the process, it was important that they gave us their opinion and not the opinion that they felt was most commonly shared.
After the introductory talk we gave each participant a copy of the questionnaire and directed them to a room where the six methods of communication were displayed on six posters (one for each method). The participants were told the order that they should visit each poster. This order was randomised to avoid any bias caused by the participants finding a particular method easier to interpret because they had seen the same material presented in a different format previously. This phenomenon is exploited in progressive disclosure, a technique whereby individuals are gradually presented with information of increasing difficulty and so are not overwhelmed by difficult concepts from the start. The participants were given an hour and a half to complete the questionnaire. Stewards were positioned at each poster to help the participants with any problems that they had with understanding the questionnaire, but they were not permitted to explain the methods of communication.
2.1. The test material {#sec2.1}
----------------------
The methods of communicating uncertainty that we chose to test were a verbal scale, probabilities, confidence intervals, histograms, box plots and shaded arrays. We could have chosen to fit PDFs to the Monte Carlo simulation outputs, and used those to communicate uncertainty. Probability density functions are, in appearance, very similar to histograms, and we did not have the resources to test more than six methods. Some initial testing showed that end-users found the histogram, which displays the frequency of observations, more intuitive than the PDF which shows probability density. Therefore we chose to use histograms over PDFs. To test our six methods of communication we considered four scenarios in which an inventory user might use the inventory results. These were:Scenario A: To compare emissions from various sectors or countriesScenario B: To compare emissions to a given reference valueScenario C: To assess whether emissions have diminishedScenario D: To assess the effectiveness of a given mitigation method
We presented information from the Monte Carlo simulation samples of model output for each of the four scenarios listed above using our six methods of communication ([Boxes 1--3](#tbox1 tbox2 tbox3){ref-type="boxed-text"} and [Figs. 1--4](#fig1 fig2 fig3 fig4){ref-type="fig"}). All methods of communication are based on the distribution of relevant values drawn from the Monte Carlo simulation sample of model outputs. The same set of four scenarios was used to test each method. For the first scenario we presented estimates of nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture for each of the four countries in the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). For the second, we showed results on methane emissions from each country in the UK and compared these to an arbitrarily chosen reference value. For the third we showed the estimated trend in methane emissions from each country between the years 1990 and 2010. For the fourth we presented the estimated nitrous oxide emissions from grasslands both with and without a mitigation strategy applied.
### 2.1.1. Verbal scale {#sec2.1.1}
We used the verbal scale proposed by the IPCC ([Table 1](#tbl1){ref-type="table"}) to communicate the uncertainty in the results presented for scenarios B, C and D. In support of this method we colour coded the calibrated phrases ([@bib4]). The IPCC calibration is not suitable for describing the uncertainty in a given estimate of emissions, as for example we present for scenario A. The 95% confidence interval for these estimated emissions were all large (approximately −60% and +100% of the mean) and so for this scenario we simply stated that the emissions were all *very uncertain.*
### 2.1.2. Probabilities {#sec2.1.2}
Probabilities can be estimated from the Monte Carlo simulation outputs that describe the uncertainty about the statements the participants are asked to consider. For example, if 95% of the Monte Carlo simulations showed that methane emissions from agriculture in England were smaller than the reference value then the probability that this is the case is estimated as 95%.
### 2.1.3. Confidence intervals {#sec2.1.3}
The IPCC manual calls the probability interval defined by the 2.5 and 97.5 percentile the 95% confidence interval. The percentiles were computed from the Monte Carlo simulation output. For example, 2.5% of the Monte Carlo simulations were smaller than the 2.5 percentile. We presented the confidence interval both in the same units as the expected value and as a percentage of the expected value.
### 2.1.4. Histograms {#sec2.1.4}
The histogram graphically represents the distribution of the Monte Carlo simulation output. The outputs are divided into several classes, known as bins, all with equal width. The histogram is a graph of the number of outputs in each class (the frequency). This is different from a PDF because the area of the histogram equals the number of observations.
### 2.1.5. Shaded arrays {#sec2.1.5}
The shaded array portrays the PDF of the Monte Carlo simulation output by a shaded bar. The density of shading at a given value on the bar corresponds to the density of the PDF at a particular value.
### 2.1.6. Boxplots {#sec2.1.6}
Boxplots offer another way of graphically showing the PDF of the Monte Carlo simulation. The box encloses the interquartile range, the median is marked by a line within the box and the 'whiskers' extend from the interquartile range to the 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles.
2.2. Questionnaire {#sec2.2}
------------------
The participants assigned themselves to one of four 'professional' groups depending on occupation. These were (1) 'Government and policy' which included government representatives; (2) 'Industry' which included representatives from levy boards, the UK National Farmers Union, and agricultural manufacturers; (3) Research organisations, and (4) 'Environment' which included organisations such as those responsible for calculating farm carbon footprints. They were then asked to record their level of mathematical education as (i) 'lower' which equates to compulsory education in mathematics to the age of approximately 16; (ii) 'higher' which equates to education in mathematics to the age of approximately 18; or (iii) 'degree level' which equates to degree level and above.
The questionnaire had four central questions. The questions were asked in 'closed form' (i.e. the participants were asked to tick the response that most closely represented their thoughts) so that we could analyse the results statistically. There was also room for the participants to write additional comments. Questions 1 and 2 were asked for each of the six methods. Questions 3 and 4 were asked for all methods except for *the verbal scale* as there was insufficient information given to answer these questions using that method.*Question 1: Is the information presented on uncertainty sufficient for your needs?* Answer selected from the following three responses: 1) Not enough information; 2) Shows the information I want; or 3) More information than I want or need.*Question 2: Is this method of representing uncertainty straightforward to interpret?* Answer selected from the following five responses: 1) I find it impossible to understand; 2) I understand most of what has been presented but it took me a while to get it; 3) I think this method could be misinterpreted (please expand below); 4) Good but needs more explanation (please expand below) or 5) The message is clear.*Question 3:* Is the following statement about Scenario A clear from the poster "The estimated emissions are most uncertain for England" Answer Yes or No.*Question 4:* Is the following statement about Scenario C clear from the poster? "It is more uncertain that emissions from Scotland have reduced than that emissions from England have reduced" Answer Yes or No.
Our questionnaire aimed to evaluate how well each method communicated uncertainty to the various groups. We did not want the participants to feel that it was a test of their ability. Therefore we did not ask the participants to directly interpret the results on the posters, but in Questions 3 and 4 we did ask if certain statements about the results were clear. See S1 for the full layout of Q1--4.
We asked the participants to identify which method or methods they found best for communicating uncertainty (Question 5) and which method or methods they would choose to communicate uncertainty to other groups that they work with (Question 6). There were additional questions about specific methods. We asked if colour coding with words aided interpretation. We also tested to see if the perceptions of the IPCC phrases mapped to the probabilities they represented by asking the participants to write down the probability range between 0 and 100% that they thought mapped to each phrase. We asked whether it was helpful to have confidence intervals expressed in the same units as the mean or as a percentage of the mean. Finally we asked the participants to vote for the method that they thought communicated uncertainty the best.
2.3. Method of analysis {#sec2.3}
-----------------------
We analysed the responses to questions 1--4 in two ways. In the first analyses we considered differences between the methods of communication over the different scenarios. We present the results in contingency tables in which the rows are responses to the questions and the columns are the scenarios (A--D) within communication method. The contingency table for Question 1 is shown in [Table 2](#tbl2a){ref-type="table"}a. Under our null hypothesis the responses are independent of the scenario and method, and so the same distribution of responses is expected for each method--scenario combination. Under the null hypothesis the expected number of responses in a cell is the product of the respective marginal (row and column) totals divided by the total number of responses in the table. If the expected number of responses in the *i* th cell (out of N) is *e*~*i*~ and the observed number is *o*~*i*~ we then compute a statistic to measure the evidence against the null hypothesis. In principle under the null hypothesis, and with *n*~*r*~ rows and *n*~*c*~ columns in the table, *X*^2^ is distributed by *χ*^2^ with (*n*~*c*~−1)( *n*~*r*~−1) degrees of freedom, but the fact that *o*~*i*~ is an integer introduces an approximation when the *o*~*i*~ over many cells is small. For this reason we obtain a *p* value for the *X*^2^ under the null hypothesis by the permutation method ([@bib10]). We then considered a table in which the responses for each method are pooled, we call this the table pooled by method ([Table 2](#tbl2b){ref-type="table"}b illustrates this for Question 1). The null hypothesis for this table is that over all methods the distributions of response to the question do not differ between scenarios. This is tested by computing *X*^2^ in the same way as above. Finally, we form sub-tables of the full table for each scenario ([Table 2](#tbl2c){ref-type="table"}c illustrates this for Scenario A). Here the null hypothesis is that, for the scenario, the distributions of response are the same for each method.$$X^{2} = \sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\left( {o_{i} - e_{i}} \right)^{2}/e_{i}$$
In the second set of analyses we consider the differences between either the professional groups or the level of mathematical education, for the different scenarios but considering each method of communication separately. [Table 3](#tbl3a){ref-type="table"}a shows the full table for responses to Question 1 about the verbal scale. In this example we consider the scenarios with mathematical group, then pool by mathematical group ([Table 3](#tbl3b){ref-type="table"}b) to compare the scenarios for Question 1 on the verbal scale. For each scenario there is then a sub-table in which the columns of the contingency table are mathematical groups ([Table 3](#tbl3c){ref-type="table"}c).
3. Results {#sec3}
==========
Sixty four percent of our participants were from Research organisations and less than 10 percent were from each of Government and Environment. There was a reasonably even spread of mathematical education with approximately a third of participants in each group ([Fig. 5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}).
3.1. Question 1: is the information presented on uncertainty sufficient for your needs? {#sec3.1}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Fig. 6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"} summarises the responses to Question 1. There were significant differences in how the participants responded to each method and scenario combination ([Table 4](#tbl4){ref-type="table"} -- Full table). When responses were pooled over the methods there were no significant differences however, showing that the overall effect is due to between-method differences. For each scenario sub-table the null hypothesis can be rejected. The deviation from expectation under the null hypothesis showed that more respondents than expected thought the verbal scale did not convey sufficient information, but that box plots conveyed sufficient.
The analyses of the responses according to professional group and scenario, for each method separately, showed few significant differences ([Table S2](#appsec1){ref-type="sec"}). Only for confidence intervals was the null hypothesis for the full table rejected. There were significant differences between the responses to confidence intervals for the different scenarios when professional groups were pooled, in particular under scenario B more respondents than expected said that confidence intervals did not provide sufficient information. Analysis of the sub-tables for confidence intervals showed that under scenario C more members of the Government Policy group than expected under the null hypothesis thought confidence intervals did not give enough information.
For probabilities the null hypothesis was rejected for the table pooled by groups: more participants than expected stated that there was not enough information for scenario A, and too much for scenario B. The analysis of sub-tables for each scenario showed no differences between the professional groups for each scenario. The analysis of the scenario sub-tables showed a significant difference in how participants responded to boxplots under scenario B: the participants from industry stated that boxplots did not given enough information.
The analysis of the responses according to mathematical group ([Table S3](#appsec1){ref-type="sec"}) showed that more participants than expected from the *lower* group found the information portrayed in the verbal scale sufficient for scenario A. For shaded arrays, the analysis of sub-tables showed a larger number of participants than expected with *higher* level mathematics stated that shaded arrays did not give enough information for scenarios A and D.
3.2. Question 2: is this method of representing uncertainty straightforward to interpret? {#sec3.2}
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The χ^2^-permutation test shows that there were significant differences in how the participants responded to each method when grouped by methods within scenarios, there were no significant effects of scenarios when methods were pooled but significant differences between methods within each scenario separately ([Table 5](#tbl5){ref-type="table"}). For all of the scenario sub-tables ([Fig. 7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}), more respondents than expected stated that the verbal scale was open to misinterpretation or in need of more explanation. Shaded arrays were criticised by many as being open to misinterpretation. More respondents than expected found histograms most challenging to interpret, stating that they 'eventually understood'. For probabilities, confidence intervals and boxplots the largest proportions of respondents stated that they gave a clear message.
When we analysed the data according to professional group and scenario (see [Table S4](#appsec1){ref-type="sec"}) we found that the overall preference for boxplots was driven by the research scientists (our largest group, 85% of whom were classified as *higher* or *degree* in maths). The majority of research scientists found the message given by box plots was 'clear'. For other groups there was no consistent view on boxplots. This pattern was shown to be significant across scenarios A--C ([Table S4](#appsec1){ref-type="sec"}). Similarly, a greater number of research scientists than expected under the null hypothesis stated confidence intervals gave a clear message under scenario C.
When we analysed the data according to mathematical group and scenario ([Table S5](#appsec1){ref-type="sec"}) we found the opinions on boxplots divided. The majority of respondents with *higher* or *degree* level maths found boxplots clear to interpret, whereas the responses of those with *lower* maths were mostly split between 'eventually understood' and 'clear'. These differences were significant for scenarios A--C ([Table S5](#appsec1){ref-type="sec"}). There was also a significant difference in response to confidence intervals between mathematical groups under scenario C. The majority of respondents with *degree* level maths found them clear to interpret, whereas the responses of the other two groups were mostly split between 'eventually understood' and 'clear'.
3.3. Questions 3 and 4: are the following statements clear? {#sec3.3}
-----------------------------------------------------------
[Fig. 8](#fig8){ref-type="fig"} summarises responses to Questions 3 and 4. For both, there were significant differences in how participants responded to the methods when groups were pooled ([Tables S6--S9](#appsec1){ref-type="sec"}). Shaded arrays proved the best method for interpreting the statement in Question 3 and confidence intervals the worst. There was a significant difference in how the professional groups (but not mathematical groups) responded on Boxplots for both questions: more research scientists than expected thought the message was clear. For Question 4, more than 70% of respondents were able to interpret the uncertainties in the reductions in emissions using probabilities or boxplots, other methods proved less successful.
3.4. Question 5: for each scenario, which method or combination of methods do you think should be used to communicate uncertainty to your professional group? {#sec3.4}
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most participants (72%) wanted a combination of methods used to communicate the uncertainty in estimated emissions. The government and policy group favoured combinations of words, boxplots and shaded arrays. Similarly the industry group favoured combinations of words, boxplots, shaded arrays and confidence intervals. Research scientists selected confidence intervals and boxplots. The results on the environment group were inconclusive.
3.5. Question 6: which method or combination of methods would you use to communicate uncertainty? {#sec3.5}
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our participants told us that they were required to communicate the uncertainty in estimated greenhouse gas emissions to farmers, policy makers and research scientists. Most (62%) thought that more than one method should be used to do this. For policy makers participants preferred to use combinations with shaded arrays or boxplots, for communicating uncertainty to farmers participants generally opted for words or shaded arrays, and for communicating uncertainty to research scientists participants favoured confidence intervals and boxplots.
3.6. Additional questions {#sec3.6}
-------------------------
Out of those who responded 56% did not think that colour aided the interpretation of the IPCC phrases for communicating uncertainty. There were no strong differences in preferences between professional groups.
Broadly, our participants interpreted the IPCC phrases for communicating the probability of an outcome reasonably, with one or two exceptions ([Fig. 9](#fig9){ref-type="fig"}). The least successful phrase was 'about as likely as not'. This phrase maps to a probability interval of 33--66%, whereas most of our participants mapped it to intervals that did not extend below 50% (i.e. they associated the phrase with a more likely outcome).
In response to our question on whether it was helpful to have confidence intervals expressed in the same units as the mean or as a percentage of the mean we found research scientists were split between only wanting confidence intervals expressed in units of the mean (14 individuals) and wanting both (19 individuals) (8 did not respond). Almost all participants from the other three professional groups wanted both methods used.
Of the methods tested, 47% of participants said that they liked boxplots the best, 17% liked shaded arrays the best, 11% liked confidence intervals the best, 10% words, 9% histograms and 6% probabilities.
3.7. Additional comments {#sec3.7}
------------------------
The additional comments given were mixed, but agreed with analysis of the closed form questions. The verbal scale was criticised for being too vague and open to misinterpretation, however, some felt that they were useful and did serve a purpose. There was a call for the mapping of calibrated phrases to probabilities to be explicitly stated in the text, agreeing with the work done by [@bib1]. The numerical methods (probabilities and confidence intervals) were criticised by some for being difficult to interpret whereas others found these more quantitative approaches clear. This difference of opinion was driven by differences in mathematical background. Shaded arrays received the fewest negative comments. Several respondents commented that they were easy to interpret and represented the concept of uncertainty well, stating that they gave a 'good starting point' for interpretation. Others struggled to understand the significance of the shading. Histograms received the most negative comments and were criticised for being confusing. In particular the respondents found it difficult to interpret comparisons between two or more. Some commented that boxplots were clear and familiar and by far the best approach, whereas others were concerned that not everyone would understand what the various parts of the box represented (i.e. the quartiles and median marks). This difference of opinion was driven by mathematical background. Across the methods there was a call for all of the methods used to be better annotated, which essentially meant that methods should be combined.
4. Discussion {#sec4}
=============
The six methods for communicating uncertainty that we tested convey a range of detail, and their interpretation relies on varying levels of numeracy. At one extreme, the verbal scale requires little numeracy but also conveys little detail and is subject to inconsistent interpretations between individuals. We used the verbal scale published by the IPCC in our study. [@bib1] reported substantial differences in the way people interpreted the scale and the intended meaning. [@bib3] showed that the severity of the outcome can also affect the way that the verbal scale can be interpreted, with expressions that refer to a severe outcome being interpreted as denoting higher probabilities than those that refer to more neutral outcomes. In our study the verbal scale was criticised for communicating too little detail and being open to misinterpretation. Several of our participants commented that it did have value, however, and suggested that it would be helpful to present the associated numerical probabilities alongside the calibrated phrases. This accords with the recommendations of [@bib1] and [@bib3], who found that including the numerical probability range in the text along with the calibrated phrase improved interpretation. Our results on how our participants mapped the calibrated phrases to a scale of probabilities showed that in most cases the mapping was broadly correct. Similar to [@bib1], we found that inconsistencies between the perceived probability ranges and the intended probability range became larger for the more extreme terms. The least successful phrase was 'about as likely as not', which confused our participants who generally interpreted it as meaning "more likely than not" (i.e. a probability somewhere over 50%). We found that this phrase was the one which most irritated our participants because of its vagueness.
Numerical methods enable one to assign some level of precision to uncertainty, but the ability to interpret the message depends on the numeracy of the end-user. Similarly, we found differences in how participants with different levels of familiarity with statistical methods wanted confidence intervals presented. Participants who did not work in research wanted to see confidence intervals expressed as both units of the estimated value and as a percentage of the expected value. Many research scientists (who are likely to be more familiar with this method) thought this unnecessary, opting for only expressing confidence intervals in the units of the estimated value. Representing uncertainty as a percentage of the mean could have a biasing effect on the interpretation of results when comparing the uncertainty in emissions from several sources: a 10% uncertainty on 60 kt N~2~O is quite different to a 10% uncertainty on 6 kt N~2~O. This is similar to the concept of denominator neglect ([@bib11]). Therefore, if one is to present results as a percentage of the expected value it would be wise to also present the uncertainty in units of the estimated value.
Similar to confidence intervals and probability intervals, histograms and boxplots give more detailed information using statistical concepts. This means that their interpretation does, to some extent, depend on the familiarity of the user with these methods. In our study, boxplots were reported to convey an appropriate level of information and to do this clearly, but a more detailed examination showed that this result was driven by the responses from research scientists who were largely more familiar with this method of displaying information and most of whom (\>85%) were educated to at least the *higher* level maths. Mathematical background also had a significant effect on the responses to confidence intervals with the more numerate respondents viewing them more favourably. Boxplots, confidence intervals and histograms are typically used to display data, whereas in our study they display the Monte Carlo simulation output which represents the uncertainty in a single datum. The link between the Monte Carlo output and the uncertainty in a single value may be hard for many to make. Histograms proved unpopular across the groups and we believe that this is because they are less intuitive than the other methods we tested. We found that some participants had misinterpreted the relative height of two histograms as conveying the relative size of emissions while it actually conveys differences in variability. This accords with the findings of [@bib8] who found that people often find it difficult to interpret PDFs. Our third graphical method, shaded arrays, proved to be more intuitive and relied less on numerical ability or familiarity with statistical concepts. We found that shaded arrays proved the best method for portraying the uncertainty in emissions (see results from Question 3, [Fig. 8](#fig8){ref-type="fig"}) and we believe that this is because their simple visual interpretation of uncertainty is relatively easy to understand, regardless of mathematical background.
There were few significant differences in how participants responded according to scenario. The most notable being that a significantly larger number of participants did not think confidence intervals represented the information needed to compare emissions to a given threshold value, and similarly a significantly larger number of participants did not think probabilities represented the emission rates given in Scenario A satisfactorily.
We found that our more numerate research scientists were generally content to have uncertainty simply portrayed with boxplots and confidence intervals. Other groups were keen to have a combination of methods used, favouring a mixture of the more intuitive words and shaded arrays used in combination with boxplots. Presenting uncertainty with these sorts of combinations allows the user to progress to the more quantitative description should they so wish to, and can give confidence that interpretations are correct. This is known as progressive disclosure ([@bib4]). Our results from question 6, where we asked which methods the participants would use to communicate to 'other groups' suggested a similar pattern. Participants favoured using a mixture of words, shaded arrays and boxplots for groups that are not regularly exposed to statistics, and confidence intervals or boxplots for communicating with research scientists.
5. Conclusion and recommendation {#sec5}
================================
The methods chosen to communicate uncertainty in estimates of greenhouse gas emissions should be influenced by professional and mathematical background of the target audience. In our study we found that research scientists tended to be familiar with boxplots and confidence intervals and so found these methods straightforward to interpret. We propose that boxplots annotated with summary statistics such as mean, median, 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles provide a sound method for communicating uncertainty to these individuals (see [Fig. 10](#fig10){ref-type="fig"}a). End-users from other groups may not be so familiar with these methods and so a combination of intuitive methods such as calibrated phrases and shaded arrays with numerical methods would be better suited. Ideally uncertainty should be presented to these individuals in such a way that they can form an initial impression from verbal and visual information, and then progress to the more quantitative description should they so wish. For example, the use of key phrases in text alongside a shaded array either annotated with some summary statistics quoted in the figure caption (for example [Fig. 10](#fig10){ref-type="fig"}b), or with an annotated boxplot presented in the appendices.
Supplementary data {#appsec1}
==================
The following is the supplementary data related to this article:
This research was funded by Defra project AC0114, using facilities funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). RML\'s contribution is published with the permission of the executive director of the British Geological Survey (Natural Environment Research Council). We also thank Marcel Van Oijen, Monica Rivas Cassado, Kerry Pearn, Steven Anthony, Ron Corstanje, Tom Misselbrook, Laurence Smith and Adrian Williams.
Supplementary data related to this article can be found at [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.05.034](10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.05.034){#intref0010}.
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![The trend in emissions of CH~4~ from agriculture in Wales between 1990 and 2010 shown using (a) a boxplot with the expected value (mean), median, 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles annotated on the graph and (b) a shaded array where the intensity of colour indicates the frequency of each observation with darker shading indicating a larger probability of observing that value. The expected value is −0.13 with 95% confidence interval given by \[−0.34, 0.08\]. The red lines mark the zero line. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.).](gr10){#fig10}
######
The verbal likelihood scale developed by the IPCC (2010) with the colour coding developed by [@bib4].
Calibrated phrase Likelihood of outcome Colour coding
------------------------ ----------------------- ---------------
Virtually certain 99--100% probability Green
Very likely 90--100% probability Green
Likely 66--100% probability Green
About as likely as not 33--66% probability Amber
Unlikely 0--33% probability Red
Very unlikely 0--10% probability Red
Exceptionally unlikely 0--1% probability Red
######
The contingency table showing how many individuals selected a given response to Question 1. The table is presented according to scenario (A---D) and method of communication.
Verbal scale Probabilities Confidence intervals Histograms Shaded arrays Boxplots
------------ -------------- --------------- ---------------------- ------------ --------------- ---------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Not enough 51 45 44 40 26 18 24 17 7 17 7 8 19 13 18 13 33 22 22 27 7 7 9 12
Enough 11 17 18 22 35 25 30 35 33 35 47 41 33 41 33 37 28 40 39 30 44 50 46 39
Too much 1 1 1 1 1 19 8 9 21 9 7 12 9 7 10 10 1 0 0 1 12 6 8 10
######
The contingency table showing how many individuals selected a given response to Question 1. The table is presented according to scenario (A---D) and is pooled by method of communication.
Scenario
------------ ---------- ----- ----- -----
Not enough 143 122 124 117
Enough 184 208 213 204
Too much 45 42 34 43
######
The Scenario A sub-table showing how many individuals selected a given response to Question 1.
Verbal scale Probabilities Confidence intervals Histograms Shaded arrays Boxplots
------------ -------------- --------------- ---------------------- ------------ --------------- ----------
Not enough 51 26 7 19 33 7
Enough 11 35 33 33 28 44
Too much 1 1 21 9 1 12
######
The contingency table showing how many individuals selected a given response to Question 1 on the verbal scale. The table is presented according to scenario (A---D) and mathematical group (lower, higher, degree level).
Lower Higher Degree
------------ ------- -------- -------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Not enough 12 11 13 10 17 13 10 13 22 21 21 17
Enough 7 8 6 9 1 5 8 5 3 4 4 8
Too much 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
######
The contingency table showing how many individuals selected a given response to Question 1 on the verbal scale. The table is presented according to scenario (A---D) and is pooled by mathematical group.
Scenario
------------ ---------- ---- ---- ----
Not enough 51 45 44 40
Enough 11 17 18 22
Too much 1 1 1 1
######
The Scenario A sub-table showing how many individuals selected a given response to Question 1.
Lower Higher Degree
------------ ------- -------- --------
Not enough 12 17 22
Enough 7 1 3
Too much 0 0 1
######
Analysis of question 1 according to method and scenario, p-values \<0.05 are highlighted by a single star, those \<0.01 with two stars, and those \<0.001 with three.
Pearson χ^2^-value p-value
------------------------- -------------------- ---------------
Full table 363.57 \<0.001\*\*\*
Table pooled by methods 7.04 0.315
Scenario A sub-table 122.71 \<0.001\*\*\*
Scenario B sub-table 95.22 \<0.001\*\*\*
Scenario C sub-table 74.14 \<0.001\*\*\*
Scenario D sub-table 59.32 \<0.001\*\*\*
######
Analysis of question 2 according to method and scenario, p-values \<0.05 are highlighted by a single star, those \<0.01 with two stars, and those \<0.001 with three.
Pearson χ^2^-value p-value
------------------------- -------------------- ---------------
Full table 258.55 \<0.001\*\*\*
Table pooled by methods 8.41 0.772
Scenario A sub-table 77.79 \<0.001\*\*\*
Scenario B sub-table 58.24 \<0.001\*\*\*
Scenario C sub-table 61.77 \<0.001\*\*\*
Scenario D sub-table 51.76 \<0.001\*\*\*
###### The material used to test the verbal scale as a method for communicating uncertainty.
###### The material used to test probabilities as a method for communicating uncertainty.
Scenario A: *Comparing emissions of nitrous oxide from different countries*
There is a 95% probability that emissions of N~2~O from agriculture in 2010 lay between:CountryEmissions of nitrous oxide/kt N~2~O year^−1^England20 and 120Wales3 and 17Scotland5 and 26Northern Ireland3 and 15Scenario B: *Comparing emissions of methane to a given threshold value*
In our example, the arbitrarily chosen threshold value for methane emissions is 130 kt CH~4~ year^−1^.•There is a less than 0.01% probability that emissions of CH~4~ from English agriculture are less than the threshold, and so a greater than 99.99% probability that they are larger.•There is an 87% probability that emissions of CH~4~ from Welsh agriculture are less than the threshold, and so a 13% probability that they are larger.•There is a 21% probability that emissions of CH~4~ from Scottish agriculture are less than the threshold, and so a 79% probability that they are larger.•There is a 94% probability that emissions of CH~4~ from Northern Irish agriculture are less than the threshold, and so a 6% probability that they are larger.Scenario C: *Assessing changes in methane emissions over time*
The trend in emissions from 1990 to 2010 is expressed as the percentage change in emissions from the 1990 base year. The table below gives the percentage probabilities that emissions of CH~4~ from agriculture have diminished or increased.CountryProbability emissions diminished/%Probability emissions increased/%England98.90.11Wales91.68.4Scotland94.75.3Northern Ireland47.352.7Scenario D: *Assessing mitigation methods for the best opportunity to reduce emissions of nitrous oxide*
Nitrous oxide emissions from English grasslands in 2010 were assessed under conventional management and under management with mitigation. There is a 99.7% probability that the mitigation strategy results in fewer emissions and so a 0.3% probability that it does not.
###### The material used to test confidence intervals as a method for communicating uncertainty.
Scenario A: *Comparing emissions of nitrous oxide from different countries*
Estimated emissions of N~2~O from agriculture in 2010, with the 95% confidence interval, are listed below. The 95% confidence interval is expressed in both kt N~2~O year^−1^ and as a percentage of the mean.CountryMean/kt N~2~O year^−1^95% confidence interval/kt N~2~O year^−1^Percentage of meanEngland60(20, 120)(−60%, +100%)Wales9(3, 17)(−60%, +88%)Scotland13(5, 26)(−60%, +100%)Northern Ireland8(3, 15)(−60%, +88%)Scenario B: *Comparing emissions of methane to a given threshold value*
Estimated emissions of CH~4~ from agriculture in 2010, with the 95% confidence interval compared to the arbitrarily chosen threshold value of 130 kt CH~4~ year^−1^.CountryMean/kt CH~4~ year^−1^95% confidence interval/kt CH~4~ year^−1^England474(415, 544)Wales118(99, 141)Scotland140(118, 166)Northern Ireland116(100, 134)Scenario C: *Assessing changes in methane emissions over time*
The trend in emissions from 1990 to 2010 with their 95% confidence intervals. The trend in emissions is expressed as the percentage change in emissions from the 1990 base year.CountryTrend/%95% confidence interval/%England−26(−38, −11)Wales−15(−34, −8)Scotland−16(−33, −4)Northern Ireland1(−17, 21)Scenario D: *Assessing mitigation methods for the best opportunity to reduce emissions of nitrous oxide*
Nitrous oxide emissions from English grasslands in 2010 were assessed under conventional management and under management with mitigation. The expected reduction in emissions due to mitigation was 30 kt N~2~O year^−1^ with 95% confidence interval (13, 47) kt N~2~O year^−1^.
| |
The Cumbria in Bloom Awards took place at the North Lakes Hotel in Penrith on Thursday 8 September 2016. A strong contingent from Silloth attended the Awards ceremony and were delighted with some brilliant results.
Silloth-on-Solway won the Cumbria in Bloom Coastal Resort Trophy for the third year running and achieved a Gold Award.
Silloth also won the Amberol award for the Best Sustainable Development.
John Cook (below) receiving the Allerdale Trophy for the “Best in Borough”.
Picture below of John Cook, Chris Graham and Vivian Russell receiving the Rickerby Ltd Trophy, as Best Overall Town and Urban Community.
The Discovery Centre garden which is looked after by the Causewayhead WI ladies was runner up in the Special Category for the Continental Landscapes Trophy. The award was collected by Ann Harrison, Pat Bell and Jean Carr, members of the Causewayhead WI.
Silloth Golf Club was runner up for the Cumbria Tourism Rose Bowl awarded to Self-catering Establishments & Visitor Attractions. Below is a picture of Brian Story and Alan Oliver at the Golf Club receiving their award from the Mayor of Silloth, Tony Markley.
In addition, the Community Garden and the Heritage Rose & Bee Garden were individual winners of the Royal Horticultural Society ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ Awards, each gaining a Level 5 ‘Outstanding’ result. The Heritage Rose and Bee Garden was also winner of the Royal Horticultural Society ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ National Certificate of Distinction.
Picture below of Vivian Russell receiving her Community Champion Award for her ‘Outstanding contribution to Cumbria in Bloom’, which acknowledges all the hours she has spent working on the Heritage Rose and Bee Garden, planting of the flower beds and planters on Criffel Street and supporting the various Silloth in Bloom projects this year.
Picture below of representatives from Silloth, with some of the awards won by the town.
Back row (left to right) – Wendy Jameson, Chris Graham, John Cook, Vivian Russell, Anne Winter. | http://sillothgreen.co.uk/portfolio/cumbria-in-bloom-presentation-2016/ |
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Physics > Fluid Dynamics
Title: Reply to "Comment on 'Theoretical analysis of quantum turbulence using the Onsager ideal turbulence theory'"
(Submitted on 23 Nov 2021)
Abstract: We refute the criticism expressed in a Comment by Krstulovic, L'vov, and Nazarenko [arXiv:2107.10598] on our paper [Phys. Rev. E 103, 023106 (2021)]. We first show that quantization of circulation is not ignored in our analysis. Then, we propose a more sophisticated analysis to avoid a subtle problem with the regularity of the velocity field. We thus defend the main results of our paper, which predicts the double-cascade scenario where the quantum stress cascade follows the Richardson cascade. We also provide a conjecture on the relation between the Kelvin-wave cascade and the quantum stress cascade.
Submission historyFrom: Tomohiro Tanogami [view email]
[v1] Tue, 23 Nov 2021 05:17:10 GMT (10kb)
Link back to: arXiv, form interface, contact. | https://export.arxiv.org/abs/2111.11659 |
I love Thanksgiving leftovers. I’m perfectly happy to eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce for days afterwards. Days. But eventually, I start wanting to do something different with my leftovers.
On Day 3, I put two turkey dinner plates with the works in the freezer. I also made mashed potato cakes from the over-abundance of mashed potatoes for brunch on Sunday and still had some left over. What to do? Then the light bulb clicked on. Turkey pot pie.
The thing that clinched this dish, turkey pot pie, was the fact that I had a little bit of pie dough left over too. I also had some mushrooms that needed to be used before they became unusable. I have a lot of carrots in the fridge from my garden (and more in the garden), and I had some raw turnips already peeled and cut which were left over from the raw veggie plate.
I didn’t have a lot of cornbread stuffing left over, but I had the thought to use it for the bottom crust of the pot pie. I’ve never done this before, but I figured it could go one of two ways. Either the stuffing would crisp up and form a crunchy crust on the bottom, or it would absorb the juices of the other filling ingredients and become moist and succulent again. And either way would be fine. It turned out the second way, with the stuffing absorbing the juices of the rest of the filling, and it was delicious. So here’s how I did it, complete with pictures.
Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
(all measurements are approximate—use your judgement and your taste with the layers, add ingredients that you like, such as peas)
1 ½ cups leftover stuffing (link to my gluten-free cornbread stuffing)
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced turnips (optional)
½ cup diced onions
½ cup diced celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups leftover turkey meat, light or dark or both, chunked
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
½ cup leftover turkey gravy
1 unbaked pastry circle for top (I make a gluten-free crust that’s really good. Recipe coming soon!)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter or heat oil in large skillet. Add carrots and turnips and sauté for 5-10 minutes, or until carrots start to caramelize. Add onions, celery, and mushrooms. Salt and pepper lightly. (Remember, there will be salt in the stuffing, the gravy, and the mashed potatoes.) Sauté vegetables until mushrooms have released their liquid and the liquid has mostly been cooked away or absorbed. Stir frequently.
While vegetables are sautéing, butter or spray oil the bottom and sides of a nine-or-ten inch pie plate. Crumble stuffing between your fingers and press it onto the bottom of the pie plate, and up the sides if you have enough and want to. Dollop the mashed potatoes over the stuffing and press into a compact layer.
Spoon the sauted and softened vegetables evenly over the mashed potatoes. Layer the meat over the vegetables, and spoon the gravy (warmed if it has solidified) over the meat.
Roll out your pie crust, cut several vent slits in the top, and lay it over your filling. You can crimp the edges if you like. Place the pie on a cookie sheet to prevent it from bubbling over onto the bottom of your oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is browned and juices are bubbling inside the pie. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes to allow the pie to set. Don’t worry, it will still be hot when you cut into it!
I was able to remove cut pieces with a spatula, but it would have been easier to dish it up with a big spoon!
Absolutely delicious! | https://gardenforestfield.com/2015/12/02/turkey-pot-pie/ |
Turkey Economic Outlook
The Turkish economy has shown remarkable performance with its steady growth over the last eight years. A sound macroeconomic strategy in combination with prudent fiscal policies and major structural reforms in effect since 2002 has integrated the Turkish economy into the globalized world, while transforming the country into one of the major recipients of FDI in its region.
The structural reforms, hastened by Turkey’s EU accession process, have paved the way for comprehensive changes in a number of areas. The main objectives of these efforts were to increase the role of the private sector in the Turkish economy, to enhance the efficiency and resiliency of the financial sector, and to place the social security system on a more solid foundation. As these reforms have strengthened the macroeconomic fundamentals of the country, the economy grew with an average annual real GDP growth rate of 5 % over the past decade between 2002 and 2012.
Average Annual Real GDP Growth (%) 2002-2012
Source: OECD, Eurostat and national sources
Moreover, Turkey’s impressive economic performance over the past decade has encouraged experts and international institutions to make confident projections about Turkey’s economic future. For example, according to the OECD, Turkey is expected to be the fastest growing economy of the OECD members during 2012-2017, with an annual average growth rate of 5.2 %.
Annual Average Real GDP Growth (%) Forecast in OECD Countries 2012-2017
Source: OECD Economic Outlook No: 91, June 2012
Together with stable economic growth, Turkey has also reined in its public finances; the EU-defined general government nominal debt stock fell to 36.1 % from 74 % in a period of nine years between 2002 and 2012. Hence, Turkey has been meeting the “60 % EU Maastricht criteria” for public debt stock since 2004. Similarly, during 2002-2012, the budget deficit decreased from more than 10 % to less than 3 %, which is one of the EU Maastricht criteria for the budget balance.
As the GDP levels more than tripled to USD 786 billion in 2012, up from USD 231 billion in 2002, GDP per capita soared to USD 10,504, up from USD 3,500 in the given period.
The visible improvements in the Turkish economy have also boosted foreign trade, while exports reached USD 153 billion by the end of 2012, up from USD 36 billion in 2002. Similarly, tourism revenues, which were around USD 8.5 billion in 2002, exceeded USD 25 billion in 2012.
Significant improvements in such a short period of time have registered Turkey on the world economic scale as an exceptional emerging economy, the 16th largest economy in the world and the 6th largest economy when compared with the EU countries, according to GDP figures (at PPP) in 2012.
- Institutionalized economy fueled by USD 123 billion of FDI in the past decade and 13th most attractive FDI destination in the world (2012 A.T. Kearney FDI Confidence Index).
- 16th largest economy in the world and 6th largest economy compared with EU countries in 2012 (GDP at PPP, IMF-WEO).
- Robust economic growth over the last decade with an average annual real GDP growth of 5 percent.
- GDP reached USD 786 billion in 2012, up from USD 231 billion in 2002.
- Sound economic policies with a prudent fiscal discipline.
- Strong financial structure resilient to the global financial crisis. | http://www.turkeycompanyregister.com/turkey-s-economic-outlook.html |
Calculate The Number Of Payments
The most common term for a fixed-rate mortgage is 30 years or 15 years. To get the number of monthly payments you’re expected to make, multiply the number of years by 12 .
A 30-year mortgage would require 360 monthly payments, while a 15-year mortgage would require exactly half that number of monthly payments, or 180. Again, you only need these more specific figures if you’re plugging the numbers into the formula an online calculator will do the math itself once you select your loan type from the list of options.
How Do You Calculate Mortgage Factor
CalculatingMortgagemortgagemortgagecalculate
. Similarly, you may ask, how do you calculate loan factor?
Multiply the amount you need to borrow by thefactor rate. If you’re borrowing $100,000 and thefactor rate is 1.18 for a term of 12 months, you’ll need torepay a total of $118,000. The factor rate iscalculated by dividing the financing cost by the loanamount.
Also Know, how do you calculate amortization factor? To calculate amortization, start by dividing theloan’s interest rate by 12 to find the monthly interest rate. Then,multiply the monthly interest rate by the principal amount to findthe first month’s interest. Next, subtract the first month’sinterest from the monthly payment to find the principal paymentamount.
Similarly, you may ask, how do you calculate a mortgage payment formula?
Equation for mortgage payments
What is the loan factor?
Definition of Loan Factor. Loan Factormeans, with respect to each Loan, the amount set forth as apercentage in the Loan Terms Schedule with respect to suchLoan, which fully amortizes the Loan over theRepayment Period applicable to such Loan in equal periodicinstallments at the Basic Rate.
Money Factormoney factorMoney factor
Astika De Goñi
Diy Extra Payment To Prepay Mortgage
Lets say you want to budget an extra amount each month to prepay your principal. One tactic is to make one extra mortgage principal and interest payment per year. You could simply make a double payment during the month of your choosing or add one-twelfth of a principal and interest payment to each months payment. A year later, you will have made 13 payments.
Make sure you earmark any additional principal payments to go specifically toward your mortgage principal. Lenders typically have this option online or have a process for earmarking checks for principal payments only. Ask your lender for instructions. If you dont specify that the extra payments should go toward the mortgage principal, the extra money will go toward your next monthly mortgage payment, which wont help you achieve your goal of prepaying your mortgage.
Once you have built sufficient equity in your home , ask your lender to remove private mortgage insurance, or PMI. Paying down your mortgage principal at a faster rate helps eliminate PMI payments more quickly, which also saves you money in the long run. You can also refinance your mortgage to eliminate PMI altogether.
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If You Should Rent Vs Own A Home
There are many advantages to owning a home versus renting. Among them is the fact that you gain equity with each payment, as opposed to giving your money to a landlord. As an owner, you also gain the ability to paint your living room any color your desire.
However, theres a mathematical piece to this as well. You have to know how much you need for a down payment, and whether owning a home will be cheaper or require you to pay more when looking at the monthly cost of homeownership.
In many cases, its better to get a mortgage, because the rate can be fixed for the life of the loan. There are very few controls that can stop landlords from raising your rent every year if they want to. However, not every situation is the same.
Like this estimate?
How To Calculate Mortgage Payments
Zillow’s mortgage calculator gives you the opportunity to customize your mortgage details while making assumptions for fields you may not know quite yet. These autofill elements make the home loan calculator easy to use and can be updated at any point.
Remember, your monthly house payment includes more than just repaying the amount you borrowed to purchase the home. The “principal” is the amount you borrowed and have to pay back , and the interest is the amount the lender charges for lending you the money.
For most borrowers, the total monthly payment sent to your mortgage lender includes other costs, such as homeowner’s insurance and taxes. If you have anescrow account, you pay a set amount toward these additional expenses as part of your monthly mortgage payment, which also includes your principal and interest. Your mortgage lender typically holds the money in the escrow account until those insurance and tax bills are due, and then pays them on your behalf. If your loan requires other types of insurance like private mortgage insurance or homeowner’s association dues , these premiums may also be included in your total mortgage payment.
Read Also: Rocket Mortgage Loan Types
Why Mortgage Lenders Require A Down Payment
Very few mortgage programs allow 100-percent, or zero-down, financing . Thats because a down payment on a home reduces the risk to the lender in several ways:
- Homeowners with their own money invested are less likely to default on their mortgages.
- If the lender has to foreclose and sell the property, its not on the hook for the entire purchase price, which can limit its potential losses if the home is sold for less than the remaining mortgage balance.
- Saving a down payment requires discipline and budgeting. This can help set up borrowers to be successful homeowners.
There are two government-backed loans that require no down payment: VA loans for service members and veterans and USDA loans for eligible buyers in rural areas.
Determining The Right Down Payment Amount
A purchase calculator can help you determine the down payment you need. There are minimum down payments for various loan types, but even beyond that, a higher down payment can mean a lower monthly payment and the ability to avoid mortgage insurance.
On the flip side, a higher down payment represents a more significant hurdle, particularly for first-time home buyers who dont have an existing home to sell to help fund that down payment. The calculator can show you options so that you can balance the amount of the down payment with the monthly mortgage payment itself.
Read Also: 10 Year Treasury Vs Mortgage Rates
Conventional Down Payment Requirements
Most conventional loans allow for a smaller down payment thanks to the backing of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-sponsored enterprises that buy loans from mortgage lenders.
To compensate for the risk of this low down payment, however, the borrower is required to pay for private mortgage insurance, or PMI, when they put less than 20 percent down.
With PMI, you can borrow up to 97 percent of the homes purchase price in other words, put just 3 percent down. Some property types, like duplexes, condominiums or manufactured houses, require at least 5 percent down.
Accelerate Your Mortgage Payment Plan
Get creative and find more ways to make additional payments on your mortgage loan. Making extra payments on the principal balance of your mortgage will help you pay off your mortgage debt faster and save thousands of dollars in interest. Use our free budgeting tool, EveryDollar, to see how extra mortgage payments fit into your budget.
Recommended Reading: Does Rocket Mortgage Service Their Own Loans
How Do I Use The Mortgage Calculator
Start by providing the home price, down payment amount, loan term, interest rate and location. If you want the payment estimate to include taxes and insurance, you can input that information yourself or well estimate the costs based on the state the home is located in. Then, click Calculate to see what your monthly payment will look like based on the numbers you provided.
Adding different information to the mortgage calculator will show you how your monthly payment changes. Feel free to try out different down payment amounts, loan terms, interest rates and so on to see your options.
What To Do Next
- Get preapproved by a mortgage lender. If youre shopping for a home, this is a must.
- Apply for a mortgage. After a lender has vetted your employment, income, credit and finances, youll have a better idea how much you can borrow. Youll also have a clearer idea of how much money youll need to bring to the closing table.
|Loan Type|
Don’t Miss: Rocket Mortgage Loan Requirements
When To Consider Refinancing
Aside from making extra payments, mortgage refinancing is another strategy to shorten your term. But other than that, it can help you obtain lower interest rates. You can decrease your loan term and acquire a lower interest rate to pay your mortgage early. If you have a 30-year mortgage, you can refinance to a 15-year mortgage with reduced interest. Moreover, it allows you to shift from a fixed-rate mortgage to an adjustable-rate mortgage , and vice versa. But dont forget: It should be done early enough into the loan term.
Heres when its good to refinance from a 30-year to 15-year term:
- If interest rates are low
- If you have a qualifying or high credit score
- If youve paid your loan for just a couple of years
- If you are not planning to move out of the house
- If you are able to make higher monthly payments Refinancing to a shorter term makes your monthly payment higher even with a reduced interest rate. This yields significant interest savings.
Moreover, refinancing is taking out a new loan to replace your old one with more favorable terms. This means you need to go through all the credit checks and paper work. It requires a high qualifying credit score , with the best rates going to consumers with 740 credit scores. On top of this, you must shoulder many fees, including inspection, recording fees, origination fees, and housing certifications.
Refinancing is not ideal under the following circumstances:
Whats the Ideal Interest Rate to Refinance?
What It Means For Consumers
Calculating your monthly payments can help you figure out whether you can afford to use a loan or credit card to finance a purchase. It helps to take the time to consider how the loan payments and interest add to your monthly bills. Once you calculate your payments, add them to your monthly expenses and see whether it reduces your ability to pay necessary and living expenses.
If you need the loan to finance a necessary item, prioritize your debts to try and pay the ones that cost you the most as early as possible. As long as there’s no prepayment penalty, you can save money by paying extra each month or making large lump-sum payments.
It helps to talk to your lender before you begin making extra or lump-sum payments. Different lenders might increase or decrease your monthly payments if you change your payment amount. Knowing in advance can save you some headaches down the road.
Also Check: Does Prequalifying For A Mortgage Affect Your Credit
How Do I Use Excel To Calculate Mortgage Payments
CalculatepaymentfigurepaymortgageformulaPMTformulaPMT
Virna Lambea
Derivation of Mortgage Loan Payment Formula
Domingas Rebelo
Can You Afford The Loan
Lenders tend to offer you the largest loan that theyll approve you for by using their standards for an acceptable debt-to-income ratio. However, you dont need to take the full amountand its often a good idea to borrow less than the maximum available.
Before you apply for loans or visit houses, review your income and your typical monthly expenses to determine how much youre comfortable spending on a mortgage payment. Once you know that number, you can start talking to lenders and looking at debt-to-income ratios. If you do it the other way around , you might start shopping for more expensive homes than you can afford, which affects your lifestyle and leaves you vulnerable to surprises.
Its safest to buy less and enjoy some wiggle room each month. Struggling to keep up with payments is stressful and risky, and it prevents you from saving for other goals.
Recommended Reading: Recasting Mortgage Chase
What Is A Mortgage Balance
A mortgage balance is the amount owed at a particular moment in time during the mortgage loan term.
Here’s an example:
Mrs. Davis finances a home by taking out a fixed-rate $150,000.00 mortgage at 4% interest with a 30-year term. She has agreed to make payments of $900 per month. At this point in time, the mortgage balance is $150,000.00.
Mrs. Davis pays her mortgage for 10 years, and checks her mortgage balance using the Mortgage Balance Calculator. She knows that she has been paying every month for 10 years, so she enters 120 as the number of payments into the calculator, along with the rest of the required variables. She finds her mortgage balance at this point in time to be $91,100.05.
While Mrs. Davis was able to use the Mortgage Balance Calculator in our example, there are some things to keep in mind . . .
How Do Property Taxes Work
When you own property, youre subject to taxes levied by the county and district. You can input your zip code or town name using our property tax calculator to see the average effective tax rate in your area.
Property taxes vary widely from state to state and even county to county. For example, New Jersey has the highest average effective property tax rate in the U.S. at 2.42%. Owning property in Wyoming, however, will only put you back roughly 0.57% in property taxes, one of the lowest average effective tax rates in the country.
While it depends on your state, county and municipality, in general, property taxes are calculated as a percentage of your homes value and billed to you once a year. In some areas, your home is reassessed each year, while in others it can be as long as every five years. These taxes generally pay for services such as road repairs and maintenance, school district budgets and county general services.
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Get A More Accurate Estimate
Get pre-qualified by a lender to see an even more accurate estimate of your monthly mortgage payment.
-
How much house can you afford? Use our affordability calculator to estimate what you can comfortably spend on your new home.
- Pig
Interested in refinancing your existing mortgage? Use our refinance calculator to see if refinancing makes sense for you.
- Dollar Sign
Your debt-to-income ratio helps determine if you would qualify for a mortgage. Use our DTI calculator to see if you’re in the right range.
- Award Ribbon VA mortgage calculator
Use our VA home loan calculator to estimate payments for a VA loan for qualifying veterans, active military, and military families.
The High Cost Of Quick Decisions
Between 2015 and 2016, nearly one in three UK consumers chose mortgage products which cost them more than £550 per year. They got more expensive options over cheaper alternatives that were readily available and which they also qualified for. This fee difference amounts to 12.7% of what consumers spend annually on their mortgage.
The remortgage market is more competitive amongst lenders than the first-time buyer market. So only around 12% in that category opted for strongly dominated product choices. About 18% of first-time buyers fall into the strongly dominated product choice category, and well over 20% of mover mortgages fall in this category. Movers who are in a rush often make emotionally driven or time-sensitive decisions. This compromises their ability to obtain the best deal the way a person who is remortgaging can.
About 14% of borrowers in the top credit score quartile secured strongly dominated products, while more than 20% of consumers in the bottom quartile did not. In general, people who are young, including borrowers with low incomes, low credit scores, and limited funds for deposit are more likely to get an unfavourable mortgage deal. If there are factors that make your transaction more complex, you might find it more challenging to obtain a good loan.
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Whether The Home Is Too Expensive
Another thing a mortgage calculator is very good for is determining how much house you can afford. This is based on factors like your income, credit score and your outstanding debt. Not only is the monthly payment important, but you should also be aware of how much you need to have for a down payment.
As important as it is to have this estimate, its also critical that you dont overspend on the house by not considering emergency funds and any other financial goals. You dont want to put yourself in a position where youre house poor and unable to afford retiring or going on vacation. | https://www.mortgageinfoguide.com/how-do-you-estimate-a-mortgage-payment/ |
Triangulation is a method followed in surveying to achieve horizontal control. In triangulation system, a number of interconnected triangles is traced and their angles measured to determine the relative positions of the points spread over an area. In this system, the length of only one line is determined, called as the base line and the angles are measured using an instrument and length of all the sides are determined using trigonometric formula.
Principal of Triangulation
The principle of triangulation in surveying is that, "if one side and three angles are known for a triangle, then the remaining sides can be calculated using sine rule."
In the above figure, if the anyone side for example c and the angles A, B and C are known, then as per sine rule,
a/sin A = b/ sin B = c/ sin C;
No time to Read? 🕮 Watch Video on What is Triangulation Surveying?
Triangulation System in Surveying
As mentioned, as series of interconnected triangles form the survey area. If we know the length of one side and the three angles, the length of other sides of each triangle can be computed.
In this system, the apex of the triangle are called as the triangulation stations, and the whole figure is called as triangulation system or triangulation figure.
The common types of figures that are used in triangulation system are:
- Triangles
- Quadrilaterals
- Polygons
- The sum of the interior angles should be (2n-4) x 90, where the number of sides of the figure is given by 'n'.
- The total sum of the angles joining at a station must be equal to 360 degrees.
- The length of the sides that are calculated through more than one route should match and agree.
Triangles for Triangulation
Triangles for Triangulation
Quadrilateral for Triangulation
Polygons for Triangulation
|Polygons with Central Points|
Where are Triangulation Survey Used?
Also Read:
- What is Compass Surveying?
- What is Principle of Surveying?
- What is Chain Surveying?
- Reconnaissance Survey and Index Sketch in Chain Surveying
- What is a Site Plan? What is the Purpose of Site Plan? When is Site Plan Required? What are the Types of Site Plans? | https://www.prodyogi.com/2021/01/what-is-triangulation-in-surveying.html |
In August of 1997, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) joined the DAISY Consortium to benefit from the collaborative efforts of libraries and organizations from around the world making the transition to digital technology to deliver talking books. This paper and presentation will review the business decisions made in the process of transition from a system of analog cassette to the next generation of information technology for persons with print disabilities.
Background
RFB&D is a national nonprofit organization, this year celebrating its 50th anniversary of service providing educational materials in accessible formats to people who are are blind or otherwise unable to read standard print. RFB&D was founded to provide recorded textbooks to veterans blinded in World War II who were attending college under the G.I. Bill. Today, RFB&D's services are also available to people who are visually impaired or who have dyslexia or another learning disability or a physical condition that prevents handling or turning the pages of a book. We serve people at all academic levels and into the workforce. In addition to recorded books, we provide educational materials on computer disk and are developing the new digital format described below for the future.
RFB&D operates a 77,000-title library at its headquarters facility and 32 recording studios around the country where 4,800 subject specialist volunteers produce recorded and computerized educational books for addition to the library. Our staff numbers 320. Last year, we distributed 233,253 books from this library to 55,042 people across the country.
RFB&D's production infrastructure is based upon analog tape recording and distribution technology developed in the 1970's. New books are produced in our recording studios by volunteer readers and monitors (the monitors' function, in part, is to operate the open reel tape recorder, and insure quality of the recording). The original recording is made on 4-track ,1/4" open reel tapes, and the average book is typically 30 hours or more in length.
During the process of recording new books, RFB&D members may receive installment copies of the recording as it progresses. These installment copies are made by duplicating the contents of the materials from the open reel tape onto cassette. When all recording is completed, the tapes are sent to the Master Tape Library (MTL) located at our National Headquarters facility in Princeton, New Jersey.
Orders for books in our Master Tape Library are typically served within 2-5 days after receipt of order. High circulating books are housed in a special "Standby Library" consisting of over 60,000 copies of pre-duplicated books which can be shipped to students within 24 hours of receipt of order.
Digital Educational Talking Book Program
RFB&D's existing analog tape infrastructure has served well through the years, but is approaching the end of its effectiveness. As the market for new analog tape recording and duplicating equipment continues to shrink while costs begin to increase, the time to begin planning a transition out of analog tape technology is here. Over the next 4-5 years, RFB&D will complete a transition of its analog tape production and distribution infrastructure to digital. However, RFB&D will continue to provide books on the same analog 4-track cassette basis for some time to come, even as we begin offering materials in digital format.
Our program to convert our infrastructure to digital based technology will involve the efforts of all facets of our organization, the input and recommendations of our clients, and the support from our funders and friends. RFB&D is also a member of the DAISY Consortium. DAISY is made up of an international group of libraries who produce audio materials for the visually impaired community. DAISY is the worldwide coalition developing the open standards for the next generation of "digital talking books" (DTB). RFB&D is developing production processes that will allow us to create digital talking books based on the open standards developed by DAISY.
Benefits to our Clients
Digital audio technology will create enormous benefits for RFB&D's consumers. In addition to improved sound quality and increased access to information, the digital talking book will run on a standard personal computer, and on portable playback devices currently in test and evaluation phase by several manufacturers. Access to our books using a personal computer is under review. There is an array of options ranging from off the shelf browsers, to customized front-end interfaces. Since books will be stored digitally, distribution can be on any format that can be produced from the digital master, including CD-ROM, audio cassette and computer disk. In time, direct access via the internet will be realized. Books will have navigation markers that will enable a client to move from the table-of-contents to a desired point in the text. Much the way a sighted reader uses a print version of a book, readers now have more direct and instant access to specific pages and locations within a book. Our users will no longer be limited to a fixed and linear representation of a book. For the first time, true equal access to printed material can be offered.
In addition, by following open and international standards through DAISY, RFB&D and other DAISY members jointly provide an international library of accessible content and information.
Timeline
Over the next three years, RFB&D will be developing production systems for creating DAISY compliant digital talking books. We plan to develop and implement digital production equipment and processes at our studios. These systems will allow our studios to record new digital content. We also plan to develop and implement systems for conversion of analog tapes to digital format. By the end of this three year plan, we hope to create a digital library and open up digital services to our customers. To achieve our project goal and commitment to our customers, we must follow a tight project plan. The high level activities and goals of this plan are outlined here.
FY1999
Five of RFB&D's studios have been identified as Pilot Studios -- Northern California, Los Angeles, Arizona, Texas and New Jersey. These Pilot Studios will help in the design, testing, and implementation of the digital production tools and systems we will need to put in place over the next three years. In addition, we have opened a test site at our headquarters location in Princeton, New Jersey. This site will be our research and development test bed. The plan is to design and test components at HQ test site before rolling out to Pilot studios. The Pilot studios will then beta test the components and systems in a "real-life" environment in order to develop them further to meet the needs of all our production sites.
Earlier this year we began development of recording workstations. These workstations will be used by our volunteers to create digital content. During the design phase, we traveled to our five pilot studios and presented a workstation prototype to our volunteers and staff. During these presentations, our volunteers offered input on how best to design the workstation, drawing parallels from current production processes. We have incorporated this feedback into the design specifications and user requirements of the recording workstation. It is important that we design the workstations to allow for a smooth transition for our current volunteers. To design an efficient and user friendly process, we must plan not only for the integration of equipment into the process, but also for the integration of people into the process.
We have also been researching and developing methods and tools that will allow us to convert existing analog content into new digital formats. This conversion system is very important in our goal to create a digital library during the third year of our plan.
Later this year, we will be working with our five Pilot units in beta testing of our recording software. They will provide feedback to our development team on how the software is running, report bugs, and recommend improvements. By the end of this testing and feedback process, we hope to have created user friendly software to be used in the creation of the next generation of talking books.
FY 2000
As we move into the second year (FY 2000), we will review and analyze analog to digital conversion tools and prototypes. We will need to further our efforts in the creation and ramp up of a production system that will allow us to generate content from existing tapes.
Also, additional components of the recording workstation and digital production processes will be developed and rolled out to the Pilot studios for testing and implementation -- tools for audio post processing, quality control, and project management, to name a few.
Later in our second fiscal year, we hope to start into our roll-out schedule. A plan, specific to roll-out still will be created, based on what we learn during Pilot testing. This roll-out will include the full conversion of Pilot studios from analog to digital production. The roll-out plan will also include the introduction of digital production at additional units, not included in our Pilot program. Our existing pilots will help mentor new units as they move into active participation in the Digital Audio project.
FY2001
As we move into the third year, FY2001, we plan to have production systems in place to allow us to begin creation of a digital talking book library. Content will be created at our Pilot studios, as well as some additional content from other studios as we move through roll-out. Also, during the second and into the third year, we plan to begin the digitization of content from the existing tape library. A large percentage of our initial digital talking book library will be generated from tapes run through this conversion system. Also, as new analog recordings continue to be created, they too will be converted to digital formats. By the end of our third year, it is our goal to produce enough digital content to begin limited digital audio services to our customers.
Conclusion
RFB&D will work diligently over the next three years to implement digital technology. As systems our developed and technology implemented, we can slowly transition from analog to digital production. Ultimately, we hope to provide digital services to our consumers and all the benefits of this exciting technology provides. | http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/Us_Eu/conf/csun_99/session0185.html |
Jake T. Austin is 24 years old and a prominent TV Actor. Born on December 3, 1994, in New York City, NY.
Scroll down to learn more about Jake T. Austin’s Estimated Net Worth, Age, Biography, Career, Height, Weight, Family, Wiki.
Contents
Biography
Gained fame as Max on Wizards of Waverly Place and provided the voice of Diego on the Nickelodeon animated series Go, Diego, Go! In 2013, he began playing Jesus Foster on the ABC Family series The Fosters.
Before fame
He launched his career when he was 7 years old and starred in commercials; in 2003 he appeared in a comedy sketch on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Interesting Facts about Jake T. Austin
In 2012, he won a Hollywood Teen TV Award for Favorite Television Actor for his role as Max Russo on the hit series Wizards of Waverly Place.
|NAME||Jake T. Austin|
|AGE||24 years old|
|DATE OF BIRTH||December 3, 1994|
|PLACE OF BIRTH||New York City, NY|
|BIRTH SIGN||Sagittarius|
|POPULARLY KNOWN AS A||TV Actor|
|MARRIED OR SINGLE||N/A|
|HEIGHT||N/A|
Family
Jake’s parents are Giny Rodriquez Toranzo and Joe Szymanski, and he has a younger sister named Ava. He began dating super fan Danielle Caesar after she originally started tweeting at him in 2011.
Source: famousbirthdays.com
|Who is Jake T. Austin spouse/partner?||Unknown|
|Is Jake T. Austin Dating Someone?||Unknown|
This article will be updated regularly with more facts of Jake T. Austin. If you find any omission in this piece, please kindly call our attention to it. We’ll amend it immediately
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Net Worth
Let’s check, How Rich is Jake T. Austin in 2019?
All the Data you find in the table below, should not be regarded as totally accurate. Our submission is based on the estimation of Jake T. Austin’s salary or Annual Income as a prominent TV Actor.
We recommend reputable online Directories like Wikipedia, Forbes or biography.com for more accurate statistics. See below, our estimation of Jake T. Austin‘s net worth from 2018 to 2020.
|Estimated Net Worth in 2020||Under Review|
|Jake T. Austin Net Worth (2019)||$800k-5M (Approx.)|
|Net Worth (2018)||$500k – 1M (Approx.)|
|Annual Salary||Under Review.|
|Primary Income source||TV Actor|
Finally, Jake T. Austin Estimated Net Worth for 2020 is being researched upon. We are presently Analysing Jake T. Austin salary and career earnings all through this year. The figures will be updated as soon as they are ready. | https://www.mywebsource1.com/jake-t-austin/ |
GRAINS-U.S. corn, soybeans firmer as concerns about crops rise
CHICAGO, Aug 24 (Reuters) - U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Monday on expectations that a government report will show crop ratings deteriorated in the past week, underpinning recent forecasts that pegged the harvest below the U.S. Agriculture Department’s latest outlook.
A spate of dryness across the U.S. Midwest, combined with a severe wind storm that damaged crops across key parts of Iowa, have reduced crop potential following near-perfect conditions through July.
“Rains are due this upcoming weekend, but that should be too late for ear fill on the corn, and most agronomists are saying that damage has been done to beans, so rains in a week will just stabilize the crop,” Charlie Sernatinger, global head of grain futures at ED&F Man Capital, said in a note.
Wheat futures were slightly lower, retreating from a one-month peak hit during the overnight trading session, on profit-taking.
At 9:56 a.m. CDT (1456 GMT), Chicago Board of Trade December corn futures were up 2-3/4 cents at $3.43-1/4 a bushel. CBOT November soybeans were 1-1/4 cents higher at $9.06 a bushel.
Advisory service Pro Farmer on Friday projected U.S. corn and soybean harvests will be below the USDA forecasts, with a corn crop of 14.820 billion bushels based on an average yield of 177.5 bushels per acre and a soybean crop of 4.362 billion bushels based on an average yield of 52.5 bushels per acre.
The USDA will release its weekly crop progress and condition report on Monday at 3 p.m. CDT (1500 GMT).
“U.S. storm damage and Chinese demand are supporting corn prices,” said Phin Ziebell, an agribusiness economist at National Australia Bank in Melbourne.
CBOT December wheat futures were down 1-1/4 cents at $5.33-3/4 a bushel
The most-active wheat contract has risen in the seven previous sessions, gaining 8.9% during the streak. (Aditional reporting by Naveen Thukral in Singapore and Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu, David Evans and Dan Grebler) |
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