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One of the four rebel ruling Congress lawmakers in Karnataka on Monday submitted his resignation to the state assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar, the latter confirmed. This is expected to pave the way for his entry into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Umesh Jadhav, the lawmaker, rebelled after he failed to get a ministerial berth when the Congress allied with the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), to form the government in Karnataka in May 2018.
The two parties joined hands to keep the BJP out of power even as it emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats in a 225-member assembly. The Congress managed to get 79 while the JD(S) got 37 seats. The ruling coalition, which includes the Bahujan Samaj Party, has 117 while the BJP-led Opposition has 106 members in the assembly.
A Congress leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the party fears the three other rebels — Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumathahalli and B Nagendra — might also quit the party.
The ruling coalition’s strength would be down to the halfway mark in the assembly — 113 — if the other three do so.
Repeated attempts to reach Jadhav went unanswered. However, speaking to the press, Ramesh Kumar said he had received the resignation and the matter would looked into.
“He came to my house [in Kolar district] to submit the resignation. Now I will speak to my officers and go about it based on the laws,” he said.
At present, a Congress petition is pending with Ramesh Kumar calling for the disqualification of the four rebel MLAs for not attending two Congress Legislature Party meetings and not attending the beginning of the state Budget session last month, violating a whip issued by the party in the process.
Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who is mononymous , said Jadhav has the freedom to resign.
“But as he violated the Congress’s whip, we petitioned to the Speaker for action [against Jadhav] under the anti-defection law. This matter is pending. As a result, the Speaker is the final authority and he will take a decision,” Siddaramaiah said.
State BJP vice-president, N Ravikumar, said Jadhav, a two-time lawmaker, would join his party.
“It is not confirmed yet that he will be the candidate for the party [BJP]. Talks are ongoing,” Ravikumar said when asked about reports that Jadhav could be the BJP’s candidate from Gulbarga against Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
Former Karnataka Advocate General Ravivarma Kumar said even if the MLAs are disqualified based on the Congress’s petition, it would mean that they would be disqualified from their membership of the House in the current term.
“This will not stop them either from contesting any election or from taking membership of another House,” Kumar said. | |
ACT has developed a reactive MD based computational framework to investigate chemical behavior of polymer composite materials subject to thermo-chemical degradation in extreme environments. The approach makes use of reactive MD simulations and novel reactive force fields to obtain information on chemical products, rate of formation of these products and reaction pathways. The framework has been developed and applied to study pyrolysis (thermal deposition) phenomena for two types of materials: (i) ablative phenolic heat-shield composite used in space-craft reentry vehicles, and (ii) ablative rubber insulator of solid rocket motor type engines. ACT has developed multiple post-processing tools (MolfrACTTM and KinACTTM) which enable extraction and visualization of chemical reactions and chemical kinetics data in multi-specie complex environments possible.
Potential applications of ACT’s reactive MD computational framework include:
- Design and evaluation of ablative materials
- Design and development of energetic materials
- Design of hydrogen storage materials
- Investigation petrochemical manufacturing methods
Reactive molecular dynamics methods refer to a class of MD methods which enable simulation of chemical reactions and chemistry based nanoscale phenomena with accuracy to ab-initio methods. While classical MD provides a powerful tool to simulate nano-scale spatio-temporal phenomena and bulk properties, they lack the ability to simulate chemical reactions. On the other hand, quantum mechanics (QM) based ab-initio methods enable simulations of chemical reactions, but are computationally expensive and limited to a 10’s of atoms. To circumvent this problem, reactive MD methods have been developed which use empirical interatomic potentials with the capability to locally mimic the quantum effects of a bond change due to chemical reactions.
Reactive MD methods use a force field description which is ‘trained’ to reproduce reactions determined from quantum mechanical calculations and experimental data. A class of such methods uses concept of bond-order to represent the forces between interacting atoms in a chemical system. Typical examples of such force descriptions include: Reactive Empirical Bond-Order potential (REBO), Adaptive Intermolecular Reactive Empirical Bond-Order potential (AIREBO), Reactive Force Field (ReaxFF) potential. The bond order based definition of atomic and molecular interactions excludes the need for predefined reactive sites and allows for dynamic description of bond breaking and formation. Recent progress in reactive potentials enables study of wide range of materials such as hydrocarbons, polymers, silica systems, nitramines and catalysis phenomenon.
Conventional reactive MD methods are limited to high temperature simulations and suffer from small timestep problems inherent to MD (due to stiffness of evolution equations). Simulation temperatures of reactive MD studies are usually performed at temperatures of ~3000K with timesteps on the order of 0.25 femtoseconds. Consequently, simulations can probe 100’s of picosecond of dynamics to a maximum of a nanosecond. However, most interesting phenomena at nanoscale evolve over longer times and sometimes requires lower temperature studies. To address these challenges, ACT has recently developed Accelerated Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulator (ARMS), a computational tool which can be used to investigate material chemistry at low temperatures using reactive molecular dynamics simulation. The framework makes use of multi-core processors to track many replicas of the system in parallel, effectively parallelizing the time required to simulate chemical reactions at low temperature. The methodology has been used to probe low temperature (of ~1750K) pyrolysis chemistry of ablative heat-shield materials typical to space-craft re-entry vehicles and solid rocket motor insulation. We find that the chemistry at low-temperature is significantly different from high temperatures and results in distinct reaction pathways. | https://www.1-act.com/innovations/advanced-modeling/reactive-molecular-dynamics-methods/ |
Chapter: 1 NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate - Why Flight Research?
Suggested Citation:"1 NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate - Why Flight Research?." National Research Council. 2012. Recapturing NASA's Aeronautics Flight Research Capabilities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13384.
NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate—Why Flight Research?
When Orville and Wilbur Wright first took flight at Kill Devil Hill in 1903, that event could be interpreted as the first “flight test” of a new aircraft. But by that time the Wrights had conducted numerous other experiments to validate their design—paper studies, wind tunnel tests, even small-scale unpiloted gliders. This was not the first time that a Wright aircraft had sailed into the air. The Wright brothers had performed flight research for years, at a time when the term “flight test” even lacked a definition.
Certainly by modern standards “flight test” does not require a pilot aboard an aircraft. But more importantly, flight testing is not simply the culmination of numerous other tests on the ground—the final death-defying act—rather it is part of a continuum of efforts and experiments necessary to prove a new theory, technology, or aircraft.1 Today flight testing is usually followed by further modeling and simulation and even wind tunnel testing. Often the process of preparing and conducting flight research leads to important unplanned discoveries that can be of great significance, affecting other current and future aircraft designs. For example, in the 1950s the discovery of inertial coupling during flight test of the X-3 experimental aircraft led to changes to the F-104 aircraft already in development.
Flight testing can come in the middle, or even at the beginning, of a research program. In some cases, such as hypersonics research, it is difficult to obtain test data in any other way. In other instances, flight testing is required to validate predictive models. Flight research is a tool, not a conclusion. Failure to conduct flight research can act as a major impediment to the progress of research programs.
There are many methods of conducting aeronautical research. For instance, testing sub-scale models in wind tunnels is a common method. (See Figure 1.1.) Compared to other forms of experimentation, flight research can sometimes be expensive because of the operational and maintenance cost associated with the research airplane. Although some flight testing of small-scale models can be relatively inexpensive, much flight testing will cost at least millions of dollars—for example, putting a new wing or control surface on an existing aircraft or building a small radio-controlled vehicle—and can cost tens of millions of dollars or more for entirely new experimental aircraft.
NASA and its predecessor organization, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), were responsible for many of the major developments in fundamental aeronautics during the first century of flight.
1 The terms flight test and flight research are used interchangeably throughout this report, but the difference between them is discussed later in this chapter.
FIGURE 1.1 F-16XL SCAMP flow visualization test inside a wind tunnel. Aeronautics research is rarely linear, proceeding directly from simulation and modeling to wind tunnel testing to flight research. Often models and wind tunnel tests have to be validated by actual flight research. SOURCE: NASA Headquarters, Greatest Images of NASA; Photo GPN-2000-001935.
This period was marked by U.S. aerospace industry predominance. The agency and its predecessor conducted research across all areas of aeronautics research and development—from computer simulation and modeling to wind tunnel testing to flight testing.
As Table 1.1 demonstrates, the NASA aeronautics budget has shrunk by approximately 40 percent from 2006 to 2011.2 However, during this same period, the NASA aeronautics civil servant workforce dropped from 1,449 employees in 2006 to 1,371.5 in 2011, or approximately 4 percent (Table 1.2). Thus, a major decrease in funding occurred, but civil servant staffing remained essentially unchanged. At the same time, until 2010, the civil service workforce also received regular wage increases. As a result, the civil service salaries now represent a much greater proportion of NASA’s aeronautics budget than they did in 2006.
2 NASA has used different accounting procedures over the years, and the budget figures over that time period have not always included the same categories of expenses. However, there has been a clear decline in both absolute dollars and as a percentage of the overall NASA budget.
NOTE: The FY2000 through FY2010 budgets were taken from the enacted columns of the following congressional budget justification documents, but later adjustments may have been implemented. The FY2011 entries reflect the enacted budget from the annual appropriations bill. The years 2000 through 2002 include aerospace technology content, and 2003 through 2011 include only NASA aeronautics. No adjustments have been made to reflect accounting changes or inflation. Thus, it is not possible to make an accurate year-to-year comparison with this data, but overall trends are apparent.
FIGURE 1.2 Aeronautics as a percentage of NASA’s budget for 2000-2011. The spike between 2000 and 2003 reflects a change in accounting practices to “full cost accounting.” SOURCE: NASA.
FIGURE 1.3 Aeronautics as a percentage of NASA’s budget for 2003-2011. SOURCE: NASA.
research projects to collapse or continue at a nonproductive or inefficient level. The end result has been an aeronautics research program that can no longer make substantial progress in many areas, not simply flight research alone.
The X-factor rating refers only to aircraft programs. But aeronautics encompasses more than flying vehicles, and NASA’s Integrated Systems Research Program reflects the fact that increasingly highly complex systems (for instance, unpiloted aircraft and the National Airspace System) are being combined. But although the committee did not evaluate the specific calculations used in each X-factor assessment, it agreed with this general characterization of NASA flight research. It was clear from the committee’s review of current and past flight research projects that their technological difficulty and ambition have decreased substantially. For example, most NASA flight research projects that the committee saw firsthand at Dryden Flight Research Center or heard about during briefings are component-level tests, not tests of entire systems.
The committee concluded that this lack of a set of ambitious flight research activities is not simply due to a scarcity of resources but is also the result of a risk-averse culture within the NASA aeronautics program, a reality conceded by several NASA officials in their presentations to the committee. NASA aeronautics no longer seeks to do bold projects that could fail. Because tight budgets lead managers to become averse to risks that could destroy their smaller projects, the aeronautics program has focused on small and uncontroversial projects.
a Essentilly full time: employees, i.e. civil service employees.
FIGURE 1.4 NASA’s aeronautics budget by research category, center, and expense category. SOURCE: NASA.
The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) research plans for fiscal year (FY) 2012 include the following flight research activities. NASA has defined the content the agency considers to be related to flight research.
The flight operations and test infrastructure consists of an integrated set of elements, including the Western Aeronautical Test Range, which support aircraft maintenance and operations and the testbed aircraft that provide the resources required for research flight and mission support projects. ATP provides up to 100 percent of the facility fixed costs for these flight facilities to ensure facility and staff availability. The activity also includes the simulation and flight loads laboratories, a suite of ground-based laboratories that support research flight and mission operations. ATP provides up to 20 percent of the fixed costs for laboratories, ensuring facility and staff availability.
The Fundamental Aeronautics Program’s planned investment in flight research includes expenses related to flights occurring in FY2012 and expenses for long-lead preparations for flights expected to occur in FY2013. The investment includes flight testing of critical advanced technologies for future air vehicles as well as important fundamental scientific data necessary for code development and prediction validation. Research will be conducted on advanced technologies related to low-boom supersonic aircraft design, and preparations for the fixed wing alternative fuels in-flight emissions tests and rotorcraft acoustic flight tests will continue.
AvSP’s flight research estimate includes everything surrounding the High Ice Water Content (HIWC) Flight Campaign, the operation of AiRSTAR (Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research) for the program’s research efforts, and smaller health management and prognostics experiments on real flying assets in order to learn what happens in relevant environments.
The ISRP investment in flight research will include flight research with the X-48C and the GIII, both operated out of Dryden Flight Research Center. The ISRP will also prepare for, conduct, and analyze flight tests on the Ikhana aircraft, also at Dryden, for the uninhabited aerial system project.
termination system. This is a significant amount of backup equipment simply to allow the vehicle to fly within a restricted area inside a restricted area.
Risk is also a major factor in considering the use of UAVs in the National Airspace System. However, if NASA already demonstrates aversion to risk within the Edwards small UAV range, the agency may find it difficult to make the larger leaps required to develop UAVs that can operate outside highly restricted airspace.
Certainly safety is of high importance for any research program, but the problem at NASA—which is apparently not unique to the agency and can be seen in other research organizations as well—is fear of suffering the setbacks or problems that are the normal result of tackling complex challenges and seeking bold goals.
NOTE: An X-faclor of 3 is the most difficult level and also the most expensive.
FIGURE 1.5 NASA “X-factor” levels determined from NASA flight research projects, 1946-present. The higher the “X-factor,” the more difficult the program. Although the committee has no comment about the levels needed to maintain integration competencies, it does agree with the overall conclusion that, over time, NASA flight research programs have become less difficult—i.e., less ambitious. SOURCE: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
of flight developed an organized approach to aeronautical research. He introduced the terms “lift” and “drag,” considered the concept of center of gravity, introduced using a tail surface for control, and imagined various forms of propulsion.
Whereas much of Cayley’s research was theoretical, the Wright brothers, on their own, developed a systematic approach to decomposing the mechanics of flight into various parts of their machine. They discussed theories about each part’s contribution to lift, drag, or control. They designed a course of parametric research to understand the strength or weakness of those theories. First they used sub-scale components tested in a wind tunnel and then took the best designs and integrated them into the “Flyer” for flight test. Discoveries in this flight test led to additional research and improvements in the design of the Flyer.
This is, in essence, the aeronautical research process used today. Flight research, however, has always been a necessary component, and there is no substitute for flying. Wilbur Wright wrote to his family in 1899, “If you are looking for perfect safety you will do well to sit on a fence and watch the birds; but if you really wish to learn, you must mount a machine and become acquainted with its tricks by actual trial.”3 Today, such things are feasible in the course of planning and conducting aeronautics research. The process has become more complex with the advent of computers and sophisticated software modeling of the physics of aerodynamics, thermodynamics, and a multitude of other branches of the physical sciences. Finally, as the introduction of unpiloted air vehicles grows, we are facing the complexity of research to understand, model, and test the interactions of autonomous systems into a world of human-operated and human-managed systems.
There are examples from other areas of aeronautics research that demonstrate the interactive and co-dependent aspects of the research effort. For example, recent studies have demonstrated that computational fluid dynamics conducted on powerful computers still cannot entirely replace wind tunnels.4 Similarly, wind tunnels have been unable to entirely replace flight testing. Simulation and modeling, wind tunnels, and flight test are the three legs that support effective aeronautics research—remove one and the research effort collapses.
Today it is critical to understand systems operations and systems safety of the complex orchestration of humans and machines. Can we completely rely on laboratories, supercomputers (for computational fluid dynamics), and ground-based test facilities for the results on which to base future decisions in policy, economics, safety, and security? Or are flight research and flight testing still an essential part of aeronautics research? When and how much flight research is needed are important elements to address.
3 H. Combs, Kill Devil Hill, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Mass., 1979, p. 74.
4 NASA, Role of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Wind Tunnels in Aeronautics R&D, NASA/TP-2010-000000, NASA, July 2010.
FIGURE 1.6 HL-10 lifting body during a test over Edwards Air Force Base in the 1960s. The lifting body research flights provided valuable data later used in the design of the space shuttle. SOURCE: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center; Photo EC69-2346.
Where flight research and flight test differ is not necessarily in how they are conducted, but in their purpose. The principal purpose of flight test is to prove that an aircraft performs within predicted, nominal ranges of performance; if it does not, then one seeks to understand why not. In commercial and military practice, flight test is used to determine if the flight vehicle, as delivered, meets the expectations of customer-defined requirements. An excellent example is the F-35 series of fighter aircraft currently undergoing flight testing by the branches of DOD. The F-35 is developed and in low-rate production. Flight testing under way at Edwards Air Force Base and elsewhere is intended to evaluate the performance characteristics of the aircraft and to expand its capabilities.
Flight research on the other hand has a multitude of purposes, such as advancing fundamental understanding of vortical flows of aircraft flying at high angles of attack (such as NASA’s High Alpha Program); validating wind tunnel flow quality (for example, the USAF/NASA 15° Cone Probe Experiments); proving the viability of new technologies (such as the USAF F-15 STOL and Maneuver-thrust vectoring nozzles and X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing) and new aircraft concepts (X-29 Forward Swept Wing); understanding and improving multi-aircraft interoperations (for example, Autonomous Formation Flight or Unmanned Air Vehicle Sense and Avoid); and evaluating and validating complex interactive systems and intelligent/adaptive systems and instrumentation and autonomy. In addition to pushing the research envelope, flight research plays a major role in reducing risk. Putting a research aircraft in the air allows the exploration of technologies and principles that would be far more costly to work out in an operational program. In the committee’s view, in recent years DOD has devoted a far greater percentage of its resources to flight testing already developed vehicles than to conducting flight research. This has occurred at the same time that NASA’s aeronautics budget has decreased substantially. The result is that the United States as a whole conducts less flight research today than it has in the past.
FIGURE 1.7 Transition cone flight experiment performed on a NASA F-15 aircraft at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in the late 1970s. This was an example of a NASA aircraft adapted to conduct specific data collection for aeronautics research. SOURCE: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
FIGURE 1.8 Historic cost trend of research and development aircraft. SOURCE: Edward Burnett, Lockheed Martin Corporation.
of these aircraft are used to support NASA’s Science Mission Directorate or human spaceflight missions, such as the ER-2 and WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft and the T-38N trainers, not flight research programs. Part of the committee’s statement of task asks if the fleet of NASA aircraft has the capability to meet the requirements of NASA’s current and future research. The list of flight assets in Appendix A is extensive, and some of the aircraft used to support other missions could also be adapted to conduct aeronautics research. However, few of NASA’s flight research aircraft were purpose-built to conduct flight research. NASA currently lacks new, purpose-built aircraft or aircraft that can be modified for specific testing such as testing of un-ducted fan propulsion systems that may lead to future highly efficient air vehicles. NASA’s current flight research programs are limited to relatively low-cost flight experiments and demonstrations that have to deal with the limitations of the available aircraft, and today these flight research programs represent less than 12 percent of the current NASA aeronautics research budget.
In a budget-constrained environment it is often necessary to fit the size of the experiment to the budget and not the budget to the size of the experiment. This is called “cost as an independent variable design.” A historic cost trend of some research and development aircraft programs is shown in Figure 1.8. The almost linear relationship when presented on logarithmic scales demonstrates that cost can be exponentially decreased by reducing the empty weight of the aircraft. Cost as an independent variable can be used when the phenomenon under investigation is not size dependent, or if the relationship to size is well understood and can therefore be compensated for in the results. The lowering of the cost of the development and manufacturing of a research vehicle can allow the investigator to perform higher-risk testing. Often testing at the edge of a flight limit can provide much greater insight than can safely working away from the edge of the flight envelope. This is an argument for reducing the size of a research vehicle to the smallest size that still allows the research to be of a valid scale. However, it does not automatically lead to the choice of a UAV over a piloted vehicle, and some small experimental aircraft have still been piloted (for instance, Boeing’s Bird of Prey). However, making a vehicle unpiloted allows taking a vehicle closer to the ultimate limits of its flight envelope.
• Inspiring the next generation of engineers and researchers.
However, these five principles guide but do not fully align ARMD with the goals of the nation. A number of documents and policies have been put in place to establish the goals. These documents include the NASA charter documents, the National Research Council’s Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics,6 the “National Aeronautics Research and Development Policy,” 7 the “National Plan for Aeronautics Research and Development,” 8 and “Vision 100—Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act and the Integrated Work Plan,” 9 to name just a partial list. From these external documents and within the confines of the yearly congressional budget authorization NASA, as a whole, and specifically ARMD, must develop internal goals.
The committee concluded early in its deliberations that NASA’s current aeronautics research budget is not adequate to properly address the 51 highest-priority research and technology (R&T) challenges from the 2006 decadal survey of civil aeronautics. That list is simply too large to be meaningful. It is apparent that NASA has achieved limited progress relative to many of these goals, and NASA aeronautics is not well positioned to successfully execute these challenges within the existing resource constraints. The decadal survey examined the U.S. air transportation system for research and technologies that would advance four objectives: increase capacity, improve safety and reliability, increase efficiency and performance, and reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. The survey also stated the need to account for other strategic objectives, including national and homeland security and the support of the space program.
The decadal survey presented its findings of 51 highest-priority challenges in five areas: aerodynamics and aeroacoustics (11 challenges); propulsion and power (10 challenges); materials and structures (10 challenges); dynamics, navigation, and control and avionics (10 challenges); and intelligent and autonomous systems, operations, and decision making, human integrated systems, and networking and communications (10 challenges).
The decadal survey listed eight recommendations (see Box 1.2). Recommendation 7 states that “NASA should consult with non-NASA researchers to identify the most effective facilities and tools applicable to key aeronautics R&T projects and should facilitate collaborative research to ensure that each project has access to the most appropriate research capabilities, including test facilities; computational models and facilities; and intellectual capital, available from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Defense, and other interested research organizations in the government, industry, and academia” (p. 3). Often the most appropriate test facility is one in flight.
5 J. Shin, “NASA Aeronautic Research,” briefing to the National Research Council Committee to Assess NASA’s Aeronautics Flight Research Capabilities, April 18, 2011, Edwards, Calif., slide 16.
6 National Research Council, Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics: Foundation for the Future, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2006.
7 National Science and Technology Council, “National Aeronautics Research and Development Policy,” Office of Science and Technology Policy Washington, D.C., December 2006, available at http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/releases/national_aeronautics_rd_policy_dec_2006.pdf.
8 National Science and Technology Council, “National Plan for Aeronautics Research and Development,” Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington, D.C., December 2007, available at http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/releases/aero_rd_plan_final_21_dec_2007.pdf.
9 108th Congress, Public Law 108-176, December 12, 2003.
1. NASA should use the 51 Challenges listed in Table ES-1 as the foundation for the future of NASA’s civil aeronautics research program during the next decade.
2. The U.S. government should place a high priority on establishing a stable aeronautics R&T plan, with the expectation that the plan will receive sustained funding for a decade or more, as necessary, for activities that are demonstrating satisfactory progress.
4. NASA should support fundamental research to create the foundations for practical certification standards for new technologies.
5. The U.S. government should align organizational responsibilities as well as develop and implement techniques to improve change management for federal agencies and to assure a safe and cost-effective transition to the air transportation system of the future.
6. NASA should ensure that its civil aeronautics R&T plan features the substantive involvement of universities and industry, including a more balanced allocation of funding between in-house and external organizations than currently exists.
7. NASA should consult with non-NASA researchers to identify the most effective facilities and tools applicable to key aeronautics R&T projects and should facilitate collaborative research to ensure that each project has access to the most appropriate research capabilities, including test facilities; computational models and facilities; and intellectual capital, available from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Defense, and other interested research organizations in government, industry, and academia.
8. The U.S. government should conduct a high-level review of organizational options for ensuring U.S. leadership in civil aeronautics.
SOURCE: National Research Council, Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics: Foundation for the Future, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2006, p. 3.
There are five common threads from the 51 highest-priority research and technology challenges. These are (1) physics-based analysis tools to enable analytical capabilities that go far beyond existing modeling and simulation capabilities and reduce the use of empirical approaches; (2) multidisciplinary design tools to integrate high-fidelity analyses with efficient design methods and to accommodate uncertainty, multiple objectives, and large-scale systems; (3) advanced configurations to go beyond the ability of conventional technologies and aircraft to achieve strategic objectives; (4) intelligent and adaptive systems to significantly improve the performance and robustness of aircraft and the air transportation system as a whole; and (5) complex interactive systems that include system-wide information management for all airspace users, and intelligent systems for unpiloted systems that can be used for information collection.
FIGURE 1.9 NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate organizational chart. SOURCE: NASA.
it and to achieve Federal Aviatin Administration certification and to manage the ramifications of the changes to both the internal and external systems.
ARMD has created an organizational structure to work toward the accomplishment of these goals. Figure 1.9 depicts ARMD, which is organized into 5 major programs and 12 major projects within them. The projects themselves are also made up of many sub-projects and studies. Cross-cutting the programs are the engineering disciplines grouped into branches. These programs are worked by engineers and technicians across four major NASA centers. These centers and their roles within ARMD are described later in this chapter.
The five major programs that make up the ARMD organization are the Aviation Safety Program, the Airspace Systems Program, the Fundamental Aeronautics Program, the Integrated Systems Research Program, and the Aeronautics Test Program. A brief description of the programs is presented below, and a more detailed description of each of the programs within ARMD and the projects within each program is presented in Appendix B. For each of the programs described in Appendix B, a short discussion of flight research being conducted within the program is presented along with past and projected budget information.
The Aviation Safety Program is tasked with ensuring system-wide safety, maintaining and improving vehicle safety in key areas, and dealing with the presence of atmospheric risk.
The Airspace Systems Program is charged with the development of core concepts and technologies to improve the throughput of the National Airspace System, and the integration, evaluation, systems analysis, and transition of these core concepts and technologies into the Next Generation air traffic management system (NextGen).
The Fundamental Aeronautics Program is divided into flight regimes: subsonic fixed wing, subsonic rotary wing, supersonics, and hypersonics. The program’s purpose is to conduct fundamental research to improve aircraft performance and minimize environmental impacts; radically improve the civil effectiveness of rotary wing vehicles by increasing speed, range, and payload while decreasing noise and emissions; explore advanced capabilities and configurations for low-boom supersonic aircraft; and conduct foundational hypersonic research to enable new capabilities.
The Integrated Systems Research Program is the parent organization for large multidisciplinary projects. The two current projects are the Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project to reduce the environmental impact of aviation by reducing fuel burn, noise, and emissions and the Uninhabited Aerial System (UAS) integration in the National Airspace System (often abbreviated as “UAS in the NAS”). ERA is discussed in detail in Chapter 2. The UAS has the goal of demonstrating an integrated system in a relevant environment that will allow for safe operations of unpiloted vehicles. This demonstration and other experiments will be the basis for updating regulations to allow for routine operation of unpiloted vehicles in the national airspace. This is another area where there are potentially great gains to be made, but where questions of risk—such as operating unpiloted aircraft in heavy air traffic corridors—will pose significant challenges.
The purpose of the Aeronautics Test Program is to strategically manage NASA’s ground and flight assets to meet national aerospace testing requirements.
Although ARMD is divided into programs and projects, ARMD’s work is also spread among four major centers located throughout the country (see Box 1.3). These centers are Ames Research Center, located in Moffett Field, California; Dryden Flight Research Center, located in Edwards, California; Glenn Research Center, located in Cleveland, Ohio; and Langley Research Center, located in Hampton, Virginia. These centers perform significant amounts of non-aeronautics research, although Dryden is primarily focused on aeronautics research. Each of the centers has specific key aeronautics capabilities, but there is no specific alignment of programs and projects and centers. For instance, the ERA project is hosted at Langley Research Center, and its chief engineer is located at Dryden Flight Research Center.
The committee concluded that this complexity was part of the problem. NASA’s aeronautics budget dropped substantially in the past decade, and yet there was no consequent reduction in field centers and facilities or personnel, therefore resulting in a consequent substantial increase in the percentage of fixed costs. The percentage of the aeronautics budget going to fixed costs is substantial, as is the number of individual research projects that aeronautics is undertaking. The end result is that the aeronautics program overall appears to be spread very thin, and flight research is one of the areas to suffer.
10 NRC, Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics, 2006.
Ames Research Center was established on December 20, 1939, in Moffett Field, California. In general, its research concentrates on technology development for NASA missions as well as supercomputing, networking, intelligent systems, and air traffic management. Ames produces advances in nanotechnology, space biology, biotechnology, and aerospace and thermal protection systems. It also researches astrobiology and the influence of gravity on living systems.
Originally instituted in 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio, Lewis Research Center was later renamed for John H. Glenn. The Glenn Research Center focuses on the development of various aeronautic technologies, including air-breathing propulsion and cryogenic fluid management. The center makes advances in communications technology, in-space propulsion, and power and energy storage and conversion, while also investigating materials, structures, and biomedical technologies to be implemented in the harsh space environment.
In 1921 Langley Research Center was opened in Hampton, Virginia, as the nation’s first aeronautics laboratory. Langley’s modern contributions include designing supersonic and hypersonic aircraft and advancing the atmospheric sciences. In addition, the center works to improve the safety and efficiency of both civilian and military aircraft.
for several flight research projects to begin to make progress rather than stagnate. However, the committee determined that even a refocusing of efforts, from numerous small projects that are too small to have sufficient resources to progress to flight research to fewer larger ones that do receive resources for flight research, would enable them to move into their next stages. This refocusing will, by necessity, require stopping lower-priority work and moving personnel and funds to concentrate resources. The committee is not advocating that NASA pursue research projects that equal the cost or ambition of the X-15 program. However, at the moment, the aeronautics program is spread over many projects that never actually result in flyable hardware, or that are small and unambitious.
FIGURE 1.3.1 Hangar at what is now NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in the early 1960s. At the time, NASA had multiple flight research projects underway. SOURCE: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center; Photo EC66-1461.
them. For example, several committee members visited the Ames Research Center, where they witnessed an air traffic control simulation in progress and also met with Ames personnel working with the U.S. Army on issues such as carrying external slung loads on Army helicopters and simulations of future large civil rotorcraft.
For this study the committee selected three projects—the Supersonics and Hypersonics projects from the Fundamental Aeronautics Program and the ERA project from the Integrated Systems Research Program—to serve as case studies demonstrating NASA’s activities and the role that flight research takes, or could take, in these research programs. ERA is a relatively new project addressing the integration of technologies and should map to the challenges outlined in the 2006 decadal survey. This project offered the committee the chance to examine how NASA matures and integrates systems. The examination of the ERA project also enabled the committee to look for commonality with the subsonic fixed wing project within the Fundamental Aeronautics Program. Both the Supersonics and the Hypersonics projects were chosen to examine how these fundamental research projects actually used flight research. In the case of the Hypersonics project, there was a desire by the committee to examine the use of flight versus ground-based testing.
Aeronautics research is important to the United States and its national security, both militarily and economically. Flight research is a critical part of this aeronautics research, not only to validate predictive tools, but also for the knowledge gained in the process of integrating systems and the possibility of discovery. ARMD is charged with advancing the aeronautical sciences in support of the military and industry. Despite these goals, NASA does not currently include economic development of the aerospace industry as one of its primary objectives.
NASA’s aeronautical research priorities are derived from multiple documents, reports, and policy statements, and constrained by budget and congressional authorizations. The numbers of “priorities” are numerous, including 51 research and technology challenges from the 2006 NRC decadal survey of civil aeronautics11 alone. The reductions in the ARMD budget over the past decade and the increase in the number of these priorities have led to a reduction in the amount of budget available for each individual technology to the point that very few projects can advance enough to begin even the most modest flight research.
In many cases flight research is the only way to advance certain technologies. This is because of the lack of ground facilities capable of replicating the environment or the physical laws that govern the phenomenon under study. ARMD is conducting aeronautics flight research throughout its organization; however, in most cases the technical difficulty of this flight research is of very low X-factor. NASA no longer conducts the same kind of technologically challenging flight research that the agency performed only a decade ago and no longer produces the kinds of aeronautical advances that have made the United States a world leader in aviation.
NASA’s guiding principles charge the agency with aligning its goals with the nation’s critical needs. DOD for instance, to meet its military operational requirements, must perform portions of its missions in the supersonic flight regime and, to a limited extent, in the hypersonic regime. Commercial crew development vehicles currently being built to reach the International Space Station and NASA’s exploration beyond Earth require exiting and reentering Earth and planetary atmospheres. Such vehicles will need to fly across all speed regimes (subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic). Therefore, in order for NASA to address these critical national needs, it must maintain strong leadership capabilities in all speed regimes of flight.
ARMD is organized into a series of programs and projects within the programs that are meant to provide structure to address specific priorities. ARMD also provides branch organizations to support engineering disciples and other support functions. The shear number of these programs, projects, sub-projects, branches, and centers leads to organizational inefficiencies. With reduced budgets, a constant number of civil service employees and contract employees, fixed facilities and other costs, an increased proportion of funds is not available for spending on flight research efforts. The result is an aeronautics research effort that is diluted and diminished and unable to advance any research agendas.
Finding: The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is charged with performing aeronautics research, including flight research in support of the nation’s needs. The United States currently needs aeronautics research for the national defense both militarily and economically. The 2006 NRC report Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics: Foundation for the Future identified 51 high-priority civil challenges that NASA is pursuing. This number is too high to achieve meaningful progress given existing resources. With the large number of “high-priority” projects, ARMD appears to be avoiding flight research because of the perceived cost of flight test and what has become a risk-averse culture.
11 NRC, Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics, 2006.
of activity for each vehicle research program would be on the order of $30 million to $50 million total per vehicle over a 3-year period—that is, $10 million to $15 million per vehicle per year. The priority focused programs should be drawn from the research areas identified by the 2006 NRC decadal survey of civil aeronautics, in order to achieve progress for fundamental aeronautics as well as other relevant related military requirements. To implement this recommendation without additional funding for ARMD, NASA should phase out the majority of its lower-priority aeronautics activities.
The committee notes that “focused, integrated, higher-risk, higher-payoff, and interdisciplinary programs” does not mean “aircraft” or “vehicles.” Indeed, a new program, such as one to advance research in an area such as UASs in the National Air Space, could require several relatively small UAVs. Furthermore, new innovative air vehicles do not have to be piloted, nor do they have to be “flagship” class, but they could be relatively small unmanned systems. Finally, the committee concluded that additional funding for aeronautics could enable more of these programs (i.e., four to five) to be selected and implemented, but that it is possible to begin making progress by re-prioritizing and phasing out lower-priority aeronautics activities.
The purpose of introducing new and innovative vehicles is to enable NASA to return to its role of fostering advances in U.S. aeronautics, as established in the agency’s original charter, which is something that NASA cannot achieve without actually reviving its once active and productive flight research capabilities.
The basis for this recommendation is further illuminated in the chapters that follow, which focus on a subset of the agency’s numerous aeronautics research programs and discuss the value of focusing them on a few higher-risk and higher-payoff programs with a path to flight research.
In the five decades since NASA was created, the agency has sustained its legacy from the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) in playing a major role in U.S. aeronautics research and has contributed substantially to United States preeminence in civil and military aviation. This preeminence has contributed significantly to the overall economy and balance of trade of the United States through the sales of aircraft throughout the world. NASA's contributions have included advanced flight control systems, de-icing devices, thrust-vectoring systems, wing fuselage drag reduction configurations, aircraft noise reduction, advanced transonic airfoil and winglet designs, and flight systems. Each of these contributions was successfully demonstrated through NASA flight research programs. Equally important, the aircraft industry would not have adopted these and similar advances without NASA flight demonstration on full-scale aircraft flying in an environment identical to that which the aircraft are to operate-in other words, flight research.
Flight research is a tool, not a conclusion. It often informs simulation and modeling and wind tunnel testing. Aeronautics research does not follow a linear path from simulation to wind tunnels to flying an aircraft. The loss of flight research capabilities at NASA has therefore hindered the agency's ability to make progress throughout its aeronautics program by removing a primary tool for research.
Recapturing NASA's Aeronautics Flight Research Capabilities discusses the motivation for NASA to pursue flight research, addressing the aspects of the committee's task such as identifying the challenges where research program success can be achieved most effectively through flight research. The report contains three case studies chosen to illustrate the state of NASA ARMD. These include the ERA program and the Fundamental Research Program's hypersonics and supersonics projects. Following these case studies, the report describes issues with the NASA ARMD organization and management and offers solutions. In addition, the chapter discusses current impediments to progress, including demonstrating relevancy to stakeholders, leadership, and the lack of focus relative to available resources.
Recapturing NASA's Aeronautics Flight Research Capabilities concludes that the type and sophistication of flight research currently being conducted by NASA today is relatively low and that the agency's overall progress in aeronautics is severely constrained by its inability to actually advance its research projects to the flight research stage, a step that is vital to bridging the confidence gap. NASA has spent much effort protecting existing research projects conducted at low levels, but it has not been able to pursue most of these projects to the point where they actually produce anything useful. Without the ability to actually take flight, NASA's aeronautics research cannot progress, cannot make new discoveries, and cannot contribute to U.S. aerospace preeminence. | https://www.nap.edu/read/13384/chapter/3 |
WCAG 2.1 AA Accessibility and Avada
The Avada Website Builder is 100% WCAG 2.1 compliant and ready.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. Following these guidelines will make content more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including accommodations for blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity, and combinations of these, and some accommodation for learning disabilities and cognitive limitations; but will not address every user need for people with these disabilities. These guidelines address accessibility of web content on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. Following these guidelines will also often make Web content more usable to users in general.
WCAG 2.1 compatibility means that core Avada features will not break WCAG rules at all, whereas color schemes, content setup etc., is up to the user/designer maintaining the site for accessibility. | https://theme-fusion.com/documentation/avada/avada-for-developers/wcag-2-1-aa-accessibility-and-avada/ |
Meteorite or volcano?
Guelb Tenoumer with its perfectly circular form is well known to local people and also Europeans since older times. Already in the 1950s scientists started a discussion whether this crater was formed by a volcano or meteorite.
At first the scattered rocks similar to basalt and rhyodacite around the crater created an impression the this is an ancient volcano. Convincing proof in the favour of meteorite impact was discovered in 1970, when a key characteristicts of outer impact – planar deformation features – were found in the supposed "lava". Since then it is widely accepted that Tenoumer crater has been created by meteorite impact.
Three meteorites at once or three different events?
Mauritania has several impressive craters, which are aligned approximately on one line – Aouelloul crater, Tenoumer crater and Temimichât-Ghallaman crater. It is tempting to assume that all three craters were created by one single, catastrophic shower of meteorites.
Further investigations though show that this is not true. Aouelloul crater is old – approximately 3.1 million years. Age of Temimichât-Ghallaman crater is not known, there are discussions still, whether this is impact crater. Tenoumer crater is comparatively new – approximately 21,400 years.
Geology
Diameter of this amazingly circular crater is 1.9 km. Rims of the crater rise some 110 m above the bottom of crater. Research though shows, that this crater is filled with approximately 200 – 300 m thick layer of unconsolidated sediments. Thus Tenoumer crater is very impressive structure, even larger than the famous Barringer crater in Arizona, United States.
Meteorite hit very hard rock – this area is formed from approximately 3.5 billion years old Precambrian gneisses and granites (Reguibat shield), which are covered with thin crust of weathered rock. It is hard to comprehend, how powerful should be an explosion which blasts and melts thousands of tons of such hard stone.
Inner slopes of crater are very steep. Around the crater, mainly to the east, northwest and southwest, are scattered blasted pieces of melted rocks. These pieces are up to 20 m long and contain small, fractured glass inclusions, also other deformations of rock grains have been observed.
No pieces of meteorite, even no traces of it in the surrounding rocks have been found thus far.
Tenoumer crater is included in the following list:
References
- Storzer D., Sélo M., Latouche L., and Fabre J., The Age of Tenoumer Crater, Mauritania, Revisited. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIV (2003). Accessed on December 26, 2012.
Tenoumer crater on the map
If you see this after your page is loaded completely, leafletJS files are missing.
|Location, GPS coordinates:||22.9188 N 10.4060 W|
|Categories:||Impact craters|
|Values:||Geology|
|Rating:|
|Where is located?||Africa, Mauritania, Tiris Zemmour, some 225 km north – northeast from Ouadane|
|Diameter:||1.9 km|
|Depth:||Rim rises 110 m above the crater floor, thickness of sediments in crater – 200 – 300 m|
|Age:||˜ 21,400 ± 9,700 years|
Landmarks of Mauritania
Almost all of Mauritania today is desert – somewhere desolate, somewhere – with some plants, lakes and animals.
In earlier times the nature here was less harsh, great cultures developed. People from those times have left countless cliff paintings and etchings, megaliths and abandoned towns.
Nature of Mauritania also provides surprises – giant, smooth and very dark granite monoliths, rising hundreds of meters above the desert, and even wealth of life – millions of birds at the ocean and even unusual dwarf crocodiles in the desert plateau of Tagant.
Impact cratersThere are many pieces of solid matter flying around in the space. And VERY frequently they fall on the surface of Earth. There are estimates that every year on Earth fall 18,000 – 84,000 meteorites larger than 10 grams: e.g. one meteorite every 6 – 30 minutes.
This category includes outstanding impact craters – detectable scars on the surface of Earth left by a body coming from outer space. Category includes also meteorites – natural objects from the outer space.
Recommended books
Africa’s Top Geological Sites
Africa is home to more than the Cradle of Humankind. It was the core of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea, and comprises some of the oldest and most extraordinary geology on planet Earth. This detailed and colourful book features 44 of the continent’s most spectacular and interesting ‘geosites’, from Table Mountain in the south to the eroded necks and plugs of the Hoggar region in Algeria.
Travels in Mauritania
When Peter Hudson set off for Mauritania, he knew it only as a big blank space on a map of Africa. Travelling from the capital, Nouakchott, hardly more than a desert encampment, he found among the oases and ancient caravan towns a people in harmony with their harsh surroundings. | https://www.wondermondo.com/tenoumer-crater/ |
Large Commercial & Industrial Customers
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LCI Customers include: | https://connectenergyresources.com/large-commercial-and-industrial-customers/ |
What is Public Finance?
Public finance can be defined as the study of government activities, which may include spending, deficits and taxation. The goals of public finance are to recognize when, how and why the government should intervene in the current economy, and also understand the possible outcomes of making changes in the market. In addition, public finance can involve issues outside of the economy, including accounting, law and public finance management.
Understanding the role of the government and how changes may affect the economy are a few important aspects of public finance professionals. When the government intervenes and takes action within the economy, the outcomes are classified into one of three categories: economic efficiency, distribution of income or macroeconomic stabilization.
Economic Efficiency
Economic efficiency is the standard that economists use to evaluate a variety of resources. Typically, efficiency can be determined by a general formula of ratios and their generated outcomes. The difference between technical efficiency and economic efficiency is the relationship of values people place on things. Values in technical efficiency may be subjective from one person to another. Economic efficiency focuses on eliminating waste to provide as much value as possible. Technical efficiency looks to maximize value, while sacrificing as much as is needed to create the best initiative.
Distribution of Income
Distribution of income is the calculation of the wealth and income of a nation once it is divided by its total population. The overall distribution can be evaluated through a series of statistical studies. Wealth and income are two separate entities. Wealth is the overall value of a population’s physical possessions and financial assets. Income is the exact monetary value of a population’s net intake over a selected period of time. The information gathered from a country’s wealth and income can be a valuable resource to help answer a variety of political, social and economic questions.
Macroeconomic Stabilization
Macroeconomic stabilization is a process by which the stabilization and growth of the economy is monitored through the development of fiscal and monetary policies, laws, and regulations. Stabilization of the economy acts as the foundation to economic growth. Without stabilization, the economy is doomed to collapse. To achieve a stabilized macroeconomic environment, a balance is required between the government budgeting, domestic commerce, banking operations, international trade and governing institutions. In order to maintain ongoing macroeconomic stabilization and an optimal level of economic efficiency, the market must be managed to ensure interest rates, business cycles, and demand within the economy remains steady.
Individuals interested in pursuing a career in public finance may find a Master of Public Administration (MPA) beneficial. Villanova University’s 100% online program can help prepare professionals to effectively lead and manage across the government, non-government or non-profit sectors. The MPA is one of the most popular degree programs in the United States, and is often in high demand in the labor force, according to the U.S. Department of Education. | https://forksdaily.com/what-is-public-finance/ |
15-year-old Andrew Roberts from Northboro, Massachussets discusses strengths with being on the spectrum and how it can help him develop sports as a passion and potential career...
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Background {#Sec1}
==========
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading causes of death for men and women in low- and middle-income countries \[[@CR1], [@CR2]\]. Current evidence suggests that this burden is partly the result of a rapid nutrition transition \[[@CR3]--[@CR5]\], and consequent increases in cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity \[[@CR6]\], diabetes \[[@CR7]\], and hypertension \[[@CR8]\]. Earlier systematic reviews and prospective cohort studies have provided evidence of the effect of dietary factors, such as high salt intake \[[@CR9], [@CR10]\], low consumption of fruits and vegetables \[[@CR11]--[@CR14]\], and the increased consumption of trans- and saturated fat in place of mono- and poly-unsaturated fat \[[@CR12], [@CR13], [@CR15]--[@CR17]\] on increased cardiovascular risk.
The weight of the evidence demonstrating the burden of ill health due to diets high in salt \[[@CR9], [@CR10]\], low in fruits and vegetables \[[@CR11]--[@CR14]\], and high in trans- and saturated fats \[[@CR12], [@CR13], [@CR15]--[@CR17]\] has enabled the development of global targets and recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce dietary risks for CVD, and non-communicable diseases (NCD) more broadly. The WHO Global NCD Action Plan \[[@CR18]\] specifies targets to reduce population salt intake by 30%, and for adults to consume at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day (approximately five servings a day). There are also global targets to eliminate the use of trans-fats \[[@CR19]\] and a recommendation to reduce the intake of saturated fats, aiming for intake to be 10% or less of total energy intake \[[@CR20]\]. In order to monitor population-level NCD risk factors, including dietary behaviours, the WHO has supported the implementation of national surveys called the "STEPwise approach to surveillance" or "STEPS" \[[@CR21]\]. These surveys contain questions on dietary behaviours such as salt use, fruit and vegetable consumption, and type of fat and oil used in cooking. Analysis of these surveys can inform country-specific strategies for reducing NCD risk, on reduction of dietary risk.
In the past decade a growing body of high-quality research has identified differing impacts of non-dietary cardiovascular risk factors, such as high systolic blood pressure, diabetes and smoking, on disease outcomes for men and women \[[@CR22], [@CR23]\]. There is evidence from studies conducted in high income countries that self-reported dietary behaviours differ for men and women \[[@CR24], [@CR25]\]. However, there is a dearth of similar research from low-and-middle income countries, and on potential differences in the association between dietary behaviours and disease outcomes by sex. Given the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of achieving good health and well-being (SDG 3) and gender equality (SDG 5) \[[@CR26]\], it is important to investigate sex differences in dietary behaviours and any relationship with health outcomes in a global setting to inform nutrition interventions and thereby reduce the burden of CVD and its adverse financial consequences \[[@CR27]\].
The objectives of this study were to use individual-level data from nationally representative surveys to investigate sex differences in (1) the dietary behaviours of salt use, fruit and vegetable consumption and type of oil and fat used in cooking, and (2) the association of these behaviours with the prevalence of three key CVD risk factors: high waist circumference, hypertension and diabetes. Given the hypothesis that disease diagnosis may change behaviour, and therefore those with diagnosed disease may be more likely to report more positive dietary behaviours \[[@CR28]\], investigation of associations with both undiagnosed and diagnosed hypertension and diabetes were conducted.
Methods {#Sec2}
=======
Data sources {#Sec3}
------------
This study utilised data from nationally representative surveys conducted in Bhutan, Eswatini, Georgia, Guyana, Kenya, Nepal and St Vincent and the Grenadines; all upper-middle, lower-middle, or low-income countries \[[@CR29]\] at the time the surveys were conducted. The method of data acquisition and pooling have previously been described \[[@CR30]--[@CR32]\]. In brief World Health Organization (WHO) Stepwise Approach to Surveillance (STEPS) surveys \[[@CR33]\] conducted in low, low- middle, or upper-middle income countries since 2005 were searched for. The search was limited to surveys conducted since 2005, as these studies were considered contemporary enough to be included in the same analysis. WHO STEPS surveys use a standardised questionnaire and protocol to monitor non-communicable disease risk at a population level, with the questionnaire comprising three steps: step one "behavioural measurements", step two "physical measurements" and step three "biochemical measurements" \[[@CR21], [@CR33], [@CR34]\]. Survey contacts were approached for the de-identified individual level data to be pooled for analyses. Data was pooled if signed agreement was made and they had a response rate ≥ 50%; participants were aged 15 years or older; included data on waist circumference, and/or a biomarker for diabetes (either a glucose measurement or HbA1c), and/or a measurement of blood pressure. For the current analyses surveys were included if questions on salt behaviour, fruit and vegetable intake, and the use of fats and oils for cooking were asked, seven out of 46 surveys. The surveys used a two-stage cluster random sampling design, with one person from each household (within the defined age range) randomly selected to complete the survey. All surveys were carried out by a trained data collection team member in the household setting, or at a conveniently-located health center and data on the three questionnaire steps were collected during the same visit.
Terminology -- sex - gender {#Sec4}
---------------------------
A person's sex is recorded in the WHO STEPS surveys by the interviewer documenting the observed sex of the participant (binary, male or female) \[[@CR21]\]. While acknowledging that the self-report of dietary behaviours is likely to be influenced by a person's identity and social constructs, and therefore also related to a person's gender, to be in line with the data collected, the term "sex", and corresponding terms "male" and "female", are used throughout this paper \[[@CR35]\].
Classification of dietary behaviours {#Sec5}
------------------------------------
Diet behaviours \[[@CR36]\] of salt use, fruit and vegetable consumption and type of oil and fat used in cooking are included within "Step 1 -- Behavioural Measurements" of the questionnaire, and are the only dietary behaviour variables included in STEPS \[[@CR21]\].
### Salt use behaviours {#Sec6}
There are seven salt use behaviour questions included in STEPS \[[@CR21]\]: 1. *How often do you add salt or salty sauce such as soy sauce to your food right before you eat it or as you are eating it?* 2. *How often is salt, salty seasoning or a salty sauce added in cooking or preparing foods in your household? Do you do any of the following on a regular basis to control your salt intake:* 3. *Limit consumption of processed foods?* 4. *Look at the salt or sodium content on food labels?* 5. *Buy low salt/sodium alternatives?* 6. *Use spices other than salt when cooking?* 7. *Avoid eating foods prepared outside of a home?* The first two questions used a 5-point Likert response scale with options of: always, often, sometimes, rarely, or never. These answers were assigned a value of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 or 1, respectively. The other five questions used a "yes" or "no" response, which was assigned a value of 1 and 0, respectively. To investigate the prevalence of positive (good) compared to poor salt used behaviour, the response values for all the seven questions were summed, and individuals with a score of 0.5 (50%) or greater were labelled as having positive (good) salt use behaviour. Another method of scoring salt use behaviour and categorising into positive vs. poor behaviour was not identified in the literature, and therefore other options of quantification were tested. These included an ordinal 4-point score (categorising into of 25, 50, 75 and 100% of the salt behaviour questions answered positively) and a 7-point score ("1" being one question answered positively, through to "7", being all questions answered positively). Given the low prevalence of positive salt use behaviour the 50% cut-off was used in the main analyses, with the 4-point score and 7-point score used in sensitivity analyses for the association of salt use behaviour with undiagnosed hypertension.
### Fruit and vegetable intake {#Sec7}
In the surveys, participants were asked to report the number of days per week they consume fruits and vegetables. If participants reported that they consumed fruits or vegetables on one or more days a week, they were then asked to state on any given day how many portions of fruits and vegetables they consume. To aid their response, they were shown pictures of local fruits and vegetables to refer to as a portion, corresponding to approximately 80 g. Fruit and vegetable intake (per day) was then calculated using the methods of Frank S et al. \[[@CR31]\]. Briefly, individuals were categorised as meeting, or not meeting, the fruit and vegetable recommendations, based on the WHO- recommendation of five 80 g portions of fruit and vegetables, or more, on a given day, equivalent to 400 g or more a day \[[@CR18]\].
### Oil and fat use {#Sec8}
Participants were asked to pick the main oil or fat used to prepare meals in their home. Options, specific to the types of oils and fats used in each country, were provided to the participant. Responses were categorized as: vegetable, animal, other, none in particular, or none used. For analysis, this was further collapsed into vegetable oil, all other oils and fats, and no fat or oil used, given the small number of individuals who reported using other types of fats and oils or no use of fats or oils. "Vegetable oil" was used as the reference (or "positive behaviour") category, based on evidence that suggests plant-based oils are protective for heart health \[[@CR13], [@CR17]\].
Classification of cardiovascular risk factors {#Sec9}
---------------------------------------------
### Waist circumference {#Sec10}
Waist circumference in each survey was conducted following the STEPS data collection manual \[[@CR37]\]. Data collectors used constant tension tape to measure waist circumference directly against the participant's skin where possible, or over light clothing if direct contact was not possible. Measurement was taken with a participant in a standing position, with arms relaxed at their sides and at the end of a normal expiration. The point of measurement was the midpoint between the lower section of the last palpable rib and the top of the hip bone. Waist circumference was then recorded to the nearest 0.1 cm, and only one measurement per participant was recorded. Participants were classified as having a "high waist circumference" if their measured value was ≥102 cm for males and ≥ 88 cm for females \[[@CR38]\].
### Hypertension {#Sec11}
Detailed country-specific methods of blood pressure measurement are described elsewhere \[[@CR32]\]. Briefly, the included surveys followed the STEPS data collection manual \[[@CR37]\], which specifies measures to be conducted using digital, automated upper arm monitors, following 15 min of rest. The majority of participants had three blood pressure readings taken, with 3 min rest between each measure. The average of the last two readings were then taken. For individuals with only two measures, the mean of both available measurements was taken; for individuals with only one measure that measure was taken. A person was classified as having hypertension if their average systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurement was greater than 140 mmHg, or their average diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurement was greater than 90 mmHg, or they reported taking medication for hypertension. We defined a categorical variable of non-hypertensives (reference), undiagnosed hypertension, and diagnosed hypertension. Individuals with self-reported diagnosed hypertension were those who met the criteria for hypertension and also reported a diagnosis of hypertension. Undiagnosed individuals were those who had a high SBP (\> 140 mmHg) or a high DBP (\> 90 mmHg), did not report taking hypertension medication, and did not report a hypertension diagnosis.
### Diabetes {#Sec12}
Detailed country-specific methods of diabetes measurement are described elsewhere \[[@CR30]\]. Briefly, point-of-care fasting capillary glucose measurement was the diabetes biomarker in all surveys apart from the survey conducted in Nepal, where laboratory-based assessment of fasting plasma glucose was used. For the six countries that measured capillary glucose, plasma equivalents were provided. Individuals were asked if they fasted or not prior to the measurement, for those who reported not fasting their blood glucose level was interpreted as a random blood glucose measure. Diabetes was defined as having an average fasting blood glucose (FBG) level of 7 mmol/L or greater, or having a random blood glucose (RBG) level of 11.1 mmol/L or greater, or on medication for diabetes. We evaluated a categorical variable of non-diabetics (reference), undiagnosed diabetes, and diagnosed diabetes. Individuals with self-reported diagnosed diabetes were those who met the criteria for diabetes and also reported a diagnosis of diabetes. Undiagnosed individuals were those who had a high FBG (\> 7 mmol/L) or a high RBG (\> 11.1 mmol/L), did not report taking diabetes medication, and did not report a diabetes diagnosis.
Sociodemographic and behavioural variables {#Sec13}
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Sociodemographic and behavioural factors of interest were sex, age, education, working status, physical activity levels, alcohol use and tobacco use \[[@CR21]\].
### Sociodemographic variables {#Sec14}
Age was defined based on the dates of an individual's birth and the survey, or self-reported age. Age was then categorised into 10-year categories: 15--24, 25--34, 35--44, 45--54, 55--64 and 65 or older. For education a range of options were given including: no formal schooling, less than primary school, primary school completed, secondary school completed, high school completed, college/university completed and post graduate degree. For analysis, education was categorised into "no formal schooling/education", "primary school attendance only" and "secondary schooling or above". For working status, a range of occupations were reported including: government employee, non-government employee, self-employed, non-paid, student, homemaker, retired, and unemployed. Of these we classified the self-report of any paid occupation as "working" and any unpaid occupation (for example homemaker) as "not working".
### Behavioural variables {#Sec15}
STEPS surveys include physical activity questions, covering physical activity at work, for transport and for recreation. For physical activity at work or for recreation, participants were asked if they participate in vigorous or moderate intensity activity, on how many days during the week, and for how long. For transport participants were asked if they walk or cycle for at least 10 min at a time to get to/from places. If they answered "yes" to this question they were then asked on how many days, and during the day how long, they walked or cycled for transport. Answers to these questions were translated into metabolic equivalents (METs), and the WHO recommendation of achieving at least 600 METs \[[@CR18]\] used as the cut-off for individuals to be categorised as physically active.
Alcohol consumption is also self-reported, participants were asked if they consumed alcohol in the past 12 months, and then if so the frequency of consumption in the past week. For analyses individuals were classified as "non-drinkers" (had not consumed alcohol in the past 12 months, or did not report consuming alcohol in the previous week) or "drinkers" (reported consuming at least one alcoholic beverage in the past week).
Tobacco use was based on reported frequency of smoking tobacco (cigarettes) and/or using smokeless tobacco (for example snuff or chewing tobacco), in a similar manner to questions on physical activity and alcohol use. Individuals were also asked if they previously used tobacco. Therefore, this variable was categorised as "no reported tobacco use", "past tobacco use" and "current tobacco use".
Analyses {#Sec16}
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Analyses for the population and dietary behaviour characteristics were performed on the sample of individuals with data on all three dietary behaviours from the seven countries. The complex survey design was accounted for, via the Stata *svy* command \[[@CR39]\], and data were weighted so that data from each country contributed equally to the results. Percentages for categorical variables and means for continuous variables of demographic, behavioural and disease characteristics, by sex, were described and differences between sexes tested using Pearson's chi-squared test for categorical variables and regression analysis for continuous variables.
Generalized linear models with country-level fixed effects were used to investigate cross-sectional associations between the dietary behaviours and waist circumference. Given that our outcome variables were discrete (i.e. dichotomous), we have fitted our generalized linear models using the binomial family distribution. For the hypertension and diabetes outcomes, separate multinomial logistic regression models with country-level fixed effects were used, comparing undiagnosed and self-reported diagnosed hypertension or diabetes with non-hypertensives or non-diabetics, respectively. For the waist circumference outcome models were adjusted for age, educational attainment, working status, physical activity, alcohol use and tobacco use. For the hypertension and diabetes outcomes, models were adjusted for age, educational attainment, working status, physical activity, alcohol use, tobacco use and waist circumference. Complete case analyses were conducted. Information on the number and proportion of participants with missing data on the outcome, independent or confounding variables is provided overall and by country in Additional file [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}: Table S1.
To investigate the interaction of sex with the dietary behaviours on the outcomes, interaction terms were used and marginal estimates (proportion of males and females with the outcome for the dietary behaviour) were calculated. For these interactions a more lenient *p-* value of ≤0.10 was used to identify significance. Given the high proportion of respondents who reported using vegetable oil in cooking (93%) we have not presented the results by type of oil used, as findings were not informative. For the hypertension outcome two sensitivity analyses were conducted using the 4-point, and the 7-point salt behaviour score.
The results are presented with 95% confidence intervals. All analyses were conducted in Stata version 15.1 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas, US).
Results {#Sec17}
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Sample characteristics and dietary behaviours {#Sec18}
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The sample included 25,324 participants from Bhutan, Eswatini, Georgia, Guyana, Kenya, Nepal, and St Vincent and the Grenadines (Additional file [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}: Table S2). The final analytic sample included 24,332 participants with the required information on the three dietary behaviours, of which 20,784 had waist circumference measurements, 22,907 had the required information on hypertension status, and 16,830 had the required information on diabetes status. Population characteristics are presented in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}, with characteristics for each outcome sample shown in Additional file [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}: Table S3. Mean age was 36 years and 50% of the sample was female. On average, males were more likely to have had a formal education, to consume alcohol and to use tobacco (Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). For overall disease prevalence (95% CI), 26.0% (25.0--27.1%) of the sample analyzed had a high waist circumference, 11.0% (10.2--11.9%) of males and 41.4% (39.7--43.0%) of females. Just under a third of the sample were affected by hypertension (26.7%, 25.8--27.6% overall, 27.4%, 26.1--28.8% of males and 26.0%, 25.0--26.9% of females), 11.3% (10.8--11.8%) of which was self-reported diagnosed (8.7%, 8.1--9.4% of males, 13.8%, 13.1--14.5% of females) and 15.4% (14.7--16.2%) of which was undiagnosed (18.7%, 17.5--19.9% of males, 12.2%, 11.5--12.9% of females). Around 6 % of the sample had diabetes (5.8%, 5.2--6.5% overall, 4.9%, 4.3--5.7% of males, 6.7%, 5.9--7.5% of females), 3.4% (2.9--4.0%) reported being diagnosed with diabetes (2.6%, 2.1--3.2 of males, 4.1%, 3.5--4.9% of females) and 1.8% (1.5--2.1%) had undiagnosed diabetes (1.7%, 1.4--2.2% of males, 1.9%, 1.5--2.3% of females). Table 1Characteristics of individuals with data on dietary behaviours (*n* = 24,332) in seven low- and middle- income countries, overall and by sex ^a^Overall (95% CI)Male (95% CI)Female (95% CI)*p*-value^\*^Socio-demographic characteristics Sex (%) Males49.89 (48.81. 50.96)---- Females50.11 (49.04, 51.18)---- Age (mean, years)36.33 (36.03, 36.63)36.24 (35.81, 36.66)36.42 (36.08, 36.76)0.47 Educational Attainment (%) No formal schooling14.79 (13.48, 16.20)11.29 (9.96, 12.77)18.26 (16.64, 20.01)\< 0.001 Primary school30.51 (29.18, 31.88)32.25 (30.42, 34.14)28.78 (27.53, 30.07) Secondary school or above54.70 (53.23, 56.17)56.46 (54.45, 58.45)52.95 (51.37, 54.53) Working (%)54.18 (52.50, 55.83)68.74 (66.98, 70.45)39.70 (37.29, 42.16)\< 0.001Behavioural characteristics Physical Activity (%) Achieving 600 MET a week84.50 (82.61, 86.21)88.92 (87.62, 90.11)80.10 (77.30, 82.63)\< 0.001 Alcohol consumption Mean number of drinks per week3.84 (3.45, 4.24)6.47 (5.80, 7.15)1.23 (1.00, 1.45)\< 0.001 Consuming alcohol during a week (%) No alcohol use reported70.65 (69.26, 71.99)56.15 (54.29, 57.99)85.06 (83.62, 86.40)\< 0.001 Consume one alcoholic drink or more29.35 (28.01, 30.74)43.85 (42.01, 45.71)14.94 (13.60, 16.38) Tobacco use, smoke or smokeless (%) No tobacco use69.69 (68.31, 71.04)51.51 (49.54, 53.49)87.79 (86.84, 88.68)\< 0.001 Past use of tobacco19.29 (18.13, 20.50)32.15 (30.300, 34.05)6.48 (5.83, 7.19) Current use of tobacco11.02 (10.34, 11.74)16.33 (15.21, 17.53)5.73 (5.18, 6.33)Cardiovascular risk factors Waist circumference Mean waist circumference85.22 (84.76, 85.68)84.45 (83.98, 84.92)86.01 (85.34, 86.68)\< 0.001 High waist circumference (%) ^b^26.01 (24.96, 27.08)11.02 (10.20, 11.89)41.35 (39.73, 43.00)\< 0.001 Blood pressure measures Mean systolic blood pressure125.83 (125.47, 126.19)128.47 (127.96, 128.97)123.21 (122.76, 123.67)\< 0.001 Mean diastolic blood pressure79.76 (79.39, 80.13)79.90 (79.39, 80.41)79.62 (79.26, 79.98)0.26 Hypertension (%) ^c^26.69 (25.82, 27.58)27.44 (26.12, 28.81)25.95 (25.01, 26.92)0.05 Self-reported diagnosed hypertension11.26 (10.76, 11.79)8.74 (8.10, 9.43)13.77 (13.06, 14.51)\< 0.001 Undiagnosed hypertension15.43 (14.71, 16.18)18.70 (17.54, 19.92)12.18 (11.49. 12.91) Blood glucose measures Mean blood glucose measure4.83 (4.79, 4.87)4.79 (4.74, 4.83)4.87 (4.82, 4.93)0.006 Diabetes (%) ^d^5.82 (5.23, 6.47)4.94 (4.30, 5.66)6.66 (5.92, 7.49)\< 0.001 Self-reported diagnosed diabetes3.38 (2.86, 3.99)2.59 (2.10, 3.19)4.13 (3.45, 4.93)\< 0.001 Undiagnosed diabetes1.79 (1.53, 2.10)1.72 (1.35, 2.18)1.86 (1.54, 2.25)^a^ Percentages and means accounts for sampling design with survey weights re-scaled by the survey's sample size such that all countries contribute equally to estimates. Differences between sexes tested using Pearson's chi-squared test for categorical variables and linear regression analysis for continuous variables^b^Definition of high waist circumference, waist ≥102 cm for males and waist ≥88 cm for females^c^ Hypertension was defined as an average systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurement \> 140 mmHg, or their average diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurement \> 90 mmHg, or they reported taking medication for hypertension. Self-reported diagnosed hypertension were those who met the criteria for hypertension and also reported a diagnosis of hypertension. Undiagnosed individuals were those who had a high SBP (\> 140 mmHg) or a high DBP (\> 90 mmHg), did not report taking hypertension medication, and did not report a hypertension diagnosis^d^ Diabetes was defined as having an average fasting blood glucose (FBG) level ≥ 7 mmol/L, or having a random blood glucose (RBG) level of ≥11.1 mmol/L or on medication for diabetes. Individuals with self-reported diagnosed diabetes met the criteria for diabetes and also reported a diagnosis of diabetes. Undiagnosed individuals were those who had a high FBG (≥7 mmol/L) or a high RBG (≥11.1 mmol/L), did not report taking diabetes medication, and did not report a diabetes diagnosis^\*^*p*-value for difference between males and females
A third of the sample (29.3, 95% CI 26.8--31.9%) reported positive salt use behaviour, slightly higher in females than in males (31.3%, 28.6--34.2% compared to 27.2%, 24.6--30.0%, *p*-value\< 0.001 Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}). Analysis of the salt behaviour from the seven questions asked in the survey revealed a higher proportion of participants responded positively to questions regarding adding salt to meals (*never*, 53.1%, 50.9--55.3%) and limiting processed foods to reduce salt intake (*yes*, 43.3%, 40.9--45.7%). However, 63.8% (61.9--65.7%) of the population reported always adding salt during cooking and 18.0% (16.7--19.4%) reported looking at the salt content on food labels. Fourteen percent (14.0%, 12.8--15.3%) of the sample met the WHO fruit and vegetable recommendations, with a lower proportion of females meeting the recommendations compared to males (13.2%, 12.1--14.4% compared to 14.8%, 13.2--16.6%, *p*-value = 0.02). The majority of the sample reported using vegetable oil in cooking (93.4%, 92.2--94.4%, Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}). Overall, 2.7% of the population reported positive behaviours for all three dietary factors (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}), with no sex differences evident (Additional file [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}: Figure S1).The prevalence of positive dietary behaviours was similar for each outcome population (Additional file [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}: Table S4). The prevalence of positive dietary behaviours varied by country (Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}), ranging from 64.7% (60.8--68.4%) reporting positive salt behaviour in St. Vincent & the Grenadines to 5.8% (4.3--7.9%) reporting positive salt use behaviour in Nepal (Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}a), and 37.3% (34.4--40.3%) reporting meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations in Georgia to 1.1% (0.7--1.8%) meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations in Nepal (Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}b). Table 2Self-reported salt use behaviour, fruit and vegetable consumption and the type of fat and oil used in cooking, in seven low-and middle-income countries (*n* = 24,332), by sex ^a^Overall\
Percentage (95% CI)Male\
Percentage (95% CI)Female\
Percentage (95% CI)*p*-value^\*^Salt use behaviour Positive salt behaviour (\> 50%)29.27 (26.75, 31.93)27.19 (24.60, 29.95)31.34 (28.61, 34.21)\< 0.001 Specific salt behaviours Add salt to meal\< 0.001 Always8.44 (7.64, 9.32)9.39 (8.26, 10.66)7.50 (6.74, 8.33) Often5.28 (4.76, 5.85)5.27 (4.62, 6.01)5.28 (4.69, 5.95) Sometimes17.35 (16.45, 18.28)18.09 (16.86, 19.39)16.61 (15.60, 17.67) Rarely15.83 (14.58, 17.16)16.17 (14.64, 17.82)15.49 (14.16, 16.93) Never53.10 (50.92, 55.27)51.08 (48.69, 53.47)55.11 (52.76, 57.44) Add salt during cooking0.26 Always63.78 (61.88, 65.65)63.48 (61.28, 65.62)64.09 (62.07, 66.06) Often7.62 (6.95, 8.35)7.58 (6.72, 8.53)7.67 (6.96, 8.45) Sometimes11.34 (10.50, 12.24)11.74 (10.65, 12.92)10.95 (10.05, 11.92) Rarely7.59 (6.91, 8.32)7.21 (6.35, 8.18)7.95 (7.20, 8.78) Never9.67 (8.75, 10.67)10.00 (8.84, 11.29)9.34 (8.39, 10.38) Limit Processed foods to reduce salt Yes43.3 (40.94, 45.70)42.35 (39.78, 44.96)44.25 (41.67, 46.87)0.07 Look at salt content on food labels Yes18.03 (16.71, 19.42)16.96 (15.51, 18.51)19.09 (17.56, 20.72)0.01 Buy low salt alternatives Yes18.16 (16.69, 19.72)16.81 (15.17, 18.59)19.49 (17.89, 21.21)\< 0.001 Use other spices Yes32.94 (29.72, 36.34)31.24 (28.16, 34.48)34.64 (31.00, 38.64)\< 0.001 Avoid eating foods prepared outside of home Yes34.05 (31.92, 36.24)31.34 (29.12, 33.65)36.74 (34.36, 39.19)\< 0.001Fruit and vegetable consumption Met WHO guidelines (400 g per day)14.01 (12.80, 15.32)14.81 (13.23, 16.55)13.21 (12.09, 14.43)0.02Fat and oil used in cooking0.45 Vegetable93.39 (92.20, 94.40)92.95 (91.48, 94.19)93.81 (92.69, 94.77) Animal2.49 (2.02, 2.06)2.62 (2.00, 3.41)2.36 (1.92, 2.89) Other2.98 (2.14, 4.14)3.17 (2.15, 4.65)2.78 (2.04, 3.78) None in particular0.47 (0.36, 0.61)0.49 (0.33, 0.71)0.45 (0.33, 0.62) None0.69 (0.51, 0.91)0.77 (0.51, 0.12)0.60 (0.45, 0.80)^\*^*p*-value for difference between males and females^a^ Percent accounts for sampling design with survey weights re-scaled by the survey's sample size such that all countries contribute equally to estimates. Differences between sexes tested using Pearson's chi-squared test Fig. 1Weighted proportion of participants reporting positive dietary behaviours (*n* = 23,511), in seven low-and middle-income countries Fig. 2Prevalence (percentage, 95% confidence interval) of (**a**) reporting positive salt use behaviour, (**b**) meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations, (**c**) use of vegetable oil, and (**d**) reporting all three behaviours positively, by sex and country
Individuals with missing data for the diabetes outcome were compared to individuals with data in an unweighted analysis. Those with data were older (39 vs. 36 years), had a higher mean waist circumference (88.28 vs. 85.11 cm), had a higher average systolic (129.78 vs. 125.19 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (81.68 vs. 79.21 mmHg), a higher proportion were hypertensive (17.6 vs. 12.6%), and had higher average blood glucose levels (5.73 vs. 4.27 mmol/L). However, no differences were evident in the reported dietary behaviours. The proportion of participants with missing data from the hypertension and waist circumference outcome groups were minimal, 321 (1.4%) and 1059 (4.4%) participants, respectively Additional file [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}: Table S3.
Cross-sectional associations of sex and dietary behaviours with waist circumference, hypertension, and diabetes {#Sec19}
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From the adjusted models (adjusted for age, waist circumference (for associations with diabetes and hypertension), educational attainment, working status, physical activity, alcohol use and tobacco use) a higher proportion of females exceeded waist circumference recommendations in comparison to males (40.5, 95% CI 35.6--45.4% vs. 10.1, 6.6--13.5%). For hypertension, a higher proportion of males had undiagnosed hypertension in comparison to females (19.2%, 17.8--20.7% vs. 12.2%, 11.0--13.5%), with no difference in the proportion with diagnosed hypertension between the sexes (10.7%, 9.8--11.6% for males, 11.7%, 10.9--12.4% for females). For diabetes, there were no sex differences in the proportion with undiagnosed or diagnosed diabetes (undiagnosed diabetes, 2.1%, 1.6--2.6% of males, 1.7%, 1.4--2.0% of females, diagnosed diabetes, 8.3%, 7.4--9.2% of males, 7.0, 6.7--7.4% of females).
Overall, salt behaviour was associated with diagnosed diabetes only (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}). A higher proportion of those with diagnosed diabetes reported positive salt use behaviour, compared to those who reported poor salt behaviour (8.0, 95% CI 7.9--8.2% vs. 6.5%, 6.3--6.8% respectively, *p*-value = 0.001). However, when looking at the interaction by sex there were further significant differences (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}). For undiagnosed hypertension there was a significant interaction by sex (*p*-value for interaction = 0.04), the proportion of females with undiagnosed hypertension reporting poor salt behaviour was 13.1% (11.8--14.4%) compared to 9.9% (8.4--11.5%) of those who reported positive salt behaviour. However, in males there was no difference in the proportion of undiagnosed hypertension for those who reported positive or poor salt behaviour. Salt behaviour was also associated with undiagnosed diabetes, with a significant interaction by sex (*p*-value for interaction = 0.02). The proportion of males with undiagnosed diabetes reporting poor salt behaviour was 2.4% (2.0--2.9%) compared to 1.5% (0.6--2.4%) for those who reported positive salt behaviour, yet there was no difference in the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes by salt behaviour for females. In the sensitivity analyses (Additional file [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}: Figure S2 and S3) a downwards trend was seen for the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension with increasing numbers of salt behaviour questions answered positively for females. Comparatively, for males a slight upward trend was seen for both the 7-point and the 4-point scores. In both cases, the confidence intervals for each prevalence-point overlapped. Table 3Cross-sectional associations of salt behaviour with exceeding waist circumference ^a^ recommendations, having undiagnosed or diagnosed hypertension ^b^ or diabetes ^b^, in seven low-and middle-income countriesWaist circumference ^c^ (*n* = 20,784)Hypertension ^d^ (*n* = 22,907)Diabetes ^e^ (*n* = 16,643)Percentage (95% CI) exceeding recommendationsPercentage (95% CI) undiagnosedPercentage (95% CI) diagnosedPercentage (95% CI) undiagnosedPercentage (95% CI) diagnosedOverall good salt behaviour24.3 (22.3, 26.2)14.8 (13.1, 16.4)12.1 (11.1, 13.1)1.7 (1.3, 2.2)8.0 (7.9, 8.2) poor salt behaviour22.3 (21.4, 23.1)16.0 (15.5, 16.6)10.9 (10.5, 11.4)1.9 (1.7, 2.2)6.5 (6.3, 6.8)*p-value0.810.670.340.200.001*Male good salt behaviour10.4 (7.7, 13.1)19.7 (15.2, 24.1)11.5 (9.9, 13.0)1.5 (0.6, 2.4)9.3 (8.5, 10.2) poor salt behaviour9.9 (5.4, 14.3)19.1 (18.4, 19.8)10.3 (9.0, 11.7)2.4 (2.0, 2.9)6.8 (5.4, 8.1)Female good salt behaviour43.3 (38.3, 48.4)9.9 (8.4, 11.5)12.5 (11.8, 13.2)1.9 (1.6, 2.2)7.3 (6.9, 7.7) poor salt behaviour39.3 (33.9, 44.7)13.1 (11.8, 14.4)11.3 (10.2, 12.4)1.6 (1.2, 2.0)6.4 (5.4, 7.4)*p-value for sex interaction0.640.040.790.020.29*^a^ Model adjusted for type of fat and oil used in cooking, age, education, working status, physical activity, alcohol use and tobacco use^b^ Model adjusted for type of fat and oil used in cooking, age, education, working status, physical activity, alcohol use, tobacco use and waist circumference^c^ Definition of high waist circumference, waist ≥102 cm for males and waist ≥88 cm for females^d^ Hypertension was defined as an average systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurement \> 140 mmHg, or their average diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurement \> 90 mmHg, or they reported taking medication for hypertension. Self-reported diagnosed hypertension were those who met the criteria for hypertension and also reported a diagnosis of hypertension. Undiagnosed individuals were those who had a high SBP (\> 140 mmHg) or a high DBP (\> 90 mmHg), did not report taking hypertension medication, and did not report a hypertension diagnosis^e^ Diabetes was defined as having an average fasting blood glucose (FBG) level ≥ 7 mmol/L, or having a random blood glucose (RBG) level of ≥11.1 mmol/L or on medication for diabetes. Individuals with self-reported diagnosed diabetes met the criteria for diabetes and also reported a diagnosis of diabetes. Undiagnosed individuals were those who had a high FBG (≥7 mmol/L) or a high RBG (≥11.1 mmol/L), did not report taking diabetes medication, and did not report a diabetes diagnosis
Overall, self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with waist circumference (Table [4](#Tab4){ref-type="table"}), with a higher proportion of those who met fruit and vegetable recommendations exceeding waist circumference recommendations (24.4, 95% CI 22.5--26.4% vs 22.6%, 22.3--23.0% respectively, *p*- value = 0.01). At the *p-*value *≤*0.10 significance level a significant interaction was observed by sex for fruit and vegetable consumption with waist circumference (*p*-value for interaction = 0.06), with a higher proportion of males who met fruit and vegetable recommendations exceeding waist circumference recommendations (13.1%, 6.6--19.6% compared to 9.5%, 6.6--12.4%). There was no difference in the prevalence of high waist circumference by fruit and vegetable consumption for females. No associations were identified between fruit and vegetable consumption and prevalence of undiagnosed or diagnosed hypertension (*p*-values of 0.84 and 0.88, respectively), or the prevalence of undiagnosed or diagnosed diabetes (*p*-values 0.75 and 0.33, respectively). Further, no significant interactions by sex were found (*p*-values 0.17 for undiagnosed hypertension, 0.79 for diagnosed hypertension, 0.97 for undiagnosed diabetes and 0.90 for diagnosed diabetes). Table 4Cross-sectional associations of meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations with exceeding waist circumference recommendations ^a^, having undiagnosed or diagnosed hypertension ^b^ or diabetes ^b^, in seven low-and middle-income countriesWaist circumference ^c^ (*n* = 20,784)Hypertension ^d^ (*n* = 22,907)Diabetes ^e^ (*n* = 16,643)Percentage (95% CI) exceeding recommendationsPercentage (95% CI) undiagnosedPercentage (95% CI) diagnosedPercentage (95% CI) undiagnosedPercentage (95% CI) diagnosedOverall Met F&V^f^ recommendations24.4 (22.5, 26.4)15.9 (13.8, 18.0)11.2 (10.2, 12.2)1.8 (0.7, 2.9)5.9 (4.5, 7.2) Did not meet F&V recommendations22.6 (22.3, 23.0)15.6 (15.3, 16.0)11.3 (11.1, 11.5)1.9 (1.8, 2.0)7.5 (7.4, 7.6)*p-value0.010.840.880.750.33*Male Met F&V recommendations13.1 (6.6, 19.6)18.9 (17.0, 20.9)10.6 (9.4, 11.7)2.0 (1.0, 3.0)6.5 (3.1, 9.9) Did not meet F&V recommendations9.5 (6.6, 12.4)19.3 (17.4, 21.1)10.7 (9.5, 12.0)2.1 (1.5, 2.7)8.4 (7.5, 9.4)Female Met F&V recommendations39.8 (32.5, 47.1)13.1 (10.7, 15.4)11.6 (10.5, 12.8)1.6 (0.2, 3.3)5.6 (4.2, 6.9) Did not meet F&V recommendations40.6 (35.9, 45.3)12.1 (11.0, 13.2)11.7 (11.0, 12.4)1.7 (1.5, 2.0)7.1 (6.5, 7.6)*p-value for sex interaction0.060.170.790.970.90*^a^Model adjusted for type of fat and oil used in cooking, age, education, working status, physical activity, alcohol use and tobacco use^b^Model adjusted for type of fat and oil used in cooking, age, education, working status, physical activity, alcohol use, tobacco use and waist circumference^c^ Definition of high waist circumference, waist ≥102 cm for males and waist ≥88 cm for females^d^ Hypertension was defined as an average systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurement \> 140 mmHg, or their average diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurement \> 90 mmHg, or they reported taking medication for hypertension. Self-reported diagnosed hypertension were those who met the criteria for hypertension and also reported a diagnosis of hypertension. Undiagnosed individuals were those who had a high SBP (\> 140 mmHg) or a high DBP (\> 90 mmHg), did not report taking hypertension medication, and did not report a hypertension diagnosis^e^ Diabetes was defined as having an average fasting blood glucose (FBG) level ≥ 7 mmol/L, or having a random blood glucose (RBG) level of ≥11.1 mmol/L or on medication for diabetes. Individuals with self-reported diagnosed diabetes met the criteria for diabetes and also reported a diagnosis of diabetes. Undiagnosed individuals were those who had a high FBG (≥7 mmol/L) or a high RBG (≥11.1 mmol/L), did not report taking diabetes medication, and did not report a diabetes diagnosis^f^ "F&V" -- Fruit and vegetable intake, categorised into meeting or not meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations of 400 g/day
Discussion {#Sec20}
==========
This study revealed an exceptionally low prevalence of positive dietary behaviours for salt use and fruit and vegetable consumption, with only 2.7% of the population reporting positive salt use, meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations and reporting use of vegetable oil in cooking. Small sex differences were evident in the self-report of salt use and fruit and vegetable consumption, but associations between the self-reported dietary behaviours and the outcomes were minimal. This was unexpected but can likely be explained by the low prevalence of positive dietary behaviours overall.
The results for positive salt use behaviour and meeting the WHO recommendations for fruit and vegetables varied hugely by country. 64.7% of the population from St Vincent & the Grenadines reported positive salt use behaviour, and 37.3% of the Georgian population met fruit and vegetable recommendations, compared to just 5.8 and 1.1% of the Nepalese population for the respective behaviours. Across the countries, discretionary salt use was high, with 63% of the sample *always adding salt during cooking*. These responses suggest discretionary salt is a key contributor to salt intake in these countries \[[@CR40]--[@CR42]\]. We found a small proportion of participants reported looking at the salt content on food labels (18% overall, 17% of males and 19% of females). This is much lower than that found in two separate reviews of nutrition label use in other low-and-middle income countries \[[@CR43]\] and in high-income countries \[[@CR44]\], finding 40--70% and 60--80% self-reported use, respectively. Both of these reviews found that self-reported use of labels was high, comprehension of back-of-pack nutrition panels was low, and interpretative front-of-pack labels, for example the multiple traffic light label, were easier to understand, making it more likely to influence consumer choice. As consumption of processed foods increases, it is important that clear and effective labelling systems are introduced. Monitoring of the main sources of salt in diets is also needed \[[@CR45]\], to inform future intervention strategies. The identified low fruit and vegetable consumption across the countries, echoes findings by Frank et al. \[[@CR31]\] and the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) Study \[[@CR14], [@CR46]\]. However, the PURE study \[[@CR46]\], which covers 18 counties did identify a decrease in cardiovascular disease with increasing fruit, vegetable and legume intake. Differing LMICs included in studies, the lack of legume measurement in WHO STEPS and the cross-sectional nature of studies in our review potentially explain the differing findings.
Our findings imply poor overall diet quality in the included countries, particularly for Nepal, Kenya and Eswatini, where the prevalence of meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations and reporting positive salt use behaviors were very low. The recent review on the State of Diet Quality Globally \[[@CR47]\] looked at unhealthy and healthy dietary patterns using the 2015 Global Dietary Database. The authors found that adherence to both "unhealthy" and "healthy" dietary patterns were low in Nepal, Kenya and Eswatini. Their unhealthy dietary pattern score was based on the consumption of refined grains, total processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages and added sugar, where as their healthy dietary pattern score focused on 11 dietary factors including fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrains and unprocessed animal products. These results further highlight the need to increase "healthy" foods, including fruits and vegetables. Accessibility, affordability, and safety of fruits and vegetables are key barriers to consumption in low-resource settings \[[@CR14], [@CR48]\], and policies that focus on contextually appropriate systems, fostering production of fruits and vegetables by local farmers, and proper storage and handling of produce to point of sale, at potentially subsidized prices may aid consumption \[[@CR49], [@CR50]\].
Examination of cross-sectional associations of the dietary behaviours with outcomes produced differing results for males and females. For waist circumference, once adjusted for socioeconomic and behavioural factors, 41% of females exceeded waist circumference recommendations, compared to 10% of males. Our findings are consistent with the obesity transition where females tend to transition to obesity before males \[[@CR4], [@CR6]\]. Individuals who met fruit and vegetable recommendations were more likely to exceed waist circumference recommendations. Whilst we were not able to adjust for total energy intake, it is highly likely that this is because people who meet fruit and vegetable recommendations may eat more in general. It is also acknowledged that the use of waist circumference cut-offs have their limitations, and different cut-offs exist for different populations \[[@CR51], [@CR52]\]. We have used binary variables in this paper for ease of interpretation, however cut-offs, either for waist circumference or the categories of body mass index may not predict the same disease risk for all population groups. Therefore, we could be overestimating the burden of high-waist circumference in our sample, which is inclusive of a range of ethnicities. We found that poor self-reported salt behaviour was associated with increased odds of having undiagnosed hypertension for females, with no relationship evident for males. This is interesting as some sodium reduction trials also show that reducing sodium has more of an impact on blood pressure in females than males \[[@CR53]\]. Given we cannot equate the behavioural questionnaire in the present study to actual sodium intake, a next step investigation could be to examine the association of the salt behaviour questions included in STEPS surveys with actual salt intake measured by 24-h urine/spot urine, which has been measured in recent STEPS surveys. The fact that a higher proportion of males with poor salt behaviour had undiagnosed diabetes compared to males with good salt behaviour was intriguing, albeit the percentage difference between the groups was only 0.9%. The relationship between salt intake and diabetes is not well established, however it is likely to be associated given diets high in salt may also be energy dense, leading to excess adiposity and therefore risk of type 2 diabetes \[[@CR54], [@CR55]\].
Overall, it is important to reflect on the dietary behaviours measured in the STEPS survey given that for many LMICs, the STEPS surveys are the only source of national dietary intake data. In particular, ultra-processed foods and drinks are important overlooked dietary risk factors \[[@CR56], [@CR57]\] and countries should consider including questions on these in future iterations of the STEPS survey. These products are high in salt, fat and/or sugar, and people who frequently consume ultra-processed products in their diets often have low intakes of fresh fruits and vegetables \[[@CR57]\]. Sales of ultra-processed products have been shown to be increasing globally, including in LMICs, with corresponding increases in body mass index \[[@CR58]\]. While we have investigated components of diet quality, we were not able to investigate the level of consumption of ultra-processed products, which may be a reason for the overall minimal associations observed between the diet behaviours and cardiovascular risk factors.
These findings have several policy implications for the included countries. First, they identify the need to improve consumption of fruits and vegetables, and salt use behaviour. As discussed, policies need to focus on improving the accessibility and affordability of fruit and vegetables, and decreasing the use of salt during cooking, while monitoring the consumption of ultra-processed products which are becoming more accessible in LMICs. Second, there is not sufficient evidence from this review to support the idea that we need sex specific policies and interventions for fruit and vegetable consumption and salt use. This investigation was limited by the small proportion of individuals reporting positive fruit and vegetable consumption and salt use behaviour. If future policies are implemented to improve dietary behaviours it would be worthwhile investigating effectiveness by sex, in addition to overall effectiveness. Given that WHO STEPS surveys are regularly conducted, they can be used to monitor policy effectiveness and a similar study to the present could be conducted as a method of monitoring and evaluation in individual countries.
The strengths of our study are that to our knowledge, this is the first study that has examined sex differences in dietary behaviours and their association with CVD risk factors in multiple LMICs. The study pooled data from 7 nationally representative surveys, across 7 countries meaning 24,332 people were included in the analysis. Given all of these surveys were STEPS surveys they used the same standardised methodology to measure all variables included in the present analyses. Additionally, in country collaborators are authors on the present study, and therefore were able to aid interpretation of our results by adding contextual information in addition to their oversight of the development of this paper. However, our study has several weaknesses. First, the data is cross-sectional and therefore the associations discussed do not imply causation. Second, only seven STEPS surveys were included as only more recent STEPS surveys have included dietary behaviour questions. It would be worthwhile to rerun this analysis in coming years as more countries collect this data. Third, 93.4% of the study sample reported the use of vegetable oil and therefore it was not useful to include an analysis of the cross-sectional association of oil type used with CVD risk factors in our results. This question has since been removed by WHO in the updated version of the STEPS survey questionnaire \[[@CR21]\], on this basis. Finally, the dietary behaviour questions analysed do not provide a comprehensive picture of an individual's diet, and do not allow for the quantification of dietary intake. Additionally, the self-report of dietary behaviours is subject to multiple biases \[[@CR59]\]. While overall dietary intake is not assessed by STEPS surveys, the survey has been used widely throughout low-and middle-income countries to assess risk of non-communicable disease based on the key dietary behaviours. This provides useful insight on the need for dietary interventions at a population level in resource poor settings \[[@CR34]\]. Urinary markers of sodium intake have been collected in more recent STEPS surveys \[[@CR21], [@CR45]\], however these data were not available for the current project.
Conclusion {#Sec21}
==========
In conclusion, just 2.7% of respondents from seven countries in this study reported positive behaviours for salt use, fruit and vegetable consumption and use of vegetable oil in cooking, with variability seen by country. Given the high burden of cardiovascular diseases in the countries studied, there is an urgent need to implement suitable policies to encourage greater intake of fruit and vegetables and reduced consumption of salt. We identified small sex differences in the self-report of salt use behaviour and fruit and vegetable consumption, along with some interesting interactions by sex with the dietary behaviours for having a high waist circumference, hypertension or diabetes. As such our evidence is not sufficient to endorse the tailoring of diet related interventions by sex in the included countries as our findings were limited by the small proportion of the population reporting positive dietary behaviours. However, if adherence to healthy diets were greater it is plausible that greater associations and sex differences would have been identified, and therefore this hypothesis should be a focus of future research.
Supplementary information
=========================
{#Sec22}
**Additional file 1: Table S1.** Number and percent of individuals with missing data on outcome, independent variables and confounders\*, overall and by country. **Table S2.** Survey characteristics. **Table S3.** Characteristics of individuals with data on dietary behaviours, and data on waist circumference (*n* = 23,273) hypertension (*n* = 24,011), diabetes (*n* = 17,724) status. **Table S4.** Prevalence of dietary behaviours among participants with data on waist circumference (*n* = 23,273) hypertension (*n* = 24,011), or diabetes (*n* = 17,724) status. **Figure S1**. a**.** Weighted proportion of males (*n* = 8551) reporting positive dietary behaviours, in seven low-and middle-income countries. b**.** Weighted proportion of females (*n* = 14,960) reporting positive dietary behaviours, in seven low-and middle-income countries. **Figure S2.** a. Percentage (95% confidence interval) of males with undiagnosed hypertension, by the self-report of salt behaviour on a seven point scale\*. b**.** Percentage (95% confidence interval) of females with undiagnosed hypertension, by the self-report of salt behaviour on a seven point scale\*. **Figure S3.** a. Percentage (95% confidence interval) of males with undiagnosed hypertension, by the self-report of salt behaviour on a four point scale\*.b**.** Percentage (95% confidence interval) of females with undiagnosed hypertension, by the self-report of salt behaviour on a four point scale\*.
**Publisher's Note**
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Lindsay M. Jaacks and Jacqui Webster are Joint senior authors.
Supplementary information
=========================
**Supplementary information** accompanies this paper at 10.1186/s12937-019-0517-4.
We would like to thank Maja Marcus, Cara Ebert, Clare Flanagan, Sarah Frank, Michaela Theilmann, Esther Lim, Yuanwei Xu, and Jacqueline Seiglie for help with data cleaning and management. We would also like to thank each of the country-level survey teams and study participants.
BLM, LMJ and JW conceived the research question and research plan for this analysis. MSG, LS, GG, KKA, LT and GA-B provided essential materials (datasets necessary for the research). BLM and JAS performed the statistical analysis. BLM wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors provided feedback on the manuscript and approved the final version.
BLM is supported by a University of New South Wales Scientia PhD Scholarship. JMG was supported by Grant Number T32 AI007433 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. MW is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Fellowship (APP108026) and Program Grant (APP1149987). JW is supported by a National Heart Foundation Future Leaders Fellowship (\#102039) and is a CI on the Center for Research Excellence on food policy interventions to reduce salt (\#1117300). The contents of this research are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of funders.
The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
This study received ethics approval from the University of New South Wales (protocol \#HC190279) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (protocol \#IRB16--1915). This was a secondary analysis of de-identified survey data. For each survey, informed consent was provided by participants prior to survey completion.
Not applicable.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
| |
Over the last decade there has been increasing awareness of the potential benefits of more open access to Public Sector Information (PSI) and the findings of publicly funded research. That awareness is based on economic principles and evidence, and it finds expression in policy at institutional, national and international levels.
Public Sector Information (PSI) policies seek to optimise innovation by making data available for use and re-use with minimal barriers in the form of cost or inconvenience. They place three responsibilities on publicly funded agencies : (i) to arrange stewardship and curation of their data ; (ii) to make their data readily discoverable and available for use and re-use with minimal restrictions ; and (iii) to forgo fees wherever practical.
This report presents case studies exploring the costs and benefits that PSI producing agencies and their users experience in making information freely available, and preliminary estimates of the wider economic impacts of open access to PSI. In doing so, it outlines a possibly method for cost-benefit analysis at the agency level and explores the data requirements for such an analysis
– recognising that few agencies will have all of the data required. | http://www.donneesdelarecherche.fr/spip.php?article74 |
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
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Abstract
Extended (7000-word) composer interview and CD review of "Woefully Arrayed: Sacred & Secular Choral & Polychoral Music of Jonathan David Little", by London-based international music critic, Colin Clarke.
[INTERVIEW:] "The disc of sacred and secular choral and polychoral music by Jonathan David Little, Woefully Arrayed … is nothing short of remarkable. Stunningly recorded, the pure sonic joy is visceral. On a personal level, I haven’t experienced such revelation in choral terms since the Tallis Scholars’ first recording of the Allegri Miserere. As an interviewee, it turns out, Little is every inch as fascinating as his music. The following in-depth interview may be seen as an indispensable complement to the listening experience itself."
[CD REVIEW:] "Jonathan David Little is a composer whose music is vital, urgent and yet somehow timeless at the same time. … Woefully Arrayed has a mesmeric element to it … [and] is a masterpiece of time-stretching. As lines float and interact throughout the soundspace, there is a distinct impression of atemporality, of altering the way the listener experiences time. … sound is superb, full and reverberant … magnificently handled … A superb disc, one that simply gets better on each and every listening. There is a radiance to Little’s writing that seems shot through with spiritual light and which speaks on a very deep level to the listener."
PROJECT OVERVIEW: International Polychoral Music Composition, Recording and Dissemination Project (2015-17)
“The lost potential of the acoustics of performing spaces begins to be rediscovered in these works.”
A complex and ambitious, large-scale, two-year “polychoral” music creation and recording project was commissioned by the Australia Council – involving communicating how “re-discovered” ancient Renaissance and Baroque techniques of acoustically-innovative performer placement may be revived within new, original, contemporary contexts. One aim was to generate interest in largely long-forgotten, but still hugely useful and aurally impressive composition methods. Following a period of research and experimentation, several new, accessible choral works were created – most featuring intricate, a cappella, polychoral-inspired techniques. Therefore different sections of the choir, or different “sub-choirs” and/or vocal soloists, are sometimes placed in various arrangements around and above the audience (occasionally also involving movement). Due to the incorporation of such techniques, a striking extra dimension is added both to recordings and live performances – where the aural “spatial” interest creates a quasi-theatrical effect. | http://eprints.chi.ac.uk/2871/ |
Identification documents fall into two categories: (A) "genuine" or (B) "false." Neither type is defined in 18 U.S.C. § 1028. The types may even overlap at times.
Genuine Documents -- The term "genuine" is not used in section 1028 but is used here to refer to those authentic identification documents actually made or issued under the authority of a governmental entity. It includes genuine blank documents (i.e., blank forms not yet filled in).
False Documents -- The term "false identification document" is used throughout section 1028 but is not defined in the section. The term is intended to include counterfeit, forged, or altered identification documents as well as apparent identification documents which seem to have been issued by a government authority, even though that authority may not issue an identification document of that particular type. This concept would also apply when an identification document purports to be issued by a governmental entity, which in fact does not actually exist. See Pines v. United States, 123 F.2d 825 (8th Cir. 1941). "Counterfeit" implies an unauthorized reproduction of an original document, which would include a blank. "Altered" would be the unauthorized changing of a material fact contained in the document. "Forged" would relate to the unauthorized execution of the document such as filling in a genuine blank identification document without authority. It is possible for a document to be "genuine" and "false" at the same time (e.g., a genuine driver's license is stolen and the driver's name is altered; a genuine birth certificate blank form is stolen and is filled in without authorization). | https://www.justice.gov/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1507-types-identification-documents-18-usc-1028 |
Well it has been predicted that one day we will be able to predict Earthquakes. Arthur C. Clarke wrote of this in his books and Cal Tech and the research scientists there are almost sure of it. They all believe that one day we will indeed be able to predict Earthquakes.
As a host for an online think tank forum we often discuss such things and the types of Supercomputer systems, which will be needed to make this all possible. Indeed one consideration is to add several more parameters, such as Full Moon Cycles and the changes in the resonance of water whether it be salt or fresh water. Also considering the amount of water delivered onto a tectonic plate from a storm or flood and its weight distribution, along with the storm surge weight distributions.Another factor might be how much water, oil or natural gas has been taken out of the ground and are their any cavities left unfilled? If so how big in volume and what is the change in gravity distribution and what kind of stresses does that entail? Solar Flares and space weather also seem to change the resonance of the Earth's frequencies and we know that a lot has to do with frequencies and Earthquakes.
So we must consider all this in 2006 as we work to design a computer program which takes all these factors along with all the already known factors and puts them all together as one equation and then we shall know? Perhaps, who knows? Do you?. | http://www.lazyteacher.com/earthquake_prediction_is_lacking_69636a.html |
Ecological network models and analyses are recognized as valuable tools for understanding the dynamics and resiliency of ecosystems, and for informing ecosystem-based approaches to management. However, few databases exist that can provide the life history, demographic and species interaction information necessary to parameterize ecological network models. Faced with the difficulty of synthesizing the information required to construct models for kelp forest ecosystems along the West Coast of North America, we developed an online database (http://kelpforest.ucsc.edu/) to facilitate the collation and dissemination of such information. Many of the database's attributes are novel yet the structure is applicable and adaptable to other ecosystem modeling efforts. Information for each taxonomic unit includes stage-specific life history, demography, and body-size allometries. Species interactions include trophic, competitive, facilitative, and parasitic forms. Each data entry is temporally and spatially explicit. The online data entry interface allows researchers anywhere to contribute and access information. Quality control is facilitated by attributing each entry to unique contributor identities and source citations. The database has proven useful as an archive of species and ecosystem-specific information in the development of several ecological network models, for informing management actions, and for education purposes (e.g., undergraduate and graduate training). To facilitate adaptation of the database by other researches for other ecosystems, the code and technical details on how to customize this database and apply it to other ecosystems are freely available and located at the following link (https://github.com/kelpforest-cameo/databaseui). | https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70133431 |
It has been brutally hot and humid for the past week or so. So the other day, I listened intensely when Nigella Lawson shared some of her favorite cool summer recipes on NPR.
Her 2nd suggestion was a watermelon and feta salad. As she described the dish that matches the sweetness of watermelon with the cheese’s sharp saltiness, I slightly cringed with some level of suspicion and skepticism. My 1st thought: you’ve got to be kidding! These main ingredients don’t go together.
However, if you think about, it makes perfect sense that in times of extreme heat (like summer), one should look to the cuisines of really hot countries for heat relieving recipes. This particular recipe comes from the Eastern Mediterranean.
Even though watermelon and feta salad seems somewhat odd to many of us, there is some greater significance to this situation than just food preferences. My immediate reaction was to impulsively dismiss this culinary delight. And this was a mistake. What I should have done was be open-minded, get out of my comfort zone, and look at things from another’s perspective.
Why is this so important to me (and why am I going to share this recipe with you)? Because many times when I am selling Recruitment Process Outsourcing at Pinstripe, the reaction I get from prospects is similar to my initial reaction to watermelon and feta salad. Some HR and Talent Acquisition Leaders just don’t think the combination of outsourcing and recruiting works. They simply cringe and dismiss the idea.
The key for these decision makers and change agents is to look more closely at RPO. Check out companies who are using the RPO model, maybe take a call from a RPO salesperson or two, attend the RPO Summit 2010, and consider the RPO value proposition opportunity from a new and different perspective.
So as promised, here is the recipe….Enjoy the rest of your summer and the heat
Ingredients
1 small red onion
2-4 limes, depending on juiciness
1.5 kg sweet, ripe watermelon
250g feta cheese
Bunch fresh flat-leaf parley
Bunch fresh mint, chopped
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
100g pitted black olives
Black pepper
METHOD
1. Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very fine half-moons and put in a small bowl to steep with the lime juice, to bring out the transparent pinkness in the onions and diminish their rasp. Two limes’ worth should do it, but you can find the fruits disappointingly dried up and barren when you cut them in half, in which case add more.
2. Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into approximately 4cm triangular chunks, if that makes sense. Cut the feta into similar sized pieces and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl. Tear off sprigs of parsley so that it is used like a salad leaf, rather than a garnish, and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint.
3. Tip the now glowingly puce onions, along with their pink juices over the salad in the bowl; add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don’t lose their shape. Add a good grinding of black pepper and taste to see whether the dressing needs more lime. | https://humancapitalleague.com/cool-summertime-rpo-recipes-for-success/ |
Randomized trials have demonstrated the short- to medium-term effectiveness of behavioral infant sleep interventions. However, concerns persist that they may harm children’s emotional development and subsequent mental health. This study aimed to determine long-term harms and/or benefits of an infant behavioral sleep program at age 6 years on (1) child, (2) child-parent, and (3) maternal outcomes.
Three hundred twenty-six children (173 intervention) with parent-reported sleep problems at age 7 months were selected from a population sample of 692 infants recruited from well-child centers. The study was a 5-year follow-up of a population-based cluster-randomized trial. Allocation was concealed and researchers (but not parents) were blinded to group allocation. Behavioral techniques were delivered over 1 to 3 individual nurse consultations at infant age 8 to 10 months, versus usual care. The main outcomes measured were (1) child mental health, sleep, psychosocial functioning, stress regulation; (2) child-parent relationship; and (3) maternal mental health and parenting styles.
Two hundred twenty-five families (69%) participated. There was no evidence of differences between intervention and control families for any outcome, including (1) children’s emotional (P = .8) and conduct behavior scores (P = .6), sleep problems (9% vs 7%, P = .2), sleep habits score (P = .4), parent- (P = .7) and child-reported (P = .8) psychosocial functioning, chronic stress (29% vs 22%, P = .4); (2) child-parent closeness (P = .1) and conflict (P = .4), global relationship (P = .9), disinhibited attachment (P = .3); and (3) parent depression, anxiety, and stress scores (P = .9) or authoritative parenting (63% vs 59%, P = .5).
Behavioral sleep techniques have no marked long-lasting effects (positive or negative). Parents and health professionals can confidently use these techniques to reduce the short- to medium-term burden of infant sleep problems and maternal depression. | https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/130/4/643/30241/Five-Year-Follow-up-of-Harms-and-Benefits-of?redirectedFrom=fulltext |
Risk-sensitive decision-making deficit in adolescent suicide attempters.
Ackerman, J.~~McBee-Strayer, S.~~et al.
Decision-making deficits may play an important role in vulnerability to suicidal behavior, but few studies have examined decision-making performance in youth at risk for suicide. In this study, we seek to extend recent findings that adolescent suicide attempters process risk evaluations differently than adolescents who have not attempted suicide. Adolescents with a history of suicide attempt display increased risk-taking and greater difficulty predicting probable outcomes on the CGT. Such deficits have been associated with dysfunction in the orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex, which supports other studies implicating impaired decision-making among individuals with a history of suicide attempt. | https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/siecno-20140519/ |
CONTENTS:- 1. Important ethnic/tribal communities. 2. Ethnobotanical resources. 3. Ethnofood: I. Wild plants: i. Young leaves and twigs. ii. Flowers and inflorescens. iii. Fruits. iv. Seeds. v. Roots, rhizomes and tubers. II. Cultivated plants: i. Cereals, pseudocereals and pulses. ii. Vegetables. iii. Fruits. iv. Condiments. 4. Ethnomedicine. 5. Fibre and floss. 6. Oils: i. Fatty oils. ii. Essential oils. 7. Dyes. 8. Gums and resins. 9. Fish poisons. 10. Insecticides. 11. Timber and woodwork. 12. Tannins. 13. Baskets brooms and mats. 14. Fodder plants. 15. Fuel woods. 16. Plants for religious ceremony. 17. Miscellaneous. 18. Potential threatened ethnomedicinal plants and their conservation. 19. Ethnopharmacological screening. 20. Tribal development. 21. Discussion and conclusion
Under an approved in house research project of National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, ethnobotanical studies of the tribals and aboriginal populations were conducted in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal inhabited by 18 tribes mainly among the Tharus, Kols, Gonds, Bhoxas, Kharwars, Jaunsaris, Bhotias, Garhwalis, Mushars, Baigas etc. in different seasons with a view to gather ethnobotanical informations on the traditional uses of plants and to uncover new plants of potential economic and medicinal value or new uses of known plants during the last 18 years by the scientists of ethnobotany group. The resource inventory of plant genetic resources used by the tribes, local inhabitants foresters, vaidyas and other knowledgeable informants of the region for food, fibre, medicine, oil, gums, dyes tannin, tribal crafts, narcotic, drinks and for antifertility and aphrodisic medicines, were prepared and documented. The studies have brought to light new indigenous knowledge on many species of useful plants.
The present book highlights 450 plant species used in the life and economy of the tribals for meeting the day-to-day needs and healthcare. Plants species of the forest flora utilized for food, firbre, medicines, oils, gums, resin, dyes, basketry, timber, wood work, fish poison, religious ceremonies, narcotics, drinks, etc. have been enumerated here along with their processing methods and uses. The valuable ethnobotanical plant resources are divided into 15 groups on the basis of their uses and the products obtained from them. The species are arranged under each group alphabetically, giving information on their botanical name, family name in parenthesis followed by local name and the tribes. The book also provides information on some potential threatened ethnomedicinal plants and suggests their conservation measures in their own agro climatic ecosystems. The plant species enumerated in ethno medicinal plants group needs further phytochemical, pharmacological, clininical investigations for isolation of potential drugs for standardization and validation of useful green medicines and herbal preparations for human welfare and healthcare. The book will serve as a database and serve as a potential source of information and useful tools to the students, teachers, researchers, botanists, foresters, environmentalists, conservationists practitioners of herbal medicines, planners and administrators for preparing Developmental Action Plans (DAP) for the tribal tracts through Integrated Tribal Developmental Programme (ITDP), extension programmes for the welfare and upliftment of rural tribals, aboriginal populations as well as modern society. | https://www.saujanyabooks.com/details.aspx?id=23285 |
In the new normal scenario of healthcare, where the approaches are patient-centric and no longer product-centric, traditional and integrative medicinal practices are rooting for ‘ethno-pharmacy’.
At the intersection of social and natural sciences, ethno-pharmacy is a field that focuses on traditional medicines (and pharmaceuticals) and their cultural determinants to investigate the possible use/perception of traditional medicines (and pharmaceuticals) in the culture.
Often known as the ‘multidisciplinary scientific approach’, Ethno-pharma mainly deals with indigenous drugs and seeks to explore their relevance to modern healthcare. The traditional system of medicines is a complex, multi-parameter system. To understand this system, several holistic approaches are undertaken in the ethnopharma field. And these approaches seem to be extremely beneficial in innovating novel treatment strategies for the management of various chronic diseases.
Following are some factors owing to which India could leverage some realistic opportunities in the field of ethnopharma in recent years:
Evolving research scenario of natural molecules
Ethnopharmacology, one of the allied branches of ethnomedicines, has an important role in establishing new research and development in traditional medicinal plants. Through these research approaches, numerous biological effects of several chemical groups in a wide variety of medicinal plants are investigated.
Many of these plant actives are currently used in modern healthcare practices and the pharma industry is also exploring the opportunities in this area. Pharma companies are putting tremendous efforts to boost ethnopharmacological research in natural therapeutic ingredients as a huge number of actives of medicinal plants are part of pharma formulations that are used to treat critical diseases. Such efforts are mostly concentrated in the area of exploring viable sources of medicinal plants and the development of new novel molecules which are affordable and safe.
Moreover, India has a heritage of medicinal plants and knowledge. Therefore, greater advancements in the research and development field of ethnopharma are expected in the coming years. | https://www.expresspharma.in/ethno-pharma-an-opportunity-for-india/ |
After a strong end to the previous campaign which saw Arsenal lift the FA Cup – their first major trophy since 2017 – a lot was expected of the Gunners. Mikel Arteta was hailed as the man who would guide them in the post-Wenger rebuild, and so far, he is doing a stellar job. Some smart summer signings have seen the Londoners’ performances improve, and even though these are early days, the signs look promising for them.
When Arteta joined midway through the previous campaign, he deployed a 4-2-3-1 most of the time. Some have suggested that the switch to a 3-4-3 this season is only temporary and enforced due to injuries, but that probably is not the case. Most of these absentees are the centre-backs, so it makes no sense to add an extra man in the back-line to cope with injuries. Therefore, it is most likely that Arteta and his coaching staff have been working on these tactics through the pre-season, and this is probably the way Arsenal will line up going forward, so it is worth an analysis.
On paper, this looks like a simple 3-4-3 that many other sides have deployed, but in practice, it is very different from those shapes. Here, we will take a look at the system that Mikel Arteta has employed at Arsenal in the 2020/21 campaign so far in a tactical analysis.
Defensive shape against stronger opposition
Last season, Arsenal conceded 48 goals in the Premier League – the eighth-best defensive record in the division. It was clear to Arteta that he would need to improve that record to take the Gunners further up the table. Summer signing Gabriel and returning loanee William Saliba have added depth to the centre-back role, and perhaps that is what has enabled the Gunners to switch to a formation with three central defenders.
The pros of the new formation include better defensive stability against top opposition. Three centre-backs and two wing-backs can cope against sustained pressure in a much better manner, as was evident in Arsenal’s Community Shield clash against Liverpool.
After scoring early on in that match, Arsenal were looking to sit back and absorb the pressure that Liverpool were mounting for an equaliser. They did so by switching to some sort of a 5-2-2-1, as is evident here.
Clearly, Arsenal have dropped deep into their own half and are inviting Liverpool to come forward. The key is that they are maintaining a solid defensive shape with an almost-flat back-five, two holding midfielders, two wingers who are operating in a much-narrower role and a sole striker.
Another advantage of this defensive shape is the flexibility it gives to the wingers. They can stay narrow and hold formation, push forward to press and create a 5-2-3, drop in the midfield line to provide support on the wings and make a 5-4-1 or move in different directions to form a 5-3-2.
The fact that Arsenal were able to contain Liverpool in the Community Shield and allow only two shots on target is testament to the success of the new defensive shape, and the Gunners will hope that they can keep defending as they have been doing.
Pressing
Against less aggressive opposition, Arsenal have not shied away from pressing high up the pitch. The main objective of their pressing was not to win the ball in the offensive third, but rather to force the opponents to go long and clear the ball so that they could reset and build from the back.
To achieve that, they keep a -1 in the pressing phase; there is one less Arsenal player pressing the ball than the number of opposition players around it. They use the extra man in midfield to win the second ball after the opponents are forced to clear, and this also provides a screen in front of the defence in case the opponents manage to break the press.
This style of pressing was evident in Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Fulham.
Depending on which side of the pitch the ball is on, one of the two midfielders pushes forward to join the striker. In this case, the ball is on the right, so the right midfielder Mohamed Elneny moves ahead. Notice how he isn’t exactly all over the man in possession and is also focusing on keeping one player in his cover-shadow. Elsewhere, Granit Xhaka is staying tight to a midfielder, Héctor Bellerín is close to the winger and Alexandre Lacazette is staying tight to a centre-back. Fulham’s numerical advantage is on the far side where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is around two defenders, but they can’t access that and are forced to punt the ball up the pitch.
In this case, the ball is on the left-hand side, so Granit Xhaka has pushed ahead to press. Around him, Lacazette is keeping a centre-back occupied, Elneny is tight to a midfielder and Willian has positioned himself perfectly to intercept an aerial ball played to the midfielder with 29 on the back of his shirt, while also being close enough to the keeper to press him in case the ball goes to him.
This style of pressing helps Arsenal to recover possession quickly but in their own half, so they can regroup and build from the back once again. One reason for the emphasis on recycling possession with their defensive players is that the Gunners completely change their formation when they have the ball.
Changes in shape with possession
After recovering possession, Arsenal quickly switch from a setup with three centre-backs to a back-four. Their new formation can be described as something between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-4; a 4-2-1-3 with the ‘1’ operating on the left and not centrally.
The switches are as follows: the left centre-back drifts wide to move into the area of a left-back with the man in the middle of the back-three taking his place at the heart of defence. The left wing-back pushes beyond the midfield line and almost joins the frontmen, while the right wing-back doesn’t go that far forward. The rest of the players stay put.
This was first seen in the Community Shield against Liverpool.
All of the changes can be seen in this frame, as Kieran Tierney, the left centre-back has moved to left-back with David Luiz taking his place. Rob Holding is the other centre-back. Further ahead, you can see how Ainsley Maitland-Niles, the left wing-back has gone far beyond the two midfielders and is positioned slightly closer to the left.
Arsenal did all of this to facilitate passing their way out from the back – something that Mikel Arteta has clearly put a lot of emphasis on.
Emphasis on playing out from the back
Arsenal have almost never gone long from goal-kicks and rarely clear the ball when they win it back in their defensive third. This is because they like to be slow and patient in their build-up play rather than directly threatening the opposition.
Against less aggressive opposition, this is easy because there is little pressure on the ball, but the difficult bit comes when they reach the attacking third, where they face a resolute defence. Against opponents that like to press very high up the pitch, however, it’s quite different. Playing out from the back becomes a high-risk-high-reward manoeuvre, as losing the ball in such a position would almost certainly lead to a goal conceded, but breaking the press would leave their attacking players one-on-one with the opposing defenders and create good goal-scoring opportunities.
That was exactly the case in the Community Shield against Liverpool.
In this position, Liverpool have more outfield players in Arsenal’s box (4) than the Gunners do (3). While this places the Reds in a great situation to capitalise if they manage to nick the ball, it also leaves fewer men to defend if Arsenal manage to break the press.
Only three passes later, this was the position that Arsenal found themselves in.
Liverpool’s back-four is terribly stretched, and there is an acre of space for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the far-side. All Bukayo Saka has to do is find him with an aerial ball, and then the Arsenal captain is left face-to-face with a defender. On this occasion, Aubameyang managed to get a shot away from the edge of the box, and that is how Arsenal scored in the Community Shield.
Arsenal also looked to draw their opponents in, before moving forward in way of attack, which they did thanks to their patient build-up play.
Patient build-up
Along with the emphasis on building from the back, Mikel Arteta wants his men to be patient and wait for the correct moment before playing an advanced pass. They bide their time to draw in the opponents and stretch their lines, before quickly exploiting this with some quick passing.
This was evident before the Gunners’ second goal in their 0-2 EFL Cup victory over Leicester City.
Here, Arsenal are recycling possession with their centre-backs inside their own half. Dani Ceballos has dropped deep from midfield to create a triangle and be an added passing option. Only two Leicester players are around the halfway line, so Arsenal are trying to draw the rest of the Foxes’ attackers and midfielders further away from their goal. They did so by passing the ball around between David Luiz, Rob Holding and Ceballos.
Quickly, six Leicester players appear over 40 yards away from their goal. When the time is right, Arsenal quickly up the tempo and move forward with a progressive pass over the top of the midfield.
Nicolas Pépé receives it, and he brings it down for substitute Héctor Bellerín. Hamza Choudhury is the only Leicester midfielder in frame, and there is a massive pocket of space between him and the back-four. Bellerín looks to exploit a gap in the defence with his fresh legs and a quick turn of speed.
When he gets inside the box, you can see that the Leicester defence is in an absolutely terrible state. Nobody is close enough to the six-yard box, so Bellerín decides to play it into the path of Eddie Nketiah’s run. In this manner, Arsenal carved their opponents’ defence open simply yet effectively.
While Arsenal can draw high-pressing opposition like Liverpool or sides chasing a goal like Leicester in with such a slow build-up, this tactic doesn’t work against defensive sides. In those cases, the extra man in attack makes the difference.
Extra man in attack
Pushing the left wing-back so far forward was nothing short of a masterstroke on Mikel Arteta’s part because it confuses the opposing defence and pulls it around in all sorts of directions. This, in turn, helps the Arsenal forwards in finding pockets of space in the danger area.
The extra attacker worked an absolute treat against West Ham in the Premier League, as we will see below.
In this match, Bukayo Saka was the left wing-back, so he was the one who was tasked with getting forward and unlocking West Ham’s defence. In the buildup to the opener, he did just that by slotting into a sweet pocket of space between the opponent’s midfield and defence.
The teenager then had time to turn and slip a pass to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who could run in behind the defence. The Gabonese international then got the assist, but it was Saka who created the goal with his smart positioning.
In fact, the left wing-back is essentially allowed to roam freely as long as he is close enough to the left wing. This was evident as Saka also got the pre-assist for the winner in the same match.
As Arsenal were pushing late on, Dani Ceballos did well to quietly sneak around the West Ham midfielders and right wing-back. So, when Saka got on the ball, he was able to drift inside, and when the angle opened, he slipped the perfect through ball for Ceballos who found himself in a brilliant position to square it for the striker. Yet again, the goal was created because of how Saka positioned himself and worked the perfect angle for a through pass.
Recently, Arteta has experimented with some changes on the right flank too.
Pseudo-right-back
In Arsenal’s match against Sheffield United, an interesting pattern was visible on the right flank. Héctor Bellerín, the right-wing-back, was asked to push even further forward than usual, while Mohamed Elneny, the right-sided midfielder stayed back in attack and moved to the right, covering the space left open by Bellerín.
In a way, this was a three-way swap. Willian, the right-winger is involved as well as he moves into a central position where you would expect to see a midfielder. Bellerín occupies an attacking role on the right flank, while Elneny is behind him.
Additionally, this meant that Elneny could make late runs forward and serve as a third man on the right flank in attack. This was exactly what eventually helped Arsenal break Sheffield United down and open the scoring.
Here, Mohamed Elneny has made a late run from deep to arrive into a nice pocket of space between Sheffield’s lines. Because of Bellerín’s forward position, Elneny is able to slip the wing-back in behind with a first-touch pass. The Spaniard then clipped in a delicious cross to the back post from the byline, which was headed home to give Arsenal the lead.
Those were quite a few strengths of Mikel Arteta’s system at Arsenal, but now, let’s take a look at it’s biggest weakness.
Weakness against counterattacks
Basic tactical knowledge will tell you that one of the major weaknesses of a back-three is on the wings because if the opposing wingers are able to get in behind the wing-backs, they can be a major threat. In Arsenal’s case, this is magnified, particularly on the left flank as the left wing-back pushes far forward. When the opponent turns the ball over and breaks quickly, the left wing-back will never be able to get back in time, and the defence will have a gaping hole on that side.
West Ham made the most of this issue when they scored against Arsenal in the Premier League.
In this instance, Saka is on the far-right of the frame, and has five West Ham players between him and his centre-backs. In fact, Arsenal are effectively defending this counterattack with just a back-three and two midfielders, as even the right wing-back is out of the frame.
Since Saka is out of position, Arsenal are left powerless to defend the overlapping run of the West Ham wing-back, who has lots of space out wide and can deliver a teasing cross, which is exactly what he does
This is the one major weakness of Arsenal’s new system, and other teams may well look to exploit it. In truth, this got magnified in this instance because Bukayo Saka, a natural winger, was playing as the wing-back. If Mikel Arteta wants a more defensively solid option, he can deploy Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who should be able to deal with counterattacks in a much better way.
Conclusion
Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff deserve a lot of credit for devising this new system, which has worked pretty well so far. The Premier League’s youngest manager has cemented himself among the wisest with these tactics, which even rival those of his former teacher, Pep Guardiola. There is a rare sense of optimism around the Emirates Stadium – one that has been missing since the final months of Arsène Wenger’s reign.
This could well be the start of a great rejuvenation for Arsenal, and Arteta may well be the next big thing as far as managers are concerned. The addition of Thomas Partey gives the Spanish tactician a lot more choices when it comes to his system, so that too should be considered another great positive. But, as always, only time can tell. | https://totalfootballanalysis.com/article/mikel-artetas-3-4-3-arsenal-tactics |
Gases enter and leave the leaf through stomata, which actively control the gas exchange of CO2 and H2O, for example, between the plant and the atmosphere.
Plants need to keep the stomata as open as possible to obtain atmospheric carbon dioxide but at the same time, they need to control the loss of water via transpiration. Therefore, plants actively optimise the status of stomata to gain carbon as much as possible but not to lose too much water.
Pairs of specialized guard cells form the stomata and control the opening of the small pore in between the guard cells. Plants physiologically control the opening and closing of stomata by accumulation of solutes in the guard cells. If guard cells are swollen, the stoma is open. The movement of water out of the guard cells results in closing of stoma. Stomata react to changes in light intensity (PAR), air humidity (VPD) and soil moisture (REW), for example.
In many plants, stomata are located in the lower leaf surface, whereas conifers have stomata on both needle surfaces. A leaf can have hundreds to thousands of stomata. The stomatal density is highest in leaves developed at high light, low CO2 and moist environments. When fully open, the stomatal pore is app. 5 µm wide and 10 µm long.
Transpiration animation shows how abiotic factors affect stomata. | http://www.carbontree.fi/articles/stomata-action |
Cefodox Proxetil is a third generation semi-synthetic cephalosporin and a beta-lactam antibiotic with bactericidal activity. Cefodox's effect is dependent on its binding to penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) located in the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. Binding results in the inhibition of the transpeptidase enzymes, thereby preventing cross-linking of the pentaglycine bridge with the fourth residue of the pentapeptide and interrupting consequent synthesis of peptidoglycan chains. As a result, Cefodox inhibits bacterial septum and cell wall synthesis formation. Cefodox proxetil is the 1-[(isopropoxycarbonyl)oxy]ethyl (proxetil) ester prodrug of Cefodox. After swallowing, hydrolysis of the ester group occurs in the intestinal epithelium, to release active Cefodox in the bloodstream. It is used to treat acute otitis media, pharyngitis, and sinusitis. It has a role as a prodrug and an antibacterial drug.
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The Trans-European North-South Motorway (TEM) Project was initiated to facilitate road traffic in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and to assist with the process of integrating European transport infrastructure systems. In order to improve the road network’s management, the Project provides TEM member countries with benchmarking of the current capacities of asset management, with up-to-
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Phase 1 of the Highspeed Masterplan for the TER region has now been completed. The study is available here and covers the following areas:- An introduction to, and history of, High Speed Railways- A review of the benefit, political background, best practice and status of high-speed- Review of related work,
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Content The first section describes the TIR transit system, its coverage, objective and functioning and analyses possible future developments. The second section contains the complete text of the TIR Convention. The third section contains related resolutions and recommendations. | https://unece.org/publications/oes/welcome?f%5B0%5D=program%3A453&f%5B1%5D=work_area%3A496&f%5B2%5D=work_area%3A501&f%5B3%5D=work_area%3A502&f%5B4%5D=work_area%3A1052 |
Did you know that broken bones, fractures and other closely related serious injuries are the main reason why many people end up spending their final years in some type of senior living facility? The reason why this happens is actually very simple.
As we age, our flexibility, core strength and balance all naturally decline and ultimately makes it easier to have a fall and to suffer serious and often debilitating injuries. The good news, we don’t have to accept the growing risk of falls as an inevitable fact of aging. Fall potential can in fact be greatly minimized through continued focus on staying flexible and maintaining your core strength and balance.
What is core strength?
The core of the human body is the muscle groups located in and around the center of the body such as the abdominal and back muscles that are attached to the spine or pelvis. These muscle groups help originate almost all movement of the human body. The core muscles are also our key source of balance and stability. So no matter what you are doing, from cooking in the kitchen to walking down a street to picking up your grandchild, the core muscles help keep your body stabilized and balanced.
One common aliment of older people is low back pain. Most of the time, people chalk up their pain to an actual back problem when in fact, the pain is often caused by weak, unused core muscles. Add hamstring muscles in the thigh area that tighten after years of not being stretched and no wonder so many people (including many that are nowhere near the age of 65 by the way) claim to have back trouble that is really caused by a lack of exercise, poor core strength and lose of flexibility.
Quickly determine your level of balance and flexibility
Perform these two simple tests to evaluate your level of balance and flexibility. To test your balance, stand on one foot and extend your arms so that they are parallel to the floor. Then close your eyes and hold that position for as long as possible. Position yourself so that you can grab a wall or other object to catch yourself if you lose your balance.
If you are age 40 and older, you should be able to hold that position (don’t forget to keep your eyes closed) for at least 15 seconds. If you flunk this test, you have some serious work to do because it means that your balance is not up to snuff.
To test your flexibility, take the toe touch test. Stand up straight and position your feet just inside the width of your shoulders. Extend your arms straight in front of your body and then bend slowly at the waist and attempt to touch your toes with your fingers. It’s OK to slightly bend at the knees but not too much. If you can touch your toes, hold that position for at least five seconds. If you cannot touch your fingers to your toes, your flexibility needs serious attention. And by the way, this test applies to anyone at any age.
To combat poor balance, flexibility and core strength, you must work exercise on a regular basis. Many of you that don’t want to hear that I know. I am sorry but facts are facts. Before starting any exercise program, be sure to consult with your doctor about what you are planning. Certified fitness trainers and physical therapists are sources that can be employed to help you design an exercise program that will fit your personal health and fitness circumstances. The great news, many types of exercise that can help you improve core strength, flexibility and balance can be performed in the comfort and convenience of your own home.
Yoga provides a number of exercises that aid both our flexibility and maintenance of balance. The standing on one leg activity described earlier in this article is an example of an exercise that is easy to do that will help to develop and maintain good balance. Sit-ups and push-ups require nothing more than a little open space in your home. Both are great for helping to build and maintain core flexibility and strength.
Stretching exercises are essential for maintaining flexibility so that if you do happen to experience a fall, hopefully you are flexible enough to catch yourself before you hit the floor. If you do fall, you must be flexible enough to pick yourself up and dust yourself off.
The bottom line…the maintenance of your core strength, balance and flexibility is a must as you age. Numerous simple exercises and stretches that require nothing more than a few minutes and a little open space in your own home can be employed to help you win this battle.
Sitting around and doing nothing is a sure fire recipe for speeding up all the negative impacts of aging. The good news though…we don’t have to just accept it, we can do something about it. No matter what anyone says, you are never too old to experience the benefits that flow from regular exercise. | http://www.horizonsprivateduty.com/2016/12/01/171/ |
From about mid-March, beginning with the NCAA basketball tournaments, continuing through the playoffs for some professional, college and high school sports, and reaching a climax with graduations from various academic levels, the word “spirit” is tossed around rather freely. We hear that this team or that played with great spirit or with a spirit of teamwork. Graduation speakers will mention the special spirit of this particular graduating class, the distinctive sense of who they are that marked their years together and that they will take into the unknown future.
The spirit referred to in both types of situations is one created by the individuals who make up the team or the class and is influenced by the manager, coach, faculty, or university president. It is also unique and so cannot be duplicated elsewhere or by another group.
Today as a Church we also speak of spirit, not a characteristic but a person; not created by human beings but the creator of them. This Spirit while definitely unique is present throughout time and can be present to every individual who seeks the Spirit. This Spirit is not a possession for a while but a lasting gift who also brings gifts.
Those gifts bring life and hope, strength and insight, creating a community where none existed before, binding people together by filling them with grace, God’s life. All of us who have been confirmed were promised these gifts. We know them as Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Right Judgment, Courage, Reverence, and Wonder and Awe in God’s Presence (a.k.a., Fear of the Lord). I prefer “wonder and awe” instead of “fear”.
But, what does each mean to us? How can each affect our lives?
- WISDOM: the ability to see things as they truly are in an open-minded manner;
- UNDERSTANDING: to have a heart that accepts, cares, listens, and is compassionate;
- KNOWLEDGE: the ability to comprehend the truths of the universe, to know ourselves and the world around us; and to know that we are not capable of knowing everything, that are some mysteries in the universe and about God.
- RIGHT JUDGMENT: the ability to make good and wise decisions that go beyond self-interest;
- COURAGE: the strength to do what is right in spite of challenges;
- REVERENCE: a deep respect for God, for others, for self, for all creation and the ability to “see” or experience God all around us;
- WONDER & AWE IN GOD’S PRESENCE: a sense of the greatness and majesty of God coupled with a firm realization of God’s nearness to and love for us; a recognition that God is God and I am not.
Which of those gifts do you need the most right now? May the Spirit come to you today with that gift. | http://stjfchurch.org/index.php/father-sas/389-pentecost-homily |
Day 47 – Q 1.Examine the significance of entrepreneurial spirit for the development of a middle income country like India. What is your assessment of the prevailing policy environment aimed at promoting entrepreneurship?
1. Examine the significance of entrepreneurial spirit for the development of a middle income country like India. What is your assessment of the prevailing policy environment aimed at promoting entrepreneurship?
भारत जैसे मध्यम आय वाले देश के विकास के लिए उद्यमशीलता की भावना को परखें। उद्यमशीलता को बढ़ावा देने के उद्देश्य से प्रचलित नीति वातावरण का आपका मूल्यांकन क्या है?
Introduction:
Entrepreneurship is the act of creating a business or businesses while building and scaling it to generate a profit. With a target of $5 trillion economy by 2024, entrepreneurship is a buzzword which can help India to be in a trajectory to achieve the same and helps developing countries to achieve sustainable development.
Body
Significance of entrepreneurial spirit:
As our prime minister observed “India need more job creators than job seekers”. This is especially significant for developing countries like India for the reasons:
- Employment: World bank report states that India needs to generate at least 2 million jobs every year. Unemployment rate has been a 4-decade high at 6.1% as per the NSSO survey. Entrepreneurship is significant in this context generating new jobs.
- Utility of demographic dividend: Mean age of working population in India is around 27 years. New business and entrepreneurship will help utilize the demography productively in developing countries which usually have young working population.
- Secondary and tertiary sector development: Most developing countries depend on primary sector for employment (e.g. India – around 50% in agriculture) and entrepreneurship helps them to move in to manufacturing and services sector which more profit and employment opportunities.
- Development of global level industries: the GAFA (Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook) companies were started by small entrepreneurs and have contributed/contributing enormously to the development of their parent countries. The same applies to developing countries as well which can be possible only by promoting entrepreneurship.
- Research and innovation: Entrepreneurship thrive in innovative ideas and this promote research, development of new technologies and so on. This in turn will help utilize the natural and human resources of the developing countries more productively.
- Global presence: Entrepreneurship helps in increasing the global presence of Indian entities and also helps in addressing fiscal deficit, reserves etc., by increasing domestic production and increasing exports.
- Mobilization of resource: especially capital where in small savings can be mobilized and productively used investing in new businesses.
- Reduces brain drain which helps in more innovation, research development in India.
Prevailing policy environment:
India was ranked 69/137 countries in the previous Global entrepreneurship index which is a reflection of entrepreneurship support by the government though policies.
- The government has supported by providing finance to MSME entrepreneurs through schemes like Mudra loans, SHG promotion through NABARD-SHG-Bank linkage, PSBloanin59min etc.,
- Hand-held support to the new entrepreneurs is done by schemes like Skill India mission with sub-missions which includes launching of incubation centers, skill development schemes etc.,
- Concessions to entrepreneurs though schemes like start-up India, Stand up India which includes tax remissions, streamlining in labour laws, audit procedure etc., E.g. Relaxation in Angel tax, corporate tax reduction, GST.
- Government is promoting innovation through various schemes like Atal Innovation mission, IPR policy guidelines, patent filing procedure streamlining etc., which drives entrepreneurship.
- The international collaborations like the recently signed MOU between Atal innovation mission and Russian Sirius programme etc., are helping in global collaborations and innovations.
- The state wise ranking of EODB, organizing state wise investor summits, Global entrepreneur summits etc., is promoting competitive federalism and is helping entrepreneurs.
Though government is determined to use entrepreneurship as a vehicle of development, there are some issues as well as challenges like
- Issues in government schemes has caused problems for sustenance of business or even availing the benefits available. E.g. in the first 2-3 years, only around 10 companies were able to get the benefits under start-up India.
- The credit needed for the entrepreneurs is still inadequate and mostly cornered by big entrepreneurs/companies than new entrants in the field.
- In the recent global innovation Index report – Corruption, tax terrorism and red-tapism are listed as the biggest hurdles to entrepreneurship/start-ups in India.
- Entrepreneurs still face issues in some of the areas like getting electricity, land acquisition, prolonged court litigations etc., hampering the business environment.
Conclusion
As world Bank observed “India is falling into a middle-income trap” and with the turbulent global economic scenario, domestic reliance with entrepreneurship promotion is prudent also recognized by the government. A conducive entrepreneurship environment in the long run improves the domestic economy and eventually brings in human development. Thus, the government has to take short and long-term measures to address the issues. | https://tlp.iasbaba.com/2019/12/day-47-q-1-examine-the-significance-of-entrepreneurial-spirit-for-the-development-of-a-middle-income-country-like-india-what-is-your-assessment-of-the-prevailing-policy-environment-aimed-at-promoti/ |
About a month ago, I acquired a miniature dachshund puppy and named her Charlotte. I had been wanting a dachshund for so long that I had even acquired a few books on dachshund ownership, despite obstacles like no-pet apartments and my hectic schedule. After making certain lifestyle changes that would finally allow me to get a dog, I still had my doubts: would I know how to care for her, would I have enough time, and would she like me?
The first day I brought Charlotte home was rather terrifying. But now, a month later, I can say with confidence that my little dachshund has been one of the greatest gifts I’ve given myself, not just because I love her but also because of the way she has opened my eyes to new possibilities. Above all, Charlotte has taught me how to attract like-minded people and how to share my interests in both an emotionally and intellectually satisfying way.
I’ve always heard that a man with a cute dog is a “chick magnet”, but I, of course, never experienced this phenomenon. Instead, I have learned that walking an adorable “hot dog” means that more strangers have approached me in one short month than they have approached me in the past year. I’m generally reserved and don’t like to make small talk, but many of these strangers are well-meaning and just want to inquire about my dog. Occasionally these questions segue into friendly conversation. I’ve come to appreciate these moments and have learned how to embrace them. I’ve even made some acquaintances: people who frequent the park near my apartment.
I started to wonder: how could I better expose my other interests and passions so that I can attract the right people and have meaningful conversations about those interests? For example, I have a completed manuscript of a short story collection that I’d love to show off and share with other people. But I can’t put a leash on it and take it for a walk. Anyway, why would anyone want to pet a stack of paper?
Aspiring fashion designers can wear their clothing on the street, aspiring bakers can bring their cupcakes to a party, and wanna-be artists can give paintings a gifts. But writers can’t really display their work in a way that draws attention to it. Traditionally, they need to be more active about pursuing attention: submitting their work to publications, querying agents, and soliciting feedback. Charlotte has inspired me to brainstorm ways that I can generate interest in my work without pushing it on people (at the same time pushing it to people in the industry).
After thinking about this, I realized that all my examples above have one thing in common: they don’t require reading, which can be too much of an investment for someone who has time to lose, but they all employ other senses like sight and taste, which don’t necessarily require much time. I believe that writers of the future will have to find ways to associate their writing with something visual (consider the rise of the book trailer). Of course, no stranger in the park would have taken the time to speak to me unless they were visually excited by the sight of my little dog. So why should someone read my work unless I could excited another sense first? | https://laryssawirstiuk.com/index.php/2012/02/14/what-my-dog-taught-me-about-sharing/ |
In the proceedings of a Court case or Tribunal it is common practice to call on the knowledge of an Expert Witness, so that the members of the court can be better informed to make what are often difficult decisions on matters that they have very little knowledge of. An Expert Witness is privileged to be given access to all the evidence before a case commences, and at the discretion of the court may sit in during the proceedings so that they may be better informed on the particulars of the case. This exchange of knowledge is the key element in the presentation of expert evidence with integrity and substance.
The authority of an Expert Witness’s testimony is based on their experience, but also on their performance. The court room is a very specific kind of stage, with actors in well-defined roles, and where a structure of procedures dominates the flow of the performances. Someone may have a vast amount of experience but if they cannot present that experience in a coherent and appropriate manner in the theatre of the court, their evidence is unlikely to have the weight it deserves.
PERSES staff carries with them the combined experience of giving expert evidence in over 550 cases. The company is one of the most highly respected organisations in the field of Health, Safety and Welfare, and has the resources to offer valuable opinions on a wide range of topics and situations.
It is the opinion of the Expert Witness that matters most, and it is the one thing that distinguishes an Expert Witness from other witnesses. Typically, a witness is questioned about facts and their opinion is disregarded; indeed, there is often the situation where an opinion presented by a witness is ordered to be disregarded for the very reason that it is an opinion. This is where the privilege extended to an Expert Witness can be seen clearly and must be respected.
Normally, expert evidence is sought by a legal team and they will contact a suitable expert, but in almost all cases a defendant or pursuer has the right to call on expert evidence. For further information about this service please enquire through the PERSES office.
Should you have any queries regarding expert witness services, please get in touch using our Live Chat. | https://perses.org.uk/service/expert-witness/ |
- Review code developed by other developers and provide feedback to ensure best practices (e.g., style guidelines, checking code in, accuracy, testability, and efficiency).
- Contribute to existing documentation or educational content and adapt content based on product/program updates and user feedback.
Minimum qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in computer science or related areas.
- 2 years of experience with data structures or algorithms in either an academic or industry setting.
- Good communication and writing skills in English environment.
Preferred qualifications
- Good research skills in machine learning or distributed/federated machine learning; be familiar with PyTorch or TensorFlow.
- Developing new algorithms or system-algorithm co-design for federated or distributed training platform
- Solve research challenges such as statistical or system heterogeneity, security, privacy for federated learning or distributed training platform
- Have at least one related paper published at the following top-tier machine learning or system conferences:
[Machine Learning] ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR;
[ML/AI Applications] CVPR/ECCV/ICCV, ACL/EMNLP, AAAI/IJCAI; [Distributed/Cloud/Mobile/Database Systems] NSDI, OSDI, SOSP, SC, VLDB, MobSys, MobiCom, Sensys, HotOS, EuroSys, ICDCS, etc.
—
About the job
FedML, Inc. (https://fedml.ai) aims to provide an end-to-end machine learning operating system for people or organizations to transform their data to intelligence with minimum efforts. FedML stands for “Fundamental Ecosystem Development/Design for Machine Learning” in a broad scope, and “Federated Machine Learning” in a narrow scope. At the current stage, FedML is developing and maintaining a machine learning platform that enables zero-code, lightweight, cross-platform, and provably secure federated learning and analytics. It enables machine learning from decentralized data at various users/silos/edge nodes, without the need to centralize any data to the cloud, hence providing maximum privacy and efficiency. It consists of a lightweight and cross-platform Edge AI SDK that is deployable over edge GPUs, smartphones, and IoT devices. Furthermore, it also provides a user-friendly MLOps platform to simplify decentralized machine learning and real-world deployment. FedML supports vertical solutions across a broad range of industries (healthcare, finance, insurance, smart cities, IoT, etc.) and applications (computer vision, natural language processing, data mining, and time-series forecasting). Its core technology is backed by more than 3 years of cutting-edge research of its co-founders, who are recognized leaders in the federated machine learning community. Recently, FedML has raised around 2 million USD to scale up the product and engineering team.
FedML’s researchers and software engineers develop the next-generation platform for machine learning and artificial intelligence. We’re looking for researchers or engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including machine learning and its applications in compute vision, natural language processing, data mining, as well as large-scale system design and implementation for distributed/cloud computing/systems, security/privacy, mobile/IoT systems, networking, Web UI design and development. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to our customers’ needs. We hope our engineers to be a faster learner and be enthusiastic to tackle new problems as we continue to push technology forward. You will design, develop, test, deploy, maintain, and enhance software solutions.
Co-founders
CEO – Salman Avestimehr
Salman Avestimehr is a world-renowned expert in federated learning with more than 20 years of R&D leadership in both academia and industry. He has been a Dean’s Professor and the inaugural director of the USC-Amazon Center on Trustworthy Machine Learning at University of Southern California. He has also been an Amazon Scholar in Amazon. He is a United States Presidential award winner for his profound contributions in information technology, and a Fellow of IEEE. https://www.avestimehr.com/
CTO – Chaoyang He
Chaoyang He is PhD from the CS department at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA. He has research experience on distributed/federated machine learning algorithms, systems, and applications, and published papers at top-tier conferences such as ICML, NeurIPS, CVPR, ICLR, AAAI, and MLSys. He also has rich experience in industry in the areas of distributed/cloud computing and mobile/IoT systems. He was an R&D Team Manager and Principal Software Engineer at Tencent, and also worked as researcher/engineer at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Baidu, and Huawei. He has received a number of awards in academia and industry. Homepage https://chaoyanghe.com
Location
We prefer California, but we also support office in other states or work from home if necessary. | https://fedml.ai/job-research-intern-for-federated-distributed-machine-learning-systems/ |
On 10 July, the U.N. Security Council’s resolution authorizing cross-border humanitarian aid to northwest Syria is set to expire. In the lead up to the expiry, all eyes are on Russia, and whether it will exercise its right of veto in the Council to block a renewal.
Russia maintains that, in deference to Syria’s sovereignty, all humanitarian assistance should be provided across conflict lines from Damascus, in cooperation with the Syrian authorities. But humanitarian actors say this is impossible; indeed, despite months of negotiations, the Syrian government is yet to allow one single aid convoy to access northwest Syria from Damascus. Accordingly, lobbying directed at the Security Council is ramping up. Last week seven heads of U.N. agencies issued a joint statement warning that a failure by the Security Council to reauthorize cross-border assistance would “immediately stop U.N. delivery of … lifesaving assistance to 3.4 million people, including one million children.” A statement issued earlier this month by 41 NGOs warned similarly that “a failure to renew would put access to food assistance for more than one million people at stake, as well as COVID-19 vaccinations, critical medical supplies and humanitarian assistance for many more.”
Amid this focus on Russia and the Security Council, there is a critical question not getting the attention it deserves. Why is it the Security Council that gets to decide whether more than three million people in northwest Syria get the lifesaving humanitarian assistance – food, water, healthcare, shelter – they so desperately need?
Whose Mandate?
The U.N. Security Council is responsible for international peace and security. Under the U.N. Charter, the General Assembly is charged with making recommendations for the purpose of “promoting international cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, educational and health fields, and assisting in the realisation of human rights.” In 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) observed that when the Security Council and General Assembly deal in parallel with the same matters, the Security Council has “tended to focus on the aspects of such matters related to international peace and security,” while “the General Assembly has taken a broader view, considering also their humanitarian, social and economic aspects” (emphasis added).
Acting on its responsibility for such matters, in 1992 the General Assembly passed Resolution 46/182 on the strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the United Nations. In that resolution the Assembly established the position of the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), to serve as the senior U.N. official responsible for humanitarian affairs, and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). In 1994 the General Assembly adopted another resolution on humanitarian assistance, this time emphasizing the “leadership role of the Secretary-General, through the Emergency Relief Coordinator,” and stressing that the IASC, “under the leadership of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, should serve as the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination” of humanitarian assistance. That resolution said that the IASC should act “in an action-oriented manner on policy issues related to humanitarian assistance and on formulating a coherent and timely United Nations response to humanitarian emergencies.”
In light of this allocation of responsibility within the U.N. system, why has the conversation around the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Syria focused so exclusively on the Security Council – with its mandate not for humanitarian assistance but for peace and security?
The attention on the Security Council dates back to 2014, when the Council passed Resolution 2165 authorizing the U.N. and its partners to provide humanitarian assistance in Syria via designated international border crossings. Given the difficulties that humanitarian organizations had been having obtaining permission from the Syrian government to provide assistance in opposition-held areas across conflict lines from Damascus, the resolution was a breakthrough. It provided the political and – as has been understood – legal basis for the U.N. to support the provision of humanitarian assistance to more than four million people across both northwest and northeast Syria.
But Resolution 2165 also had a not-so-positive effect, from a humanitarian perspective. It enshrined an assumption that Security Council authorization was necessary in order for the U.N. to provide humanitarian assistance in non-government-controlled areas; and the corollary of that assumption, that assistance provided without such authorization was illegal.
The Legality of Humanitarian Aid without Host State Consent
Those assumptions regarding the imperative for Security Council authorization are not, in fact, settled in international law. There is no rule of international law that says, unequivocally, that it is illegal for U.N. humanitarian agencies to cross an international border into part of a country over which the national government does not have territorial control, in order to provide impartial humanitarian assistance in full cooperation with local authorities and local communities.
Indeed, under customary international humanitarian law, as interpreted by the International Committee of the Red Cross, parties to conflicts “must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, … subject to their right of control” (emphasis added). It is generally agreed (see here and here) that “subject to their right of control” means that consent from the host state (i.e., the Syrian government) is required in order for humanitarian assistance to be provided, but that consent must not be “arbitrarily withheld.” Consent is withheld “arbitrarily” if it is withheld without a valid reason (see here and here). The U.N. General Assembly, Security Council and ERC have all, over the years, implicitly or explicitly suggested that the Syrian government’s withholding of consent to humanitarian assistance in non-government controlled parts of Syria is arbitrary. What international humanitarian law does not explicitly say is that if consent is arbitrarily (illegally) withheld, humanitarian assistance provided without that consent is illegal.
Humanitarian assistance provided without host State consent is commonly described as a violation of the well-established principle of international law that States and international organizations must not violate another State’s territorial integrity. But there’s an argument to be made that principled humanitarian assistance provided in non-government-controlled areas does not in fact constitute a prohibited violation of territorial integrity (see discussion here). Indeed, in 1986 the ICJ held that “There can be no doubt that the provision of strictly humanitarian aid to persons or forces in another country, … cannot be regarded as unlawful intervention, or as in any other way contrary to international law.”
Even if one does take the view that impartial humanitarian assistance provided in non-government-controlled areas with the consent of local authorities is prima facie unlawful, such assistance may be justified on grounds of necessity. In international law, necessity is one of six circumstances that may “preclude the wrongfulness” of an act by an international organization that would otherwise be “not in conformity with an international legal obligation” (see here). To make out a plea of necessity, it must be shown that the conduct in question – i.e., violating territorial integrity – is the only way to safeguard an essential interest against a “grave and imminent peril.” The “essential interest” can be an interest of the international community, such as ensuring the provision of lifesaving humanitarian assistance in situations of severe humanitarian need (see here, here and here).
The Role of the Humanitarian Parts of the U.N.
All this being the case, and bearing in mind the mandate of the ERC to “coordinat[e] and facilitat[e] the humanitarian assistance of the United Nations system to … emergencies that require a coordinated response,” one might imagine the ERC would be seeking a legal opinion that would allow U.N. humanitarian agencies and their partners to provide humanitarian assistance in opposition-held northern Syria where it is so desperately required. The argument that Security Council authorization is not required has been advanced before, including in 2014 in an open letter from leading international legal experts, and in scholarship. But such opinion is seemingly not being sought.
What seems to be the case, according to conversations with NGO and U.N staff, is that the humanitarian parts of the U.N. – the ERC, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and at least some of the various operational U.N. agencies – have settled for an opinion provided by the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), which says that the U.N. cannot legally provide assistance in opposition-held areas without Syrian government consent. Despite the reliance on it, the OLA opinion has not been made available for scrutiny to the Syrians who rely on U.N.-supported cross-border assistance, nor to the NGOs who rely on U.N. support, nor even – seemingly – widely within the U.N. system. One U.N. staff member, speaking confidentially, said “I’m not sure there is an actual ‘legal opinion’, as such.”
One is left with the impression that perhaps the humanitarian parts of the U.N. do not want a legal opinion holding that they can provide humanitarian assistance without either Syrian government consent or Security Council authorization, because they might be expected to act on it. Such action might then jeopardize their relations with the Syrian government, and consequentially, their operations in government-controlled areas.
This caution might be warranted, if it were not for the fact that, according to the 2021 Syria Humanitarian Needs Overview, 80 percent of the people in Syria categorized as being in “severe” or “catastrophic” humanitarian need are in non-government-controlled northern Syria. If U.N agencies must indeed make this brutal calculus – humanitarian access to government-controlled versus non-government-controlled Syria – surely the relative needs of those populations should be the determining factor.
Advocacy Beyond the Security Council
In short, as lobbying ramps up ahead of the expiry of the Security Council’s authorization for cross-border humanitarian assistance, it should not just be the Security Council receiving all the attention. Attention should also be directed to the humanitarian parts of the U.N., led by the ERC and the IASC. They should be asked whether, in the event of a negative outcome at the Council, they will be bold enough and principled enough to seek and use alternative legal routes to continue their assistance in northern Syria.
The U.N. General Assembly, as the U.N.’s principal deliberative and policy-making body with responsibility for human rights, could help. The General Assembly cannot authorize intervention in the way the Security Council can, but it can express the views of the international community on situations of fact. So it could, for example, pass a resolution affirming the “necessity” of humanitarian assistance in northern Syria. The General Assembly’s Third Committee in fact came very close to doing this already, when in October last year it passed a resolution emphasizing that “the humanitarian cross-border mechanism remains an essential and life-saving channel to address the humanitarian needs of a significant portion of the population” of Syria. The General Assembly plenary could adopt a similar resolution. Indeed, it could be even more explicit, by emphasizing that the international community has an “essential interest” in ensuring that lifesaving humanitarian assistance is provided, and recognizing that in northern Syria this essential interest faces grave and imminent peril. Such a resolution might encourage and support the ERC, the IASC and/or individual U.N. humanitarian agencies to seek a more permissive legal opinion, which would then provide them with a strong justification to continue the cross-border operation, regardless of what happens at the Security Council in July.
Note: This article is based on a longer article forthcoming in the Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law, “Does International Law Permit the Provision of Humanitarian Assistance without Host State Consent? Territorial Integrity, Necessity and the Determinative Function of the General Assembly’, available here. | https://www.justsecurity.org/77034/the-un-has-options-beyond-the-security-council-for-cross-border-aid-to-syria/ |
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Wilhelm Roux, German zoologist whose attempts to discover how organs and tissues are assigned their structural form and functions at the time of fertilization made him a founder of experimental embryology. A student of German biologist Ernst Haeckel, Roux studied in Jena, Berlin, and Strasbourg. He...
Émile Roux, French bacteriologist noted for his work on diphtheria and tetanus and for his collaboration with Louis Pasteur in the development of vaccines. Roux began his medical studies at the University of Clermont-Ferrand. In 1878 he was accepted into Pasteur’s laboratory at the University of...
René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French scientist and foremost entomologist of the early 18th century who conducted research in widely varied fields. In 1710 King Louis XIV put Réaumur in charge of compiling a description of the industry and natural resources of France. Réaumur devised the...
Albert Bruce Sabin, Polish American physician and microbiologist best known for developing the oral polio vaccine. He was also known for his research in the fields of human viral diseases, toxoplasmosis, and cancer. Sabin immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1921 and became an...
Florence Rena Sabin, American anatomist and investigator of the lymphatic system who was considered to be one of the leading women scientists of the United States. Sabin was educated in Denver, Colorado, and in Vermont and graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts, in 1893. After teaching in...
Julius von Sachs, German botanist whose experimental study of nutrition, tropism, and transpiration of water greatly advanced the knowledge of plant physiology, and the cause of experimental biology in general, during the second half of the 19th century. Sachs became an assistant to the...
Carl Sagan, American astronomer and science writer. A popular and influential figure in the United States, he was controversial in scientific, political, and religious circles for his views on extraterrestrial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and religion. Sagan wrote the article “life” for the 1970...
Ruth Sager, American geneticist chiefly noted for recognizing the importance of nonchromosomal genes. Sager attended the University of Chicago (B.S., 1938), Rutgers University (M.S., 1944), and Columbia University (Ph.D., 1948) and then undertook genetic research at the Rockefeller Institute (now...
Bengt Ingemar Samuelsson, Swedish biochemist, corecipient with fellow Swede Sune K. Bergström and Englishman John Robert Vane of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. The three scientists were honoured for their isolation, identification, and analysis of numerous prostaglandins, a family...
Aziz Sancar, Turkish-American biochemist who contributed to mechanistic discoveries underlying a cellular process known as nucleotide excision repair, whereby cells correct errors in DNA that arise as a result of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light or certain mutation-inducing chemicals. For his...
Frederick Sanger, English biochemist who was twice the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. He was awarded the prize in 1958 for his determination of the structure of the insulin molecule. He shared the prize (with Paul Berg and Walter Gilbert) in 1980 for his determination of base sequences...
Paolo Sarpi, Italian patriot, scholar, and state theologian during Venice’s struggle with Pope Paul V. Between 1610 and 1618 he wrote his History of the Council of Trent, an important work decrying papal absolutism. Among Italians, he was an early advocate of the separation of church and state....
Edith Rebecca Saunders, British botanist and plant geneticist known for her contributions to the understanding of trait inheritance in plants and for her insights on flower anatomy. Noted British geneticist J.B.S. Haldane described her as the mother of British plant genetics. Saunders attended...
Thomas Say, naturalist often considered to be the founder of descriptive entomology in the United States. His work, which was almost entirely taxonomic, was quickly recognized by European zoologists. Say accompanied various expeditions to North American territories, including an exploration of the...
Fritz Schaudinn, German zoologist who, with the dermatologist Erich Hoffmann, in 1905 discovered the causal organism of syphilis, Spirochaeta pallida, later called Treponema pallidum. He is known for his work in the development of protozoology as an experimental science. He earned his doctorate in...
Randy W. Schekman, American biochemist and cell biologist who contributed to the discovery of the genetic basis of vesicle transport in cells. Bubblelike vesicles transport molecules such as enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters within cells, carrying their cargo to specific destinations in a...
Moritz Schiff, German physiologist who investigated the effects produced by removal of the thyroid gland. A graduate of the University of Göttingen (M.D., 1844) and a student of the French physiologist François Magendie in Paris, Schiff became director of the ornithology section of the Frankfurt...
Daniela Schiller, Israeli-born cognitive neuroscientist best known for her research in the area of memory reconsolidation, or the process of re-storing memories after they have been retrieved. Schiller, the youngest of four children, was raised in Rishon LeẔiyyon, Israel, near Tel Aviv–Yafo. As a...
Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper, German botanist, one of the first to successfully divide the continents into floral regions. Schimper received the Ph.D. from the University of Strasbourg in 1878. After a year (1880–81) as a fellow at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, he returned to Europe and...
Otto Heinrich Schindewolf, German paleontologist, known for his research on corals and cephalopods. Schindewolf was a faculty member of the University of Marburg from 1919 until 1927, when he became director of the Geological Survey of Berlin; in 1948 he became a professor at the University of...
Matthias Jakob Schleiden, German botanist, cofounder (with Theodor Schwann) of the cell theory. Schleiden was educated at Heidelberg (1824–27) and practiced law in Hamburg but soon developed his hobby of botany into a full-time pursuit. Repelled by contemporary botanists’ emphasis on...
Karl P. Schmidt, U.S. zoologist whose international reputation derived from the principles of animal ecology he established through his theoretical studies and fieldwork. He was also a leading authority on herpetology, contributing significantly to the scientific literature on amphibians and...
Rudolf Schoenheimer, German-born American biochemist whose technique of “tagging” molecules with radioactive isotopes made it possible to trace the paths of organic substances through animals and plants and revolutionized metabolic studies. Schoenheimer was a graduate in medicine from the...
Charles Schuchert, American paleontologist who was a leader in the development of paleogeography, the study of the distribution of lands and seas in the geological past. While supporting his siblings after the death of their father, Schuchert developed an intense interest in fossils. During the...
Max Schultze, German zoologist and cytologist who defined the cell as a mass of protoplasm with a nucleus (1861) and recognized protoplasm, with its nucleus, as a fundamental substance found in both plants and animals. Schultze was lecturer in anatomy at the University of Halle but left in 1859 to...
E.F. Schumacher, German-born British economist who developed the concepts of “intermediate technology” and “small is beautiful.” As a German Rhodes scholar in the early 1930s, E.F. Schumacher studied at the University of Oxford and Columbia University. He and his wife settled in England in 1937....
Theodor Schwann, German physiologist who founded modern histology by defining the cell as the basic unit of animal structure. Schwann studied at the Jesuits’ College at Cologne before attending the University of Bonn and then the University of Würzburg, where he began his medical studies. In 1834,...
Georg August Schweinfurth, German botanist and traveler who explored the region of the upper Nile River basin known as the Baḥr al Ghazāl and discovered the Uele River, a tributary of the Congo. Schweinfurth’s interest in African plants took him across the Red Sea to the Sudanese port of Suakin and...
Adam Sedgwick, English zoologist who is best known for his researches on the wormlike organism Peripatus, which he recognized as the zoologically important connecting link between the Annelida, or segmented worms, and the Arthropoda, such as crabs, spiders, and insects. A grandnephew of the...
Florence Seibert, American scientist, best known for her contributions to the tuberculin test and to safety measures for intravenous drug therapy. Seibert contracted polio at age three, but became an outstanding student, graduating at the top of her high-school class and winning a scholarship to...
Francesco Selmi, Italian chemist and toxicologist who is considered one of the founders of colloid chemistry. Selmi held several teaching positions in Turin and Modena before accepting the post of professor of chemical pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Bologna in 1867. He published...
Jean Senebier, Swiss botanist and naturalist who demonstrated that green plants consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen under the influence of light. The son of a wealthy merchant, Senebier studied theology and was ordained a minister in 1765. In 1769 he became pastor of a church in Chancy,...
Paul Sereno, American paleontologist who discovered several notable dinosaur species while on field expeditions in Africa, Asia, and South America. Sereno was raised in Naperville, Illinois. As an undergraduate at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Sereno majored in both art and biology, hoping...
Phillip A. Sharp, American molecular biologist, awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, along with Richard J. Roberts, for his independent discovery that individual genes are often interrupted by long sections of DNA that do not encode protein structure. Sharp received a doctorate...
Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer, English physiologist and inventor of the prone-pressure method (Schafer method) of artificial respiration adopted by the Royal Life Saving Society. The first holder of the Sharpey Scholarship (1871) at University College, London, he studied with William Sharpey...
Victor Ernest Shelford, American zoologist and animal ecologist whose pioneering studies of animal communities helped to establish ecology as a distinct discipline. His Animal Communities in Temperate America (1913) was one of the first books to treat ecology as a separate science. Shelford was...
Sir Charles Scott Sherrington, English physiologist whose 50 years of experimentation laid the foundations for an understanding of integrated nervous function in higher animals and brought him (with Edgar Adrian) the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1932. Sherrington was educated at...
Shiga Kiyoshi, Japanese bacteriologist, chiefly noted for his discovery (1897) of the dysentery bacillus Shigella, which is named after him. Shiga graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1896. Two years earlier he had begun work with Kitasato Shibasaburo, who had discovered the tetanus bacillus....
George Harrison Shull, American botanist and geneticist known as the father of hybrid corn (maize). As a result of his researches, corn yields per acre were increased 25 to 50 percent. He developed a method of corn breeding that made possible the production of seed capable of thriving under various...
Carl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German zoologist who specialized in invertebrate research and contributed significantly to the development of parasitology. Born in a family of biologists, Siebold studied at Berlin and Göttingen and practiced medicine briefly. Largely for his scientific writings, he...
Filippo Silvestri, Italian entomologist, best remembered for his pioneering work in polyembryony, the development of more than one individual from a single fertilized egg cell. During the late 1930s Silvestri discovered that this type of reproduction occurs in the species Litomatix truncatellus of...
George Gaylord Simpson, American paleontologist known for his contributions to evolutionary theory and to the understanding of intercontinental migrations of animal species in past geological times. Simpson received a doctorate from Yale University in 1926. He chose for the subject of his thesis...
Sir James Young Simpson, 1st Baronet, Scottish obstetrician who was the first to use chloroform in obstetrics and the first in Britain to use ether. Simpson was professor of obstetrics at the University of Edinburgh, where he obtained an M.D. in 1832. After news of the use of ether in surgery...
Jens C. Skou, Danish biophysicist who (with Paul D. Boyer and John E. Walker) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1997 for his discovery of the enzyme called sodium-potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na+-K+ ATPase), which is found in the plasma membrane of animal cells and acts...
Sir Hans Sloane, Baronet, British physician and naturalist whose collection of books, manuscripts, and curiosities formed the basis for the British Museum in London. As a child Sloane possessed a strong curiosity of nature, and he developed a particular interest in plants. After studying medicine...
George P. Smith, American biochemist known for his development of phage display, a laboratory technique employing bacteriophages (bacteria-infecting viruses) for the investigation of protein-protein, protein-DNA, and protein-peptide interactions. Phage display proved valuable to the development of...
Hamilton O. Smith, American microbiologist who shared, with Werner Arber and Daniel Nathans, the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1978 for his discovery of a new class of restriction enzymes that recognize specific sequences of nucleotides in a molecule of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and...
Oliver Smithies, British-born American scientist who, with Mario R. Capecchi and Sir Martin J. Evans, won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for developing gene targeting, a technology used to create animal models of human diseases in mice. In 1951 Smithies earned both a master’s...
George Davis Snell, American immunogeneticist who, with Jean Dausset and Baruj Benacerraf, was awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his studies of histocompatibility (a compatibility between the genetic makeup of donor and host that allows a tissue graft from the former to be...
Lazzaro Spallanzani, Italian physiologist who made important contributions to the experimental study of bodily functions and animal reproduction. His investigations into the development of microscopic life in nutrient culture solutions paved the way for the research of Louis Pasteur. Spallanzani...
Hans Spemann, German embryologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1935 for his discovery of the effect now known as embryonic induction, the influence exercised by various parts of the embryo that directs the development of groups of cells into particular tissues and...
Herbert Spencer, English sociologist and philosopher, an early advocate of the theory of evolution, who achieved an influential synthesis of knowledge, advocating the preeminence of the individual over society and of science over religion. His magnum opus, The Synthetic Philosophy (1896), was a...
Roger Wolcott Sperry, American neurobiologist, corecipient with David Hunter Hubel and Torsten Nils Wiesel of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1981 for their investigations of brain function, Sperry in particular for his study of functional specialization in the cerebral hemispheres....
Christian Konrad Sprengel, German botanist and teacher whose studies of sex in plants led him to a general theory of fertilization which, basically, is accepted today. Sprengel studied theology and languages, spent some years as a schoolmaster in Spandau and Berlin, and became rector of Spandau. In... | https://www.britannica.com/browse/Biologists/7 |
Throughout the centuries many professors - scientists, jurists and literati - made Padua University a centre which irradiates culture all over Europe.
Scholars came from all over Europe and often started their own cultural institutions on their return home. To name a few:
- Nicolaus Copernicus - Polish astronomer
- Pietro d'Abano - physician and philosopher
- Marcantonio dalla Torre - Leonardo da Vinci's anatomy instructor
- Andreas Vesalius - Flemish anatomist
- Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente - set up the permanent anatomy theatre still at Palazzo Bo in 1594
- Giovan Battista Morgagni - founder of Pathological anatomy
- William Harvey - discoverer of the circulation of the blood
- Count Giovanni Dondi - professor of Humanities and Petrarch's friend
- Pier Paolo Vergerio, humanist
- Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia - first woman in the world to graduate in a university, in 1678
- Thomas Penketh - English professor of Theology
- Vittorino da Feltre - lecturer in Rhetoric
- Demetrius Chalkondyles - Athenian professor of Greek
- Melchiorre Cesarotti - poet and translator
- Pietro Bembo and Torquato Tasso - poets
- Erasmus from Rotterdam - theologian and humanist
- Franciscus Skarina - the father of Belarusian literature
- the Polish poets Klemens Janicki and Jan Kochanowski, Ugo Foscolo - poet
- Giuseppe Tartini, musician and composer
- Giacomo Casanova, traveller, author
- Johann Georg Wirsung, anatomist - discoverer of the pancreatic duct ("duct of Wirsung")
...and many others
Twelwe Maestros
Enrico Bernardi (1841-1919). Ingenious inventor and pioneer of industry, Bernardi built the first Italian automobile in 1894: it
had three wheels, a four-stroke engine, and could reach a speed of 35 km/h. A working example with all its original parts is
conserved in the University of Padova Museum dedicated to this great inventor.
Massimilla Baldo Ceolin (1924-2011). Scientist and teacher of Physics, Ceolin was the first woman to be nominated to a
chair at the University of Padova (1963). Her research focused on elementary particles and the “weak interactions” responsible
for radioactive processes. Her studies on neutrinos contributed substantially to modern theories which interpret the oldest phases of the history of the Universe in an innovative way.
Norberto Bobbio (1909-2004). One of the greatest philosophers of law and political science of the 20th century, Bobbio taught at the University of Padova from 1940 to 1948. A supporter of the Partito d’Azione (Action Party) he was arrested by the fascist authorities in December 1943. His “neo-illuminism”, a theory favouring the opening up of dialogue and the rigorous use of reasoning, had a profound effect on Italian cultural life, making Bobbio one of the best-known and influential Italian intellectuals of the time. He was nominated a life senator.
Giuseppe Colombo (1920-1984). Professor of applied mechanics, Colombo has been described as the “master of celestial mechanics”. His studies led him to important discoveries, such as the exact movement of Mercury round the Sun. He spent long periods at prestigious institutions in the United States. It is to him that we owe the introduction of the “tethered system” applied to space structures and used by NASA during the Shuttle space flights.
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543). Nicolaus Copernicus studied in Padova in the early 16th century, in contact with the doctor and scientist Girolamo Fracastoro. His De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, with its descrption of the heliocentric system (the planets revolve round the Sun) has also been known since then as the Copernican system, and is now considered to mark the birth of scientific revolution in the Western world.
Ugo Foscolo (1778-1827). A celebrated Italian poet and writer, Foscolo was one of the foremost men of letters between the
Neoclassic and Romantic periods. He followed the lessons taught by Melchiorre Cesarotti, a professor at the University of Padova, and translator of some of the works of Homer and of the Songs of Ossian. In 1795, Foscolo asked Cesarotti for his opinion of his first tragedy, “Tieste”.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). Together with Newton, Galileo is considered one of the fathers of modern science, for his momentous discoveries and his definition of proper scientific method. He stated that, in Padova, he had passed the best 18 years of his life, thanks to the great freedom of thought which the University of Padova allowed, protected as it was by Most Serene Republic of Venice.
Vincenzo Gallucci (1935-1991). Gallucci and his team carried out the first heart transplant in Italy, on November 14 1985. The Gallucci Heart Surgery Centre, one of the top centres for international transplant techniques, is dedicated to his memory.
Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793). One of the best comedy playwrights in Europe, Goldoni graduated in law from the University of Padova in 1731. After working as a lawyer, he devoted his energies to an enormous and highly popular series of comedies in Venetian dialect and Italian. Removed the tradition of the commedia dell’arte, his plays focus on text and personages, taken from episodes of daily life. Among his masterpieces are I rusteghi, Il campiello, and Le baruffe chiozzotte.
William Harvey (1578-1657). The great English doctor Harvey “discovered” the circulation of the blood. Although other
scientists before him had noted the phenomenon, Harvey was the first to describe it accurately. He studied at the University
of Cambridge and also in Padova, where he was a pupil of the doctor Girolamo Fabrici d’Acquapendente and the philosopher
Cesare Cremonini.
Tullio Levi Civita (1873-1941). Levi Civita graduated from the University of Padova, his native city, in mathematics. One of
his teachers was Gregorio Ricci Curbastro, with whom he later collaborated on tensor calculus, an essential point of reference
and basis of the mathematical structure of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
Cesare Musatti (1897-1989). Musatti further developed the experimental research lines of Vittorio Benussi, continuing the
work of the latter, with particular interest in the psychology of perception, testimony, suggestion and hypnosis. He was also a
prime figure in the development of psychoanalysis in Italy. | https://www.unipd.it/en/en/en/eminent-alumni |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
BACKGROUND
SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
A. First Embodiment
A-1. Structure of Image Processing Apparatus
A-2. Face Area and Organ Area Detecting Process
B. Second Embodiment
C. Modified Examples
C1. First Modified Example
C2. Second Modified Example
C3. Third Modified Example
C4. Fourth Modified Example
C5. Fifth Modified Example
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC 119 of Japanese application no. 2008-127842, filed on May 15, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to detection of an image area corresponding to a facial organ image in an image.
2. Related Art
Techniques are known for detecting an organ area, which is an image area corresponding to an image of a facial organ (such as an eye), in an image. See, for example, JP-A-2006-065640.
It is preferable to improve the accuracy or increase the efficiency of the process of detecting the organ area from the image.
The invention provides a technique that improves the accuracy and increases the efficiency of a process of detecting an organ area in an image.
An image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes: a face area detecting unit that detects a face area corresponding to a face image in a target image; a detection condition setting unit that sets a detection condition for specifying a range of at least one of the number, sizes and positions of organ areas to be detected upon detection of an organ area corresponding to a facial organ image in the face area on the basis of a detection result of the face area; and an organ area detecting unit that detects the organ area satisfying the set detection condition.
In the image processing apparatus, a detection condition for specifying a range of at least one of the number, sizes and positions of organ areas to be detected upon organ area detection is set on the basis of a detection result of a face area, and the organ area satisfying the set detection condition is detected. Accordingly, the accuracy of a process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
In the image processing apparatus according to this aspect, the face area detecting unit evaluates a certainty that an image area on the target image is an image area corresponding to a face image by using face evaluating data generated using a sample image including the face image to detect the face area. The detection condition setting unit sets the detection condition on the basis of a relationship associated with at least one of the number, sizes and positions between the face area and the organ areas, which is set in advance on the basis of facial organ images in the sample image used for the generation of the face evaluating data.
In the image processing apparatus, the detection condition is set on the basis of a relationship associated with at least one of the number, sizes and positions between the face area and the organ areas, which is set in advance on the basis of facial organ images in the sample image used for the generation of the face evaluating data. Accordingly, the accuracy of a process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
In the image processing apparatus according to this aspect, the face evaluating data is associated with a face direction that is a rotation angle about an axis that is parallel to an image plane of a face image in the sample image used for the generation of the face evaluating data. The relationship between the face area and the organ areas is set for each face direction associated with the face evaluating data. The detection condition setting unit sets the detection condition on the basis of the relationship corresponding to the face direction associated with the face evaluating data used for the detection of the face area.
In the image processing apparatus, the detection condition is set on the basis of the relationship corresponding to a face direction associated with the face evaluating data used for the detection of the face area. Accordingly, the accuracy of a process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
In the image processing apparatus according to this aspect, the organ area detecting unit includes: a determination target setting unit that sets a determination target image area that is an image area in the face area, a storing unit that stores organ evaluating data for calculating an evaluated value representing a certainty that the determination target image area is an image area corresponding to a facial organ image, an evaluated value calculating unit that calculates the evaluated value on the basis of the organ evaluating data and image data corresponding to the determination target image area, and an area setting unit that sets the organ area on the basis of the evaluated value and the size and position of the determination target image area. The determination target setting unit determines at least one of the number, sizes and positions of the determination target image areas to be set on the basis of the relationship between the face area and the organ areas.
In the image processing apparatus, at least one of the number, sizes and positions of the determination target image areas to be set is determined on the basis of the relationship between the face area and the organ areas. Accordingly, the accuracy of a process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
In the image processing apparatus according to this aspect, the face evaluating data is generated by learning using the sample image.
In the image processing apparatus, the detection condition is set on the basis of the relationship associated with at least one of the number, sizes and positions between the face area and the organ areas, which is set in advance on the basis of facial organ images in the sample image used for the generation of the face evaluating data by learning. Accordingly, the accuracy of a process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
In the image processing apparatus according to this aspect, the detection condition setting unit sets the detection condition depending on the kind of a facial organ corresponding to the organ area to be detected.
In the image processing apparatus, the accuracy of a process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased depending on the kind of a facial organ.
In the image processing apparatus according to this aspect, the organ area detecting unit detects a plurality of candidates of the organ area to determine the organ area on the basis of geometric relationships between the plurality of candidates.
In the image processing apparatus, a plurality of candidates of the organ area is detected and the organ area is determined on the basis of geometric relationships between the plurality of candidates. Accordingly, the accuracy of a process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
In the image processing apparatus according to this aspect, the facial organ is at least one of a right eye, a left eye and a mouth.
In the image processing apparatus, the accuracy of a process of detecting an organ area corresponding to at least one of the right eye, the left eye, and the mouth in the image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
The invention can be embodied in various forms. For example, the invention can be embodied as an image processing method and apparatus, an organ area detecting method and apparatus, a computer program for executing the functions of the apparatuses or methods, a recording medium having the computer program recorded thereon, and the like.
A. First Embodiment
A-1. Structure of Image Processing Apparatus,
A-2. Face Area and Organ Area Detecting Process,
B. Second Embodiment, and
C. Modified Examples
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are now described in the following order:
FIG. 1
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is a block diagram of a printer , which is an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention. The printer according to the first embodiment is an ink jet color printer corresponding to so-called direct printing that performs image printing on the basis of image data obtained from a memory card MC or the like. The printer includes a CPU that controls all components of the printer , an internal memory that is composed of a ROM or a RAM, an operating unit that includes buttons or a touch panel, a display unit that is composed of a liquid crystal display, a printer engine , and a card interface (card I/F) . The printer may further include interfaces for data communication with other apparatuses (for example, a digital still camera and a personal computer). The components of the printer are connected to one another by a bus.
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The printer engine is a printing mechanism that performs printing on the basis of print data. The card interface is an interface for data communication with the memory card MC inserted into a card slot . In this embodiment, image files including image data are stored in the memory card MC.
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The internal memory includes an image processing unit , a display processing unit , and a print processing unit . The image processing unit is a computer program for performing a face area and organ area detecting process under a predetermined operating system. The display processing unit is a display driver that controls the display unit to display, for example, a process menu, a message, or an image on the display unit . The print processing unit is a computer program that generates print data from image data and controls the printer engine to print images on the basis of the print data. The CPU reads these programs from the internal memory and executes the read programs to implement the functions of the above-mentioned units.
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The image processing unit includes an area detecting unit , an information adding unit , and a detection condition setting unit as program modules. The area detecting unit detects an image area (a face area and an organ area) corresponding to a predetermined kind of subject image (a face image and a facial organ image) in an image indicated by image data. The area detecting unit includes a determination target setting unit , an evaluated value calculating unit , a determining unit and an area setting unit . The area detecting unit serves as a face area detecting unit and an organ area detecting unit according to the invention in order to detect a face area corresponding to a face image and an organ area corresponding to a facial organ image.
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The information adding unit adds predetermined information to image files including image data. On the basis of a result of the face area detecting process, the detection condition setting unit sets detection conditions for specifying ranges of the number, sizes and positions of organ areas to be detected upon detection of the organ area
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The internal memory stores a plurality of preset face learning data FLD and facial organ learning data OLD. The face learning data FLD and the facial organ learning data OLD are used for the area detecting unit to detect a face area and an organ area. are diagrams illustrating kinds of face learning data FLD and facial organ learning data OLD and examples of image areas detected by these kinds of face learning data FLD and facial organ learning data OLD.
Face learning data FLD is set to correspond to a combination of a face inclination and a face direction. The face inclination is the inclination (rotation angle) of a face in an image plane. That is, the face inclination is the rotation angle of a face about an axis that is vertical to the image plane. In this embodiment, when a state in which the upper direction of an area or subject is aligned with the upper direction of a target image is referred to as the reference state (inclination=0 degrees), the inclination of the area or subject on the target image is represented by a rotation angle from the reference state in the clockwise direction. For example, when a state in which a face is disposed in a vertical direction of a target image (the top of a head faces upward and a jaw faces downward) is referred to as the reference state (face inclination=0 degrees), the face inclination is represented by a rotation angle of the face from the reference state in the clockwise direction.
The face direction is the direction of a face out of an image plane (the angle of the aspect of a face). The aspect of a face is the direction of a face with respect to an axis of a substantially cylindrical head. That is, the face direction is the rotation angle of a face about an axis that is parallel to the image plane. In this embodiment, a “front direction” means that a face looks directly at an imaging surface of an image generating apparatus such as a digital still camera, a “right direction” means that a face turns to the right side of the imaging surface (the image of a face that turns to the left as viewed from a viewer of the image), and a “left direction” means that a face turns to the left side of the imaging surface (the image of a face that turns to the right as viewed from a viewer of the image).
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FIGS. 2A-2D
FIG. 2A
FIG. 2B
FIG. 2C
FIG. 2D
The internal memory stores four face learning data FLD shown in : face learning data FLD corresponding to a combination of a face in the front direction and a face inclination of 0 degrees (); face learning data FLD corresponding to a combination of a face in the front direction and a face inclination of 30 degrees (); face learning data FLD corresponding to a combination of a face in the right direction and a face inclination of 0 degrees (); and face learning data FLD corresponding to a combination of a face in the right direction and a face inclination of 30 degrees (). A face in a front direction and a face in a right or left direction may be analyzed as different kinds of subjects. In this case, the face learning data FLD can be expressed in correspondence with a combination of the kind and the inclination of the subject.
FIG. 2A
FIG. 2B
FIG. 2C
FIG. 2D
Face learning data FLD corresponding to a certain face inclination is set by learning such that an image of a face that is inclined in the range of +15 to −15 degrees from the face inclination can be detected. In addition, a person's face is substantially symmetric with respect to the vertical direction. Therefore, when two face learning data, that is, face learning data FLD corresponding to a face inclination of 0 degrees () and face learning data FLD corresponding to a face inclination of 30 degrees (), are prepared in advance for a face in the front direction, it is possible to obtain face learning data FLD capable of detecting a face image in the entire face inclination range by rotating the two face learning data FLD at every 90 degrees. Similarly, when two face learning data, that is, face learning data FLD corresponding to a face inclination of 0 degree () and face learning data FLD corresponding to a face inclination of 30 degrees (), are prepared in advance for a face in the right direction, it is possible to obtain face learning data FLD capable of detecting a face image in the entire face inclination range. In addition, for a face in the left direction, it is possible to obtain face learning data FLD capable of detecting a face image in the entire face inclination range by inverting the face learning data FLD corresponding to the face in the right direction.
Facial organ learning data OLD is set to correspond to a combination of the kind of facial organ and an organ inclination. In this embodiment, eyes (right and left eyes) and a mouth are set as the kinds of facial organs. In addition, the organ inclination is the inclination (rotation angle) of a facial organ in an image plane, as in the above-described face inclination. That is, the organ inclination is the rotation angle of a facial organ about an axis that is vertical to the image plane. When a state in which a facial organ is disposed in a vertical direction of a target image is referred to as the reference state (organ inclination=0 degrees), the organ inclination is represented by the rotation angle of the facial organ from the reference state in the clockwise direction, as with the face inclination.
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FIGS. 2E-2H
FIG. 2E
FIG. 2F
FIG. 2G
FIG. 2H
The internal memory stores four facial organ learning data OLD shown in : facial organ learning data OLD corresponding to a combination of an eye and an organ inclination of 0 degrees shown (), facial organ learning data OLD corresponding to a combination of an eye and an organ inclination of 30 degrees (); facial organ learning data OLD corresponding to a combination of a mouth and an organ inclination of 0 degrees (); and facial organ learning data OLD corresponding to a combination of a mouth and an organ inclination of 30 degrees (). The eyes and the mouth are different kinds of subjects and thus the facial organ learning data OLD can be expressed in correspondence with a combination of the kind and the inclination of the subject.
FIG. 2E
FIG. 2F
FIG. 2G
FIG. 2H
As in the case of the face learning data FLD, facial organ learning data OLD corresponding to a certain organ inclination is set by learning such that an image of an organ that is inclined in the range of +15 to −15 degrees from the organ inclination can be detected. In addition, a person's eyes and mouth are substantially symmetric with respect to the vertical direction. Therefore, when two facial organ learning data, that is, facial organ learning data OLD () corresponding to an organ inclination of 0 degrees and facial organ learning data OLD () corresponding to an organ inclination of 30 degrees, are prepared in advance for an eye, it is possible to obtain facial organ learning data OLD capable of detecting an eye image in the entire organ inclination range by rotating the two facial organ learning data OLD at every 90 degrees. Similarly, when two facial organ learning data, that is, facial organ learning data OLD () corresponding to an organ inclination of 0 degrees and facial organ learning data OLD () corresponding to an organ inclination of 30 degrees, are prepared in advance for a mouth, it is possible to obtain facial organ learning data OLD capable of detecting a mouth image in the entire organ inclination range. In this embodiment, the right and left eyes are regarded as the same kind of subject, and a right eye area corresponding to an image of the right eye and a left eye area corresponding to an image of the left eye are detected using common facial organ learning data OLD. However, the right and left eyes may be regarded as different kinds of subjects and dedicated facial organ learning data OLD for detecting the right eye area and the left eye area may be prepared.
FIG. 3
is a flowchart of the face area and organ area detecting process according to the first embodiment. The face area and organ area detecting process according to this embodiment detects a face area corresponding to a face image in an image indicated by image data and an organ area corresponding to a facial organ in the face area. The detected face and organ areas can be used in a predetermined image process (for example, flesh color correction, red eye correction, deformation of a face image and detection of a facial expression (such as a smile)).
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In Step S, the image processing unit acquires image data indicating an image as a target of the face area and organ area detecting process. In the printer according to this embodiment, when the memory card MC is inserted into the card slot , thumbnail images of image files stored in the memory card MC are displayed by the display unit . The user uses the operating unit to select one or more images to be processed while referring to the displayed thumbnail images. The image processing unit acquires an image file including image data corresponding to the selected one or more images from the memory card MC and stores the acquired image file in a predetermined area of the internal memory . The acquired image data is referred to as the original image data, and an image represented by the original image data is referred to as the original image OImg.
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FIG. 4
FIG. 5
FIG. 5
In Step S, the area detecting unit performs the face area detecting process, in which an image area corresponding to a face image is detected as a face area FA. is a flowchart of the face area detecting process, and illustrates an outline of the face area detecting process. In , the uppermost portion shows an example of the original image OImg.
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FIG. 4
FIG. 5
In Step S of the face area detecting process (), the area detecting unit generates face detecting image data indicating a face detecting image FDImg from the original image data indicating the original image OImg. In this embodiment, as illustrated in , the face detecting image FDImg has a size of horizontal 320 pixels×vertical 240 pixels. The area generating unit changes the resolution of the original image data to generate face detecting image data indicating the face detecting image FDImg, if necessary.
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FIG. 4
FIG. 5
In Step S (), the determination target setting unit sets the size of a window SW for setting a determination target image area JIA to an initial value. In Step S, the determination target setting unit arranges the window SW at an initial position on the face detecting image FDImg. In Step S, the determination target setting unit sets an image area defined by the window SW arranged on the face detecting image FDImg to the determination target image area JIA that is a target for the determination whether to be an image area corresponding to a face image (hereinafter, referred to as “face determination”). In , a middle portion shows the arrangement of the window SW having an initial size at the initial position on the face detecting image FDImg and the setting of the image area defined by the window SW to the determination target image area JIA. In this embodiment, the size and position of the square window SW are changed and then the determination target image area JIA is set. The initial value of the size of the window SW is horizontal 240 pixels x vertical 240 pixels, which is a maximum size, and the initial position of the window SW is set such that the upper left corner of the window SW overlaps the upper left corner of the face detecting image FDImg. In addition, the window SW is arranged such that an inclination thereof is 0 degrees. As described above, when a state in which the upper direction of the window SW is aligned with the upper direction of a target image (face detecting image FDImg) is referred to as the reference state (inclination=0 degrees) the inclination of the window SW is the rotation angle of the window SW from the reference state in the clockwise direction.
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In Step S, the evaluated value calculating unit calculates a cumulative evaluated value Tv used for the face determination for the determination target image area JIA, on the basis of image data corresponding to the determination target image area JIA. In this embodiment, the face determination is performed for each combination of a predetermined specific face inclination and a predetermined specific face direction. That is, it is determined whether the determination target image area JIA is an image area corresponding to a face image having a specific face inclination and a specific face direction for each combination of the specific face inclination and the specific face direction. Therefore, the cumulative evaluated value Tv is calculated for each combination of a specific face inclination and a specific face direction. The specific face inclination is a predetermined face inclination. In this embodiment, total twelve face inclinations (0, 30, 60, . . . , and 330 degrees) including a reference face inclination (face inclination=0 degrees) and face inclinations that are arranged at an angular interval of 30 degrees from the reference face inclination are set as the specific face inclinations. In addition, the specific face direction is a predetermined face direction. In this embodiment, a total of three face directions, the front, right and left directions, are set as the specific face directions.
FIG. 6
212
illustrates a method of calculating the cumulative evaluated value Tv used for the face determination. In this embodiment, N filters (filters 1-N) are used to calculate the cumulative evaluated value Tv. Each of the filters has the same aspect ratio as the window SW (that is, each of the filters has a square shape), and a positive area pa and a negative area ma are set in each of the filters. The evaluated value calculating unit sequentially applies a filter X (X=1, 2, . . . , N) to the determination target image area JIA to calculate an evaluated value vX (that is, v1-vN). Specifically, the evaluated value vX is obtained by subtracting the sum of the brightness values of pixels in a portion of the determination target image area JIA corresponding to the negative area ma of the filter X from the sum of the brightness values of pixels in another portion of the determination target image area JIA corresponding to the positive area pa of the filter X.
The calculated evaluated value vX is compared with a threshold value thX (that is, th1-thN) that is set to correspond to the evaluated value vX. In this embodiment, if the evaluated value vX is equal to or larger than the threshold value thX, it is determined that the determination target image area JIA is an image area corresponding to a face image for the filter X, and the output value of the filter X is set to “1”, On the other hand, if the evaluated value vX is smaller than the threshold value thX, it is determined that the determination target image area JIA is not an image area corresponding to a face image for the filter X, and the output value of the filter X is set to “0”. A weighting coefficient WeX (that is, We1-WeN) is set in each filter X, and the sum of the products of the output values and the weighting coefficients WeX of all the filters is calculated as the cumulative evaluated value Tv.
FIG. 2A
FIG. 2B
FIG. 2A
FIG. 2B
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The aspect of the filter X, the threshold value thX, the weighting coefficient WeX, and a threshold value TH used for the face determination are defined as the face learning data FLD in advance. That is, for example, the aspect of the filter X, the threshold value thX, the weighting coefficient WeX, and the threshold value TH defined as the face learning data FLD (see ) corresponding to a combination of a face in the front direction and a face inclination of 0 degrees are used to calculate the cumulative evaluated value Tv corresponding to the combination of a face in the front direction and a face inclination of 0 degrees and perform the face determination. Similarly, the face learning data FLD (see ) corresponding to a combination of a face in the front direction and a face inclination of 30 degrees is used to calculate the cumulative evaluated value Tv corresponding to the combination of a face in the front direction and a face inclination of 30 degrees and perform the face determination. In addition, in order to calculate the cumulative evaluated value Tv corresponding to a combination of a face in the front direction and another specific face inclination and perform the face determination, the evaluated value calculating unit generates face learning data FLD corresponding to the combination of a face in the front direction and another specific face inclination, on the basis of the face learning data FLD () corresponding to the combination of a face in the front direction and a face inclination of 0 degrees and the face learning data FLD () corresponding to the combination of a face in the front direction and a face inclination of 30 degrees, and uses the generated face learning data FLD. Necessary face learning data FLD is generated for a face in the right direction and a face in the left direction on the basis of the face learning data FLD stored in advance in the internal memory by the same method as described above, and is used. The face learning data FLD according to this embodiment is data for evaluating a certainty that the determination target image area JIA is an image area corresponding to a face image. Therefore, the face learning data FLD corresponds to evaluating data according to the invention.
FIG. 7
The face learning data FLD is set (generated) by learning using sample images. illustrates sample images used for learning for setting the face learning data FLD corresponding to a face in the front direction. The following are used for learning: a face sample image group including a plurality of face sample images that have been known to correspond to a face in the front direction; and a non-face sample image group including a plurality of non-face sample images that have been known not to correspond to a face in the front direction.
FIG. 7
12
The setting of the face learning data FLD corresponding to the face in the front direction by learning is performed for every specific face inclination. Therefore, as illustrated in , face sample image groups corresponding to specific face inclinations are prepared. For example, the face learning data FLD for a specific face inclination of 0 degrees is set using a non-face sample image group and a face sample image group corresponding to the specific face inclination of 0 degrees, and the face learning data FLD for a specific face inclination of 30 degrees is set using a non-face sample image group and a face sample image group corresponding to the specific face inclination of 30 degrees.
FIG. 7
FIG. 7
FIG. 7
The face sample image group corresponding to each specific face inclination includes a plurality of face sample images (hereinafter, also referred to as “basic face sample images FIo”) in which the ratio of the size of a face image to an image size is within a predetermined range and the inclination of the face image is equal to a specific face inclination. In addition, the face sample image group includes images (for example, images FIa and FIb of ) in which at least one basic face sample image FIo is reduced and enlarged at a predetermined magnification of 0.8 to 1.2, images (for example, images FIc and FId of ) in which the face inclination of the basic face sample image FIo is changed in the angular range of −15 to +15 degrees and images (for example, images FIe and FIh of ) in which the position of a face image in the basic face sample image FIo is moved by a predetermined movement amount from side to side and up and down.
FIG. 6
Learning using the sample images is performed by, for example, a method using a neural network, a method using boosting (for example, adaboosting), or a method using a support vector machine. For example, when learning is performed by using a neural network, the evaluated value vX (that is, v1-vN) is calculated for each filter X (that is, for each filter 1-N (see )) using all the sample images included in a non-face sample image group and a face sample image group corresponding to a certain specific face inclination, and the threshold value thX (that is, th1-thN) that achieves a predetermined face detection ratio is set. The face detection ratio is the ratio of the number of face sample images that are determined as images corresponding to a face image by threshold value determination using the evaluated value vX to the total number of face sample images in the face sample image group.
The weighting coefficient WeX (that is, We1-WeN) set for each filter X is then set to an initial value, and the cumulative evaluated value Tv for one sample image selected from the face sample image group and the non-face sample image group is calculated. In the face determination, when the cumulative evaluated value Tv calculated for a certain image is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold value TH, the image is determined to correspond to the face image. In the learning process, the value of the weighting coefficient Wex set for each filter X is corrected on the basis of the determination result of a threshold value by the cumulative evaluated value Tv calculated for the selected sample image (a face sample image or a non-face sample image). Then, the selection of a sample image, the determination of a threshold value by the cumulative evaluated value Tv calculated for the selected sample image, and the correction of the value of the weighting coefficient WeX on the basis of the determination result are repeatedly performed on all the sample images in the face and non-face sample image groups. In this manner, the face learning data FLD corresponding to a combination of a face in the front direction and a specific face inclination is set.
Similarly, the face learning data FLD corresponding to another specific face direction (right or left direction) is set by learning using a face sample image group including a plurality of face sample images that have been known as images corresponding to a face in the right direction (or in the left direction) and a non-face sample image group including a plurality of non-face sample images that have been known as images not corresponding to a face in the right direction (or left direction).
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FIG. 4
When the cumulative evaluated value Tv is calculated for each combination of specific face inclination and specific face direction for the determination target image area JIA (Step S of ), the determining unit compares the cumulative evaluated value Tv with the threshold value TH that is set for each combination of specific face inclination and specific face direction (Step S). If the cumulative evaluated value Tv is equal to or larger than the threshold value TH set for each combination of a specific face inclination and a specific face direction, the area detecting unit determines that the determination target image area JIA is an image area corresponding to a face image having the specific face inclination and the specific face direction, and stores the position of the determination target image area JIA, that is, the coordinates of the window SW that is currently set, the specific face inclination, and the specific face direction (Step S). If the cumulative evaluated value Tv is smaller than the threshold value TH for any combination of specific face inclination and specific face direction, Step S is skipped.
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FIG. 4
FIG. 5
In Step S (), the area detecting unit determines whether the entire face detecting image FDImg is scanned by the window SW having a size that is currently set. If the entire face detecting image FDImg is not scanned yet, the determination target setting unit moves the window SW in a predetermined direction by a predetermined movement amount (Step S). A lower portion of shows the movement of the window SW. In this embodiment, in Step S, the window SW is moved to the right by a movement amount corresponding to 20% of the size of the window SW in the horizontal direction. When the window SW is disposed at a position where it cannot move any further to the right, in Step S, the window SW returns to the left end of the face detecting image FDImg, and is moved down by a movement amount corresponding to 20% of the size of the window SW in the vertical direction. When the window SW is disposed at a position where it cannot move down any further, it is determined that the entire face detecting image FDImg is scanned. After the window SW is moved (Step S), the processes after Step S are performed on the moved window SW.
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When it is determined in Step S that the entire face detecting image FDImg is scanned by the window SW having the currently set size, it is determined whether all predetermined sizes of the window SW are used (Step S). In this embodiment, the window SW has a total of 15 sizes, that is, a size of horizontal 240 pixels×vertical 240 pixels, which is an initial value (a maximum size), a size of horizontal 213 pixels×vertical 213 pixels, a size of horizontal 178 pixels×vertical 178 pixels, a size of horizontal 149 pixels×vertical 149 pixels, a size of horizontal 124 pixels×vertical 124 pixels, a size of horizontal 103 pixels×vertical 103 pixels, a size of horizontal 86 pixels×vertical 86 pixels, a size of horizontal 72 pixels×vertical 72 pixels, a size of horizontal 60 pixels×vertical 60 pixels, a size of horizontal 50 pixels×vertical 50 pixels, a size of horizontal 41 pixels×vertical 41 pixels, a size of horizontal 35 pixels×vertical 35 pixels, a size of horizontal 29 pixels×vertical 29 pixels, a size of horizontal 24 pixels×vertical 24 pixels, and a size of horizontal 20 pixels×vertical 20 pixels (a minimum size). If there is a size of the SW that is not used yet, the determination target setting unit changes the size of the window SW from the currently set size to the next smaller size (Step S). That is, the size of the window SW is set to the maximum size at the beginning and then is sequentially changed to the smaller size. After the size of the window SW is changed (Step S), the processes after Step S are performed on the window SW whose size is changed,
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FIGS. 8A and 8B
FIG. 4
FIG. 8A
FIG. 8E
When it is determined in Step S that all predetermined sizes of the window SW are used, the area setting unit performs a face area determining process (Step S). and A-C illustrate the face area determining process. When it is determined in Step S of that the cumulative evaluated value Tv is equal to or larger than the threshold value TH, the area setting unit determines the face area FA as an image area corresponding to the face image on the basis of the specific face inclination and the coordinates of the window SW stored in Step S. Specifically, if the stored specific face inclination is 0 degrees, the image area (the determination target image area JIA) defined by the window SW is determined as the face area FA without any change. On the other hand, if the stored specific face inclination is not 0 degrees, the inclination of the window SW is changed to be equal to the specific face inclination (that is, the window SW is rotated on a predetermined point (for example, the center of gravity of the window SW) by the specific face inclination in the clockwise direction), and the image area defined by the window SW whose inclination is changed is determined as the face area FA. For example, as shown in , if it is determined that the cumulative evaluated value Tv is equal to or larger than the threshold value TH for a specific face inclination of 30 degrees, as illustrated in , the inclination of the window SW is changed by 30 degrees, and the image area defined by the window SW whose inclination is changed is determined as the face area FA.
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FIG. 4
FIG. 9A
FIG. 9B
FIG. 9C
In addition, when a plurality of windows SW that partially overlap each other for a specific face inclination are stored in Step S (), the area setting unit sets a new window (“average window AW”) having an average value of the sizes of the windows SW, using average coordinates of the coordinates of predetermined points of the windows SW (for example, centers of gravity of the window SW) as the center of gravity. For example, as illustrated in , when four windows SW (SW-SW) that partially overlap each other are stored, as illustrated in , one average window AW having an average value of the sizes of the four windows SW is defined using average coordinates of the coordinates of the centers of gravity of the four windows SW as the center of gravity. At this time, as described above, when the stored specific face inclination is 0 degrees, the image area defined by the average window AW is determined as the face area FA without any change. On the other hand, when the stored specific face inclination is not 0 degrees, the inclination of the average window AW is changed to be equal to the specific face inclination (that is, the average window AW is rotated on a predetermined point (for example, the center of gravity of the average window AW) by the specific face inclination in the clockwise direction), and the image area defined by the average window AW whose inclination is changed is determined as the face area FA (see ).
FIGS. 8A and 8B
FIGS. 9A-9C
As illustrated in , even when one window SW that does not overlap other windows SW is stored, the one window SW can be analyzed as the average window AW, as in the case in which the plurality of windows SW illustrated in that partially overlap each other are stored.
FIG. 7
FIG. 7
FIG. 7
In this embodiment, because the face sample image group (see ) used for learning includes images obtained by reducing or enlarging the basic face sample image FIo at a magnification of 0.8 to 1.2 (for example, the images FIa and FIb in ), the face area FA can be detected even when the size of the face image with respect to the size of the window SW is slightly larger or smaller than that of the basic face sample image FIo. Therefore, in this embodiment, even though only fifteen discrete sizes are set as the standard sizes of the window SW, it is possible to detect the face area FA in the face image having any size. Similarly, in this embodiment, since the face sample image group used for learning includes images obtained by changing the face inclination of the basic face sample image FIo in the angular range of −15 to +15 degrees (for example, the images FIc and FId in ), the face area FA can be detected even when the inclination of the face image with respect to the window SW is slightly different from that of the basic face sample image FIo. Therefore, in this embodiment, even though only twelve discrete angles are set as the specific face inclinations, it is possible to detect the face area FA in the face image in the entire angular range.
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FIG. 3
In the face area detecting process (Step S of ), when the face area FA is not detected (Step S: No), the face area and organ area detecting process is completed. On the other hand, when at least one face area FA is detected (Step S: Yes), the area detecting unit selects one of the detected face areas FA (Step S).
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In Step S, on the basis of the result of the face area detecting process (Step S), the detection condition setting unit sets detection conditions for specifying ranges of the number, sizes and positions of organ areas to be detected in the organ area detecting process (Step S) to be described later. As described above, in this embodiment, eyes (right and left eyes) and a mouth are set as the kinds of facial organs and thus the detection of a right eye area EA(r) corresponding to a right eye image, a left eye area EA(l) corresponding to a left eye image and a mouth area MA corresponding to a mouth image is performed in the organ area detecting process (hereinafter, the right eye area EA(r) and the left eye area EA(l) are also collectively referred to as “eye area EA”). The setting of the detection conditions is performed for each of the eye area EA and the mouth area MA.
FIGS. 10A and 10B
FIGS. 10A and 10B
FIGS. 10A and 10B
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11
and FIGS., A and B are diagrams illustrating a method of setting the detection conditions. illustrate a method of setting the detection condition for the positions of organ areas. As illustrated in , upon setting of the detection condition for the positions of organ areas, three areas (areas A, B and C, hereinafter, also collectively referred to as a “position specification area”) are set in the selected face area FA. The areas A and C are ranges in which the eye area EA can be positioned and the areas B and C are ranges in which the mouth area MA can be positioned. In this embodiment, the positions of the areas are the positions of centers of gravity of the areas.
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FIG. 10A
FIG. 10B
FIG. 10B
A positional relationship between the face area FA and the position specification area (areas A, B and C) is set in advance for each specific face direction (the front, right and left directions), and is stored in a predetermined area in the internal memory . illustrates a positional relationship between the face area FA and the position specification area corresponding to a specific face direction that is the front direction, and illustrates a positional relationship between the face area FA and the position specification area corresponding to a specific face direction that is the right direction. A positional relationship between the face area FA and the position specification area corresponding to a specific face direction that is the left direction is a relationship that is bilaterally symmetric with the relationship illustrated in . The ranges in which the organ areas (eye area EA and mouth area MA) can be positioned are specified by the position specification area and thus it can be described that the positional relationship between the face area FA and the ranges in which the organ areas can be positioned is set in advance.
FIG. 7
FIGS. 2A-2D
The positional relationship between the face area FA and the position specification area (areas A, B and C) is set for each specific face direction on the basis of the positions of facial organ images in the plurality of face sample images in the face sample image group (see ) used for the setting of the face learning data VLD (see ). That is, for each specific face direction, the positions of the images of the eyes and mouth in the plurality of face sample images are checked to set as the area C an overlap portion of an area (“eye arrangeable area”) in the face area FA corresponding to the range of the position of the eye image in the face sample image and an area (“mouth arrangeable area”) in the face area FA corresponding to the range of the position of the mouth image in the face sample image. In addition, a portion not overlapping the area C in the eye arrangeable area is set as the area A and a portion overlapping the area C in the mouth arrangeable area is set as the area B.
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FIGS. 10A and 10B
The detection condition setting unit specifies a specific face direction corresponding to the face learning data FLD used for the detection of the face area FA selected in Step S and sets the position specification area in the face area FA on the basis of the positional relationship (see ) between the face area FA and the position specification area (areas A, B and C) corresponding to the specific face direction, thereby setting the detection condition for the positions of the organ areas.
FIGS. 11A and 11B
FIG. 7
FIGS. 2A-2D
FIG. 11A
FIG. 11B
120
illustrate a method of setting the detection condition for the sizes of organ areas. In this embodiment, a range of the ratio of the sizes of the facial organ areas to the size of the face area FA is set in advance for each specific face direction (front, right and left directions), and is stored in a predetermined area in the internal memory . The range of the ratio of the sizes of the facial organ areas to the size of the face area FA is set for each specific face direction on the basis of the sizes of facial organ images in the plurality of face sample images in the face sample image group (see ) used for the setting of the face learning data FLD (see ). That is, for each specific face direction, the sizes of the images of the eyes and mouths in the plurality of face sample images are checked to set a range of the ratio of the sizes of the images of the eyes and mouth to the size of the face sample image as the range of the ratio of the sizes of the organ areas to the size of the face area FA. illustrates an image FIa having the largest sizes of eye and mouth images in the face sample image used for the setting of the face learning data FLD corresponding to a specific face direction that is the front direction, and illustrates an image FIb having the smallest sizes of eye and mouth images in the face sample image used for the setting of the face learning data FLD corresponding to a specific face direction that is the front direction. In this case, a range from a ratio of the sizes of the organ areas (the right eye area EA(r), the left eye area EA(l) and the mouth area MA) to the size of the image FIb in the image FIb to a ratio of the sizes of the organ areas to the size of the image FIa in the image FIa is set as the range of the ratio of the sizes of the organ areas to the size of the face area FA.
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The detection condition setting unit specifies a specific face direction corresponding to the face learning data FLD used for the detection of the face area FA selected in Step S, and sets a range of the ratio of the sizes of the organ areas to the size of the face area FA corresponding to the specific face direction to set the detection condition for the sizes of the organ areas.
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In addition, the detection condition setting unit sets the detection condition for the number of organ areas on the basis of the specific face direction corresponding to the face learning data FLD used for the detection of the face area FA selected in Step S. Specifically, when the specific face direction is the front direction, the number of organ areas to be detected is set to 3, that is, the right eye area EA(r), the left eye area EA(l) and the mouth area MA. When the specific face direction is the right or left direction, the number of organ areas to be detected is set to 2, that is, the right eye area EA(r) (or left eye area EA(l)) and the mouth area MA.
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FIG. 3
In Step S (), the area detecting unit performs the organ area detecting process. The organ area detecting process detects an image area corresponding to a facial organ image in the face area FA selected in Step S as an organ area. In the organ area detecting process according to this embodiment, the organ areas satisfying the detection conditions set in Step S are detected.
FIG. 12
FIG. 13
FIG. 13
FIG. 5
is a flowchart of the organ area detecting process, and is a diagram illustrating the organ area detecting process. In the uppermost portion of , an example of the face detecting image FDImg (see ) used for the face detecting process is shown.
FIG. 13
FIG. 12
FIG. 12
FIGS. 10A and 10B
FIGS. 10A and 10B
FIGS. 11A and 11B
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The detection of an organ area from the face detecting image FDImg is performed in the same manner as in the detection of the face area FA. That is, as illustrated in , a position and a size of a rectangular window SW is changed and then the window SW is arranged on the face detecting image FDImg (Steps S, S and S-S of ) to be set as a determination target image area JIA that is a target for the determination of whether an image area defined by the arranged window SW is an organ area corresponding to a facial organ image (hereinafter, also referred to as “organ determination”) (Step S of ). The position and size of the window SW is determined on the basis of the detection conditions set in Step S. That is, the window SW is arranged in a range of the position of the organ area specified by the set detection condition. Specifically, upon detection of the eye area EA, the window SW is arranged so that a center of gravity thereof is disposed in the area A and the area B illustrated in . Upon detection of the mouth area MA, the window SW is disposed so that a center of gravity thereof is disposed in the area C and the area B illustrated in . The size of the window SW is set in a range of the size of the organ area specified by the set detection condition (see ). By setting the position and size of the window SW in this manner, the organ area satisfying the set detection conditions is detected. The window SW is arranged in a state in which an inclination thereof is 0 degrees (a reference state in which the upper direction of the window SW is aligned with the upper direction of the face detecting image FDImg).
FIG. 1
FIG. 12
FIG. 6
550
When the determination target image area JIA is set, a cumulative evaluated value Tv to be used for the organ determination is calculated for each facial organ (eyes and mouth) by using the facial organ learning data OLD () (Step S of ). The aspect of the filter X, the threshold value thX, the weighting coefficient WeX and the threshold value TH (see ) used for the calculation of the cumulative evaluated value Tv and the organ determination are defined as the facial organ learning data OLD. As in learning for the setting of the face learning data FLD, learning for the setting of the facial organ learning data OLD is performed using an organ sample image group including a plurality of organ sample images that have been known to correspond to a facial organ and a non-organ sample image group including a plurality of non-organ sample images that have been known not to correspond to the facial organ.
FIG. 4
FIG. 12
FIGS. 2E-2H
In the face area detecting process (), the calculation of the cumulative evaluated value Tv and the face determination are performed at all the specific face inclinations. However, in the organ area detecting process (), the calculation of the cumulative evaluated value Tv and the organ determination are performed only at the same organ inclination as the specific face inclination of the face area FA by using the facial organ learning data OLD (see ) corresponding to the same organ inclination as the selected specific face inclination of the face area FA. In the organ area detecting process, the calculation of the cumulative evaluated value Tv and the organ determination may be performed at all the specific organ inclinations.
570
570
FIG. 12
If the cumulative evaluated value Tv calculated is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold value TH, the determination target image area JIA is regarded as an image area corresponding to an image of the organ in the face, and the position of the determination target image area JIA, that is, the coordinates of the window SW that is currently set are stored (Step S of ). On the other hand, if the cumulative evaluated value Tv is smaller than the threshold value TH, Step S is skipped.
214
620
214
570
560
FIG. 12
FIGS. 14A and 14B
FIGS. 8A and 8B
FIGS. 9A-9C
FIG. 12
FIG. 14A
FIG. 14B
The entire range in which the window SW can be positioned is scanned with all sizes of the window SW, and then an organ area setting process is performed by the area setting unit (Step S of ). illustrate the organ area setting process. The organ area setting process is the same process as the face area setting process (see and ). The area setting unit sets an organ area as an image area corresponding to a facial organ image on the basis of the specific face inclination corresponding to the face area FA and the coordinates of the window SW stored in Step S when it is determined that the cumulative evaluated value Tv is equal to or larger than the threshold value TH in Step S of . Specifically, if the specific face inclination is 0 degrees, the image area (the determination target image area JIA) defined by the window SW is set as the organ area without any change. On the other hand, if the specific face inclination is not 0 degrees, the inclination of the window SW is changed to be equal to the specific face inclination (that is, the window SW is rotated on a predetermined point (for example, the center of gravity of the window SW) by a specific face inclination in the clockwise direction), and the image area defined by the window SW whose inclination is changed is set as the organ area. For example, as illustrated in , if the specific face inclination is 30 degrees and the cumulative evaluated value Tv is equal to or larger than the threshold value TH for each of a window SW (er) corresponding to the right eye, a window SW (el) corresponding to the left eye and a window SW (m) corresponding to the mouth, the inclinations of the windows SW are changed by 30 degrees as illustrated in to set as the organ areas (the right eye area EA(r), the left eye area EA(l) and the mouth area MA) the image areas defined by the windows SW whose inclinations are changed.
As in the case of the face area setting process, when a plurality of windows SW that partially overlap each other are stored, a new window (average window AW) having an average value of the sizes of the windows SW is set using average coordinates of the coordinates of predetermined points (for example, centers of gravity of the windows SW) of the windows SW as the center of gravity. If the specific face inclination is 0 degrees, an image area defined by the average window AW is set as the organ area without any change, and if the specific face inclination is not 0 degrees, the inclination of the average window AW is changed to be equal to the specific face inclination (that is, the average window AW is rotated on a predetermined point (for example, the center of gravity of the average window AW) by a specific face inclination in the clockwise direction) and an image area defined by the average window AW whose inclination is changed is set as the organ area.
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140
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180
FIG. 3
In Step S (), the area detecting unit determines whether there is a face area FA that has not been selected yet in Step S. If there is a face area FA that has not been selected yet (Step S: No), the process returns to Step S to select one of the face areas FA that have not been selected, and the processes after Step S are performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that all the face areas FA are selected (Step S: Yes), the process proceeds to Step S.
180
230
230
230
FIG. 3
In Step S (), the information adding unit performs an information recording process for adding auxiliary information to an image file including the original image data. The information adding unit stores as the auxiliary information the information (information indicating the positions (coordinates) of the face area and the organ area in the original image OImg) specifying the detected face area and organ area in an auxiliary information storing area for the image film including the original image data. The information adding unit may also store information indicating the sizes of the face area and the organ area and information indicating the inclinations of the face area and the organ area in the original image OImg in the auxiliary information storing area.
100
100
As described above, in the face area and organ area detecting process of the printer according to this embodiment, the detection conditions for specifying the ranges of the number, sizes and positions of the organ areas to be detected upon detection of the organ areas in the face area are set on the basis of the detection result of the face area and the organ areas satisfying the set detection conditions are detected. That is, only the organ areas satisfying the detection conditions are detected. When an image area which can be determined as an organ area by the evaluation does not satisfy the detection conditions, the image area is not detected as the organ area. Accordingly, in the face area and organ area detecting process of the printer according to this embodiment, the accuracy of the process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
FIGS. 15 and 16
FIGS. 17A and 17B
FIG. 12
FIGS. 14A and 14B
FIG. 12
620
570
are flowcharts of a window determining process according to a second embodiment of the invention. are diagrams illustrating the window determining process according to the second embodiment of the invention. The window determining process according to the second embodiment is a part of the organ area determining process (Step S) in the organ area detecting process () according to the first embodiment. Specifically, the window determining process determines the windows SW (the right eye window SW(er) and the left eye window SW(el), see ) corresponding to the right eye area EA(r) and the left eye area EA(l) when the coordinates of the plurality of windows SW are stored for the eye area EA in Step S of .
702
214
FIG. 15
In Step S (), the area setting unit performs initialization. Specifically, a value of the maximum value OLmax of a window overlap number OL is set to 0 and a value of the minimum value RDmin of a reference distance RD is set to 1,000. In initialization, the value of the minimum value RDmin of the reference distance may be set to a relatively large value, so the reference distance RD to be calculated later may not exceed the value of the minimum value RDmin. The value of the minimum value RDmin may not be set to 1,000.
704
214
FIG. 17A
In Step S, the area setting unit selects one window SW (represented by the window SW(e)) corresponding to the eye area EA. The window SW(e) corresponding to the eye area EA is a window SW determined as an image area corresponding to an eye image by organ determination using the facial organ learning data OLD corresponding to an eye. In , a plurality of windows SW(e) are shown and one of the plurality of windows SW(e) is selected.
706
214
FIG. 17B
In Step S, the area setting unit calculates coordinates of a center of gravity CW and a reference distance RD of the selected window SW(e). As illustrated in , in this embodiment, in a face area FA, a standard center of gravity AC(er) that is a standard position of the center of gravity of a right eye area EA(r) and a standard center of gravity AC(el) that is a standard position of the center of gravity of a left eye area EA(l) are set in advance. The reference distance RD is a smaller one of distances between the center of gravity Cw of the selected window SW(e) and the standard center of gravity AC(er) and the standard center of gravity AC(el).
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704
FIG. 17A
In Step S, the area setting unit determines whether the center of gravity Cw of the selected window SW(e) is positioned in an upper portion of the face area FA. As illustrated in , the upper portion of the face area FA is an area corresponding to an upper portion of a face when the rectangular face area FA is divided into halves with a straight line parallel to the outer circumferential line of the face area FA corresponding to a horizontal direction of the face. Similarly, an-area corresponding to a lower portion of the face when the face area FA is divided into halves with the straight line parallel to the outer circumferential line of the face area FA corresponding to the horizontal direction of the face is referred to as the lower portion of the face area FA. In addition, an area corresponding to a right portion of the face when the face area FA is divided into halves with a straight line parallel to the outer circumferential line of the face area FA corresponding to a vertical direction of the face is referred to as the right portion of the face area FA, and an area corresponding to the remaining portion is referred to as the left portion of the face area FA. When it is determined that the center of gravity Cw of the selected window SW(e) is not positioned in the upper portion of the face area FA, it is determined that the selected window SW(e) is not the window SW corresponding to the eye area EA and thus Steps S-S are skipped. In this case, in Step S, it is determined whether all the windows SW(e) corresponding to the eye area EA are selected. When there is a window SW(e) that has not been selected yet, the process returns to Step S to select the window SW(e).
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714
214
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214
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714
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716
In Step S, when it is determined that the center of gravity Cw of the selected window SW(e) is positioned in the upper portion of the face area FA, the area setting unit compares the window overlap number OL with the maximum value OLmax (Step S). The window overlap number OL is the number of other windows SW(e) at least partially overlapping the selected window SW(e). When the window overlap number OL is larger than the maximum value OLmax in Step S, or when the window overlap number OL is equal to the maximum value OLmax in Step S and the reference distance RD is smaller than the minimum value RDmin in Step S, the area setting unit sets as a candidate window the window SW(e) that is currently selected (Step S). At this time, the area setting unit updates the maximum value OLmax as the current window overlap number OL and updates the minimum value RDmin as the current reference distance RD, On the other hand, when the window overlap number OL is smaller than the maximum value OLmax in Step S, or when the reference distance RD is smaller than the minimum value RDmin in Step S, Step S is skipped and the process proceeds to Step S.
704
714
716
Steps S-S are repeatedly performed until it is determined that all windows SW(e) corresponding to the eye area EA are selected in Step S in this manner, the window SW(e) with the maximum window overlap number OL (the window SW(e) with the minimum reference distance RD when there are plural windows SW(e) with the maximum window overlap number OL) is set as a final candidate window among the windows SW(e) corresponding to the eye area EA.
718
214
720
722
In Step S, the area setting unit determines whether the center of gravity Cw of the final candidate window is positioned in the right or left portion of the face area FA. When the center of gravity Cw is positioned in the right portion, the candidate window is determined as the right eye window SW(er) (Step S) on the other hand, when the center of gravity Cw is positioned in the left portion, the candidate window is determined as the left eye window SW(el) (Step S).
722
724
FIG. 16
By the process up to Step S, one of the-right eye window SW(er) and the left eye window SW(el) is determined. In the subsequent processes (the processes after Step S of ), the determination of a window SW that has not been determined yet as the right eye window SW(er) and the left eye window SW(el) is performed.
724
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704
706
730
214
720
722
732
736
738
FIG. 16
FIG. 15
FIG. 16
FIG. 15
The contents of Steps S, S and S of are the same as the contents of Steps S, S and S of . In Step S (), the area setting unit determines whether the selected window SW(e) satisfies conditions X. The conditions X include 4 AND conditions, that is, a condition in which the center of gravity Cw of the selected window SW(e) is positioned in the upper portion of the face area FA, a condition in which the selected window SW(e) does not overlap the right eye window SW(er) or the left eye window SW(el) (hereinafter, also referred to as “determined window”) that is determined in Step S or S of , a condition in which an angle between the selected window SW(e) and the determined window is smaller than 30 degrees, and a condition in which the position of the center of gravity Cw of the selected window SW(e) in the face area FA is bilaterally symmetric with respect to the position of the center of gravity Cw of the determined window. The angle between the selected window SW(e) and the determined window, that is smaller than 30 degrees, is an angle between a straight line connecting the center of gravity Cw of the selected window SW(e) and the center of gravity Cw of the determined window and the outer circumferential line corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the face of the face area FA. When the center of gravity Cw of the selected window SW(e) is not positioned in the upper portion of the face area FA, when the selected window SW(e) even partially overlaps the determined window, when the angle between the selected window SW(e) and the determined window is larger than 30 degrees, and when the position of the center of gravity Cw of the selected window SW(e) in the face area FA is not bilaterally symmetric with respect to the position of the center of gravity Cw of the determined window, it is thought that the window SW(e) does not really correspond to the eye image. Accordingly, when the conditions X are not satisfied, Steps S-S are skipped and the process proceeds to Step S. Among the four conditions X, the conditions other than the condition in which the center of gravity Cw of the window SW(e) is positioned in the upper portion of the face area FA are associated with geometric relationships between the plurality of windows SW(e) as candidates of the eye area EA.
732
736
732
736
710
714
726
736
738
FIG. 15
When the conditions X are satisfied, Steps S-S are performed. The contents of Steps S-S are the same as the contents of Steps S-S of . Steps S to S are repeatedly performed until it is determined that all the windows SW(e) corresponding to the eye area EA are selected in S. In this manner, the window SW(e) with the maximum window overlap number OL, satisfying the conditions X, (the window SW(e) with the minimum reference distance RD when there are plural windows SW(e) with the maximum window overlap number OL) is set as a final candidate window among the windows SW(e) corresponding to the eye area EA.
740
214
742
744
FIG. 16
In Step S (), the area setting unit determines whether the center of gravity Cw of the final candidate window is positioned in the right or left portion of the face area FA. When the center of gravity Cw is positioned in the right portion, the candidate window is determined as the right eye window SW(er) (Step S). On the other hand, when the center of gravity Cw is positioned in the left portion, the candidate window is determined as the left eye window SW(el) (Step S).
570
FIG. 12
In the case of the eye area EA, by the above-described window determining process, the right eye window SW(er) and the left eye window Sw(el) respectively corresponding to the right eye area EA(r) and the left eye area EA(l) are determined when the coordinates of the plurality of windows SW are stored in Step S of . In the window determining process according to the second embodiment, the right eye window SW(er) and the left eye window SW(el) are determined on the basis of the conditions associated with the geometric relationships between the plurality of windows SW(e) as candidates of the eye area EA. Accordingly, the accuracy of the process of detecting an organ area in an image can be improved and the efficiency of the detecting process can be increased.
The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, the following modifications can be made.
In the above embodiments, detection conditions for specifying ranges of the number, sizes and positions of the organ areas to be detected are set. However, the set detection conditions do not necessarily specify ranges of the number, sizes and positions of the organ areas and may specify a range of at least one of the number, sizes and positions of the organ areas. Even in this case, the accuracy of the process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
FIG. 12
FIG. 12
FIG. 12
560
620
In the above embodiments, in the organ area detecting process (), the position and size of the window SW are set to satisfy the set detection conditions, and in this manner, the determination target image area JIA is set. However, the determination target image area JIA may be set independently from the detection conditions. In this case, it is determined whether the window SW or the organ area satisfies the set detection conditions after the organ determination (Step S of ) or the organ area determining process (Step S of ). Even in this case, the accuracy of the process of detecting an organ area in an image is improved and the efficiency of the detecting process is increased.
In the above embodiments, the detection conditions associated with the position and size of the organ area are set in advance on the basis of the position and size of the facial organ image in the face sample image used for the setting of the face organ learning data OLD. However, statistics of the position and size of the organ image may be collected in the face area detecting process to set the detection conditions on the basis of the statistics.
FIGS. 14A and 14B
In the second embodiment, the window determining process for the determination of the right eye window SW(er) and the left eye window SW(el) is described. However, the window determining process can be changed into a process of determining a window SW corresponding to another facial organ image. For example, the window determining process may determine the right eye window SW(er), the left eye window SW(el) and the window SW corresponding to a mouth image (mouth window SW(m), see ). In this case, the determination of the window SW may be performed using the conditions associated with the geometric relationship between the plural windows SW(e) as candidates of the eye area EA and the mouth area MA.
The window determining process may be performed using reliability of the windows SW(e) as candidates of the eye area EA and the mouth area MA. The reliability is an index for showing a certainty that the windows SW(e) as candidates of the eye area EA and the mouth area MA are image areas really corresponding to the eye area EA and the mouth area MA. As the reliability, the number of windows overlapping the window SW(e) or the cumulative evaluated value Tv calculated for the window SW(e) can be used. Among the windows SW(e) as candidates of the eye area EA and the mouth area MA, the windows SW(e) with high reliability may be determined as the right eye window SW(er), the left eye window SW(el) and the mouth window SW(m). In addition, among the windows SW(e) as candidates of the eye area EA, a combination of the windows SW(e) with high reliability for a combination of two windows SW(e) may be determined as the right eye window SW(er) and the left eye window SW(el). Moreover, among the windows SW(e) as candidates of the eye area EA and the mouth area MA, a combination of the windows SW(e) with the high sum of reliability of a combination of two windows SW(e) as the eye area and reliability of one window SW(e) as the mouth area may be determined as the right eye window SW(er), the left eye window SW(el) and the mouth window SW(m).
FIG. 4
FIG. 12
FIG. 5
The face area detecting process () and the organ area detecting process () according to the above-described embodiments are illustrative only, and various modifications thereof can be made. For example, the size of the face detecting image FDImg (see ) is not limited to horizontal 320 pixels×vertical 240 pixels, and the face detecting image FDImg may have other sizes. The original image OImg may be used as the face detecting image FDImg. In addition, the size, movement direction and movement amount (movement pitch) of the window SW used are not limited to the above. In the above-described embodiments, the size of the face detecting image FDImg is fixed and a window SW having one of a plurality of sizes is arranged on the face detecting image FDImg to set the determination target image area JIA having one of a plurality of sizes. However, face detecting images FDImg having a plurality of sizes may be generated, and a window SW having a fixed size may be arranged on the face detecting image FDImg to set the determination target image area JIA having one of a plurality of sizes.
FIG. 6
In the above-described embodiments, the cumulative evaluated value Tv is compared with the threshold value TH to perform face determination and organ determination (see ). However, other methods including a method of using a plurality of determining units to perform face determination and organ determination may be used. A learning method used to set the face learning data FLD and the facial organ learning data OLD may vary depending on the face and organ determining method. A learning method is not necessarily used to perform face and organ determination, and other methods, such as pattern matching, may be used to perform face and organ determination.
In the above-described embodiments, 12 specific face inclinations are set at an angular interval of 30 degrees. However, specific face inclinations more or less than 12 specific face inclinations may be set. In addition, the specific face inclination is not necessarily set, but the face determination may be performed for a face inclination of 0 degrees. In the above-described embodiments, the face sample image group includes images obtained by enlarging, reducing, and rotating the basic face sample image FIo, but the face sample image group does not necessarily include the images.
In the above-described embodiments, when it is determined that the determination target image area JIA defined by the window SW having a certain size is an image area corresponding to a face image (or a facial organ image) by the face determination (or the organ determination), a window SW having a size that is reduced from the size at a predetermined ratio or more may be arranged out of the determination target image area JIA that is determined as the image area corresponding to the face image. In this manner, it is possible to improve process speed.
In the above-described embodiments, the image data stored in the memory card MC is set as the original image data, but the original image data is not limited to the image data stored in the memory card MC. For example, the original image data may be image data acquired through a network.
In the above-described embodiments, the right eye, the left eye, and the mouth are set as the kinds of facial organs, and the right eye area EA(r), the left eye area EA(l), and the mouth area MA are detected as the organ areas. However, any organ of the face may be set as the kind of facial organ. For example, one or two of the right eye, left eye, and mouth may be set as the kind of facial organ. In addition, other organs (for example, a nose or an eyebrow) in the face may be set as the kind of facial organ, in addition to the right eye, left eye, and mouth, or instead of at least one of the right eye, left eye, and mouth, and areas corresponding to the images of the organs may be selected as the organ areas.
In the above-described embodiments, the face area FA and the organ area have rectangular shapes, but the face area FA and the organ area may have shapes other than a rectangle.
100
100
In the above-described embodiments, image processing performed by the printer , serving as an image processing apparatus, is described. However, a portion or the entire image processing may be performed by other types of image processing apparatuses, such as a personal computer, a digital still camera, and a digital video camera. In addition, the printer is not limited to an ink jet printer, and other types of printers, such as a laser printer and a dye sublimation printer, may be used.
In the above-described embodiments, some components implemented by hardware may be substituted for software, and some components implemented by software may be substituted for hardware.
When some or all of the functions of the invention are implemented by software, the software (computer program) may be stored in a computer readable recording medium and then provided. In the invention, a “computer readable recording medium” is not limited to a portable recording medium, such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM, and include various internal storage devices provided in a computer, such as a RAM and a ROM, and external storage devices fixed to the computer, such as a hard disk.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of a printer according to a first embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 2A-2H
are diagrams illustrating kinds of face learning data FLD and facial organ learning data OLD.
FIG. 3
is a flowchart of a face area and organ area detecting process according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4
is a flowchart of the face area detecting process.
FIG. 5
is a diagram illustrating an outline of the face area detecting process.
FIG. 6
is a diagram illustrating an outline of a method of calculating a cumulative evaluated value used for face determination.
FIG. 7
is a diagram illustrating sample images used for learning for setting the face learning data FLD corresponding to a face in the front direction.
FIGS. 8A and 8B
are diagrams illustrating an outline of a face area determining process.
FIGS. 9A-9C
are diagrams illustrating the outline of the face area determining process.
FIGS. 10A and 10B
are diagrams illustrating an outline of a detection condition setting method.
FIGS. 11A and 11B
are diagrams illustrating an outline of the detection condition setting method.
FIG. 12
is a flowchart of an organ area detecting process.
FIG. 13
is a diagram illustrating an outline of the organ area detecting process.
FIGS. 14A and 14B
are diagrams illustrating the outline of the organ area detecting process.
FIG. 15
is a flowchart of a window determining process according to a second embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 16
is a flowchart of the window determining process according to the second embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 17A and 17B
are diagrams illustrating the outline of the window determining process according to the second embodiment of the invention. | |
Altered Horizons: Conversation with the Artists
With artists Qais Al-Sindy, Luis Alderete, Jennifer Bennett, Antonio Escalante, Lisa Hutton, Selena Marinello, and Cesar Vázquez, moderated by Museum Studies Professor, Alessandra Moctezuma. An exhibition that invites visitors to explore our changing urban landscape. From two-dimensional works to video and installation pieces, seven artists residing in the San Diego/Tijuana region explore contemporary space and offer a...
Spring 2013 Student Art Show Reception and Art Sale
Join us for this festive reception and art sale taking place in the Art Gallery – D101 and Gallery Courtyard GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BUY GIFTS FRO MOTHER’s DAY. Bluegrass music by the Lemon Grove Trio. Flamenco dance presentation by Lilia Delgadillo. The students present an exciting and masterful collection of class projects in various media. The selected artworks reflect the array of talent found in our college. Outdoor...
GIFT – Women as Givers: Installation and Performance
A collaborative project by the Feminist Image Group Exhibit runs: March 14 – April 18, 2013 Opening Reception and Performance: Thursday, March 14, 5-7pm, Art Gallery Panel Discussion: Thursday, March 14, 7pm, room G101 Panelists: Doris Bittar, artist and owner Protea Gallery Amy Galpin, Ph.D, Associate Curator, Art of the Americas, San Diego Museum of Art Allison Wiese, Assistant Professor of Art, University of San Diego Allyson...
Dynamic Gestures: An exhibit by Larry Caveney, Silfredo La O and Chris Warr
These artist utilize gesture and the body/figure as reference in creating paintings and sculptures. There is a performative aspect to Silfredo La O’s work. Trained in Cuba as a dancer, his paintings were heavily influenced by movement. Now he is using poetry and incorporating words into his compositions. Larry Caveney works in video and painting. His quick expressive portraits of male heads or figures are imbued...
Fall 2012 Student Art Exhibition and Lecture by Karen Atkinson, GYST Author
SPECIAL PRESENTATION by Karen Atkinson, GYST author, at 7 pm, G101. Learn how to get organized and get your work out there! GYST is a manual for artists. For more info go to: www.gyst-ink.com The students of San Diego Mesa College present an outstanding array of projects in various media. This exhibition includes close to a hundred artworks in drawing, design, digital media, printmaking, photography, painting, ceramics, fashion and... | http://www.sdmesagallery.com/author/sdmesa/page/3/ |
Credit points: This training requires 12 hours of attendance plus an optional assignment for participants who will need ECTS. Please check with your supervisor at your university, if the course counts towards ECTS.
Course certificate: You will receive a certificate of attendance, if you attend the entire course.
Objectives
Knowing how to manage and organize research data is becoming one of the sine qua non conditions to guarantee the quality, durability and reproducibility of your research. Moreover, many funding agencies such as the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the European Commission (for Horizon Europe and ERC grant applications) are requiring that a data management plan be in place in order to receive research funding.
This introductory course will offer you the keys to develop the essential knowledge, resources and skills to optimize the management of your research data and increase your chances of complying with funding agencies’ requirements.
The objectives of our workshop are the following:
To acquire the fundamentals regarding research data management and discover the resources at your disposal to better manage your data,
To be familiar with the best practices regarding research data management throughout its life-cycle,
To grasp the benefits of these practices and better learn how to answer the new requirements from funding agencies,
To know the best resources and tools to optimize the preparation of your research data management,
To find out more regarding the legal aspects and to share your experience regarding research data management with your colleagues.
Course outline
A general introduction to Research Data Management (RDM), Data Management Plans (DMP), FAIR principles and key topics along the research data lifecycle.
Active research data management (ELN, LIMS, etc.)
Dealing with intellectual property, privacy, and legal questions
Open Science – Open Research Data – Open Access
Long-term preservation of research data
Methods & Tools
The workshop is split into four modules: a) a general introduction to data management, data management plans and helpful tools on the first day and b)-c) a closer look at specific aspects of research data management on the days to follow.
Prior to the first workshop, the participants will fill out a questionnaire with specific questions. Based on the outcome, the trainers will adjust the topics according to the respective knowledge, experience and needs of the participants regarding research data management.
Questions
Some of the questions we will answer during this workshop:
Why does RDM & DMP matter so much when we conduct research and manage data?
What is Research Data Management (RDM) and why is it relevant for you?
What is a Data Management Plan (DMP) and how does it apply to you?
Concretely why does a DMP matter and how do we write one?
What are the most relevant best practices and tools in general and in your discipline?
Which are some of the legal questions to take into consideration?
Which resources are available to guide you?
About the Trainers
Dr. Aude Bax de Keating is the Open Science Program Co-Coordinator at swissuniversities and has specialized in Open Science since 2014. From 2014 to 2018 she managed the personalized support service to guide researchers in the preparation of their Data Management Plan (DMP) at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). At the national level, she led the first track of the Swiss national project dedicated to Data Life Cycle Management (DLCM), which aims at offering RDM tailored tools, training and services. Thanks to a constructive and fruitful collaboration across Swiss institutions and organizations, this team provided sustainable resources and tangible solutions regarding DMP, guidelines and policies for Switzerland. Aude has been offering presentations, training and workshops in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland to optimize research data management. Bilingual in French and English, she received her PhD from Duke University.
Dr. Ana Petrus is the Associate Professor of Data Management at the Swiss Institute for Information Science of the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons (FH Graubünden). Her research specializes on data management in the STEM and interdisciplinary fields, as well as FAIR principles and Open Science. She was instrumental in developing best practices and guidance on data management plans as part of the Data Life Cycle Management (DLCM) project phase 1. Previously, she held an appointment as consultant and lecturer for research data management at the ETH Library of the ETH Zurich, where she taught and advised researchers and students on topics along the entire data life cycle. Before switching to information science, she worked in climate research, after studying environmental sciences at ETH Zurich, where she completed her doctorate in the field of atmospheric physics. | https://academiaraetica.ch/kurse-und-veranstaltungen/how-to-manage-your-research-data-2023 |
Several different types of charges are grouped into the category that is informally known as "white-collar crimes." Typically, these offenses involve the theft or misuse of someone else's financial information with the intent of defrauding a person or organization of money or property. Identity theft is one of the key charges that is included in this category, and while it may be charged at the state level, a person may also face federal criminal charges, and a conviction can result in a lengthy prison sentence and other consequences.
For those who are accused of committing identity theft, securing representation from a skilled and experienced attorney is one of the most crucial steps they can take during their defense. Attorney Hal M. Garfinkel has been representing defendants in criminal cases for more than 20 years, and he has tried a wide variety of different types of cases in both state and federal courts. He aggressively advocates on behalf of his clients, ensuring that their rights are protected at all times while helping them determine the best strategy for achieving a successful outcome to their case.
Federal Prosecution for Identity Theft
There are multiple different types of activities that can lead to identity theft charges, and these cases usually involve accusations that a person has illegally obtained someone else's personal identifying information and sold or transferred that information to someone else or used it to defraud one or more people.
Identity theft is often charged together with offenses such as credit card fraud or wire fraud. For example, a person may be accused of communicating with someone over phones or email and using false pretenses to obtain their Social Security number, which would be considered wire fraud, then committing identity theft by using that information to obtain a loan. In other situations, a person may have allegedly used a misleading website to obtain a person's credit card number, which would be credit card fraud, and then sold that information to someone else, which would be identity theft.
A person may face identity theft charges if they knowingly possess, transfer, or use someone else's identifying information without lawful authority and with the intent to commit fraud or engage in other types of illegal activity. Federal charges may apply in cases where an offense involved interstate or foreign commerce, such as when a person allegedly obtained someone else's information in one state and sold it to a person in another state. Identity theft may also be charged as a federal crime if a person allegedly stole a person's identifying information and used it to violate federal laws or commit a felony offense under state or local laws.
A conviction on federal identity theft charges can result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years, although a sentence may be increased to 20 years if an offense allegedly involved drug trafficking or violent crimes. A person may also be subject to fines and the forfeiture of any money or property obtained through illegal activity.
Contact a Chicago Identity Theft Attorney
Identity theft charges can be very serious, especially if a person is prosecuted in federal courts. In these situations, it is crucial to have legal representation from a lawyer who knows how to respond to federal prosecutors and how to build an effective defense strategy. Attorney Hal Garfinkel has handled multiple types of cases involving accusations of white collar crimes, and he provides his clients with skilled advocacy, helping them avoid a conviction when possible or determine the best ways to minimize the consequences to their lives, their finances, and their freedom. Contact us 24 hours a day at 312-629-0669 to set up a free consultation either in our office or at another location. Mr. Garfinkel can meet with you at any time, including during evenings or on weekends. | https://www.garfinkelcriminallaw.com/chicago-white-collar-crimes-lawyers/identity-theft |
Whilst we are predominantly a physiotherapy practice, we have allied professionals working with us.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment are two major parts of Chinese Medicine, they both are based on the same diagnoses and both are treating patient as a whole connected unit.
Acupuncture is a unique physical treatment based on ancient Chinese philosophy: the human body is connected by many meridians, and the energy (Qi) floating within the meridians affects our well-being. Acupuncture helps to keep the energy floating regularly within the body and connect the human body with external natural surroundings. Recent modern scientific researches have collected rich data of the effectiveness of Acupuncture regarding Pain Relief.
Chinese herbal treatment is one of the greatest herbal systems of this world, with an unbroken tradition going back to the 3rd century BC. Due to its systematic approach and clinical effectiveness, it has for centuries had a great influence on the theory and practice of medicine in the East, and more recently has grown rapidly in popularity in the West. It still forms a major part of healthcare provision in China and is provided in state hospitals alongside western medicine.
The recent battle against COVID-19 in Wuhan (China) has proved the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine.
Katherine (also known as Zhi-Hua) studied Chinese Medicine since she was 16 years old, after spending 5 years of learning in Nan Jing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, she gained a Bachelor Degree of Medicine at the age of 21. She worked in Nan Jing Red-Cross Hospital in China after her graduation, during which time she gained intensive clinical experience in both Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine.
In May 2000, Katherine came to the UK working as a TCM doctor. Her fluent English helps her to understand the British culture and her patients very well. Katherine has worked in Bedfordshire since 2005 and joined our clinic in Nov 2010.
If you have any chronic or acute conditions which cannot be dealt with by conventional medicine or treatment, her appointments are available in our clinic every Thursday from 8:30am-4pm. She also works from another two local clinics during the week and weekend.
Katherine is a registered acupuncturist with Bedford Borough and Central Bedford Council, she also is a member of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM).
Introducing Kerry Davis, Sports Therapist.
Kerry is with us on Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays 8am – 4pm
‘I am a Sports Massage & Injury Rehabilitation Management Therapist.
I treat a wide range of clients from both sporting backgrounds and the general population which has enabled me to have a greater understanding of patients’ needs to tailor treatments and programmes specifically to you.’
What is sports massage?
Sports massage can effectively improve the condition of your muscles and soft tissue and help ease the pain or tightness caused from everyday life or strenuous activity. It will be tailored to address your individual needs and sessions will last either 30 minutes or 45 minutes depending on what area is being treated and what Kerry is trying to resolve for you.
Prices for sports massage are £40 for 45 minutes or £30 for 30 minutes
For more information or to book an appointment, please contact reception on 01525 720882
Sharon Vaspall – HCPC
Sharon qualified more than 20 years ago and is on the HCPC register.
In 1988 having previously worked in the NHS and lecturing about Podiatry in London for 12 years Sharon decided to set up her own business in Flitwick. However, she continued to work in London and also lectured at Northampton University in Podiatry.
The Foot Clinic opened in 1988 located in Ampthill High Street and then moved to the Rufus centre in Flitwick. More recently Sharon has been seeing patients at her premises in Wrest Park, Silsoe.
Sharon had previously worked alongside Ampthill & Flitwick Physiotherapy Clinic. We realised that there was a necessity for Chiropody and Podiatry in Flitwick and we are pleased to welcome Sharon back to the clinic. Sessions are held on Tuesday every week, with Wednesday sessions being phased in from November (2021)
Please contact reception for details.
Pilates exercises are based on a regime of stretching, strengthening and body awareness. This can help to control posture, improve trunk stability and prevent joint injury. Clinical pilates exercises are adapted from the ‘traditional’ form to retain the benefits but remove potential strain, making them suitable for a wide range of ages and fitness levels.
Is Pilates for me?
Clinical pilates has exercises to suit almost everyone, whatever their age, flexibility or previous fitness regime. Exercises are adapted for those with back or neck pain, shoulder problems or hip and knee problems.
How will I be taught?
Most clients benefit from an individual session in order to assess posture and stability and discuss any concerns or problems. From this session a tailored home programme can be devised for practice at home. All our classes are small which allows the physiotherapist to give you plenty of attention; classes include breath exercises for stretching and strengthening
What if I’ve tried Pilates classes before?
If you’ve previously enjoyed classes but are ‘out-of-practice’, small classes or individual sessions can help ease you back to your previous level. This is especially important if you have sustained an injury and need a graded programme to return to fitness. If you’ve tried a pilates class and didn’t think it suited you, why not try individual approach. Take advantage of one-to-one tuition and support and learn the exercises at home at your own pace. Many people find a class environment difficult it they haven’t had time to master the basics.
Due to Covid-19 we are no longer operating our Pilates classes, however, we are offering 1-2-1 sessions. Please call our team for more information.
Thai massage is an incredibly energising and balancing treatment. It is a form of therapeutic massage that has been practiced in Thailand for thousands of years.
The Principles of Thai Massage is very different from other massage therapies that usually only involve tissue manipulation. It is performed using deep compressing, rhythmic pressing, and stretching actions. The pressure, tension, motion and vibration movements used during massage improve regional blood circulation. Thai Massage uses a variety of yoga like stretching positions that is believed to cause its therapeutic effects.
Thai massage can benefit your health in numerous ways, many of which are supported by scientific studies and research such as;
- Relaxes Muscles and relieves pain, Increases muscle flexibility,
- Improves joint motions,
- Improves blood circulation,
- Relieves musculoskeletal pain,
- Improves immunity,
- Promotes mental relaxation,
- Reduces fatigue and sleep problems. | http://www.chartered-physiotherapy.co.uk/alternative-therapies/ |
The compose function is handy for creating blocks from dynamic values. It can be used for creating both data and code.
The compose function takes a block as an argument and returns a block that has each value in the argument block. Values in parentheses are evaluated before the block is returned. For example:
probe compose [1 2 (3 + 4)] [1 2 7]
probe compose ["The time is" (now/time)] ["The time is" 10:32:45]
If the values in parentheses return a block, that block's individual values are used:
probe compose [a b ([c d])] [a b c d]
To prevent this, you need to enclose the result in an extra block:
probe compose [a b ([[c d]])] [a b [c d]]
An empty block inserts nothing:
probe compose [a b () c d] [a b c d]
When compose is given a block that contains sub-blocks, the sub-blocks are not evaluated, even if they contain parentheses:
probe compose [a b [c (d e)]] [a b [c (d e)]]
If you would like the sub-blocks to be evaluated, use the /deep refinement. The /deep refinement causes all parentheses to be evaluated, regardless of where they are: | http://www.rebol.com/r3/docs/concepts/blocks-composing.html |
For any dismissal to be fair it is essential that a thorough investigation has taken place to determine whether disciplinary action is necessary. In some cases it may be appropriate to suspend an employee from work whilst the investigation is taking place. When suspension is used it should always be a precautionary measure to protect both the individual and the company, the circumstances of the case must justify it and that it must by necessary to ensure a fair investigation.
It is important to advise the employee that suspension does not constitute disciplinary action and does not itself imply any presumption of guilt on the part of the employee.
Suspension is part of the investigation process and the employee should receive normal pay whilst they are suspended from work.
A recent court appeal has shown that it can be dangerous to be hasty in suspending someone from work without preliminary investigations. The court decided that the employer was in breach of contract, duty of trust and confidence, even though the employee received full pay. There is a stigma attached to being suspended and some preliminary investigations, even very brief, should have been undertaken, particularly where third parties make allegations about the employee’s conduct. Suspension without pay would certainly be construed as breach of contract. Suspension even with pay should be for as short a period of time as possible. It is still a serious step to take and should not be used for minor situations.
The ACAS Code of Practice on Discipline and Grievance
The ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures provides practical guidance on dealing with disciplinary and grievance issues in the workplace. It has statutory force, and an employment tribunal considering a relevant case will take into account whether or not the employer has complied with its provisions. The tribunal can adjust any compensation awarded by up to 25% for an unreasonable failure to comply with the code.
Where suspension is considered necessary the ACAS Code of Practice states that an employer should:
- pay the suspended employee during the period of suspension;
- keep the suspension as brief as possible;
- keep the suspension under review; and
- make clear that the suspension is not disciplinary action in itself.
Grounds for Suspension
The non-statutory guidance that accompanies the ACAS Code of Practice states that suspension may be necessary in the following circumstances:
- Where relationships have broken down;
- In cases where serious misconduct has been alleged, and which, if proven, would result in summary dismissal, for example where the employee is suspected of theft or fraud;
- Where there are grounds to believe that the employee might deliberately cause damage to company property, for instance to the company’s computer network, if they remained in the workplace;
- Where there is a clear concern that the employee or others may be placed at risk by the employee remaining in the work place;
- Where the employee’s continued presence at work might prejudice the investigation in some way, for example where there is a risk that he or she might intimidate witnesses or interfere with evidence;
- Where the employee has maliciously damaged the property of the company, colleagues or a third party such as a supplier or customer;
- Where the employee has acted in a violent manner or has threatened violence;
- Where the employee has been accused of serious bullying or harassment;
- Where the matter under review is of a highly sensitive nature; or
- Where the employee is being charged with a serious criminal offence.
In cases of personal harassment or bullying, it will be the alleged harasser who is suspended or temporarily redeployed to a different work location or asked to work from home; where such actions are considered necessary.
Case Law
In Crawford v Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (2012) 2 nurses were accused of tying a patient to a chair with a sheet.
Elias LJ, the Court of Appeal judge giving the decision, took the unusual step of adding some additional thoughts on the suspension of employees suspected of wrongdoing. Elias LJ stressed that, although he was not referring to the employer’s actions in this case, suspension should not be a “knee-jerk reaction”. It appeared to him to be the “almost automatic response” of many employers to allegations of this kind to suspend the employee concerned immediately, irrespective of the likelihood of the complaint being upheld. Elias LJ said that he appreciated that suspension is often said to be in the employee’s best interests, but he noted that a suspended employee can frequently feel belittled and demoralised by the total exclusion from work. He said that, even if the employee is subsequently cleared of the charges, suspicions are likely to linger, not least because a suspension can appear to add credence to them.
Alternatives to Suspension
When considering whether the circumstances of a potential disciplinary situation are serious enough to warrant a consideration of suspension there are some alternatives which should be considered:-
- Can an individual remain on current duties with either additional supervision or some restriction on type of area of work (subject to operational requirements)?
- Can the individual be employed on alternative duties and will this remove any opportunity to re-offend.
- If the individual is allowed to remain on duty in either their own position or on alternative duties will their presence cause offence to members of the public or colleagues or harm the company’s reputation. If so can this be managed?
- Would investigations be hindered if the individual remained at work?
The Terms of Suspension
When suspension is deemed necessary, the manager leading the investigation should meet with the employee to discuss the terms of the suspension and why it is considered necessary. This should be followed up in writing to the employee. It will be necessary for the Investigator to explain:
- Why the employee is being suspended;
- When the suspension will start;
- How long the suspension is likely to last;
- That the suspension is on full pay and benefits;
- That the suspension is not a penalty or tantamount to disciplinary action;
- That the suspension does not mean that the employee has been judged guilty of any offence, or that the outcome of the investigation has already been determined;
- That the employee will have a full opportunity to put across their version of events, explain their conduct, or answer any allegations; and
- That their line manager will keep the employee updated as to the progress of the investigation and will stay in touch.
It might be necessary to remove items such as the employee’s access pass, computer password and company laptop and mobile phone, if the Investigator considers that it could undermine the investigation if the employee retained these items.
The Length of Suspension
In line with the “ACAS code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures”, the period of suspension should be kept as brief as possible, and its continuance kept under review. Where possible, the employee should be told how long the suspension is expected to last, and kept up to date with the progress of the investigation, including the reasons for any delays and what steps are been taken to ensure that it is completed as soon as possible. The suspension should be lifted immediately if the circumstances of the case no longer justify it.
Top Tips
- Suspension should not be imposed as a knee-jerk reaction to allegations. Always question whether the alleged misconduct or behaviour really warrants a period of suspension.
- Suspension may also be invoked where there is a potential risk to the business or where there is a risk of the employee interfering in any potential investigation.
- The actual decision to suspend should be taken directly after the Fact Finding stage and prior to the start of the formal Investigation (see my How To Investigate a Potential Disciplinary Matter).
- The decision to suspend should be communicated in a 121 meeting with the Fact Finding or Investigating Manager and followed up in writing.
- Suspension is a neutral act and does not imply guilt. Suspension should be without prejudice and on full pay. If pay is withheld then this could imply that a decision regarding any allegation has already been reached.
- The period of suspension should be kept under review to ensure that it does not become unnecessarily protracted.
- Make clear that the suspension is neither a disciplinary sanction nor an assumption of guilt.
Confirming the Period of Suspension
My Suspension Letter is designed to be used to suspend an employee where there have been allegations of misconduct against the employee, which require an investigation. The letter explains that suspension is a precautionary measure to allow an investigation to take place and clarifies that suspension is not a presumption of guilt or disciplinary action. Pay and benefits should remain unaltered. The letter details what the employee should and should not do during the suspension period. An unjustified suspension period may amount to a breach of the implied term of trust and confidence which could lead to the employee’s resignation and a claim of constructive unfair dismissal.
To download the Confirmation of Suspension Letter complete your details below and an email containing the document will find it’s way to your inbox: | https://www.kea-hr.co.uk/2018/11/suspension-of-an-employee-for-alleged-misconduct/ |
Places to stay in Seguin, Ontario
We currently have 14 accommodations in and around Seguin with other regional listings available for Motels, Inns, RV parks, Hotels and other properties. You can filter listings by the available types:
Local dining options include Curbside Pizzeria, The Forest Restaurants, The Whitfield, and Oscar's Restaurant.
Wondering where to stay? Accommodations in the region are primarily limited to Campgrounds and RV parks. If you are travelling in the area, Seguin is located close to Concession Lake, MacLeod Lake, Delamere Island, Nias Islands and Inner Channel.
Looking for somewhere to eat? Locate Seguin dining.
Not the town you are looking for? Try our Town Search, or use the Advanced Google Search above.
Other local Seguin information.
- Longitude: -79°46'59.999
- Latitude: 45°18'0
Nearby towns
Seguin is close to: | https://staycanada.ca/ontario/seguin/ |
Places to stay in Balfour, British Columbia
We currently have 19 accommodations in and around Balfour with other regional listings available for Motels, Campsites, B&B's, Hotels and other properties. You can filter listings by the available types:
Balfour, also known as Balfour Bay, is a community in British Columbia, located about 30 kilometres northeast of the city of Nelson and located at the juncture of Kootenay Lake with its West Arm. Local dining options include Dock 'n' Duck Pub & Grill, Rockwood Cafe, Black Salt Cafe, and Boccalino Restaurant Motel & Cabins.
Wondering where to stay? Accommodations in the community are primarily limited to Campgrounds and RV parks, though there are a few nearby hotels. If you are travelling in the area, Balfour is located close to Mount Twigg, Flatrock Creek, Mount Aylmer, Krao Creek and Hungry Creek.
Trying to find dining options in Balfour? Look for Balfour dining.
Not the town you are looking for? Try our Town Search, or use the Advanced Google Search above.
Selected and best reviewed properties in Balfour
Other local Balfour information.
- Longitude: -116°54'46.8
- Latitude: 49°37'10.56
Nearby towns
Balfour is close to: | https://staycanada.ca/british-columbia/balfour/ |
This booklet considers the interplay of morphological and phonological determinants of linguistic shape and the measure to which one determines the opposite. It considers the operation of canonical types, the invariant syllabic shapes of morphemes and the defining attribute of prosodic morphology. Dr Downing provides an unique conception which she exams on facts from a wide selection of languages.
Comparative Studies in Romanian Syntax
Quantity fifty eight of the "North Holland Linguistic Series", edited via Virginia Motapanyane, offers an updated review of experiences in Romanian syntax. Bringing jointly linguists operating in the box of generative grammar, the volume's comparative strategy demonstrates the relevance of Romanian information to grammatical thought.
Argument Structure in Flux: The Naples-Capri Papers
The current quantity is founded round 5 linguistic subject matters: argument constitution and encoding innovations; argument constitution and verb periods; unexpressed arguments; cut up intransitivity; and existential and presentational buildings. The articles additionally hide a number of typologically diversified languages, and so they supply new info from under-researched languages at the problems with occasion and argument constitution.
- The Mountain Man's Field Guide to Grammar: A Fearless Adventure in Grammar, Style, and Usage
- Autolexical Theory: Ideas and Methods
- A Grammar of Hinuq
- Descriptive Writing (Writing 4 Series)
Extra resources for A vocabulary and outlines of grammar of the Nitlakapamuk or Thompson tongue : the Indian language spoken between Yale, Lillooet, Cache Creek and Nicola Lake : together with a phonetic Chinook dictionary, adapted for use in the province of British Columbia
Example text
22 I analyze a finite clause and its existential core as having parallel functional organization pertaining to discourse, as shown at the top in Table 3. A clause consists of an anchor, the existential core, and the remainder. Analogously, the core itself has an anchor, a core consisting of an existential verb (V∃), and the remainder. The first example, with a clause-internal topic, is a case where all these elements are distinct. Normally, though, the existential core comes first, so effectively the subject – the core’s anchor – anchors the clause as well.
But they are not independent, since the construal imposed by grammar is an essential aspect of an expression’s meaning. Ronald W. Langacker Bybee & Hopper 2001), in which grammatical patterns are characterized at different levels of schematicity (hence different levels of generality). Even when global generalizations can be abstracted, they are usually not sufficient by themselves to specify precisely the set of conventionally sanctioned expressions (internal predictiveness). Normally they coexist with arrays of less schematic assemblies – including constructional subschemas, specific instantiating expressions, and even alternative constructions – which determine their actual implementation in conventional usage.
Kreitler, ed. Cognition and Motivation: Forging an Interdisciplinary Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Panther, Klaus-Uwe, and Linda L. Thornburg. 2009. Introduction: On figuration and grammar. -U. Panther, L. L. Thornburg, and A. Barcelona, eds. Metonymy and Metaphor in Grammar [Human Cognitive Processing 25], 1–44. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: Benjamins. Panther, Klaus-Uwe, and Linda L. Thornburg. Forthcoming. Antonymy in language structure and use. In M. Brdar, M. Žic Fuchs, and I. | http://nathanaelvolke.de/library/a-vocabulary-and-outlines-of-grammar-of-the-nitlakapamuk-or-thompson-tongue |
The embodiment of the invention discloses an information transmission method based on wearable devices and the related devices. The method includes the steps that when detecting that a first user wearing the first wearable device conducts social contact action, the first wearable device records first event parameters corresponding to the social contact action, wherein the first event parameters include first event time or a first event place or a mark of the first user; the first wearable device acquires second event parameters sent by the second wearable device, wherein the second event parameters include second event time or a second event place or a mark of a second user and are recorded when the second wearable device detects that the second user wearing the second wearable device conducts social contact action; the first wearable device judges whether the first event parameters are matched with the second event parameters, and if yes, the first wearable device sends first user setting information to the second wearable device. By means of the method, the information transmission efficiency can be effectively improved. | |
Researchers at Oxford and Bristol universities found in a study of 3.5 million GCSE students, that their results in each subject dropped on average by a quarter of a grade in a year when a European Championships or World Cup was on. I was fortunate enough to be doing my big exams in odd years, so never had the temptation of ignoring my studies to watch dead rubbers between Bosnia and Iran or the most pointless of football matches, the 3rd place play-off. Do those former students regret disregarding their schoolwork to watch the biggest sports tournament in the world? Maybe. But you can be sure that when they were in the middle of it, the notion of missing out on the inevitable drama that a major tournament brings was impossible, and the thought of piles of flashcards and walls plastered in mindmaps could not have been further from their minds.
I remember moments of my life based on big moments in football. I still work out when I completed University courses or started jobs based on how long before or after it was that Chelsea won the Champions League. My first memory of watching football in a major tournament was in 1996 when I ran outside to inform my dad, who was tarmacking the path outside, that Gazza had scored what I later appreciated to be one of the great England goals as he flicked it over Colin Hendry and volleyed in. I watched the Beckham penalty against Argentina in 2002 in my room and then ran through the house in celebration. 2006 was marked in our house by the purchase of our first flatscreen TV in preparation for the finals in Germany, where we watched the infamous Ronaldo wink as Wayne Rooney was sent off.
With the Premier League coming to an end it won’t be long before the first plays of ‘Three Lions’ and ‘Vindaloo’, won’t be long before grown men and women come to the realisation that the £800 it will take to complete this year’s Panini sticker book isn’t really worth it, and won’t be long until watching Morocco vs Iran of a Friday evening becomes the norm. So will this summer’s World Cup form memories that make it worth dropping grades in exams? Will it be a memory like that in 2002, of pure joy with the retribution of Goldenballs Beckham, beating the Argentina team who had contrived to get him sent off four years previously? Or the memory of stony, disbelieving silence as it was at my house in Birmingham 2 years ago as the Vikings banged their drums and clapped their hands above their heads? Fortunately for me, I don’t pin my hopes on England success. In fact, the tournament I most enjoyed was 2008, when the ‘golden generation’ failed even to qualify under the guidance of the ‘Wally with the Brolly’.
So to all of those exam year students, don’t skimp on the flashcards, but also don’t miss out on the football, as then you will never be able to remember the year of your GCSEs through THAT Harry Kane goal against Belgium or THAT John Stones howler against Tunisia. | https://on-the-ball.blog/2018/05/11/iconic-major-tournament%E2%80%8B-memories/ |
Building and running a business is often a difficult, stressful, and uncertain process. In a day and age where we idolize successful entrepreneurs, we are encouraged to buy into the false narrative of the “rugged individualist,” a person who is simultaneously unflappable and confident. In reality, however, this narrative couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Almost every week, I hear from entrepreneurs who have are over-stressed and dealing with anxiety. I’ve cherished the opportunity to talk to these individuals and offer my support. I've learned a lot about managing stressful situations while building my company, BodeTree, and I remind everyone that even the most iconic entrepreneurs struggle with uncertainty, depression, and anxiety at different points along their journey. Entrepreneurs shouldn’t be ashamed to admit their own struggles. If you find yourself struggling with anxiety, don’t despair. There are ways to overcome these challenges, no matter how large they may seem.
If you find yourself struggling with anxiety, it’s important to stop and seek out a fresh perspective before you fall into a negative spiral. Life, like business, is a journey full of ups and downs. Those ups and downs always seem more extreme to the people experiencing them firsthand than to those on the outside. If you find yourself in a difficult position and feel like the walls are closing in on you, reach out to someone with a bit of distance. Their unbiased assessment of your situation will provide a fresh perspective on things. Chances are, you’ll walk away with the realization that things aren’t as bad as you thought.
Mentors can be an excellent resource for these types of conversations, but if you find yourself without a trusted mentor, reach out to other people you trust, respect, and admire. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend, spouse, colleague, or family member. The important thing is that you find someone that you can be absolutely open with no matter what.
Stress and anxiety occur when your mind turns against itself, allowing unhelpful and damaging thoughts and ideas to take hold and wreak havoc. One technique for overcoming such thoughts is known as cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. The core idea behind CBT is that an individual can change behavior, thinking, or emotions by understanding and reorganizing the way those three elements interact with each other.
When I’m thinking about CBT, I’m often reminded of a quote by the stoic philosopher Epictetus, who said “People are disturbed not by events, but by the view they take of them.” If you can identify and understand not only what triggers anxiety, but how you respond to it, you can start to deconstruct the situation. Start by identifying your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and even physical reactions to the stimuli that cause stress. From there, try to figure out which element you’re dealing with at the moment, and work to change the situation. If you’re having pervasive and unwanted thoughts, recognize them for what they are and don’t let them take hold. If you’re experiencing a physical reaction such as exhaustion or migraines, don’t try to ignore them. If you commit to taking the situation head on, one step at a time, you’ll find that it becomes far more manageable.
Business Insider recently published a great article about the depression epidemic in the startup community. According to the article, only 7% of the general population report suffering from depression, but a whopping 30% of founders report dealing with its effects, including anxiety. That statistic is staggering, but entirely believable. Entrepreneurship is a deeply personal journey, and it’s incredibly difficult to separate your individual identity from the business that you’re trying to create. Business setbacks (of which there are many) seem like personal setbacks, and anxiety can quickly take root.
The key is to always keep things in perspective. Life, like business, is a journey full of ups and downs. When talking to entrepreneurs going through a rough patch, I often encourage them to think back to high school. For most of us, there were moments in our high school lives that seemed to be monumentally important that in retrospect seem childish. At the time, of course, the pain and anxiety that you experienced was real and raw. However, the more distance you gain from the situation, the less painful it becomes. While the problems that you’re facing right here and right now may seem insurmountable, it’s important to realize these too will pass and fade in time.
There will be bumps and setbacks on any entrepreneurial journey, but remember that you’re not alone. Find someone to talk to, use cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, and keep things in perspective. No matter how dark a situation looks, it never is as bad as it seems. Remember that almost every entrepreneur has been in the same situation at one time or another. You can and will overcome. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrismyers/2016/02/08/an-entrepreneurs-guide-to-managing-anxiety/ |
Hier finden Sie wissenschaftliche Publikationen aus den Fraunhofer-Instituten.
Long-time non-debye kinetics of molecular desorption from substrates with frozen disorder
:
Bondarev, Victor N.
;
Kutarov, Volodymyr V.
;
Schieferstein, Eva
; Zavalniuk, Vladimir V.
:
Volltext
(
)
DOI:
10.3390/molecules25163662
Molecules 25 (2020), Nr.16, Art. 3662, 14 S.
ISSN: 1420-3049
Englisch
Zeitschriftenaufsatz, Elektronische Publikation
Fraunhofer UMSICHT Oberhausen
(
)
desorption
; disordered adsorbents
; non-Debye kinetics
; fluctuation theory
Abstract
The experiments on the kinetics of molecular desorption from structurally disordered adsorbents clearly demonstrate its non-Debye behavior at “long” times. In due time, when analyzing the desorption of hydrogen molecules from crystalline adsorbents, attempts were made to associate this behavior with the manifestation of second-order effects, when the rate of desorption is limited by the rate of surface diffusion of hydrogen atoms with their subsequent association into molecules. However, the estimates made in the present work show that the dominance of second-order effects should be expected in the region of times significantly exceeding those where the kinetics of H2 desorption have long acquired a non-Debye character. To explain the observed regularities, an approach has been developed according to which frozen fluctuations in the activation energy of desorption play a crucial role in the non-Debye kinetics of the process. The obtained closed expression for the desorption rate has a transparent physical meaning and allows us to give a quantitative interpretation of a number of experiments on the desorption kinetics of molecules not only from crystalline (containing frozen defects) but also from amorphous adsorbents. The ways of further development of the proposed theory and its experimental verification are outlined.
: | http://publica.fraunhofer.de/dokumente/N-615038.html |
Hearing is an amazing process that happens for us without consciously thinking about it. There is a tremendous amount of processing that happens in the brain, and it all happens in fractions of a second.
Although hearing really happens in our brain where the sounds we hear are interpreted into meaningful information, it starts at the outer ear as sounds enter our ears as acoustical energy.
1. Sound is transmitted through the air as sound waves from the environment. The sound waves are gathered by the outer ear and sent down the ear canal to the eardrum.
2. The sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate, which sets the three tiny bones in the middle ear into motion.
3. The motion of the three bones causes the fluid in the inner ear, or cochlea, to move.
4. The movement of the fluid in the inner ear causes the hair cells in the cochlea to bend. The hair cells change the movement into electrical impulses.
5. These electrical impulses are transmitted to the hearing (auditory) nerve and up to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound. | https://www.myear.sg/how-do-we-hear.php |
In the previous section, the formalism of membrane potential densities has been applied to a single population driven by spikes arriving at some rate at the synapse of type , where . In a population that is coupled to itself, the spikes that drive a given neuron are, at least partially, generated within the same population. For a homogeneous population with self-coupling the feedback is then proportional to the population activity ; cf. Chapter 12.
We now formulate the interaction between several coupled populations using the Fokker-Planck equation for the membrane potential density (Section 13.4.1) and apply it subsequently to the special cases of a population of excitatory integrate-and-fire neurons interacting with a population of inhibitory ones (Section 13.4.2).
We consider multiple populations . The population with index contains neurons and its activity is denoted by . We recall that is the total number of spikes emitted by population in a short interval .
Let us suppose that population sends its spikes to another population . If each neuron in population receives input from all neurons in the total spike arrival rate from population is therefore (‘full connectivity’). If each neuron in population receives connections only from a subset of randomly chosen neurons of population , then the total spike arrival rate is (’random connectivity’ with a connection probability from population to population ). We assume that all connections from to have the same weight .
For each population we write down a Fokker-Planck equation analogous to Eq. (13.16). Neurons are leaky integrate-and-fire neurons. Within a population , all neurons have the same parameters , , , and in particular the same firing threshold . For population the Fokker-Planck equation for the evolution of membrane potential densities is then
|(13.31)|
The population activity is the flux through the threshold (cf. Eq. (13.20)), which gives in our case
|(13.32)|
Thus populations interact with each other via the variable ; cf. Fig. 13.6.
Example: Background input
Sometimes it is useful to focus on a single population, coupled to itself, and replace the input arising from other populations by background input. For example, we may focus on population which is modeled by Eq. (13.31), but use as the inputs spikes generated by a homogeneous or inhomogeneous Poisson process with rate .
Example: Full coupling and random coupling
Full coupling can be retrieved by setting and . In this case the amount of diffusive noise in population
|(13.33)|
decreases with increasing population size .
In Chapter 12 we have already discussed the stationary state of the population activity in a population coupled to itself. With the methods discussed in Chapter 12 we were, however, unable to study the stability of the stationary state; nor were we able to make any prediction about potential time-dependent solutions.
We now give a more complete characterization of a network of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons consisting of two populations: a population of excitatory neurons coupled to a population with inhibitory neurons (79). The structure of the network is shown in Fig. 13.6B. Each neuron (be it excitatory or inhibitory) receives connections from the excitatory population each one with weight ; it also receives connections from the inhibitory population () and furthermore connections from an external population (weight ) with neurons that fire at a fixed rate . Each spike causes, after a delay of a voltage jump of mV and the threshold is 20mV above resting potential. Note that each neuron receives four times as many excitatory than inhibitory inputs so that the total amount of inhibition balances excitation if inhibition is four times stronger (), but the relative strength is kept as a free parameter. Also note that, in contrast to Chapter 12, the weight here has units of voltage and directly gives the amplitude of the voltage jump: .
The population can be in a state of asynchronous irregular activity (AI), where neurons in the population fire at different times (’asynchronous’ firing) and the distribution of interspike intervals is fairly broad (’irregular’ firing of individual neurons); cf. Fig. 13.7B. This is the state that corresponds to the considerations of stationary activity in Chapter 12. However, with a slight change of parameters, the same network can also be in a state of fast synchronous regular (SR) oscillations. It is characterized by periodic oscillations of the population activity and a sharply peaked interval distribution of individual neurons. The network can also be in the state of synchronous irregular firing (SI) either with fast (SI fast) or with slow (SI slow) oscillations of the population activity. The oscillatory temporal structure emerges despite the fact that the input has a constant spike arrival rate. It can be traced back to an instability of the asynchronous firing regime toward oscillatory activity.
With the mathematical approach of the Fokker-Planck equations, it is possible to determine the instabilities analytically. The mathematical approach will be presented in Section 13.5.2, but Fig. 13.7A already shows the result. Stability of a stationary state of asynchronous firing is most easily achieved in the regime where inhibition dominates excitation. Since each neuron receives four times as many excitatory as inhibitory inputs, inhibition must be at least four times as strong () as excitation. In order to get non-zero activity despite the strong inhibition, the external input alone must be sufficient to make the neurons fire. ’Input=1’ corresponds to an average external input just sufficient to reach the firing threshold, without additional input from the network.
Consider now the regime of strong inhibition () and strong input, say spikes from the external source arrive at a rate leading to a mean input of amplitude 4. To understand how the network can run into an instability, let us consider the following intuitive argument. Suppose a momentary fluctuation leads to an increase in the total amount of activity in the excitatory population. This causes, after a transmission delay an increase in inhibition and, after a further delay a suppression of excitation. If this feedback loop is strong enough, an oscillation with period may appear, leading to fast-frequency (’SI fast’) oscillations (79).
If the external input is, on its own, not sufficient to keep the network going (’input ’), then a similar small fluctuation may eventually turn the network from a self-activated state into a quiescent state where the only activity is that caused by external input. It then needs another fluctuation (caused by variations of spike arrivals from the external source) to kick it back into a short burst of activity (79). This leads to slow irregular, but synchronous bursts of firing (’SI slow’).
Finally, if inhibition is globally weak compared to excitation (), then the population is in a state of high activity where each neuron fires close to its maximal rate (set by the inverse of an absolute refractory period). This high-activity state is unstable compared to fast, but regular oscillations (’SR’). Typically, the population can split up into two or more subgroups, the number of which depends on the transmission delay (79; 181).
Example: Analysis of the Brunel network
All neurons have the same parameters, so that we can assume that they all fire at the same time-dependent firing rate . We assume that the network is large , so that it is unlikely that neurons share a large fraction of presynaptic neurons; therefore inputs can be considered as uncorrelated, except for the trivial correlations induced by their common modulation of the firing rate .
The mean input at time to a neuron in either the excitatory or the inhibitory population is (in voltage units)
|(13.34)|
and the input also generates diffusive noise (in voltage units) of strength
|(13.35)|
The mean and are inserted in the Fokker-Planck equation (cf. Eq. 13.31)
|(13.36)|
The main difference to the stationary solution considered in Section 13.3.1 and Chapter 12 is that mean input and noise amplitude are kept time-dependent.
We first solve to find the stationary solution of the Fokker-Planck equation, denoted as and activity . This step is completely analogous to the calculation in Section 13.3.1.
In order to analyze the stability of the stationary solution, we search for solutions of the form (for details, see Section 13.5.2). Parameter combinations that lead to a value indicate an instability of the stationary state of asynchronous firing for a network with this set of parameters.
Figure 13.7A indicates that there is a broad regime of stability of the asynchronous irregular firing state (AI). This holds true even if the network is completely deterministic (79) and driven by a constant input (i.e., we set in the noise term, Eq. (13.35), and replace spike arrivals by a constant current in Eq. (13.34).
Stability of the stationary state of asynchronous irregular activity is most easily achieved if the network is in the regime where inhibition slightly dominates excitation and external input is sufficient to drive neurons to threshold. This is called the ‘inhibition dominating’ regime. The range of parameters where asynchronous firing is stable can, however, be increased into the range of dominant excitation, if delays are not fixed at ms, but drawn from range ms. Finite size effects can also be taken into account (79).
© Cambridge University Press. This book is in copyright. No reproduction of any part of it may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. | https://neuronaldynamics.epfl.ch/online/Ch13.S4.html |
Justine Dufour Lapointe gets philosophical.
Chris Mazdzer gets to know the track up close.
Morten Thoresen is ready.
Lucca Mesinas hangs in Mancora.
Maria Dimitrova preaches her sport.
Michel Bourez gives us all a taste of summer.
You speak for a lot of us, Tianna.
Elizabeth Bravo is finally back in a pool.
Alison gives some inspiration.
Seb Toutant is in paradise.
Skier Russell Kennedy gears up for his European season.
Paola Espinosa is hermosa!
Axel Jungk takes a ride down the track.
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About This Blog
A fan blog celebrating the stories of Olympic sport athletes, and all things Olympic Games and Olympic sports
Navigate It
Random highlights of Olympic sport athletes - news, social links, and more, seen through the cheeky lens of this one particular, passionate fan.
A Little Roundup
Links to select Olympic sports headlines & news, celebrating athlete stories and features
Let's Get Social
What are Olympic sport athletes up to on social media and away from competition?
Athletes Worth Watching
A look at some emerging Olympic sport athletes worth keeping an eye on
Ramblings and Things
I have my own comment and opinions on Olympic sports news sometimes!
A Quick Review
Thoughts on Olympic sports films, art, books, TV, etc. that I've come across now and then
Read more about me. | http://www.gamesandrings.com/a-blog-for-olympic-sports-fans/lets-get-social-012221 |
Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recently sent out written invitations to a number of NGOs to a consultation on the draft Mining Action Plan on 20 May 2004. Among the recipients of the invitation are the DIOPIM Committee on Mining Issues (DMCI) and the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Inc., co-convenors of the Dapitan Initiative, a Mindanao-led national campaign urging the government to scrap the Mining Act of 1995 and to heed the emerging solid peoples consensus for the government to prioritize food security, ecological health, and programs that are community-initiated and communityowned over large-scale commercial mining.
DCMI and LRC appreciate the gesture of the DENR in issuing the invitations to this consultation.
We cannot help but wonder, however, what the proponents of the consultation had in mind as the role of NGOs and peoples movements in the activity. In the letter-invitation, the DENR says that the intention of the consultation is to craft a set of action plans that reflect the needs of our people.
Yet, we cannot help but note that the Action Plan
(1) centralizes critical decisions on the siting of commercial mining, not in the hands of local communities but in national and local government bodies;
(2) undercuts legal procedures for processing local community consent;
(3) defines rapidly expanding NIPAS areas and the concomitant diminishing access for exploration and mining development as an ISSUE or a CONCERN, rather than a positive development;
(4) revitalizes government plans to mobilize more funding for commercial mining and support services to commercial mining, other from public funds (national budget) and funds from foreign sources.
The Action Plan ignores the hundreds of actual conflict situations that are already causing much hardship and violence in various localities. It does not say, as an action point, that its Mines Adjudication Board, for instance, should immediately resolve community cases that have been languishing for years. It also does not say, as an action point, that the MGB will respect a communitys decision to withhold or withdraw its prior informed consent once it is given. Rather, the Action Plans contemplated action is to further shorten the period for registering local opposition and processing free and prior informed consent, thus further weakening not only the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples as an institution, but the hard-won substantive rights of local peoples.
We also note the following:
the Action Plan calls for the revision of the few existing government regulations that protect the right of the people to be heard and their right to free and prior informed consent. Under the Plan, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) will revamp the implementing rules of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act in order to make it easier and faster for mining companies to get the required Certification Precondition and local consent. In addition, the Plan calls for the DENR and the DILG to agree to set guidelines for the endorsement of mining projects.
the Plan calls for the amendment of procedures for identifying protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System in order to guarantee mining companies and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau a seat or several seats in all committees that will identify areas for inclusion in the NIPAS System;
the Plan will devote money for developing radio programs, radio plugs and information campaigns, including holding regular kapihans to promote the economic and social benefits of mining and the environmental safeguards in mining;
the Plan calls for the third party audits in monitoring mining activities and for this purpose, the DENR says it will establish local and foreign linkages relative to mine auditing. We fear that instead of forcing salaried employees and technical staff to build up their capacities for conducting reliable and credible audits, we may end up depending on outside consultants who cannot bemade accountable for their findings. Besides, maintaining consultants, especially foreign consultants, require a lot of money. The public ends up paying double for the compensation of government employees who should be doing credible, reliable audits and monitoring, and the compensation of consultants;
the Plan calls for the identification of no go areas for mining, citing as possibilities protected areas, old growth forests, civil reservations, proclaimed watersheds, geological and historical heritage areas. The strategy for stabilizing decisions in biodiversity-critical areas is to identify a rational and science-based valuation too to determine the best and alternative uses of the areas. We recall that the complaints of host communities about mercury poisoning and mysterious mining-related diseases go largely ignored by government officials. Their information is generally not regarded as scientific enough to merit the serious attention of officials; even then, when evidence of pollution is strong, mining companies usually escape liability by presenting volumes of studies by their highly paid, scientific consultants who attribute diseases and environmental degradation to everything else but the mining activity, including attributions to God (the classic force majeure or Act of God rationalization). The use of science is critical, indeed, but decisions on what the best and alternative land uses must be based not simply on what people with academic degrees say. It is time to shatter the myth that local peoples understandings are not scientific and that they should be regarded as experts as well on determinations affecting their livelihood, health and economic well being.
The plan calls for the development of incentive scheme/s for companies implementing mine/site rehabilitation projects. The reality is that mining companies do not rehabilitate or implement effective preemptive measures and the lack of government monitoring of health and environmental impacts. In short, why is the government providing more incentives for companies to rehabilitate when the problem is not a lack of incentives but a simple case of non-compliance with legal obligations? Why give more incentives when the solution should lie in strict enforcement of accountability mechanisms? When incentives are offered, a company may or may not avail of the incentive. Rehabilitation and compliance with environmental, health and social safeguards should be a matter of strict accountability and enforcement, not incentive-based.
We feel that the consultation will not yield any substantial or significant gains for local peoples who are still struggling to assert their basic human rights, including the land and resource rights of indigenous peoples and the peoples rights to a healthy environment and to healthy bodies. The Action Plan, upon which the consultation is based, does not reflect the actual needs of our people.
We express our profound disappointment with the output of the DENR. So many consultations have been participated in by local communities and advocacy groups such as DCMI and LRC-KSK. We had hoped that somehow, our impassioned pleas for a shift in frameworks should have made a dent in government thinking about commercial mining.
The Action Plan disappoints, frustrates, and sows fear of whats ahead for people opposed to commercial mining.
Dipolog City, 19 May 2004. | http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=8083 |
Our firm was originally formed by Curtis Vincent in 1981 to provide Architectural services to the Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas area. Steve Shows joined the firm in 1991. Our firm is a member in good standing of the American Institute of Architects and the Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners. We operate under the guidelines of the Louisiana Secretary of State as a Chapter "S" corporation.
Today we have an established, quality firm that has the expertise and diversification to provide Architectural services for all types of projects regardless of size or scope. Our firm is always committed to excellence in total project design. We have been involved in a wide range of projects including educational, commercial, recreational, religious, health care, municipal, historic preservation work, industrial and airport/aircraft related projects.
We presently provide a $2,000,000 professional liability policy with Alexander and Sanders Insurance Agency, 9613 Brookline Avenue, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70809.
The keys to a successful project begin with pre-planning and proper, functional design. If we and the client can identify and bring the required functional elements into the design process early in planning, then we have made the next steps in the process more streamlined. We like to say that we "build it on paper" first.
The importance of quality and thoughtful design for our projects cannot be overstated. It is extremely important to select materials and building methods based on proven performance. While new technology in materials and methods should be explored, untested technologies should be investigated thoroughly and used with caution. We understand how important it is to keep projects within time and budgetary constraints, yet produce a long lasting design that will not only appeal to people aesthetically but will be easy to maintain over the years.
Our CADD (Computer Aided Drafting and Design) system and operators provide our clients with the latest technology in construction document preparation. The correct implementation of this technology helps us allow greater communication with bidders and ultimately the general contractor. This helps to prevent omission and errors in drawings and specifications which keeps the number of addenda down and helps the construction bids to be competitive. As an Architect, it is important to be responsible for every client’s needs, and it should always be our mission to represent our client with our best efforts and abilities throughout the project.
of all types, from preliminary studies to large capital projects. | https://www.vsarchitects.com/company/ |
INNOVATION. SUSTAINABILITY. VALUATION OF RESOURCES.
OUR
SERVICES
Freire e Freitas is a national company, created in May 2018, which was born out of Portugal’s need to increasingly have an ecological policy and an education in recycling, as well as taking advantage of the economic potential of various wastes. Its main mission is to contribute to a sustainable future, which is based on the use and enhancement of existing resources.
Dismantling of electrical and electronic equipment
The production of waste electrical and electronic equipment has been increasing over the years, with a tendency to undergo an exponential growth in the coming decades. These have in their constitution, valuable elements and hazardous substances, so it is essential to follow correct standards of treatment and disposal in order to reduce environmental impacts and recover all relevant materials. At Freire e Freitas, the dismantling of electrical and electronic equipment at the end of their life is based on two main objectives, the removal of hazardous components and the recovery of valuable or reusable materials, essentially through two operations, the dismantling manual and the use of mechanized technologies.
Recovery of waste
metals
We receive ferrous and non-ferrous metals from WEEE at our facilities. These residues of metal, iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, etc. they are subject to processes of sorting, processing, packaging and are object of valorization, through the operations carried out at Freire e Freitas. The waste producer is responsible for the destination of these and is obliged, by law, to collect them, store them, transport them and deliver them to licensed operators so as not to contaminate the environment or pose a danger to health human. At Freire e Freitas we have the capacity, through processing operations, to value and control the quality of the metallic waste generated, and to introduce these raw materials back to the market.
Treatment and disposal
of non-hazardous waste
The management of non-hazardous waste is defined as the set of activities relating to the collection, transport, storage, treatment, recovery and/or disposal of non-hazardous waste. It is mandatory that all these activities are carried out by companies duly licensed for this purpose, in an environmentally correct manner, to prevent or reduce the environmental impacts resulting from the production of waste. The improper handling, storage and management of waste can pose health and environmental hazards. It is necessary to adopt solutions in terms of integrated management of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, whose methodologies allow, on the one hand, to reduce the amount of waste produced, and on the other hand to ensure that waste is managed in a correct, controlled and safe manner. At Freire e Freitas, we are committed to managing this type of waste in a sustainable way and as a last step, if necessary, to dispose of this waste safely and effectively.
Wholesale
Ores and metals
Our main objective, after completing the operations of a technical nature, is the sale of raw materials generated by the complete recycling process. This includes the wholesale trade of metallic ores (ferrous and non-ferrous) and metals (ferrous and non-ferrous) in primary form (steel products and semi-products). Includes wholesale trade in some precious metals.
OUR
PROCESSES
Our recycling process is one of the most efficient systems and it achieves a high purity of the Products obtained. | https://freirefreitas.pt/en/services-and-processes/ |
Communication Currents
"If You Can Dream It, You Can Achieve It"
February 1, 2012
Interpersonal Communication
Given the unsteady state of the current job market, most Americans believe that obtaining a college education is necessary for success in the workforce, and research by the Bureau of Labor Statistics supports this contention. Yet the National Center for Education Statistics states that 30% of students drop out during their first year of college and 56% of students who start college do not complete their degree. This disparity is compelling lawmakers, researchers, and parents to examine the variety of factors linked to students’ successes and struggles in college. Despite a direct relationship between family demographic characteristics (e.g., race, income, parent education) and rates of college graduation, education and communication scholars realize that these family demographics are only a piece of the educational achievement puzzle. As family and instructional communication researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Emerson College, we saw a need to investigate how communication in the family contributed to children’s success in college.
Specifically, because many parents are eager to learn “what to say” to their children to encourage and support educational achievement, we sought to find out how certain parental messages about college predicted student success. To do so, we surveyed 419 college students about the most important message they could remember a parent telling them about college (i.e., a “memorable message”), as well participants’ perceptions of the message and their parents’ intent in sharing it with them. We also examined how these messages influenced students’ “success” in college, including cognitive learning indicators (i.e., students’ behaviors that exhibit learning), learner empowerment, college motivation, and satisfaction with college.
We found that parental messages about college are both meaningful and significant to college students. Students could recall their parents’ messages with precision, often citing their exact words or phrases. Overall, our research revealed that parents’ messages about college centered around themes such as working (and playing) hard, the necessity of attending college, and providing encouragement and support. These messages were overwhelmingly positive in tone, action-oriented, and global (i.e., applicable to most situations, rather than specific to their child’s experience). Parents imparted positive advice and support through these messages and generally understood the emotional needs of the college-aged children.
For example, the most frequent type of message, Work Hard and/or Play Hard, illustrated how parents attempted to direct students to the appropriate or ideal approach to college. An exemplary “play hard” message is: “Don’t let your studies get in the way of your college career.” Likewise, the Support and Encouragement messages (such as, “I’m proud of you. I know you will do great.”) were directly focused on emotionally supporting their children through this time of growth, exploration, struggle, and excitement. In the College as Necessary theme, parents seemed to be trying to help their children make sense of their place in society in light of the recent economic downturn. An example of this theme is, “My dad told me, ‘The best thing you can do is get as much education as you can because that opens doors and allows you to do many different things.’”
Although parents’ messages were clearly meaningful to their children, the specific content of parents’ messages about college was found to be unrelated to their student’s success in college. Upon further investigation, we found that instead of the messages themselves predicting college students’ success, students’ interpretation of the message and the message-sender (their parent) were linked to success. Message characteristics included the tone of the message, the meaningfulness of the message, and the degree to which the parent seem to have the child’s best interests in mind. These characteristics were strong positive predictors of all indicators of student success, suggesting that the more positively students evaluated their parents’ messages about college, the more successful they were in college. Likewise, the students’ ratings of their satisfaction with their parents’ relationship with them also predicted all four college success behaviors, indicating that those who were more satisfied their relationship with their parent(s) were more successful in college.
These findings indicate that what the parent says is not as important as the way he/she communicates the message and the overall parent-child relationship. Children may make sense of a seemingly positive parental message in a negative way, depending on the context and relationship. For example, one participant recalled her parent as saying, “the smartest do not always have the most success, it’s (sic) the people who want it the most.” This “work hard” message could be interpreted as either supportive or oppressive, depending on the tone and relational context of the message, as well as the unique family environment. We can see that parental messages influence their children in complex and important ways.
Our research is particularly applicable to educators, policy-makers, and parents. Educators can learn that students’ success in the classroom is dependent in part on their communicative environment at home. Students who are less satisfied with their parent-child relationship are more likely to perform poorly in school. On the contrary, positive home environments and messages may be useful resources to students. Educators may be able to tap into their students’ memorable messages and positive family communication experiences by incorporating self-reflective assignments, activities, and discussions as a means to give voice to students’ family experiences and messages. These exercises may help instructors work from a place of understanding regarding the messages students received before walking into their classroom.
With education reform being a frequently contested topic in legislation, this research is important to policy-makers. Namely, these findings show that a college student’s success is based, in part, on their home environment. When creating legislation and programming addressing disparities in the education system, policy-makers should work toward creating programming to help build positive communication within families, particularly in at-risk families. These programs could be connected to high school college preparatory programs, college orientation programs, or through university offices of diversity.
For parents, results from this study indicate that although children will remember the messages provided about college, creating a positive and supportive home environment is most critical for college student success. If your child believes you and your message have good intentions, he/she is more likely to act upon your advice. Indeed, every parent wants their college student to succeed. In this time with increasing backlash against overparenting, anxious parents can rest assured that when providing your child advice about college, knowing the right “words to say” is not as important as creating and cultivating a positive and supportive relationship with your child.
About the author (s)
Haley Kranstuber
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Doctoral Candidate
Kristen Carr
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Doctoral Candidate
Angela M. Hosek
Ohio University
Assistant Professor
Communication Currents
Read other essays written by Communication scholars for Communication Currents
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There comes a point in game development when you think you’ve seen it all – all the tricks of the trade, all the level layouts you could possibly use, the storylines that you could possibly come up with, etc. Nothing seems like it’s new and fresh enough. There comes a point when you become a little jaded, because everything you do starts to feel too simple or too overdone. Much like a writer, a painter, or any other artist, a game developer has to constantly search for inspiration. Whether it’s found in places within the industry or not, the number one goal of a developer should be to put out work that not only he/she is proud of, but content that players can enjoy. After all, that’s the point, isn’t it? To provide entertainment. If your game fails to entertain and just simply frustrates, you have failed.
Yes, the one place that you go to five days out of the week is a major source of inspiration. The reason being that it is probably filled with artwork relating to the games that you have worked on, or at the very least, the studio’s work that they did before you joined the team. If you work from home, your workspace area should be inspirational. Wherever you work, and for whoever you work for, your workspace should be not only a place that you enjoy spending a lot of time in, but also a place where ideas flow easier than most other areas.
Consider the things that you might have on your desk: maybe it’s photographs, maybe it’s screenshots from the current game you’re working on. Maybe it’s a series of colorful Post-it’s with things that you have to do, or reminders of ideas that you had that could evolve into bigger, better ideas. All these things can inspire you, but if somehow your workspace is lacking and does not help you create new ideas that could break down barriers, then you need to change your workspace somehow.
If you’re looking for inspiration, sometimes you don’t need to look further than the people that you’re currently working with. What better place to find people, not only that know about your current game, but that clearly enjoy gaming in general, if not your team? Working as a developer means you work collaboratively. Everyone pitches ideas, people feed off each other, tweaking certain things, adding or discarding other concepts, etc. If you find yourself thirsty for more inspirational fuel, to get that creativity flowing, do something as simple as talking to a fellow co-worker. Ask if they have notes relating to the project, pick their brain a little. If they’re busy, wait for a better time, or go ask someone else.
Consider everything that makes up the gaming industry: The players, the developers, the studios, the conventions, the media journalism, marketing and everything between. It’s a lot of ground to cover. The beauty of it all, and perhaps the best way to prevent becoming overwhelmed, is to look at it all as a melting pot of potential. Our industry is not that old, in fact, it’s still growing. There is a lot for everyone to learn. There is no set path to get into the industry, there’s just steps that work for other people. We are all in this together, learning every step of the way. If that’s not inspiring, then nothing is.
If you’ve been in the industry long enough, you probably know where to look within the industry to find inspiration. Then again you might also just be jaded and be having a difficult time finding new, fresh ideas. Whatever the case, it is important to remember that our industry is ever-changing. Although it is fickle, it can always be counted on to provide something new and different just when you’re losing hope.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget there is a whole world outside of the gaming industry. Game development isn’t everything, although it probably is a big portion of your life. It’s pretty demanding, especially during crunch time. When you stop to really live your life, however, you have places to be, people to see, and things to do. You have love ones, you have hobbies, you have general interests. There’s art, music, movies and books. There is potential for inspiration everywhere you look, even if it’s not gaming related.
For that matter, who said that it has to be gaming related for you to be inspired from it? There are no rules written in stone, and that is not an exception when it comes to game development. The person who continuously gets inspired by all the gaming is a great developer, but the one that is inspired by everything, not just gaming content, is the better developer. If you continuously look to other games to inspire you, you will never create something new. But if you are inspired by something that doesn’t have to do with the industry, and apply that knowledge to your game, you’ll have the potential to create something that hasn’t been seen before.
Coming up with new and fresh ideas can mark the difference between a jaded developer, and a developer that enjoys every single day of their existence. If we only have one life to live, and our calling is to make games, we are a lucky bunch. To forget that is…unspeakable. This is why every developer should be constantly searching for inspiration, rather than simply waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But it is also important to remember that although the potential for inspiration is everywhere, not every idea is a good idea. And not all of your good ideas will be approved, because at the end of the day, you work as a part of a team. It is important to not only come up with your ideas, but to make sure that they’re worth it. Make sure to think about the pros and the cons, and the general effect that they could have on the game. What it would change, what it would leave unaltered. Get feedback from your team. You’re all in this together. | https://blackshellmedia.com/2016/04/27/inspiration-constant-search/ |
This new collaboration will launch in January 2016 as a large “portfolio” of six to eight district-to-district collaborations across California, each sub-collaboration consisting of five to eight district teams. Each sub-collaboration will be focused on a specific problem of practice, derived from shared, high priority needs. At least three of the new collaborations will be regional; the others can be more regionally dispersed, relying more heavily on technology, including various forms of dynamic virtual learning. Through in person and virtual work, teams will go on an exciting, authentic, transformational journey of capacity-building and change. Over the course of two years, individuals and teams will engage in a dynamic learning and systems-change process that will allow them to learn new skills, refine tools and approaches, share best practices, implement dynamic new strategies, and to more effectively address the key challenges and opportunities of transitioning to the new California Standards, and, ultimately, inspiring and equipping all of our students for a successful transition to college and career.
The California Learning and Language Innovation collaboration (CALLI) will address this gap and help district leaders take action to improve their work by establishing a new set of highly effective, capacity-building collaboration opportunities for up to 36 small-to-mid-sized districts across California. Modeled after the teacher-level Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), Ed Partners facilitates collaborations in order to build educators’ capacity for change. Just as effective classroom level PLCs have proven to increase the efficacy of those teachers who work together to reflect on and revise their performance based on their ongoing study of student performance and their own instruction by a significant factor, so too can our district and systems leaders collaborate around shared problems of practice and engage in cycles of inquiry that improve practice and build individual and team capacity. Through our work to date, we’ve seen that working together in such a way creates momentum that will allow participants to learn and innovate together in order to support the students, teachers, and communities they serve. Ed Partners provides the facilitative support for educators to engage in and, ultimately, to replicate these processes over time in their own systems.
This collaboration of California Education Partners is in partnership with Kenji Hakuta and the Understanding Language/SCALE Team at Stanford University. All participants will have access to the resources and opportunities they develop to support this work, and will meet once a year to reflect on collaboration-wide learning on the Stanford Campus in Palo Alto, California.
To learn more about California Education Partners, click here. | http://collaborate.caedpartners.org/display/calli/About+Us |
TROPICAL RAINFORESTS: The Understory
Gastric Brooding Frog [Platypus Frog]Among the casualties of the current human-induced mass extinction event are the two species of Gastric Brooding Frog from the rainforest of Queensland, Australia: the Northern Gastric Brooding Frog (Rheobatrachus vitellinus) and the Gastric Brooding Frog (Rheobatrachus silus). These two recently discovered species [R. silus was discovered in 1972; R. vitellinus 1984] are presumed extinct as R. silus was last seen in the wild in September 1981 and R. vitellinus was last seen in March 1985.
Gastric Brooding Frogs are notable for their reproductive habits. The female swallows her clutch of eggs and the tadpoles hatch in her stomach. The tadpoles secrete chemicals that cause the female to cease feeding and switch off the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach wall. The young are birthed through the mother's mouth once fully developed as froglets. After leaving the mother's mouth, the young frogs are independent. Scientists have been interested in these species' ability to shut down the secretion of digestive acids the implications of which could have an important bearing in the treatment of people who suffer from gastric ulcers.
References/Additional information:
Barker, J., G.C. Grigg & M.J. Tyler. 1995. A Field Guide to Australian Frogs. Surrey Beatty & Sons. Chipping Norton, Australia
Australian Nature Conservation Association. 1996. https://www.ea.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/action/frogs/27.html. | https://rainforests.mongabay.com/05gastric_brooding_frog.htm |
A New Brunswick researcher says that despite the common perception that water and wind are responsible for erosion, tillage erosion is actually the leading cause of soil degradation in most cultivated fields in Canada.
Li Sheng, a hydrology/croplands and water management expert with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, has been analyzing the causes of erosion in order to develop management recommendations.
His message is surprisingly positive.
“Our perception is that soil erosion is really bad in Eastern and Atlantic Canada, but it’s actually getting much better,” he says. “People are more aware of erosion, and a lot of structures have been put in place to reduce it. However, in critical times, you’ll still see a lot of erosion happening and erosion remains the number one cause of soil degradation in many fields.”
For the past few years, Sheng has led a research team conducting several studies in erosion. One study comparing water, wind and tillage erosion, conducted in partnership with David Lobb, a University of Manitoba soil researcher, found that wind erosion is much less severe than water erosion in Eastern Canada. While it is more damaging in Western Canada, wind erosion in most fields is still not at the same level as water or tillage erosion.
The most worrying aspect of erosion on the East Coast, says Sheng, is the combined effect of water and tillage erosion.
These days, Sheng’s team is testing the hypothesis that water and tillage erosion work together to create a more severe problem – that tillage erosion actually offers a mechanism for soil to leave the field by water erosion.
“If you have gullies going down the field, cutting through the soil to the edge of the field, if you till the field and fill those gullies in, in the next major rainfall event, all of this loose soil will be washed away,” he explains. “We are thinking that in Eastern Canada this is probably one of the major mechanisms of the transportation of sediments going out of the field.”
In the summer of 2015, Sheng and his team set up multiple research sites on Prince Edward Island and in New Brunswick. A gauging station on the edge of the field will measure sediment and take water samples. The research team also put cameras and erosion pins at different points in the fields to analyze surface changes due to erosion.
The study will run three years to allow the researchers time to collect solid data during potato rotation schedules.
Maintaining erosion structures
Sheng’s team has developed a list of best management practices to help growers minimize erosion. Conservation tillage and mulching are both key strategies, along with erosion management structures such as terracing and grassed waterways.
The latter might not be commonly used in Western Canada, but Sheng says it’s difficult to find potato fields on the East Coast that do not employ them.
The problem is a lack of maintenance.
“A lot of these structures are not very well maintained – there’s certain maintenance that has to be done to keep them functioning,” Sheng says.
Diversion terraces (sometimes called contour terraces) are one good example. On hilly land, diversion terraces break up long, sloping fields into smaller sections with shorter slopes, to slow down and divert runoff. “The longer the slope, the higher the water erosion, and the greater potential for eroded soil to be carried away by that high-power runoff,” he says. Terracing can vastly mitigate this problem. But growers should ensure they use terraces to their maximum potential – and don’t cut corners.
“Above the terrace berm, where the water comes down, there is supposed to be a one- to three-metre-wide channel, or runoff ditches, to allow runoff to flow at a non-erosive speed and sediments to deposit. However, many farmers will farm right to the edge of the berm, because allowing it means a loss of acreage and total production,” Sheng says.
Sometimes farmers are slow to clear out runoff ditches, but once filled, they lose their function. Runoff during heavy rainfall events can cut across the terraces.
Another example is the use of grassed waterways as informal roadways for field access, Sheng says. Grassed waterways are used as roadways “by maybe 90 per cent of farmers,” resulting in severe soil compaction, which can lead to reduced water infiltration and reduced function of grassed waterways on erosion control.
But the number one cause of soil erosion in many fields – tillage erosion – is the problem growers should focus on addressing.
“Some farmers do recreational tillage – when they have some free time, they like to go out in the field and do additional tillage that is not needed,” Sheng says. But growers should reduce disturbance to the soil as much as possible, which means eliminating unnecessary tillage, and any other unnecessary disturbances during seeding or harvesting.
“Reduce the frequency of tillage, the intensity of tillage, and the variability of tillage – the speed and depth,” he says. “Keep it as uniform as you can. Controlling speed and depth across the landscape will reduce tillage erosion.”
Most of all, growers should take a “landscape perspective” to erosion control, Sheng says, considering the entire system rather than individual fields and strategically employing best practices. | https://www.potatoesincanada.com/management-practices-for-erosion-18773/ |
“So we're donating money for all the cats and dogs and rabbit,” Grant told us. “They [Bissell] supply all the shelters all over the United States with supplies and for all the cats and dogs and give, like, medical care while they're there and help them get adopted."
“Just happy tears of, you know, just all joy,” says Brittany Schlacter. “It's so great to see children interact with pets and learn how to interact properly because that's so important.”
It benefits both the students and the pets, who can become more social by having children read to them, fostering their adoptability.
“I have heard many times walking through the hall that this was the greatest day of school ever,” says Amy Heddy with the Humane Society of West Michigan. She says these kids are at a critical age for this type of experience.
“Humane education is vital for their, like, empathy, creating empathy and learning how to approach animals and how to treat their own pets at home."
Grant knows — he has two golden retrievers at home and hopes these animals find theirs too.
“Every dog and cat should have the same treatment and they should all, like, get a home and have good owners,” says Grant. | |
The Business Planning course will help you understand key elements in writing your business model canvas.
In this course you will:
Understand and identify risks which might be involved in your business idea.
Identify strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities.
Cultivate your entrepreneurial mindset and create a Business Model Canvas.
“If you aim at nothing, you will hit every time” - Zig Ziglar
In this course, we will spend some time exploring your known and potential risks in setting up your business. We will also help you identify your opportunities and strengths.
We will talk you through writing a business model canvas, which covers the nine elements of a business plan.
We will share helpful ways to test your ideas and connect into the network and end with a wellness ritual.
This will include:
Your own style of business
Introduction
Before we begin... | https://www.realkeystone.org/courses/business-planning |
Citations of:
Thinking, Fast and Slow
New York: New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2011)
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Many comparative philosophers discuss ceyinzhixin 惻隱之心 and its moral psychological nature to understand the Confucian heart-mind and the unique Confucian approach to other-concerning love. This essay examines and analyzes different interpretations of ceyinzhixin. First, it surveys and compares the four interpretations in recent publications of comparative Chinese philosophy, and analyzes their moral psychological viewpoints. Second, three major approaches to ceyinzhixin and their differences are analyzed. Third, the moral psychological complexity of ceyinzhixin and the advantage of the integrative approach are discussed. (...)
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Patients with advanced dementia are less likely than those with other terminal illnesses to receive palliative care. Due to the nature and course of dementia, there may be a failure to recognize the terminal stage of the disease. A possible and under-investigated explanation for this healthcare disparity is the healthcare practitioner who plays a primary role in end-of-life decision-making. Two potential areas that might impact provider decision-making are cognitive biases and moral considerations. In this analysis, we demonstrate how the cognitive (...)
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This paper identifies the major failings of mainstream economics and the rational choice theory it relies upon. These failures were identified by the four figures mentioned in the title: economics treats agents as rational fools; by the time the long … More ›.
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The proposed European Artificial Intelligence Act is the first attempt to elaborate a general legal framework for AI carried out by any major global economy. As such, the AIA is likely to become a point of reference in the larger discourse on how AI systems can be regulated. In this article, we describe and discuss the two primary enforcement mechanisms proposed in the AIA: the conformity assessments that providers of high-risk AI systems are expected to conduct, and the post-market monitoring (...)
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Many ethics initiatives have stipulated sets of principles and standards for good technology development in the AI sector. However, several AI ethics researchers have pointed out a lack of practical realization of these principles. Following that, AI ethics underwent a practical turn, but without deviating from the principled approach. This paper proposes a complementary to the principled approach that is based on virtue ethics. It defines four “basic AI virtues”, namely justice, honesty, responsibility and care, all of which represent specific (...)
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This paper seeks to understand the transmission and reception of legal rules as a component of the regulatory compliance process. It adopts a frontline approach to regulatory compliance that traces the grassroot functioning of compliance processes from regulator, to compliance managers to individual employees. Through a multilevel and multi-sited ethnography of worker safety protection in Chinese construction industry, this paper shows that in the cases studied there is a fundamental disconnect in the transmission and reception of law from regulator to (...)
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Uncertainty is ubiquitous in science, but scientific knowledge is often represented to the public and in educational contexts as certain and immutable. This contrast can foster distrust when scientific knowledge develops in a way that people perceive as a reversals, as we have observed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on research in statistics, child development, and several studies in science education, we argue that a Bayesian approach can support science learners to make sense of uncertainty. We provide a brief (...)
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According to epistemological disjunctivism (ED), in paradigmatic cases of perceptual knowledge, a subject, S, has perceptual knowledge that p in virtue of being in possession of reasons for her belief that p which are both factive and reflectively accessible to S. It has been argued that ED is better placed than both knowledge internalism and knowledge externalism to undercut underdetermination-based skepticism. I identify several principles that must be true if ED is to be uniquely placed to attain this goal. After (...)
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A promising recent approach for understanding complex phenomena is recognition of anticipatory behavior of living organisms and social organizations. The anticipatory, predictive action permits learning, novelty seeking, rich experiential existence. I argue that the established frameworks of anticipation, adaptation or learning imply overly passive roles of anticipatory agents, and that a fictionalist standpoint reflects the core of anticipatory behavior better than representational or future references. Cognizing beings enact not just their models of the world, but own make-believe existential agendas as (...)
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In this paper I critically evaluate the value neutrality thesis regarding technology, and find it wanting. I then introduce the various ways in which artifacts can come to influence moral value, and our evaluation of moral situations and actions. Here, following van de Poel and Kroes, I introduce the idea of value sensitive design. Specifically, I show how by virtue of their designed properties, artifacts may come to embody values. Such accounts, however, have several shortcomings. In agreement with Michael Klenk, (...)
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The notion of habit used in neuroscience is an inheritance from a particular theoretical origin, whose main source is William James. Thus, habits have been characterized as rigid, automatic, unconscious, and opposed to goal-directed actions. This analysis leaves unexplained several aspects of human behavior and cognition where habits are of great importance. We intend to demonstrate the utility that another philosophical conception of habit, the Aristotelian, may have for neuroscientific research. We first summarize the current notion of habit in neuroscience, (...)
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In diesem Beitrag argumentieren wir, dass eine umfassende Implementierung sogenannter Nudges weitreichende Auswirkungen für rechtliche und politische Institutionen hat. Die wissenschaftliche Diskussion zu Nudges ist derzeit hauptsächlich von philosophischen Theorien geprägt, die im Kern einen individualistischen Ansatz vertreten. Unsere Analyse bezieht sich auf die Art und Weise, in der sich Anhänger des Nudging neuster Erkenntnisse aus den Verhaltenswissenschaften bedienen – immer in der Absicht, diese für effektives Regieren einzusetzen. Wir unterstreichen, dass die meisten Nudges, die derzeit entweder diskutiert werden oder (...)
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Health Care professionals working in disaster situations have to face urgent choices which diverge from their normal deontological ethos and are more utilitarian. Such is the triage system used to choose whom to treat. Instead of entering a crisis these professionals should be thought that ethics is not harmonizable to all situations and that there are situations in which saving as many lives as possible mean sacrificing others. This calls for defining a perimeter zone in which such choices occur, and (...)
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ABSTRACT We appreciate and respond to Cokelet’s thoughtful criticisms of our book. First, he points to deliberative forms of practical wisdom as objectionable to anti-rationalist’s. In response, we point to non-conscious forms of deliberation that occur as individuals automatically process and respond to virtue-relevant stimuli. Second, Cokelet states that reflecting upon one’s life as a whole may be unnecessary and ineffective for virtue development. We clarify that reflection is not the only means of virtue cultivation, and even flawed reflection is (...)
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ABSTRACT In the first 20 years of the 21st century, research on morality grew exponentially in social sciences and related fields. A corresponding upsurge in the field of moral education has not been observed. It appears that there is a widening gap between the science of morality and the field of moral education, which once were closely interconnected fields. The present paper explores why this gap occurred and what could be done about it. It is argued that today’s moral sciences (...)
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ABSTRACT Social media is a key player in contemporary political, cultural and ethical debates. Given much of online engagement is characterised by impulsive and emotive responses, and social media platforms encourage a form of sensationalism that promotes epistemic vices, this paper explores whether there is space online for moral responses. This paper defends the need for moral engagement with online information and others, using an attitude entitled ‘critical perspectivism’. Critical perspectivism sees a moral agent adopt a critical eye, supplemented by (...)
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Sociologists of science have noted that the institutional cultures and practices of research tend to de-emphasize the risks produced in the lab, resulting in injuries and deaths in recent lab accidents and increased dangers for surrounding communities. In response to these accidents, science ethics and policy increasingly focus on risk management. One strategy to confront these problems is to implement more procedural safeguards, but ethnographies of science suggest that procedural forms can have the unintended effect of contributing to complacency. What (...)
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Current literature on ethics and moral development focuses on discussion concerning the impact of intuition on moral decision-making. Through the use of student journal reflections over the course of one semester, this study utilized a grounded theory approach in order to explore and understand participant levels of awareness and understanding of intuition in this regard. The findings suggest that reflective engagement enables these participants to become more aware of and therefore access and govern intuitions so that they can be more (...)
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People are ‘biased toward the future’: all else being equal, we typically prefer to have positive experiences in the future, and negative experiences in the past. Several explanations have been suggested for this pattern of preferences. Adjudicating among these explanations can, among other things, shed light on the rationality of future-bias: For instance, if our preferences are explained by unjustified beliefs or an illusory phenomenology, we might conclude that they are irrational. This paper investigates one hypothesis, according to which future-bias (...)
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This paper addresses an important issue that has been commonly debated in moral psychology, namely the normative and metaethical implications of our differing intuitive responses to morally indistinguishable dilemmas. The prominent example of the asymmetry in our responses is that people often intuitively accept pulling a switch and deny pushing as a morally permissible way of sacrificing an innocent person to save more innocent people. Joshua Greene traces our negative responses to actions involving “up close and personal” harm back to (...)
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Are we being manipulated online? If so, is being manipulated by online technologies and algorithmic systems notably different from human forms of manipulation? And what is under threat exactly when people are manipulated online? This volume provides philosophical and conceptual depth to debates in digital ethics about online manipulation. The contributions explore the ramifications of our increasingly consequential interactions with online technologies such as online recommender systems, social media, user-friendly design, micro-targeting, default-settings, gamification, and real-time profiling. The authors in this (...)
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Gamification is the use of elements and techniques from video game design in non-game contexts. Amid the rapid growth of this practice, normative questions have been under-explored. The primary goal of this article is to develop a normatively sophisticated and descriptively rich account for appropriately addressing major ethical considerations associated with gamification. The framework suggests that practitioners and designers should be precautious about, primarily, but not limited to, whether or not their use of gamification practices: takes unfair advantage of workers (...)
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This chapter defends the view that manipulated behaviour is explained by an injustice. Injustices that explain manipulated behaviour need not involve agential features such as intentionality. Therefore, technology can manipulate us, even if technological artefacts like robots, intelligent software agents, or other ‘mere tools’ lack agential features such as intentionality. The chapter thus sketches a comprehensive account of manipulated behaviour related to but distinct from existing accounts of manipulative behaviour. It then builds on that account to defend the possibility that (...)
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Background: A number of meta-analyses of mindfulness have been performed, but few distinguished between different facets of mindfulness, despite it being known that facets of mindfulness behave differently in different populations; and most studied the outcome of interventions, which tend to involve additional ingredients besides mindfulness. Furthermore, there has recently been some concern regarding possible publication bias in mindfulness research. -/- Objective: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship of different facets of mindfulness with various outcomes, taking into account possible (...)
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Bostrom and Ord’s reversal test has been appealed to by many philosophers to substantiate the charge that preferences for status quo options are motivated by status quo bias. I argue that their characterization of the reversal test needs to be modified, and that their description of the burden of proof it imposes needs to be clarified. I then argue that there is a way to meet that burden of proof which Bostrom and Ord fail to recognize. I also argue that (...)
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This thesis brings together two concerns. The first is the nature of inference—what it is to infer—where inference is understood as a distinctive kind of conscious and self-conscious occurrence. The second concern is the possibility of doxastic agency. To be capable of doxastic agency is to be such that one is capable of directly exercising agency over one’s beliefs. It is to be capable of exercising agency over one’s beliefs in a way which does not amount to mere self-manipulation. Subjects (...)
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In "Epistemic Norms and the 'Epistemic Game' They Regulate", we advance a general case for the idea that epistemic norms regulating the production of beliefs might usefully be understood as social norms. There, we drew on the influential account of social norms developed by Cristina Bicchieri, and we managed to give a crude recognizable picture of important elements of what are recognizable as central epistemic norms. Here, we consider much needed elaboration, suggesting models that help one think about epistemic communities (...)
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This review essay discusses three articles from the Palgrave Handbook of Critical Thinking in Higher Education concerned with outlining the connection between cognitive science and critical thinking. All of the authors explain how recent findings in cognitive science, such as research on heuristics and cognitive biases might be incorporated into the critical thinking curriculum. The authors also elaborate on how recent findings in metacognition can reshape critical thinking pedagogy. For instance, the essays articulate how critical thinking instructors would be wise (...)
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This book aims to show that recent developments in neuroscience permit a defense of free will. Through language, human beings can escape strict biological determinism. | https://philpapers.org/citations/KAHTFA-2 |
In the exceptional new book Hidden History of Asheville, Zoe Rhine, longtime librarian at the North Carolina Room at Pack Memorial Library, and her cohorts compile stories from Asheville’s past to evoke curiosity and wonder. They fill rich backstories that sometimes reveal a whole life’s worth of previously untold legacy, and other times open the door for greater mysteries.
Readers who embark on this treasure hunt through the North Carolina Room’s collection of images, ephemera, and objects will unearth striking, little-known gems from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, pushing beyond more familiar moments from Asheville’s past to dive into a deeper stratum of local history.
The book’s greatest strength is the diversity of stories it presents: a profile of local black entrepreneur E.W. Pearson, a look at Asheville’s former Chinatown, a remembrance of Appalachian flower ladies, and the humorous, unexpected controversy behind an ill-fated “weather kiosk” on Pack Square are just a few of the many highlights.
Rarely seen photographs—like an image of stunt woman Uva Shipman dangling off the wing of a plane—set the stage for the accounts, which are penned in a chatty style by North Carolina Room staff and volunteers. Curling up with this book feels like having tea with an old, dear friend who is generous with stories and wisdom. | https://wncmagazine.com/feature/unburied_treasures |
The Personal project holds a very important place in the MYP programme. It is a product of student’s own initiative and should reflect his/her own experience of MYP as well as her/his involvement with the five areas of interaction. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to show their talent, enthusiasm and creativity in the areas of their choice and demonstrate the skills they have developed in Approaches to Learning.
The personal project must not be bound by any specific subject and it should not affect the students‘ personal and social life in a negative way. It is normally completed during the MYP 5 year over an extended period of time.
The Personal project may take limitless forms, for example:
- An original work of art (visual, drama, or performance)
- A written piece of work on a chosen topic
- A piece of literary fiction (that is, creative writing)
- An original science experiment
- An invention or specially designed object or system
- The presentation of a developed business, management, or organisational plan, a special event, or a development of a new student or community organisation
The student will reflect on the entire process from start to finish under the guidance of a supervisor from the school teaching staff. All students will present their projects at the Personal Project Fair with all teachers, parents and younger students.
PP essay samples
Sample 4
(PDF documents)
MYP Community project are student-centred and age-appropriate, and they enable students to engage
in practical explorations through a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection.
MYP projects help students to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile; provide students with an essential opportunity to demonstrate ATL skills developed through the MYP; and foster the development of independent, lifelong learners.
The community project focuses on community and service, encouraging students to explore their right and responsibility to implement service as action in the community. The community project gives students an opportunity to develop awareness of needs in various communities and address those needs through service learning. As a consolidation of learning, the community project engages in a sustained,
in-depth inquiry leading to service as action in the community.
The community project emphasizes experiential learning, which is developed further in community and service in both the IBCC and DP. Through MYP projects, students experience the responsibility of completing a significant piece of work over an extended period of time, as well as the need to reflect on their learning and the outcomes of their work skills that prepare students for success in further study, the workplace and the community. | https://gjh.sk/myp2/community-and-personal-projects/ |
Racism is a pervasive evil in the multicultural society of America, with racial discrimination being comply found in employment practices (Barnes and Owen, 2005).
The film ‘Crash’ is symbolic of the perils of a multi-cultural society and the resultant evils of racism attached to it and is a very strong film, depicting a series of events of the entwined lives of diverse individuals including the Whites, the Blacks, the Asians, the Iranians and the Latinos of New York city. The film is a classic prophetic portrayal of the racism and the resultant stress between the characters, whether the rich or poor, the cops or villains and the resultant psychological problems which surface due to the perceived racial discrimination (Barnes and Owen, 2005).
The film is cast in the city of New York and highlights the issues of prejudice while living in such diverse societies. The director uses co-incidence and disaster to merge the lives of the numerous characters, highlighting the fact that racist prejudices are likely to plague the human mind at some point of time or other. The movie attempts to scrutinize these racist feelings and the likely consequences resulting from them. Research confirms that racism leads to physiological and psychological stress, which in turn has a direct impact on blood pressure levels (Armstead, Lawler, Gorden, Cross, & Gibbons, 1989) and disturbing negative thoughts and emotions like anger and fury (Thompson, 1996). For instance, in the incidents between the racist cop and Newton, the cop manhandles her during a routine traffic stop. However, later in the film, when the cop tries to rescue her from a traffic accident, she resists his approach, prejudiced by the earlier incident that he may be trying to physically assault her again. This is a classic example of how the prejudiced assumptions of people can prevent them from visioning the true person. In another incident, Sandra Bullock is portrayed voicing racist anti-Hispanic comments in the company of Pena’s locksmith. In an ironic scene, later in the film, she falls down the stairs with no one but her Hispanic maid to help her.
Researchers have also affirmed the correlation of racism to total psychiatric symptoms such as somatization and obsessive compulsive symptoms and unnatural fears such as those depicted by the characters under the influence of severe racism (Klonoff, Landrine, and Ullman, 1999). The movie is an effective portrayal of the racial prejudices and preconceived notions deeply embedded in us, which resurface time and again. By way of the ironic turn of events, the movie aims to bring forth the racial fears in humans, and efficiently signals to the casting away of those fears, so that humans are accepted in the true light, not as stereotypes of Latinos, Asians, Hispanics, Blacks or Whites.
Perceived racial discrimination is also believed to result in inter personal sensitivity, depression and helplessness (Branscombe, Schmitt, & Harvey, 1999) as is apparent through the rapid turn of events in the movie.Thus the film is reprehensive of a multi-cultural society which encompasses diverse races co-existing together, yet when a demanding situation arises, the innermost feelings of racism and prejudice dominate the mind. The film reflects the sad tale of the modern society where racism is no longer openly accepted, yet, is harbored in the minds and hearts of the people. In spite of living together, the film depicts the failure of human kind in abandoning the racist feelings for fellow humans, which very often leads to misjudgments and failure to see the actual truth. The film effectively exposes the doubts in the minds of people when dealing with people of different cultures, races, societies and religions, in the face of a disaster.
References
Armstead, C. A., Lawler, K. A., Gorden, G., Cross, J., & Gibbons, J. (1989). Relationship of racial stressors to blood pressure responses and anger expression in Black college students. Health Psychology, 8, 541-556.
Barnes, Peter W., and Owen Richard Lightsey Jr. (2005). Perceived racist discrimination, coping, stress, and life satisfaction. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development 33.1: 48(14).
Branscombe, N. R., Schmitt, M. T., & Harvey, R. D. (1999). Perceiving pervasive discrimination among African Americans: Implications for group identification and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 135-149.
Klonoff, E. A., & Landrine, H. (1999). Cross validation of the Schedule of Racist Events. Journal of Black Psychology, 25, 231-254.
Klonoff, E. A., Landrine, H., & Ullman, J. B. (19991. Racial discrimination and psychiatric symptoms among Blacks. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 5, 329-339.
Thompson, V. L. (1996). Perceived experiences of racism as stressful life events. Community Mental Health Journal, 32, 223-233. | https://premium-papers.com/theme-of-racism-in-the-movie-crash-psychological-significance/ |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
The present application is a divisional of and claims priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/881,685, filed Jun. 30, 2004, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention generally pertains to voice-activated command systems. More specifically, the present invention pertains to methods for improving the accuracy of voice-dialing applications through processing of homonyms.
Homonyms pose unique challenges to voice-dialing applications; even beyond speech recognition accuracy problems. In many instances, known applications treat two names as collisions only if the spelling of the names is identical. Therefore, even with perfect speech recognition, it is not uncommon for known systems to ask a caller to make a selection from a plurality of terms having identical pronunciations but different spellings. Since the caller cannot “see” spelling differences over the phone, it becomes easy to understand why homonyms are prone to being a source of confusion and incorrect call transfers.
An example will help to further define the nature of challenges posed by homonyms to voice-dialing systems. For the purpose of illustration, it will be assumed that “craig” and “kraig” are pronounced the same. Under these circumstances, in the context of many voice-dialing systems, a caller will be presented with a voice prompt in the nature of “Are you looking for Craig or Kraig”. Because the caller is essentially blind to the difference in spelling, there is a fifty percent chance that a caller seeking a connection to “kraig” will be connected to “craig”, and vice versa. As the number of homonyms within a system increases, there are corresponding decreases in system connection accuracy and consistency.
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Some voice-dialing solutions are configured to empower a caller to somehow distinguish between names having a common pronunciation utilizing an identifier other than spelling. For example, a caller might ask for “Mike Andersen”. The system might include one listing for “Mike Andersen” and two listings for “Mike Anderson”. Presented with this homonym scenario, known systems generally are not equipped to accurately determine which listing the caller desires. Some systems are configured to present additional identifying information in order to empower the caller to make an informed selection decision. For example, the system might pose a selection inquiry to the caller such as “Are you looking for Mike Anderson in building , Mike Anderson in building , or Mike Anderson in building ?”. Despite being ignorant of any differences in the spelling of Anderson, the caller can make a selection based on an alternate criteria (i.e., building location). In many cases, the caller will be more familiar with spelling differences than with a given set of additional identifying information.
Embodiments are disclosed of a method for constructing a grammar to be processed by a speech recognition engine in the context of a voice-activated command system. The method includes receiving a database containing a plurality of terms. From said plurality, a first and second terms are identified. The first and second terms are spelled differently but have a first pronunciation in common. One of the first and second terms also has a second pronunciation that is inherent to the other of the first and second terms. The first and second pronunciations are placed within the grammar.
I. Exemplary Environments
Various aspects of the present invention pertain to the processing of homonyms in context of voice-dialing applications. Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in association with a call routing system, wherein a caller identifies with whom they would like to communicate and the call is routed accordingly. Embodiments can also be implemented in association with a voice message system, wherein a caller identifies for whom a message is to be left and the call or message is sorted and routed accordingly. Embodiments can also be implemented in association with a combination of call routing and voice message systems. It should also be noted that the present invention is not limited to call routing and voice message systems. These are simply examples of systems within which embodiments of the present invention can be implemented.
Prior to discussing embodiments of the present invention in detail, exemplary computing environments within which the embodiments and their associated systems can be implemented will be discussed.
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illustrates an example of a suitable computing environment within which embodiments of the present invention and their associated systems may be implemented. The computing system environment is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the computing environment be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of illustrated components.
The present invention is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, telephony systems, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
The invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The invention is designed to be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules are located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices. Tasks performed by the programs and modules are described below and with the aid of figures. Those skilled in the art can implement the description and figures as processor executable instructions, which can be written on any form of a computer readable media.
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With reference to , an exemplary system for implementing the invention includes a general-purpose computing device in the form of a computer . Components of computer may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit , a system memory , and a system bus that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit . The system bus may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.
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Computer typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computer .
Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.
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The system memory includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM) . A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer , such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM . RAM typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit . By way of example, and not limitation, illustrates operating system , application programs , other program modules , and program data .
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The computer may also include other removable/non-removable volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only, illustrates a hard disk drive that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk , and an optical disk drive that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive is typically connected to the system bus through a non-removable memory interface such as interface , and magnetic disk drive and optical disk drive are typically connected to the system bus by a removable memory interface, such as interface .
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The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in , provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer . In , for example, hard disk drive is illustrated as storing operating system , application programs , other program modules , and program data . Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system , application programs , other program modules , and program data . Operating system , application programs , other program modules , and program data are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies.
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A user may enter commands and information into the computer through input devices such as a keyboard , a microphone , and a pointing device , such as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include a joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit through a user input interface that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus via an interface, such as a video interface . In addition to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers and printer , which may be connected through an output peripheral interface .
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The computer is operated in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer . The remote computer may be a personal computer, a hand-held device, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer . The logical connections depicted in include a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN) , but may also include other networks. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.
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When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer is connected to the LAN through a network interface or adapter . When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer typically includes a modem or other means for establishing communications over the WAN , such as the Internet. The modem , which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus via the user input interface , or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer , or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and not limitation, illustrates remote application programs as residing on remote computer . It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.
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It should be noted that the present invention can be carried out on a computer system such as that described with respect to . However, the present invention can be carried out on a server, a computer devoted to message handling, or on a distributed system in which different portions of the present invention are carried out on different parts of the distributed computing system.
II. Voice-Dialing System
A. System Overview
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, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, is a schematic block diagram of a voice-dialing system . System is illustratively implemented within one of the computing environments discussed in association with . System includes a voice-dialer application having access to a database of callers . System also includes a speech recognition engine having a context-free-grammar (CFG) . It should be noted that application , database , speech recognition engine , and CFG need not necessarily be implemented within the same computing environment. For example, application and its associated database could be operated from a first computing device that is in communication via a network with a different computing device operating recognition engine and its associated CFG . These and other distributed implementations are within the scope of the present invention.
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Generally speaking, callers interact with system in order to be routed to a particular call recipient . is a block flow diagram illustrating steps associated with routing a call in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. In accordance with step , a caller verbally interacts with voice-dialer application (e.g., verbally communicates in response to recorded or speech-simulated voice prompts). During the interaction, the caller provides a speech sample representative of a desired call recipient . The speech sample is illustratively provided to speech recognition engine .
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In accordance with step , speech recognition engine applies CFG in order to identify a potential speech recognition match that corresponds to a call recipient. In accordance with step , speech recognition engine provides voice-dialer application with information pertaining to the speech recognition match. In accordance with step , voice-dialer application references the received information against a collection of potential call recipients listed in database . In accordance with block , voice-dialer application communicates with the caller to facilitate confirmation and/or disambiguation as necessary to select a particular call recipient from database . Finally, in accordance with block , the call is appropriately routed from the caller to a selected call recipient .
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In order to support the described automated voice-dialer functionality, speech recognition engine is provided with a list of words or phrases organized in a grammar, which in is identified as CFG . The grammar illustratively contains a collection of representations of potentially recognizable words and/or phrases organized to support the speech recognition process. For example, phrases organized into the grammar might include representations of names such as Bill Thompson, Bruce Smith, Jack Taylor, etc. The words and/or phrases represented in CFG illustratively correspond to a list of individuals identified within database , wherein each individual is a different potential call recipient (e.g., the database includes a different phone extension for each individual).
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There is a reasonable possibility that database will include more than one distinct individual with the same name (e.g., two people having the name Jane Smith wherein each individual is associated with a different employee identification number). There is also a reasonable likelihood that database will include multiple individuals having a name with a common pronunciation but with different spellings (e.g., Mike Andersen and Mike Anderson). This latter scenario is a homonym scenario.
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While CFG does generally correspond to database , not every name in the database need necessarily be independently represented in the CFG. In the context of some known voice-dialing systems, the grammar applied by a speech recognition engine will not include distinct entries for multiple listings having the same spelling. For example, if the database includes four instances of “Mike Anderson”, then only one of those instances needs to be incorporated into the grammar (primarily because the SR engine has traditionally been configured to return a single match result, which is referenced in the database for multiple text-based matches). The described merging of identical entries within the CFG does not address homonym ambiguity. Many known systems will include a separate entry in the CFG for every unique spelling of a name in the database, even if two names are spelled differently but pronounced the same.
Accordingly, in the context of many known voice-dialing systems, when an input from a caller is compared by a speech recognition engine to the associated grammar, a returned match could correspond to any one of multiple entries in the CFG having the same pronunciation (but different spellings). It is not uncommon for the input to be compared to multiple entries having the same pronunciation, regardless of the fact that only a single match indication will be returned. It is also not uncommon that the speech recognition engine will be configured to return a single match result regardless of the number of match instances in the grammar under analysis.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the contents of the grammar delivered to, and applied by, the speech recognition engine are economized through a detection and consolidation of words and/or phrases demonstrating homonym characteristics.
B. Homonym Detection
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In accordance with one embodiment, a word level homonym detection process is carried out prior to construction of the CFG grammar. Homonyms are identified based on the pronunciation of terms in database . Pronunciation of the terms is illustratively determined based on speech recognition (or text-to-speech) models and/or information stored in application lexicon dictionaries. Once homonyms have been identified, the grammar to be provided to the speech recognition engine can be economized through an elimination of homonym-based ambiguity. For example, supposing database contains 50,000 names incorporating 42,000 words, it is likely that the corresponding grammar can be economized through a consolidation of homonym-oriented matches.
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is a block flow diagram illustrating steps associated with homonym detection in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. As is indicated by block , a pronunciation signature is created for each database term. In accordance with one embodiment, a pronunciation signature is a distinct pronunciation for a given term. Pronunciation information can come from a variety of sources such as, but not limited to, an application dictionary or a speech recognition dictionary. A speech recognition dictionary illustratively includes common pronunciations of terms. An application dictionary illustratively includes more directly asserted pronunciations. For example, a term having a pronunciation listed in the speech recognition dictionary can have a different pronunciation listed in the application dictionary. This might be desirable, for example, if an individual's name is actually pronounced differently than the default listed in the speech recognition dictionary. In accordance with one embodiment, if a term is listed in the application dictionary, the pronunciation of that word specified in the speech recognition dictionary is ignored. In other words, pronunciations in the application dictionary are assumed to be more accurate and therefore take precedence. Accordingly, for every distinct term in the database, a query is made to retrieve an internal pronunciation from a speech recognition dictionary (or a user application lexicon that overrides the default speech recognition pronunciation).
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In accordance with block , the next step in the homonym detection process is a grouping of terms based on matching pronunciation signatures. As is indicated by block , words in the same group assumedly contain the same set of pronunciations and are therefore considered homonyms. In other words, the union of all pronunciations is used as a key to group terms into homonym classes. All of the words in a same class will illustratively have the same pronunciation. As a result, they are interchangeable from the speech recognition point of view (e.g., one class might include “Mike Anderson” and “Mike Andersen”, wherein both terms are identically pronounced). Terms that do not demonstrate a homonym nature will only have one entry in their class. Terms having a homonym nature will have more than one entry (multiple entries that are pronounced the same but spelled differently).
In accordance with one embodiment, a homonym replacement table is constructed by including a listing of terms that are associated with classes having a size greater than 1. The homonym replacement table illustratively includes one entry for each multiple-term class. The one entry is illustratively the most predominant spelling within the class. For example, for a class that includes three instances of “Jeff Smith” and one instance of “Geoff Smith”, the homonym replacement table will include “Jeff Smith”. In another example, for a class that includes two instances of “Michelle Wilson” and one instance of “Michele Wilson”, the homonym replacement table will include simply “Michelle Wilson”.
C. Grammar Consolidation
In accordance with one embodiment, the homonym replacement table is applied term by term as names are inserted into the context free grammar to be applied by the speech recognition engine within the voice-dialing system. For each set of pronunciations in a homonym class, only one unique term is incorporated into the CFG (assumedly the “most popular” term derived from the homonym replacement table). Accordingly, given the consolidation of terms having a homonym nature, the overall size of the CFG is reduced. Therefore, the overall quantity of reference resources required for speech recognition is generally reduced. The reduction in size of the CFG enables a reduction in the number of “fan outs” as compared to searching a CFG that incorporates homonym ambiguity.
In accordance with one embodiment, the memory resources freed up by homonym term elimination are invested in a provision of additional means for improving speech recognition performance in terms of accuracy and/or response time. For example, the speech recognition engine can be configured for greater accuracy because more memory becomes available for storing additional recognition hypotheses, thereby enabling a reduction in reliance on aggressive pruning for recognition purposes.
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is a block flow diagram demonstrating one embodiment of the described economization of a CFG constructed for application within a voice-dialing system. In accordance with block , for each group of homonym terms (e.g., for each homonym class), the most popular entry (e.g., based on frequency) is selected as the representative of that group. In accordance with block , a homonym replacement table is created and includes the most popular form for each homonym class. Corresponding actual spelling forms of each homonym listed in the replacement table continues to be stored in the database.
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As entries corresponding to database terms are added to the CFG, in accordance with block , a check is performed to see if a given database term is included in the replacement table. In accordance with block , if a term is included in the replacement table, then the term is replaced with the representative for that group. In accordance with block , terms having exact spellings are reduced to a single occurrence in the CFG if necessary.
In accordance with one embodiment, as original spellings of names are added to, or eliminated from, the database (e.g., as employees come and go), the homonym replacement table is re-populated and the speech recognition grammar is re-generated. In other words, when terms are added, replaced, and/or eliminated, the homonym replacement table is re-populated and the speech recognition grammar is re-generated. Similarly, when pronunciations are added, replaced, and/or eliminated (e.g., new pronunciation added to an application dictionary), the homonym replacement table is re-populated and the speech recognition grammar is re-generated. In accordance with one embodiment, re-population and/or re-generation is performed periodically, after a predetermined number of changes have occurred or every time a change occurs, depending on application preferences.
D. Conformation and Disambiguation
For many voice-dialing systems, it is common for a caller to be presented with an audio presentation of a name during a confirmation and/or disambiguation process. For example, a caller might be presented with an audio presentation of a phrase such as “Did you say Mike Anderson”, which the caller can confirm or reject based on perceived accuracy. The homonym replacement table assumedly contains common spellings for each incorporated term demonstrating a homonym nature. Accordingly, the homonym replacement table represents an excellent source for the generation of the audio representations that are presented to a caller. Both automated and human-based generation of audio name representations are more likely to produce accurate pronunciations if provided with a common rather than uncommon spelling. If the audio representations are automatically generated, it is more likely that a common spelling will correspond to a common pronunciation. If the audio presentations are generated by a human voice actor, the actor is more likely to get the pronunciation correct if he or she is presented with a spelling with which they may already be familiar.
Regardless of whether name representations are derived automatically or through recording of a human voice, the work required to generate audio representations of all terms in a database is generally reduced in accordance with the present invention because only one pronunciation representation needs to be generated for each homonym term. In the case of audio representations generated by voice actors, this provides some level of increased privacy because the actor will likely be presented with only one homonym term without being made privy to the fact that there are multiple employees or individuals having the same name within the corresponding organization. Further, the actor is shielding from seeing every spelling the names of every individual within the organization.
Another aspect of the present invention pertains to confirmation and disambiguation processing. Once the speech recognition engine has returned a result based on an analysis of an input against the CFG, a general confirmation process begins, which may include disambiguation in instances of true collisions (multiple instances of the same spelling) or homonym collisions (multiple spellings but a common pronunciation). In accordance with one embodiment, true collisions and homonym collisions are initially treated the same way in terms of confirmation/disambiguation. For example, possible name collisions resulting from homonyms (e.g., “John Reid” and “John Reed”) are initially merged into regular name collisions and distinct pronunciations are initially presented to the caller in the form of a confirmation dialogue (e.g., “Did you say John Reed”). Once a pronunciation has been confirmed, then disambiguation is performed if necessary. For homonym collisions, spelling information is illustratively utilized as a basis for conducting disambiguation (e.g., “Would you like John R-E-I-D” or “John R-E-E-D”).
Accordingly, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the confirmation dialogue initially presents a unique pronunciation for caller confirmation. Because this is true, the caller will not first be confronted with a confusing and ambiguous phrase such as “I have two names for you to choose from: 1. John Reid and 2. John Reed”. Instead, the initial confirmation will simply be in the nature of “Did you say John Reed”.
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, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, is a block flow diagram representing a confirmation and disambiguation process. As is indicated by block , the process begins with a simple confirmation of pronunciation (e.g., “Did you say John Reed”). As is indicated by block , there is then a determination as to whether there is any collision. As is indicated by block , if there is not any collision, then processing (e.g., call routing based on the selected database entry) can occur immediately.
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As is indicated by block , if there is a collision then a determination is made as to whether there is a homonym conflict or a true collision. In accordance with one embodiment, homonym conflicts are identified through reference to the homonym replacement table. If there is no homonym conflict, then, in accordance with block , some form of traditional true collision disambiguation is conducted (e.g., “Would you like John Andersen in building 6 . . . or John Andersen in building 9”). In accordance with block , processing of the call is executed in accordance with the disambiguation result (i.e., in accordance with selection preferences indicated by the caller).
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If there is a homonym conflict, as is indicated by block , a homonym disambiguation process can be executed based on different spellings (“Would you like John R-E-I-D or John R-E-E-D”). As is indicated by block , there is then a determination as to whether a spelling selected by the caller corresponds to multiple listings (i.e., a true collision). If not, in accordance with block , processing is executed in accordance with the caller's expressed selection. If a true collision is encountered, then, in accordance with block , some form of traditional true collision disambiguation is conducted (e.g., similar to block ) and, in accordance with block , processing of the call is executed accordingly.
E. Quasi-Homonyms
Another aspect of the present invention pertains to “quasi-homonyms”, which are illustratively defined as a set of terms having a same pronunciation, wherein one of the terms also has a second pronunciation that is not the same as compared to the other member or members of the set. In other words, a quasi-homonym is an instances wherein multiple terms with different spellings have a consistent pronunciation (i.e., homonym nature) but at least one of the listings has a unique pronunciation. For example, the word “Stephen” can be pronounced as either “s tee ven” or “stef an”, while the word “Steven” has only one pronunciation (“s tee ven”). Because Stephen and Steven are not straight homonyms, they generally should not be merged within the context free grammar.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the problems presented by quasi-homonyms to a voice-dialing system are addressed within the context of the other embodiments described herein. By skipping the common practice of “word level” recognition of names and detecting homonyms at the individual pronunciation level, both homonyms and quasi-homonyms can be detected. Once detected, a voice-dialing system can be configured to efficiently and accurately handle the quasi-homonym scenario. For example, when a caller indicates the pronunciation “s tee ven”, the system assumes the caller wants either “Steven” or “Stephen”. However, when the caller indicates the pronunciation “stef an”, then system is configured to recognize that the caller wants “Stephen” but not “Steven”.
One aspect of the present invention pertains to quasi-homonym detection. As has been described previously, the present invention provides a system wherein homonym words of each unique pronunciation are detected and identified based on speech recognition internal pronunciations and application lexicon dictionaries. As has been described, a homonym replacement table can be constructed. In accordance with one embodiment, a quasi-homonym replacement table is created for grammar mapping purposes (e.g., for mapping Stephen to “s tee ven; stef an”, and Steven to “s tee ven” within the speech recognition grammar). For example, consider a scenario wherein the system is presented with 7 words (A–G) and 6 unique pronunciations (P1–P6), wherein the pronunciation dictions is distributed as follows:
TABLE 1
Word
Pronunciations
A
P1
B
P1, P2
C
P2, P3
D
P3
E
P4
F
P4
G
P5, P6
The corresponding quasi-homonym replacement table will illustratively look like:
TABLE 2
Word
Pronunciations
A
P1
B
P1, P2
C
P2, P3
D
P3
Because words E and F are regular homonyms, they do not appear in TABLE 2. Although word G has two pronunciations, it is not included in TABLE 2 because none of its pronunciations are shared with another word.
Another aspect of the present invention pertains to a formatting of the CFG to handle a quasi-homonym scenario. In accordance with one embodiment, terms included in the quasi-homonym replacement table are replaced with pronunciations, which are themselves placed within the CFG. Once provided with pronunciation information in quasi-homonym scenarios, the CFG is equipped to support identification of which quasi form has been presented. In accordance with one embodiment, substitution of pronunciations that correspond to the quasi-homonym replacement table is in addition to application of the homonym replacement table (described in relation to other embodiments) wherein consolidation of terms within the context free grammar is accomplished for regular homonyms. For example, consider a scenario wherein there are 9 employees (E1–E9) in a database as follows:
TABLE 3
Employee
Name
E1
A
E2
A
E3
B
E4
C
E5
C
E6
D
E7
E
E8
F
E9
G
The full name table corresponding to the grammar to be applied by the speech recognition engine within the voice-dialing system illustratively looks like:
TABLE 4
Full Name
Employee
P1
E1, E2, E3
P2
E3, E4, E5
P3
E4, E5, E6
E
E7, E8
G
E9
Since P1 (pronunciation 1) is shared between word A and B, Employees E1, E2, and E3 are added to the record of P1. The word E and F are regular homonyms so the word F is replace by word E in the system and that is why employees E7 and E8 are associated with the name E. Names E and G are not listed on the pronunciation level because it is more efficient for the speech recognition engine to work with words when possible.
FIG. 7
FIG. 4
702
704
, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, is a block flow diagram demonstrating steps associated with identifying and processing quasi-homonyms. The process illustratively begins with homonym detection, for example, as illustrated and discussed in relation to . A result of the homonym detection is illustratively a collection of terms divided into classes, wherein terms within each class generally demonstrate matching pronunciation signatures and are therefore considered homonyms. As is indicated by block , a homonym replacement table is created to identify classes having a homonym nature (pronunciation classes having more than one term with different spellings). The homonym replacement table illustratively indicates the most “popular” form or spelling for each homonym pronunciation. When multiple terms with different spellings appear in both a same and different pronunciation class, then this is an indication of a quasi-homonym. In accordance with block , quasi-homonym replacement table is created to catalogue identified quasi-homonyms for subsequent processing.
706
708
As terms are placed into the grammar, a check is performed against the homonym replacement table. In accordance with block , if a term is included in the homonym replacement table, then it is the “popular” representation or spelling for that term that is placed into the grammar (duplicate spelling are eliminated from the grammar if necessary). Before the grammar is consolidated based on a homonym entry, in accordance with block , an additional check is performed against the quasi-homonym replacement table. If a term is in the quasi-homonym table, then the different pronunciations are added to the grammar rather than an entry in word form.
710
712
As is indicated by block , when a quasi-homonym input is compared to the CFG during operation of the voice-dialing system, the results of the speech recognition process will be tailored to the particular pronunciation of the input (e.g., if the input is “stef an”, then the outcome of the speech recognition process will not be “Steven”). In accordance with block , subsequent conformation and disambiguation will be based on an analysis of collisions in light of the particular returned form of the quasi-homonym.
FIG. 6
In the context of examples described above, if a caller input is consistent with a pronunciation of “Stephen” with a “stef an” pronunciation, then only “Stephan” is considered for subsequent conflict detection and disambiguation processing (i.e., as described in relation to ). The CFG will support return of a result consistent with the pronunciation received. On the other hand, if the caller input is consistent with “Steven” pronounced “s tee ven”, then, as has been described, entries consistent with both “Steven” and “Stephen” will be calculated into the conformation and disambiguation process. The CFG will return a result consistent with the pronunciation received.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a block diagram representation of a general computing environment in which illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be practiced.
FIG. 2
is a schematic block representation of a voice-dialing system.
FIG. 3
is a block flow diagram illustrating steps associated with routing a call.
FIG. 4
is a block flow diagram illustrating steps associated with homonym identification.
FIG. 5
is a block flow diagram illustrating steps associated with generation of a grammar.
FIG. 6
is a block flow diagram illustrating steps associated with confirmation and disambiguation.
FIG. 7
is a block flow diagram illustrating steps associated with the processing of quasi-homonyms. | |
Romanians bought 74 hybrid and 100 percent electric cars during the first two months of the year, according to data from the statistics of the Car Makers and Importers’ Association (APIA) as quoted by Agerpres.
Although sales of environmentally-friendly cars during the reported period represent just 0.6 percent of total car sales, this was an almost 90 percent jump over the same period of the previous year.
As many as 35 green cars were sold in February alone, down by 10.2 percent compared to the previous month, when 39 units were sold.
The APIA data reveal that throughout 2015 the number of new hybrid and electric vehicles sold in Romania stood at 495, more than double (110 percent) compared to 2014, when 236 units were sold. | https://business-review.eu/featured/hybrid-and-electric-cars-sales-advance-90-pct-two-months-into-2016-101274 |
Islamabad [Pakistan], October 11 (ANI): Pakistan has appointed former chief justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani as ad-hoc judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to represent Pakistan in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.
Justice Jilani, who served as Chief Justice of Pakistan from December 11, 2013 to July 5, 2014, is the cousin of former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani.
The procedures of the ICJ allow a party to nominate a judge as ad-hoc in circumstances where there is no judge of the court that has the party's nationality.
Under Article 13 of the ICJ, Pakistan can send an ad-hoc judge. The team of lawyers to defend Pakistan's side was previously led by renowned lawyer Khawar Qureshi, local media reported.
The government of Pakistan was criticised back home for not exercising the option to put a Pakistani judge on the panel to defend their side.
Currently, there is no judge of the court that has Pakistani nationality; whereas Judge Bhandari from India sits as a judge of the court.
The ICJ will now notify India that former Chief Justice Jilani has been nominated by Pakistan to sit as a judge ad hoc of the court in the Jadhav case.
The ICJ has given Pakistan the deadline of December 13 to submit its counter-plea or counter-memorial, after which the final proceedings on the issue will commence. The hearing of the case is expected to be fixed at the start of next year or end of this year.
Indian has accused Islamabad of violating the Vienna Convention by failing to provide him with consular access and for being in breach of international human rights law.
The ICJ on May 18 halted the execution of Jadhav. On April 10, Jadhav was given the death sentence by a military court in Pakistan for alleged "espionage and subversive activities".
New Delhi has appealed to the court to impose emergency measures for Jadhav's execution to be suspended until the legal battle in Hague concludes.
Pakistan claims it arrested Jadhav in March last year from its restive Balochistan province, where the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor culminates. | https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/jadhav-case-ex-chief-justice-to-represent-pakistan-as-ad-hoc-judge-at-icj201710120029010001/ |
National Geographic Learning’s ELT blog
Developing Global Citizenship in Young Learners
We live in a world that has become an increasingly complex web of connections and interdependencies. Our young learners need to get ready to thrive in such a world to do so, tangible skills such as language proficiency are obviously critical to success. But language skills are just part of the whole picture. To be productive global citizens, students need other skills that are less tangible, including greater sensitivity to cultural differences, openness to new and different ideas, and the ability to adapt to change.
What is Global Citizenship?
It is a way of living that recognizes our world is an increasingly complex web of connections and interdependencies. One in which our choices and actions may have repercussions for people and communities locally, nationally or internationally.
A Global Citizen:
is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen
respects and values diversity
has an understanding of how the world works
participates in the community at a range of levels, from the local to the global
is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place
Global Citizenship as a 21st Century Skill
To be effective Global Citizens, young people need to be flexible, creative and proactive. They need to be able to solve problems, make decisions, think critically, communicate ideas effectively and work well within teams and groups.
What does Global Citizenship look like in the Classroom?
Teachers can develop Global Citizenship in their learners by bringing the world to the classroom and engaging learners in:
Structured discussion and debate
Role-Play
Ranking exercises
Expressing own values and opinions
Exploring the diversity of identities and cultures
GLOCAL Topics
It is important that teachers bring topics to the classroom which are GLOCAL. GLOCAL means global and local and makes reference to topics which students can relate to from their LOCAL reality and which will also give them the opportunity to explore GLOBALLY.
Many of the challenges facing us – geopolitical tensions, climate change, and disease pandemics-are global in nature and scale, and thus demand cross-border perspectives and solutions. Therefore, students engaged in exploring GLOCAL issues, will be given the opportunity to think about how they can make contributions to solving these issues LOCALLY.
Rethinking the type of materials to use with students
The resources to be used by a teacher who wants to develop Global Citizenship in his/her learners need to:
Contain global cultural content
Have an international feel
Address real-world issues
Avoid stereotypes
Activities to try!
Global citizenship is about empowering learners to become active promoters of peace, tolerance, inclusiveness and sustainability.
Here are a few activities you can try in your classroom:
Working with photographs that bring the world to the classroom: enhances visual literacy, slow looking, reflection, connection, and critical thinking.
Using Visible Thinking routines: K-W-L charts make students aware of their already existing schemata regarding issues and also challenge them to wonder and pose questions.
Source: www.ninjaplans.com
Read about what others are doing: Role models
People from different disciplines and fields, with different roles, who are doing amazing things for the planet, its people, its animals, plants, oceans and more can inspire the young ones.
Projects: engaging the young ones in thinking and designing possible solutions to glocal issues is a fantastic opportunity for them to think critically, communicate with others, work collaboratively and creatively towards a common goal.
In Nelson Mandela´s words, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Global Citizenship is about empowering young learners to do exactly that, understand the world and do something to try to change it for good. And educators, have a vital role in leading from behind.
Make sure to check out the recording of Luciana’s recent NGL webinar, here!
Author: Luciana Fernández
Luciana Fernández is a graduate teacher of English who has been teaching English for the past twenty-three years. She specializes in methodology and teaching practice. She holds a diploma in Educational Research from the University of Cambridge. She is a reading and literacy expert and has been training teachers for the past ten years. She has designed several presentations and courses for professional development both in Argentina and abroad. Her presentation at ARTESOL 2015 was selected to be presented at TESOL International as a Best Affiliate Session. She is one of the 50 scholarship winners who attended and presented at IATEFL, held in Birmingham in April 2016.
Currently, she is a Learning Consultant and reader for National Geographic Learning. She is also a facilitator at ESSARP (English Speaking Scholastic Association of the River Plate), where she trains administrators and teachers from bilingual institutions in Argentina.
About Author
Luciana Fernández
Luciana Fernández is a graduate teacher of English who has been teaching English for the past twenty-three years. She specializes in methodology and teaching practice. She holds a diploma in Educational Research from the University of Cambridge. She is a reading and literacy expert and has been training teachers for the past ten years. She has designed several presentations and courses for professional development both in Argentina and abroad. Her presentation at ARTESOL 2015 was selected to be presented at TESOL International as a Best Affiliate Session. She is one of the 50 scholarship winners who attended and presented at IATEFL, held in Birmingham in April 2016.
Currently, she is a Learning Consultant and reader for National Geographic Learning. She is also a facilitator at ESSARP (English Speaking Scholastic Association of the River Plate), where she trains administrators and teachers from bilingual institutions in Argentina.
| |
Portrait of Baldassare Peruzzi from Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects by Giorgio Vasari, edition of 1568.
|Born|
Baldassare Tommaso Peruzzi
7 March 1481
|Died||6 January 1536 (aged 54)|
|Nationality||Italian|
|Known for||Painting, Architecture|
Notable work
|Decoration of Villa Farnesina |
Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne
|Movement||High Renaissance |
Mannerism
Baldassare Tommaso Peruzzi (7 March 1481 – 6 January 1536) was an Italian architect and painter, born in a small town near Siena (in Ancaiano, frazione of Sovicille) and died in Rome. He worked for many years with Bramante, Raphael, and later Sangallo during the erection of the new St. Peter's. He returned to his native Siena after the Sack of Rome (1527) where he was employed as architect to the Republic. For the Sienese he built new fortifications for the city and designed (though did not build) a remarkable dam on the Bruna River near Giuncarico. He seems to have moved back to Rome permanently by 1535. He died there the following year and was buried in the Rotunda of the Pantheon, near Raphael.
He was a painter of frescoes in the Cappella San Giovanni (Chapel of St John the Baptist) in the Duomo of Siena.
His son Giovanni Sallustio was also an architect. Another son, Onorio, learned painting from his father, then became a Dominican priest in the convent of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome. He then stopped painting until requested by his superiors at San Romano di Lucca to paint the organ doors of the church.
Design and decoration of Villa Farnesina
Almost all art critics ascribe the design of the Villa Chigi in Rome, now known more commonly as the Villa Farnesina, to Peruzzi. In this villa, two wings branch off from a central hall with a simple arrangement of pilasters, and a decorative frieze on the exterior of the building . Some of the frescoed paintings which adorn the interior rooms are by Peruzzi. One example is the Sala delle Prospettive, in which Peruzzi revived the perspective schemes of Melozzo da Forli and Mantegna, possibly under the influence of both. The walls of the room are painted so that when one stands toward the left, one has the illusion that one is standing in an open-air terrace, lined by pillars, looking out over a continuous landscape. The decoration of the façade, the work of Peruzzi, has almost entirely vanished, but it is documented by an anonymous French artist in a drawing, now held by the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art . To decorate this villa on the Tiber many artists were employed, and just as the style of the villa in no wise recalls the old castellated type of country-house, so the paintings in harmony with the pleasure-loving spirits of the time were thoroughly antique and uninspired by Christian ideas. Raphael designed the composition of the story of Amor and Psyche as a continuation of the Galatea. On a plate-glass vault Peruzzi painted the firmament, with the zodiacal signs, the planets, and other heavenly bodies. The interior room has a striking use of illusionistic perspective
Other work
Peruzzi had produced a mosaic ceiling for the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome; the mosaic depicts the Saviour. Other paintings ascribed to him are to be found in Sant'Onofrio and San Pietro in Montorio. That Peruzzi improved as time went on is evident in his later works, e.g., the "Madonna with Saints" in Santa Maria della Pace at Rome, and the fresco of Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl in Santa Maria in Portico a Fontegiusta at Siena. As our master interested himself in the decorative art also, he exercised a strong influence in this direction, not only by his own decorative paintings but also by furnishing designs for craftsmen of various kinds. While primarily being an architect, of his great loves was drawing and he was especially well known for his extraordinary studies of antique buildings, as seen in The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine (1502–1503) in the Allen Memorial Art Museum.
His final architectural masterpiece, the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (1535) located on the modern day Corso Vittorio Emanuele, is well known for its curving facade, ingenious planning, and architecturally rich interior. The exterior details display a Mannerist-style.
He made significant but unspecified contributions to what would become the Seven Books of Architecture, published in installments after Peruzzi's death by his pupil, Sebastiano Serlio.
References
- ^ The History of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Graving, and of Those who have Excelled in them, Book III, by P. Monier, pages 139-141.
- ^ Memorie dei più insigni pittori, scultori e architetti Dominicani, Volume 1, by P. Vincenzo Marchese, pages 337-337.
- ^ The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine, 1502-1503: Baldassare Peruzzi (Italian, 1481-1573):Tempura and Oil on panel, transferred to masonite:Diameter: 24 ½ in. (62.2 cm), CLASSROOM RESOURCE SHEET, Allen Memorial Art Museum
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "article name needed". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.
External links
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baldassarre Peruzzi.|
- Web Gallery of Art: Perspective View of the Sala delle Prospettive
- The Catholic Encyclopedia:Baldassare Peruzzi
- Italian Paintings: Sienese and Central Italian Schools, a collection catalog containing information about Peruzzi and his works (see index; plates 86-107). | http://wiki-offline.jakearchibald.com/wiki/Baldassare_Peruzzi |
What does being present mean?
Being present or being in the moment means you are free from any thoughts of your past or future. You are focused on what is happening right here, right now. People often spend less than 1% of their time in the present moment which can lead to stress, anxiety and unhappiness.
Why does it help with training?
Firstly, the physical outcomes of the session directly relate to how present the person was throughout. For example, a runner doing a 10km course completely present to their stride, will focus on technique, breathing, and rhythm, increasing their efficiency and speed, resulting in a better outcome. Alternatively, a distracted person may allow their technique to become sloppy and labored, losing valuable seconds every stride. Secondly, being present helps to stop distracting thoughts entering their head and most often these thoughts are negative. See 4.5 ways to change your attitude towards exercise. It also helps to prevent other distractions such as competitors, audience, etc. A perfect example of this is watching Roger Federer or Andre Agassi play tennis. They are focused, in the zone, which allows them to make fast, instinctive choices, without having to use the slower, judgmental, conscious part of their brain.
How can you become present during training?
It starts with focusing your thoughts on your body. For example, the runner may listen to their breathing, focusing on it’s rhythm. Once your mind is reasonably settled, start from your head and work down your body, feeling your position and checking everything is doing what it should be. The runner would start with their shoulders are my shoulders relaxed, arms swinging close to my side, relaxed but with a forward momentum. Am I breathing through my nose, out my mouth and deep in my belly? Are my core muscles engaged but not stiff? Are my legs running straight, no knocked knees? Am I using my glutes on every stride right the way through? Am I landing heel to toe, not flat footed?
Depending on your sport, there should be a list of technical questions you could ask yourself which will create a barrier for distractions. Keep going through that list, and before you know it, you will be in a peaceful state of mind, which is in the “zone”, and very present. If you get distracted, start your list again.
You may find you can do this for 10 minutes but then the distractions take over. This mental training is like fitness, the more you do it, the longer you can hold it for. Even if you pick one segment of your workout to do it, and slowly build up, that’s fine too.
Your ability to remain present depends on the health of your thoughts.
In any given moment, you can move from being fully present to being filled with upsetting thoughts that trigger emotions based on the past and future. It happens in an instant and is highly dependent on how healthy your thoughts are. If you lack confidence, you will begin negative self talk and doubt. Both result in failure and unhappiness rooted in past and future-based thoughts. It takes discipline to keep refocusing on your body and repel any distracting thoughts.
How can we apply this in other areas of our lives?
Exercise is a great practice pitch for being present as sessions lasting 30-60 minutes is great time frame to stay in the moment. In this modern era with a constant bombardment of stimulus, it is hard to stay focused on one thing for any length of time. Being present in training trains our mind to stay quiet and ignore distractions. People have likened this to meditation, and in fact, being present is most definitely an active form of meditation that brings with it all the wonderful benefits that spill into every area of our life. Practice being present in training and I bet you notice your concentration improving at work. | https://www.ameliaphillips.com.au/fitness/how-being-present-can-improve-your/ |
Approaches taken by South African advertisers to select and appoint advertising agencies
Jansen van Rensburg, M.
;
Venter, P.
;
Strydom, JW.
URI:
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/20250
Date:
2010
Type:
Article
Abstract:
Pitch and industry guidelines play an important role in awarding advertising agency contracts, but agencies must take into account that not all advertisers will adhere to these guidelines. The exploratory research study on which this article reports provides insight into the appointment process and selection criteria applied during the appointment of advertising agencies. This article examines the views of 116 senior marketing executives in South Africa to determine typical decision processes followed when advertising agencies are appointed. Consideration is also given to the structural arrangements in place, the composition and size of buying centres, switching barriers that make it more diffi cult or costly for advertisers to change agencies and selection criteria used to appoint advertising agencies. Data were obtained by means of structured questionnaires administered via a web-based survey. The fi ndings provide advertisers with insights into procurement decisions and selection criteria and can also provide valuable insight to agencies with regard to buying decision approaches taken by advertisers. Insight into the size and composition of buying centres adds to agencies’ understanding of who to target during customer relationship-building initiatives. From an academic perspective, this research offers a better understanding of the organisational buying process and the importance of selection criteria within the South African context.
Citation:
Jansen van Rensburg, M.Venter, P.2010,"Approaches taken by South African advertisers to select and appoint advertising agencies ",Southern African Business Review,14(1):
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Items in UNISA Institutional Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. Items may only be viewed and downloaded for private research and study purposes. Please acknowledge publications according to acceptable standards and norms. | http://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/20250 |
3 Ways To Turbo-charge Your Creativity
Summon your creativity in the workplace using these 3 principles of Improv.
Hitting a wall with your creativity at work? Feel like you never generate new or novel ideas? Before you give up and claim you aren’t the creative type – try using these three principles of improv to unleash your creative powers.
1) Develop a Yes And attitude.
The core building block of improv is cultivating a Yes And approach, where you affirm and build on the ideas of others. On stage, this means accepting whatever your scene partner offers you as reality and crafting a reaction, a character choice, or emotion that your partner can use to create a humorous story.
I remember a particularly unforgettable scene where I was asked to play an expert ballet instructor. At that moment, part of me wanted to run off the stage since I didn’t know the first thing about ballet. But the other part of me remembered the Yes And principle, and so I proceeded to craft my character as someone with a background as a US Marine Corp drill instructor. The audience laughed heartily while my Rambo-style ballet instructor barked out calisthenics orders to a group of seasoned ballet dancers.
If you want to cultivate creativity in your professional life, you should consider approaching your work with a similar mindset. Think of your interactions with coworkers as endless opportunities to affirm and build on ideas. This idea sounds easy enough but often you may find it difficult to achieve. It’s much easier to engage in what I like to call Idea-Shooting: when someone tosses out a good idea, you shoot it down. It’s easy to tell a person why the idea is terrible or why it won’t work. But I promise you, if you can table that desire to give critical feedback and keep an open mind instead, your creativity will flow much easier.
Practical Tips:
I find it helpful to practice a Yes And approach to work by using it as a sentence starter in brainstorming, decision making, and other interactions with colleagues. I like to preface my responses with Yes And before responding or interjecting. It sounds somewhat mechanical, but the grammatical structure and logic behind these two little words will force your brain to respond by affirming and building on an idea. The additional bonus of verbalizing Yes And out loud is that it encourages your colleagues to respond in kind and become more open and generative to the ideas of others.
2) Listen Hard.
A second essential improv skill is the ability to listen hard. It’s a funny way to describe the skill, but very appropriate. Almost all of us listen to others with the intent to formulate a response, and not with the intent to understand. When we don’t listen to understand, we short circuit any creativity and generative idea building immediately.
For instance, my scene partner once gave me the gift of playing an astronaut who was afraid of heights. I locked in on playing the role of an astronaut and either missed or ignored the truly juicy and ironic piece involving a fear of heights. When I attempted to progress the scene by highlighting my lack of technical knowledge regarding space shuttles, the scene fell flat because the audience was waiting to hear how I would build my fear of heights into the improvisation. Had I been listening hard, I could have delivered on that expectation, but instead I was listening with the intent to respond and not to understand.
The story is remarkably similar in the workplace, for all of us. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try this exercise at your next office meeting, review, or conference call: count how many times you can catch yourself thinking about how you’d respond to a colleague as he or she is speaking. The number will surely shock you, even more so when you realize that every one of these instances is a missed opportunity to understand and build on an idea – to make it better, and to innovate.
Practical Tips
Listening Hard might seem daunting, but improving this skill is easy enough with two exercises. The first is to train your brain to be more mindful and to live in the present. Mindfulness meditation is a great way to achieve this, and is, in some sense, the perfect analog to Listening Hard. The idea is to focus your attention on the present moment, without regard for future or past. Thinking about how you would respond to someone as they are speaking is inherently future-oriented. Thus, as you practice mindfulness meditation, you can begin to connect this practice to your daily interactions with your colleagues. If you’re unsure how to start mindfulness meditation, try the guided meditations of Jon Kabat-Zinn – one of the leading voices and pioneers in the field. Several good introductory meditations can be found here and here.
The second way is to practice visual note-taking. Try to focus your brain on the present by visualizing the ideas, details, and intent of your colleagues’ proposals.. Visualizing your understanding of ideas is one of the best ways to learn and remember new or different ideas. Worried about not being an artist and unable to draw well? Set those worries aside. Anyone can doodle, and according to Dan Roam, if you can draw three basic shapes – the square, circle, and triangle – you can draw anything.
3) Erase Self Judgment and Censoring.
Perhaps the most difficult skill of Improv to master is to erase self judgment and censoring. We are social creatures who crave the acceptance of others, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that self judgment and censoring is a ubiquitous trait in all of us. In improv, the skill of avoiding self judgment and censoring is called immediacy, where you are taught to blurt out anything that pops in your mind. When I first started taking improv classes, this was incredibly difficult. I thought I had to be witty, clever, and funny all at once. I’d start analyzing a response or gift on stage even before I spoke it.
In professional lives, we all over analyze our own ideas, opinions, and comments, leading us to shut down valuable contributions to group meetings, brainstorms and other activities. As a result, a great idea is snuffed out before it is even born. It’s important to realize that everyone feels this way about their own ideas at one time or another. The key is to embrace the idea that creating something new and innovative is hard and that most ideas will fall short on their own inevitably. Don’t expect the idea(s) you offer to be amazingly creative right out of the gate. Understand that you are doing the group a great service by putting your ideas out there, no matter what.
Practical Tips
A really fun and great way to improve your skill of immediacy is to play PowerPoint Karaoke with your coworkers on a regular basis. It will help you become comfortable with being uncomfortable as the game forces you to offer ideas on the spot, whether you want to or not.
In PowerPoint karaoke, someone selects a random compilation of images from the web (try using Google’s Image Search Tool). Each person is given three slides with a random image on each slide and 90 seconds (30 seconds per slide) to speak. After 30 seconds, the facilitator automatically moves to the next slide. The speaker’s job is to say something impromptu that stiches together a narrative about the image during the allotted 30 seconds. To spice this activity up, try different formats, time durations and other tweaks to make it more, or less, difficult.
Most people find it terribly uncomfortable at first – myself included. But with practice, it becomes easier, largely because you learn to accept that you do have good ideas and that they don’t have to be perfect. You realize that an idea is just that… an idea. You have a million of them, and you’re comfortable offering them up to your peers without judgment.
Go forth and be creative. Embrace these 3 principles of improv and unleash your creative powers. | http://www.tomheffner.com/blog/?category=Creativity |
DOCK 11 EDEN***** is a place for encounter, where body, movement and community can be experienced. Course participants are part of a community at the intersection of dance, performance art and healing arts.
In more than 100 classes, DOCK 11 offers weekly dance for children and adults, for beginners, advanced and professionals at two locations.
The program covers a wide range of styles and techniques, with emphasis on children's dance (from age three), contemporary dance and ballet. An essential part of the program is the daily professional training for Contemporary Ballet and Contemporary Dance with changing teachers. A variety of workshops complement the course offerings and offer the opportunity to deepen and intensively work on specific topics and techniques.
The program itself is open and develops dynamically along current trends in dance - new insights into body, mind and movement flow into the offer. | https://dock11-berlin.de/en/tanzschule/portrait/about-us |
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to interactive voice response systems, and more particularly to a method for spelling words using an arbitrary phonetic alphabet.
Interactive voice response servers allow a user to interact with a computer system using only the user's voice. This greatly increases the flexibility and availability of computer systems. But when voice is the only method of accessing a system, it may be difficult to determine the spelling of particular spoken words received from the user. Consequently, important information such as people and place names may be lost when using an interactive voice response system.
In accordance with the present invention, the disadvantages and problems associated with determining a spelling for a spoken word received from a user of an interactive voice response system have been substantially reduced or eliminated. In particular, certain embodiments of the present invention provide a method for spelling words using an arbitrary phonetic alphabet.
Generally, a phonetic alphabet is a particular set of words used to denote letters, such as the one used in air traffic control. One technical advantage of certain embodiments of the present invention is that a user of an interactive spelling system may use any recognizable word to indicate a letter rather than being restricted to a predefined phonetic alphabet.
In a first embodiment, a method for receiving spelling information from a user of an interactive voice response system includes receiving one or more recognizable words from a user. The method further includes identifying a first letter of each recognizable word, and determining a spelling based on the first letters. In a second embodiment, an interactive voice response system includes an interface, a memory, and a processor. The interface receives speech from a user. The memory stores recognizable words, and the processor identifies recognizable words corresponding to spoken words received from the user and determines a spelling based on the first letters of the words.
In a third embodiment, an interactive voice response system includes an interface, a memory, and a processor. The processor has two modes of operation. In the first mode, the processor receives spoken words from a user, determines a corresponding recognizable word in the memory, and stores the received word. In the second mode, the processor receives a spoken word from the user, determines a recognizable word corresponding to the spoken word, and stores the first letter of the received word.
Important technical advantages of certain embodiments of the present invention include the ability for users of an interactive voice response system to spell complicated words that may not be clear from pronunciation. In words such as street addresses, email addresses, and similar information, correct spelling is crucial. Words in a foreign language or names derived from a foreign language may be spelled unambiguously using the methods of certain embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, words that may not be able to be identified by the interactive voice response system originally from the pronunciation may be identified as recognizable commands or vocabulary of the system.
Other important technical advantages of certain embodiments of the present invention include text messaging using an interactive voice response system. Existing systems for text messaging often require a human transcriber to write spoken messages down, and these messages are then entered manually for a later communication to a user of a pager, cell phone, or other text messaging device. Certain embodiments of the present invention may serve to replace the human interaction required for text messaging by allowing users of an interactive voice response system to spell words out clearly.
Yet another technical advantage of certain embodiments of the present invention is the use of an arbitrary phonetic alphabet. Rather than having to memorize particular words corresponding to letters of the alphabet, users of certain embodiments of the present invention may use any recognizable word to indicate a letter. This greatly increases the flexibility of an interactive spelling system.
Still another technical advantage of certain embodiments of the present invention is the ability of an interactive speech system to interactively learn vocabulary used by a particular user. This information allows the system to more effectively prompt the user for spellings. For example, the system may determine that the user is using words from a certain category to indicate letters. The system may then use words in the same category to prompt the user, thus increasing the likelihood that the word is recognized.
Particular embodiments of the present invention may include some, all, or none of the enumerated technical advantages. Additional technical advantages will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, description, and claims.
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shows an interactive voice response system that allows users of endpoints to communicate with an interactive voice response server (IVR) using network . System allows users to access IVR and other resources accessible by network by voice command alone. Thus, interactive voice response system provides users with access to computer systems in areas where resources might not otherwise be available.
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Network represents any hardware and/or software configured to communicate information. Network may include the Internet, Extranets, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), Internet protocol (IP) networks, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, optical networks, or any other suitable configuration or communication of information. Network may include routers, hubs, switches, gateways, or any other suitable component. Network may communicate information in the form of packets, cells, segments, frames, or other portions of data (generally referred to as “packets”).
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Endpoints represent any hardware and/or software for receiving spoken information from a user, converting that information into a signal, and communicating the signal to network . For example, endpoints may include telephones, wireless phones, personal computers running voice software, or any other suitable device for receiving voice information from a user. Endpoints may communicate information on the public switched telephone network (PSTN) , either directly to server using a voice connection or through network using a media gateway .
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IVR represents any hardware and/or software for receiving voice information from users of endpoints and translating the spoken information into recognizable letters or vocabulary. Although depicted as a server , IVR may represent any suitable component in any relationship with other elements of network . IVR includes a network interface , a computer interface , a processor , and a memory .
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Computer interface represents any port or connection, real or virtual, for allowing server to exchange information with computer system . Computer interface allows IVR to execute commands, retrieve information, store information, or perform any other suitable task using information in computer system . Computer system may include any combination of hardware and/or software in any kind or arrangement.
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Network interface represents any port or connection between IVR and network . Network interface may be a virtual or physical port. Network interface may also represent several physical and/or virtual connections to different elements of network . In a particular embodiment, network interface receives voice information from a user directly from PSTN and converts the received information into a suitable electronic format.
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Processor represents any hardware and/or software configured to process information. Processor may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), any combination of these devices, or any other suitable information processing hardware and/or software. Processor may receive information from interface and communicate information to interface for presentation to a user. Processor also accesses computer system and memory to retrieve information and to perform any other task that computer system or processor is able to perform.
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Memory represents any form of information storage. Memory may include magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), removable media, or any other type of information storage, whether non-volatile or volatile. Memory may represent local components of IVR , but may also include remote components accessible by IVR using interface over network .
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Code represents logical instructions embodied in a computer readable medium. Code includes instructions executable by processor to cause processor to receive information, to process information, and to communicate information to other components of network . Code also includes software allowing processor to parse audio information received from the user of an endpoint into recognizable words and characters.
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Recognizable words represent any collection of characters corresponding to a spoken word. Recognizable words may be organized into any suitable categories, and may be classified by first letter. Recognizable words are each associated with an audible word that is embodied as an electronic representation of a spoken word. Processor compares audio information received from a user to the audio information associated with recognizable words , thus allowing processor to determine a recognizable word that corresponds to the incoming audio data.
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Letters include any alphabetic characters, but may also include numbers or other characters that might be used in spelling. For example, letters may include the “@” symbol used in electronic mail addresses. Letters may be associated with recognizable words , so that the first letter of each recognizable word is associated with that recognizable word .
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Audio files represent audio information corresponding to the pronunciation of recognizable words and letters . When receiving sounds from a user, IVR compares the sounds to audio files to determine a corresponding recognizable word or letter . In a particular embodiment, IVR compares an electronic representation of received sounds to the audio information in audio files , and uses statistical analysis to identify recognizable words and letters corresponding to the received sounds.
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Text files represent audio information received from the user converted to written words stored in electronic form in memory . Text files may include both recognizable words from a user's speech and letters identified directly from a user's speech or generated by the interactive spelling method described in detail below.
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Statistics provide information on the usage of IVR . For example, statistics may monitor the frequency of particular recognizable words being spoken during interactions with users of endpoints . This information may be used to determine commonly-used recognizable words that will be more likely to be recognized by a user of IVR .
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In operation, IVR receives audio information from the speech of a user of an endpoint . Processor receives the audio information from interface , and attempts to identify recognizable words in the received audio information. Processor may interpret some of the recognizable words as commands referring to a portion of code to be executed by processor or to a function performed by computer system , and interpret others as recognizable words to be stored in text files . Processor generally will recognize a word if it matches the audio file representing the recognizable word stored in memory within a certain degree of statistical certainty. If processor is not able to determine the particular word within a certain level of statistical certainty, processor may prompt a user for a spelling of the word. Alternatively, the user may initiate the spelling mode when the user believes that the word to be spoken would be difficult for processor to identify.
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Either when processor cannot distinguish a word, or when the user instructs IVR to receive a spelling, IVR transitions from a word receiving mode to a spelling mode. In a first embodiment IVR prompts the user with a selection of two or more recognizable words from which the user may select one. IVR selects the words to distinguish between two or more similar sounding words. Thus, for example, if the processor could not tell whether a particular letter was a B or a D, processor could play a prompt to the user such as “Did you say ‘B’ as in Bob, or ‘D’ as in Doug?” The user may then reply with one of the recognizable words , which processor then recognizes as one of the recognizable words that was played back. Processor may use this information to distinguish two similar letters. Such an embodiment is also useful when processor has identified two possibilities for a word without being able to tell them apart, such as “bear” and “pear.” In that case, processor may play a similar prompt that distinguishes the letters. For example, processor may play “Did that word start with ‘B’ as in Bob or ‘P’ as in Paul?”
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In a second embodiment, processor prompts the user for the spelling of a word that processor did not recognize. For example, processor may play a prompt to the user such as “Please spell the word [ambiguous word] by speaking words that start with the corresponding letters in the word.” The user may then utter any particular word that the user chooses that starts with the corresponding letters. For example, the user might spell Bob as “Bravo” “Oscar” “Bravo.” In principle, the user may use any recognizable word in memory of IVR . If processor has any difficulty determining the word that the user is speaking, processor may use the method for distinguishing two words described in connection with the first embodiment.
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In a third embodiment, processor may prompt the user to spell a particular word, and but not necessarily require the user to spell the entire word using a phonetic alphabet. For example, processor could receive a combination of letters and recognizable words and use the combination to spell the words such as receiving “B as in banana, O, G, A as in apple, R, T” from a user. In a variation on this embodiment, processor does not have separate word recognition modes and spelling modes. In such a variation, processor receives individual letters along with recognizable words . Processor may also interpret certain recognizable words as letters based on cues from the user. For example, while speaking a series of words, the user might say “B as in Bob”, and processor would recognize that Bob is to be used as a cue for the proper spelling of a word, rather than storing the literal phrase “B as in Bob.”
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Once IVR recognizes words, IVR can use the recognized words for any suitable purpose, such as accessing information in computer system , text-to-speech applications, playback to the user, or any other use of that information. Although particular embodiments of IVR have been described in detail, the described techniques for interactive spelling may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, IVR need not be a remote server, but instead may represent hardware and/or software used for speech recognition in any user device, including endpoint . Overall, the techniques described may apply to any form of interactive voice recognition, whether performed locally or remotely.
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In any of these embodiments, IVR may use statistics gathered from users and categorization techniques to increase the reliability and accuracy of the interactive spelling process. For example, IVR may track the number of times that a particular word has been used to indicate a particular letter. This information may then be used to prompt the user with the most common word starting with that letter, so that the user is more likely to recognize which letter IVR is attempting to indicate. In another variation, IVR can identify a category for recognizable words used by the user to spell out words. For example, IVR may note that the user prefers to use animals, plants, names, or recognized phonetic alphabets such as those used in the military to spell out words. IVR then uses words in the same category to prompt the user, thus increasing the likelihood that the user will recognize the word used in the prompt.
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shows a table that organizes recognizable words and letters into categories in order to facilitate operation of IVR . Each category specifies a generic class of word into which various recognizable words may be classified. Within each category, each word is associated with its first letter . Thus, in the “Animal” category , “aardvark” and “antelope” are associated with the letter “A.”
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Column lists the word most commonly used by users to indicate a particular letter in each category. For example, cell shows that the word “Bear” is the animal most commonly spoken by users to indicate the letter “B.” As IVR interacts with more users and collects more statistics over time, IVR updates the contents of column to reflect the fact that one word is used more prevalently.
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In operation, IVR may use table in a number of ways. For example, IVR may incorporate the most common words in a particular category when prompting the user for a particular spelling. Because the words are the most common, they will more likely be recognized and understood by the user, thus increasing the likelihood that the prompt will accomplish its purpose. By using a particular category of words in prompts, IVR may also increase the likelihood that the user will understand a particular word in the prompt by inference from that category . Alternatively, IVR may indicate a particular word to the user by prompting with the word most commonly used to represent that letter across all categories.
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Another use of categories in table is to identify a particular category that a particular user is using most often to indicate spellings. For example, each time IVR receives a word used to indicate a letter, IVR may determine the category of the word using the information in table . IVR keeps track of the frequency with which the user presents words of a particular category, and uses the information to identify the most common category used to indicate letters. IVR then uses words in that category in subsequent prompts to the user, thus providing increased likelihood that the particular user will recognize words used to prompt the user. Furthermore, IVR can then use the identified category to improve its own recognition algorithms. For example, if the user says the word “bear” to indicate a “B,” IVR may have difficulty distinguishing whether the user said “bear” or “pear.” But if IVR has determined that the user is using animals rather than plants to indicate letters, IVR can conclude that the user is probably saying “bear” rather than “pear.”
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is a flowchart illustrating a method for IVR-initiated spelling. IVR receives a word from a user at step . At step , IVR determines whether the word is recognized as corresponding to one or more recognized words within a required degree of statistical certainty. If the word is recognized, IVR then determines whether it is possible to identify a particular word within a requisite degree of statistical certainty, or whether the word is instead ambiguous at step . If the word is recognized and not ambiguous, then IVR stores the word in text file at step . On the other hand, if the word is ambiguous, IVR prompts the user of IVR with recognizable words that may be used to distinguish the potential words at step . For example, if IVR was trying to distinguish between the words “bog” and “dog,” then IVR might play a prompt “does this word start with the letter ‘B’ as in Bob or ‘D’ as in Doug?” IVR then receives a selection of one of the recognizable words from the user at step , and determines the correct word based on the selection at step . Once the correct word is determined, IVR stores the word in text file at step .
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When a word is not recognized by IVR , IVR may prompt the user to spell the word at step . In a particular embodiment, IVR prompts the user for a spelling by instructing the user to spell out the word with recognizable words corresponding to letters of the word to be spelled. When the user then speaks, IVR receives a word from the user at step . IVR then determines if the word is recognized or not at step . If the word is not recognized, IVR may prompt the user to repeat the word at step . Otherwise, IVR stores the first letter of the recognizable word in a text file . At step , IVR determines whether the user is finished with spelling the word, which may be indicated by the user or may be determined by a pause or other indication in the user's speech pattern or by any other suitable indication. If the word has been completely spelled, IVR then prompts the user for verification at step . If the user fails to verify the spelling, IVR restarts the interactive spelling process at step . If the spelling is correct, IVR stores the word at step . If the spelling is not yet complete at step , IVR waits to receive a new recognizable word corresponding to a letter at step .
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After a word has been stored at step , IVR may determine whether to continue receiving words at decision step based on a suitable indication from the user. If the user opts to continue, IVR receives a new word at step for storage. Otherwise, the method is complete.
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is a flowchart illustrating an alternative IVR-initiated method for spelling. In this embodiment, IVR has a word recognition mode for storing words received from a user, and a spelling mode in which IVR may receive a combination of words and letters used in spelling a word. IVR begins the method in word recognition mode at step . IVR receives a word from the user at step , and determines whether the word is recognized at step . If the word is recognized, IVR stores the word at step . At step , IVR determines whether there are any more words to be received based on an indication from the user, which may be a voice command, dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tone, or other suitable form of indication. If there are more words to be received, IVR continues receiving words at step .
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If the word is not recognized, IVR enters spelling mode at step . In spelling mode, IVR prompts the user for spelling of a word at step . IVR then detects sounds from a user at step . IVR then determines whether the sound corresponds to a letter or word at step .
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If the sound corresponds to a letter, IVR then determines whether the letter is identifiable or ambiguous at step . If the letter is not ambiguous IVR stores the letter at step . If the letter is ambiguous then IVR prompts the user with recognizable words at step , and receives a selection of one of the words from the user at step . The selection allows IVR to determine a letter based on the selection at step and to store a letter at step .
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If IVR receives a word from the user, IVR determines whether the word is recognized or not at step . If the word is recognized, IVR identifies the first letter of the word at step and then stores the letter at step . If the word used for spelling purposes is not recognized, then system prompts for a new word at step . At step , IVR determines whether the word has been spelled completely. This determination may be made based on user input or detecting any other suitable indication that the user has stopped spelling out the word. If spelling is complete IVR may reenter word recognition mode at step . Otherwise, IVR may receive a new sound from the user at step .
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is a flow chart illustrating an interactive spelling method including the ability of IVR to learn categories. IVR receives a sound at step . IVR determines based on the sound whether the user wishes to initiate a spelling mode at step . This determination may be based on IVR recognizing a particular command, receiving a particular phrase, detecting a sound corresponding to a latter, receiving a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tone corresponding to a command to spell, or any other suitable indication from the user. If the user has not given a command to enter spelling mode, IVR then determines whether the sound corresponds to a recognizable word at step . If the sound corresponds to a recognizable word, IVR stores the word at step . IVR then determines if there are any more words to be entered at step . To make this determination, IVR may monitor for a suitable indication from the user that the user is done entering information, such as a particular DTMF tone. If more words remain to be entered, IVR continues receiving sounds at step .
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Either at the user's request or when IVR cannot recognize a word in word mode, IVR may enter spelling mode. In spelling mode, IVR may optionally prompt the user for a spelling at step , or may receive sounds without a prompt, particularly when the user initiated spelling mode. IVR receives sounds from the user at step , and identifies sounds based on the letters in a suitable manner, which may include any of the methods described in conjunction with . If these sounds are ambiguous at decision step , IVR prompts the user for clarification at step .
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Once a recognizable word is received, IVR stores the first letter of the word, or if the sound is a letter, the letter itself. IVR determines an appropriate category for a received word at step . IVR updates statistics based on the determination at step . IVR may update global statistics relating to all users as well as individual statistics for the particular user. IVR may also update the most common words used to indicate a particular letter based on the category .
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At step , IVR analyzes statistics to determine if a particular category of words is identifiable with the user. IVR makes this determination based on predetermined statistical rules as well as previously collected statistics about the particular user. If category is identifiable, IVR identifies category and associates that category with the user. IVR may subsequently use category to aid in selecting words to use in prompts to the user, such as in steps and . IVR may also use category to assist in recognizing words at step and resolving ambiguities at step .
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After each word or letter is received in spelling mode, IVR determines whether the user has completed the spelling process at step . IVR makes this determination based on indications from the user similar to those used to determine whether the user is done entering words at step . If spelling mode is complete, IVR stores the spelled word at step . Otherwise, IVR continues to receive sounds in spelling mode at step .
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Although particular embodiments of methods for interactive spelling have been described, numerous variations will be apparent to one skilled in the art. For example, IVR may be able to learn the spelling of new words after they have been spelled once, so that a word that was previously unrecognizable may become recognizable. The degree and manner of interaction with the user, including the kind of commands received and the kind of prompts submitted to the user, may vary as well. The particular modes described are only examples from a wide variety of possible methods, and particular steps may be added, omitted, or performed concurrently or continuously in any suitable order without significantly affecting the overall operation of the methods described.
Although the present invention has been described with several embodiments, a myriad of changes, variations, alterations, transformations, and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art, and it is intended that the present invention encompass such changes, variations, alterations, transformations, and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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shows an interactive voice response system (IVR) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
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is a table containing recognizable words organized into categories;
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is a flow chart illustrating a method for IVR-initiated spelling; and
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is a flow chart illustrating a two-mode method for IVR-initiated spelling that includes receiving both letters and words in spelling mode; and
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is a flow chart illustrating an interactive spelling method in which an IVR determines a category of recognizable words associated with the user. | |
Editorial Note on the Review Process
====================================
[F1000 Faculty Reviews](http://f1000research.com/browse/f1000-faculty-reviews) are commissioned from members of the prestigious [F1000 Faculty](http://f1000.com/prime/thefaculty) and are edited as a service to readers. In order to make these reviews as comprehensive and accessible as possible, the referees provide input before publication and only the final, revised version is published. The referees who approved the final version are listed with their names and affiliations but without their reports on earlier versions (any comments will already have been addressed in the published version).
The referees who approved this article are:
1. Dae-Seong Kim, Department of Neurology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, South Korea [^3]
2. Edmar Zanoteli, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil [^4]
Introduction
============
Congenital myopathies are typically characterised by hypotonia, skeletal muscle weakness, and specific pathological hallmarks on skeletal muscle biopsy (reviewed in [@ref-1]). They are broadly grouped on the basis of the predominant pathological feature, specifically the presence of cores (core myopathy), central nuclei (centronuclear myopathy), or nemaline bodies (nemaline myopathy). Traditionally, diagnostic work-up and research of cases occurred following extensive clinical evaluation and muscle biopsy. This is changing, as genetic testing is increasingly the primary diagnostic approach.
Genetic diagnosis has improved with many novel disease-causing genes and variants causing congenital myopathies identified following the widespread adoption of massively parallel sequencing, and there was a peak in gene discovery in the early 2010s ^[@ref-2]^. Whilst the rate of gene discovery is slowing, one growth area in congenital myopathy genetics has been the identification of recessive congenital myopathies associated with pathogenic variants in genes previously associated only with dominant disease, namely *CACNA1S*, *SCN4A*, *TNNT3*, and *TTN.* Cases of congenital myopathy presenting *in utero* (sometimes as early as the first trimester with foetal akinesia and associated abnormalities, including multiple joint contractures, and arthrogryposis) are also increasingly recognised ^[@ref-3]^.
Alongside the advances in understanding the genetic basis, there has been a recent focus on genetic therapies for congenital myopathies, including exon skipping, RNA interference, and adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene replacement. The drive for therapies is complemented by increasing interest in the introduction of population-based carrier screening for recessive and X-linked diseases, including relevant congenital myopathies.
Here, we discuss the recent advances made toward understanding the molecular basis of and potential therapies for congenital myopathies, together with the current and future challenges for the field.
Advances in understanding the genetic basis of congenital myopathies
====================================================================
The extensive gene discovery success over the last eight years allows the provision of a molecular diagnosis to many more patients with congenital myopathy than was previously possible ^[@ref-4]^. It is difficult to be certain of the overall diagnostic rate for congenital myopathies, but Agrawal *et al*. suggested that 60% to 80% of centronuclear myopathies were genetically resolved ^[@ref-5]^, and in a recent Danish study of 107 national congenital myopathy cases that were older than five years of age, 56% received a genetic diagnosis ^[@ref-6]^. Interestingly, the rate of genetic diagnosis was 83% in cases with specific features on skeletal muscle biopsy but only 29% in cases with non-specific histology ^[@ref-6]^. *RYR1* mutations are the most frequent culprit in congenital myopathy ^[@ref-7]^. However, despite targeted gene panel and whole exome sequencing, many patients with congenital myopathy remain without a genetic diagnosis.
In the last couple of years, six new congenital myopathy disease genes have been identified ( [Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}). In addition to contributing to improved diagnostics, the discovery of mutations in *PPA2* and *PYROXD1* adds altered redox regulation as a primary disease mechanism in the congenital myopathies. Despite these recent discoveries, the identification of novel disease genes has waned, suggesting that genetically undiagnosed families may harbour variants in known congenital myopathy disease genes that are not currently recognised as pathogenic or are in genes that represent very rare forms of disease. This renders the ability to identify and confirm further novel disease genes more difficult, since researchers typically rely on the identification of additional families with a similar phenotype and variants in the same gene to confirm the diagnosis in the initial family.
###### Novel congenital myopathy disease genes, 2015--2018.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gene Findings References
-------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------
*MYL1* Recessive loss-of-function variants were identified in two probands with severe myopathy\ [@ref-8]
characterised by loss of hypotrophic type II myofibres on biopsy.
*MYO18B* Recessive variants were identified in a patient with nemaline myopathy and cardiomyopathy and\ [@ref-9], [@ref-10]
in a family presenting with Klippel--Feil anomaly and myopathy.
*MYPN* Recessive loss-of-function mutations were associated with childhood onset, slowly progressive\ [@ref-11], [@ref-12]
myopathy with nemaline bodies (including intranuclear rods), and caps on skeletal muscle\
biopsy. Patient biopsies showed a substantial reduction in myopalladin. Some patients also\
presented with cardiac involvement.
*PPA2* ^[a](#FN1){ref-type="other"}^ Recessive variants are associated with sudden cardiac death in infants and young adults.\ [@ref-13], [@ref-14]
Skeletal muscle from one mildly myopathic infant displayed nemaline bodies.
*PYROXD1* Recessive variants were identified in five families in which affected individuals presented with an\ [@ref-15]
early onset myopathy characterised by generalised skeletal muscle weakness and the presence\
of internal nuclei and myofibrillar aggregates on biopsy.
*RYR3* ^[a](#FN1){ref-type="other"}^ Recessive missense variants were identified in a patient with childhood-onset nemaline myopathy. [@ref-16]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
^a^Only in isolated probands. Additional cases/families are required to support *PPA2* and *RYR3* as congenital myopathy disease genes.
In addition to the discovery of novel disease genes, our ability to perform massively parallel sequencing via whole exome or targeted gene panels has resulted in unexpectedly large expansions of the genotype--phenotype correlations for some myopathy genes ( [Table 2](#T2){ref-type="table"}).
###### Novel genotype--phenotype associations, 2015--2018.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gene Finding References
----------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------
*ACTA1* Skeletal muscle from three severely affected patients with the same p.Asn94Lys variant had cytoplasmic\ [@ref-17]-- [@ref-19]
bodies but no nemaline bodies. Further mutations were associated with distal myopathy and progressive\
facioscapuloperoneal myopathy.
*CACNA1S* Dominant and recessive mutations, both resulting in reduced protein levels, were identified to cause severe\ [@ref-20]
congenital myopathies.
*FLNC* Four unrelated patients with cardiomyopathy, arthrogryposis, and a limb-girdle pattern of skeletal muscle\ [@ref-21]
weakness at birth or during the first year of life harboured *de novo* missense variants; three of these patients\
had p.Ala1186Val.
*SCN4A* A number of families presenting with severe congenital myopathy and *in utero* onset harboured recessive loss-\ [@ref-22], [@ref-23]
of-function mutations. Rare variants that altered the function of the encoded voltage-gated Na ^+^ channel were\
more recently identified in cases of sudden infant death syndrome.
*TNNT3* A homozygous splice-site variant was identified in a single patient with profound skeletal muscle weakness,\ [@ref-24]
hypotonia, contractures, and nemaline bodies.
*TTN* The largest cohort of patients (30 patients and 27 families) with congenital titinopathy associated with bi-allelic\ [@ref-25]
nonsense, truncating, or splice-site variants was recently described. All patients had prenatal or congenital\
onset hypotonia or contractures (or both), and almost half had cardiac involvement. One-third of the cohort\
harboured variants within meta-transcript-only exons, encoding a region of titin not found in the recognised\
mature skeletal muscle isoform transcript. These exons are thought to affect foetal titin transcripts and\
implicate developmental titin isoforms in disease pathogenesis.
*TRDN* Recessive frameshift mutations, leading to loss of TRDN, were found to cause a skeletal myopathy in a subset\ [@ref-26], [@ref-27]
of patients with triadin knockout syndrome.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Therefore, the clearly defined entities are blurring into a continuum of myopathic phenotypes ^[@ref-1]^. This, coupled with the decreased use of skeletal muscle biopsies and corresponding identification of distinct pathological features, means that it is becoming increasingly common to refer to diseases by the causative gene (for example, actinopathies and titinopathies).
Mutations in key excitation--contraction coupling proteins have long been known to result in severe congenital myopathies (reviewed in [@ref-28]), but the identification of mutations in *SCN4A* expanding the phenotype to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) ^[@ref-22]^ makes it tempting to speculate that functional variants in *RYR1* and *CACNA1S* are also responsible for a proportion of SIDS cases.
Developments in molecular diagnostics
=====================================
Definitive genetic diagnosis for the congenital myopathies is critical to the family for reproductive planning and for optimal care of the patient. Molecular diagnostics through massively parallel sequencing---whether by targeted gene panels or whole exome or genome sequencing---is becoming commonplace. While many extol the virtues of exome or genome sequencing, it is our opinion that currently targeted gene panels ^[@ref-29],\ [@ref-30]^ represent the "sweet spot" for molecular diagnostics for a number of reasons. It is our experience, and it is reported in the literature ^[@ref-30]^, that large gene panels are the most effective for genetic diagnosis because of varying degrees of clinical acumen; genetic overlap between different subtypes of neuromuscular disease; and the ever-expanding genotype--phenotype associations. These include improved read depth of the target region for the same or reduced sequencing cost ^[@ref-31]^, allowing the detection of variants in triplicated regions (this is particularly important for *NEB* and *TTN* ^[@ref-25],\ [@ref-29],\ [@ref-32]--\ [@ref-34]--\ [@ref-16]^); minimising incidental findings; reduced data handling and storage requirements; and better copy number variation calling compared with whole exome sequencing. Critical to accurate molecular diagnosis is the curation of variants by expert diagnosticians with an intimate knowledge of the group of diseases and their causative genes and proteins. Diagnostic centres where this is not the case sometimes miss pathogenic variants.
In support of the hypothesis that for many patients the causative mutation is an unrecognised mutation in a known disease gene, Cummings *et al*. obtained a 35% diagnostic rate by transcriptome-sequencing a cohort of patients that did not have a diagnosis following massively parallel sequencing of genomic DNA ^[@ref-35]^. We believe that inclusion of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in diagnostic workflows, for unsolved cases after whole exome or gene panel sequencing, is likely to result in improved diagnostic rates for congenital myopathies. A muscle biopsy can be readily collected for unsolved patients and therefore RNA-seq likely represents a better use of resources than moving to whole genome sequencing at this time.
A number of tertiary centres have investigated the place of rapid whole exome or genome sequencing within neonatal and paediatric intensive care units (ICUs). One such study recently abandoned the randomised standard testing arm because of loss of equipoise when it became apparent that rapid whole genome sequencing of trios resulted in more timely accurate genetic diagnosis of critically ill newborns ^[@ref-36]^. Given the high rate of *de novo* variants within the congenital myopathies, cases will continue to be encountered within ICUs despite the best preventative strategies (see section below on carrier screening for congenital myopathies). The high rates of genetic diagnosis in very sick babies in these ICU settings compared with cohorts with later-onset or milder diseases (or both) suggest that the underlying causes of disease in later-onset cohorts may not be purely Mendelian.
Functional analysis
===================
The use of animal models remains critical to the functional evaluation of novel variants and genes. However, with the increasing rate of variant discovery, functional analysis is becoming a bottleneck in both gene discovery and diagnosis. Selection of the most suitable models can reduce the time required. Examples include the recent analysis of variants in *PPA2* ^[@ref-13]^ and *PYROXD1* ^[@ref-15]^ using yeast and both yeast and zebrafish, respectively *.* Advances in CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing will allow the generation of sophisticated cell and animal models precisely mirroring changes observed in patients and will be of particular use in the analysis of large proteins (for example, *TTN*), where transgenic approaches are not feasible. While CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing is able to delete genes of interest relatively easily, generating specific point variations is much less efficient and takes considerable time and resources. In addition, it has been suggested that the best preclinical model for the evaluation of CRISPR-Cas9 gene therapies likely consists of patient cell lines, since the genomic background is identical to that of the patient. Thus, there will always be a place for patient biopsies and cell lines in research, and biobanking should continue to be supported for the congenital myopathies.
Whilst functional analysis of variants in novel disease genes is of great interest both diagnostically and for fundamental research, "variants of unknown significance" (VUSs) in known disease genes are a significant issue for diagnostic laboratories. However, the analysis of VUSs is less advantageous for research-focused laboratories. In our opinion, there is an urgent need for high-throughput functional genomics to be built into diagnostic pipelines and included in the cost of diagnosis. Diagnostic pipelines cannot continue to rely on research funding in research laboratories to perform functional analysis of VUSs in known disease genes.
Pathophysiology of the congenital myopathies
============================================
There have been significant increases in the understanding of the pathophysiology of the major classes of the congenital myopathies, core myopathies, nemaline myopathies, and centronuclear myopathies. Recent large comprehensive reviews should be accessed for the current state of knowledge. These include reviews of the sarcomeric pathobiology that is the basis of the nemaline myopathies ^[@ref-37]^ and of the excitation--contraction coupling basis of the core and centronuclear myopathies ^[@ref-28]^. A 2015 review by Ravenscroft *et al*. ^[@ref-38]^ explored the overlap and blurring of the boundaries of the pathobiology of the different congenital myopathies, suggesting possible treatments. However, overall, our understanding of pathophysiology is not keeping pace with the discovery of new genes. Therefore, in this age in which journals demand more and more functional analysis in order to publish novel gene--disease relationships, it is prudent to remember that, after decades of research, sometimes the precise pathophysiological basis of a disease remains obscure. For example, the exact pathological mechanism of how superoxide dismutase 1 ( *SOD1*) mutations cause familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is not known a quarter of a century after the association was published ^[@ref-39]^. Similarly, the pathobiology by which mutations in the slow skeletal muscle/beta cardiac myosin ( *MYH7*) tail that breaks the coiled-coil rule can cause a distal myopathy is not known 14 years after the initial publication ^[@ref-40]^. However, even in the absence of a complete understanding of the pathophysiology, the identification of causative mutations has immediate benefits for diagnosis, counselling, and family planning. For genes in which the pathophysiological basis of the disease is identified, evidence-based approaches to therapy can be researched.
Advances in therapies for congenital myopathies
===============================================
A range of therapeutic options is under investigation and showing great promise for neuromuscular disease. These were recently reviewed by Dowling *et al*. ^[@ref-41]^. Genetic therapies for neuromuscular diseases are gaining much attention, most notably with the controversial US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of exon skipping therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy ^[@ref-42],\ [@ref-43]^ and FDA approval of Spinraza (nusinersen) for spinal muscular atrophy. However, as the costs of these treatments are in the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient per year, this renders them unaffordable for most families and leaves healthcare systems with difficult decisions to make ^[@ref-45],\ [@ref-44],\ [@ref-29]^. As such, the need for treatments that are more affordable persists.
A longer-term alternative to exon skipping would be genetic correction, but, to date, no studies have been published testing CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing approaches for the treatment of any congenital myopathy animal model. Success has been reported in models of muscular dystrophy ^[@ref-46]--\ [@ref-48]^. However, in these studies, splice sites were disrupted, resulting in exon skipping and restored function. Though highly encouraging, this approach is not necessarily suited to the underlying molecular cause of most congenital myopathies, and the ability to efficiently correct point mutations *in vivo* is a significant hurdle.
Whereas genome editing is not likely to be clinically applied in congenital myopathy in the near future, other genetic approaches are perhaps closer, and there has been proof of principle in animal models. Lindqvist *et al*. delivered atrial/embryonic myosin light chain 1 (MyLC1 ~a/emb~; encoded by *MYL4*) using AAV to the tibialis anterior of KI *Acta1* ^H40Y^ mice in an attempt to improve muscle force ^[@ref-49]^. *MYL4*-treated muscles were hypertrophic and had a marked increase in steady-state isometric maximal force production ^[@ref-49]^. It remains to be seen whether systemic delivery of *MYL4* in males of this line can rescue the early lethality caused by urethral obstruction ^[@ref-50]^.
Building on previous positive results with mouse and dog models of X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) ^[@ref-51],\ [@ref-52]^, the efficacy of systemic intravenous AAV delivery of canine myotubularin ( *Mtm1*) to dogs at 10 weeks of age (and already manifesting XLMTM) was assessed. Not only was the intervention well tolerated but also it corrected skeletal muscle pathology body-wide; improved neurological function, respiratory function, gait, and limb strength; and prolonged the usually shortened lifespan ^[@ref-53]^. Moreover, follow-up at four years post-treatment for two dogs demonstrated findings similar to those of unaffected littermates for multiple parameters ^[@ref-54]^. Most excitingly, a phase I/II clinical trial is under way for XLMTM using a single intravenous dose of AAV8 *hMTM1* (ASPIRO trial; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03199469). These advances for AAV approaches are also significant because of possible translation to other congenital myopathies.
Additional encouraging approaches for the centronuclear myopathies include (a) targeting dynamin 2 (usually upregulated in skeletal muscles from patients and mouse models with myotubular myopathy) with a short hairpin RNA ^[@ref-55]^ or an antisense oligonucleotide ^[@ref-56]^; (b) silencing mutant dynamin 2 in autosomal dominant centronuclear myopathy using allele-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) sequences ^[@ref-57]^; (c) a spliceosome-mediated RNA trans-splicing strategy for dynamin 2 ^[@ref-58]^; (d) viral delivery of *Mtmr2*, a close homologue of the causative disease gene *MTM1* ^[@ref-59],\ [@ref-60]^; and (e) lowering phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate accumulation through PIK3C2B inhibition ^[@ref-61]^. Centronuclear myopathy or other congenital myopathy patients with a confirmed *RYR1* mutation are being included in a current clinical trial to evaluate the clinical benefit of antioxidant therapy in RYR1 myopathy via thrice-daily oral/G tube n-acetylcysteine (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02362425). This follows promising preclinical data in *RYR1* cell lines and a zebrafish model ^[@ref-62]^.
Alongside the exploration of genetic approaches, more traditional and rapidly translatable approaches have been evaluated in animal models for nemaline myopathy. Although nemaline bodies are the hallmark pathological feature of nemaline myopathy, small myofibres are also common, suggesting that promoting muscle growth could be beneficial. Inhibiting myostatin in the KI *Acta1* ^H40Y^ nemaline myopathy mouse line using an activin type IIB receptor monoclonal antibody (ActRIIB-mFc; Acceleron Pharma, Cambridge, MA, USA) extended the usually shortened lifespan of male mice but did not improve other disease features ^[@ref-50]^. Myostatin inhibition treatment using mRK35 (Pfizer, New York, NY, USA) was investigated in the Tg *ACTA1* ^D286G^ mouse model of nemaline myopathy and was found to be efficacious in normalising body weight, myofibre force, and grip strength ^[@ref-63]^.
Patients with nemaline myopathy, their families, and clinicians have reported benefit for certain dietary supplements (for example, ^[@ref-64],\ [@ref-65]^ and a previous study with mice ^[@ref-66]^ were supportive). However, supplements did not improve muscle strength in animal models of nemaline myopathy: L-tyrosine in mouse and zebrafish skeletal muscle alpha-actin models ^[@ref-67]^ and creatine, L-tyrosine, L-carnitine, and taurine in a zebrafish nebulin model ^[@ref-68]^.
It has been observed previously that patients lacking skeletal muscle alpha-actin (ACTA1) retained high levels of the cardiac (foetal) actin isoform (ACTC1) in skeletal muscle and that the degree of ACTC1 expression determined the level of severity ^[@ref-69]^. Experimentally, overexpression of ACTC1 is able to rescue *Acta1* knockout mice ^[@ref-70]^. Recently, we described that the loss of the predominant alpha-actin in zebrafish resulted in a very mild phenotype because of compensatory upregulation of actin paralogues ^[@ref-71]^. Intriguingly, this compensation was triggered by mutation in the *actc1b* gene but did not result following knockdown of Actc1b, suggesting that the trigger was not the loss of actin protein but something intrinsic to the mutated gene or message. Determining the trigger for this compensatory response may allow a similar response to be induced in the case of *ACTA1* myopathy, resulting in compensatory ACTC1 expression and reduced disease severity.
Carrier screening for congenital myopathies
===========================================
Reproductive carrier screening programs for recessive diseases have been in place for nearly 50 years, starting with Tay--Sachs disease in the 1970s ^[@ref-72]^. Carrier screening aims to facilitate informed reproductive decision making by identifying those couples at risk of having an affected child with an (autosomal or X-linked) recessive disorder ^[@ref-73]^. As congenital myopathies are often severe diseases, they can be included in carrier screening programs (for example, nebulin \[ *NEB*\]-related nemaline myopathy) ^[@ref-74]^. Recommendations on carrier screening from professional associations have been evolving toward recommendations for broader screening. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) 2017 Opinion 690 on carrier screening recommends that a carrier screening approach be "offered to and discussed with each patient, ideally before pregnancy" ^[@ref-75]^. Israel has a nationwide panethnic carrier screening program in place, screening over 60,000 individuals a year for multiple conditions ^[@ref-76]^. In other countries, such as Australia, community interest in carrier screening is being investigated ^[@ref-77]^. The Australian Federal Government, in its 2018 budget, announced a \$20 million research project into population-based reproductive carrier screening ( <http://www.health.gov.au/internet/budget/publishing.nsf/Content/budget2018-factsheet65.htm>). Although these programs will not remove the need for therapies, they could have profound impacts on the frequency, morbidity, and mortality of congenital myopathy.
Conclusions
===========
Congenital myopathy genetics, molecular diagnostics, pathophysiology, treatments, and prevention are advancing rapidly. The next few years, moving from gene discovery toward understanding pathophysiology and developing therapies, will see a need for changing skill sets and even broader multi-disciplinary teams to be involved in congenital myopathy research.
[^1]: All authors contributed to drafting and editing the manuscript.
[^2]: No competing interests were disclosed.
[^3]: No competing interests were disclosed.
[^4]: No competing interests were disclosed.
| |
Background: Prostatic Specific Antigen (PSA) is a protease secreted by epithelial cells of prostate. Serum PSA level is increased when the normal structure of gland is destroyed by benign or malignant tumor or inflammation. Though there is established relation between PSA plasma level and age among the two most common prostate diseases (Benign prostatic hyperplasia and Carcinoma Prostate) in the literature, relation has not been explored in our part of the world, therefore, this study was done to see the relation between age and PSA amount with Prostate diseases.
Material and Methods: This was a Cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary hospital, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital from January 2017 to December 2018. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional Review Committee (IRC). All the cases of prostate diseases presenting to urology department undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) were included. Histopathology report of TURP specimen were collected from department of pathology and the relationship between diagnosis, PSA level and age were established.
Results: BPH was the most common diagnosis (72.41%). Age of BPH patients ranged from 48-78 years and mean age with SD was 60.56±7.32. Median age with interquartile range was 61.00. Similarly, in the BPH group, PSA value ranged between 0.80-15.40 ng/ml with mean PSA value along with SD being 5.64±4.16 ng/ml. Similarly, Median PSA value with interquartile range was 4.20ng/ml. Carcinoma Prostate (27.59%) was the second most common diagnosis. Histological type of all cases diagnosed as cancer was adenocarcinoma. Their age ranged between 54-83. Their mean age with SD was 67.67±7.68. Similarly, Median age with interquartile range was 68.00. PSA value in this group ranged between 8.50-147.30 ng/ml. Again, the mean PSA value with SD is 55.72±33.40 ng/ml. Similarly, Median PSA value with interquartile range is 54.30 ng/ml.
Conclusion: PSA level in the blood of men over 40years is highly correlated with a Age, irrespective of diagnosis. In above 40 age group, with advancing age, Carcinoma Prostate becomes more and more common diagnosis than BPH. Similarly, average PSA level is higher in Carcinoma Prostate than BPH. | https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/JNGMC/article/view/31657 |
Correct! Wrong!
The chemical substances found most abundantly in the middle lamella are released into the phragmoplast by the Golgi complex.
In plants, two nearby cells are joined together by the middle lamella. The middle lamella is mainly composed of calcium and magnesium pectates. The middle lamella also contains carbohydrates such as galactose, arabinose, and xylose. These chemicals are synthesized in the Golgi apparatus, packaged in secretory vesicles, and later released into the phragmoplast, which later becomes the middle lamella.
The phragmoplast started forms after the disappearance of the spindle fibers in the late phase of cytokinesis. During anaphase and telophase of the cell cycle, microtubules, microfilaments, membranes, and associated molecules are assembled perpendicularly to the site for future cell plates. The structure leads to the formation of a new cell wall and separates the two daughter nuclei. Failure of phragmoplast assembly causes incomplete cytokinesis that leads to the formation of multinucleated cells.
Microtubules are polymers of tubulin proteins. They can grow as long as 50 µm and are part of the cytoskeleton. They provide structural shape to the eukaryotic cells. Microfilaments are polymers of actin proteins and are also a part of the cytoskeleton.
The microtubules transport the Golgi vesicles to the midline of the phragmoplast. These vesicles are fused to form the cell plate and polysaccharides become the middle lamella. The Golgi vesicles membrane becomes the plasma membrane of the newly developed daughter cells. | http://thelifescientist.in/2021/09/08/the-chemical-substances-found-most-abundantly-in-the-middle-lamella-are-released-into-the-phragmoplast-by/ |
Solving systems by substitution
The substitution method is one way of solving systems of equations. To use the substitution method, first identify equivalent relationships within the system.
Algebra 36 - Solving Systems of Equations by Substitution
Solving Systems Using Substitution When One of the Equations is Non-Linear ; lw = (2w – 4) w= 2w2 – 4w = , The first equation. Substitute (2w – 4).
How to Solve the System of Equations in Algebra Calculator · The first equation x+y=7 · Then a comma, · Then the second equation x+2y= Step 1: Enter the system of equations you want to solve for by substitution. The solve by substitution calculator allows to find the solution to a system of.
Solving Systems of Equations By Substitution: · Step 1: Rearrange one of the equations to get 'y' by itself · Step 2: Substitute the rearranged equation into its. We can solve systems of two equations with two unknowns using the substitution method. This method consists of solving for one of the variables in one of the. One such method is solving a system of equations by the substitution method, in which we solve one of the equations for one variable and then substitute the. To solve by substitution, replace one instance of the variable with an equation that it is equal to. Real-life Applications. Applications include supply and.
Solving systems by substitution - 3. Solving a system of equations by substitution Step 1: Solve an equation Pick the easier equation. The goal for one variable. is to get y= ; x= ; a= ; etc. | http://www.149polk.ru/customers/solving-systems-by-substitution.php |
Employee Type:
Full-Time
-
Location:
Mahwah, NJ
-
Job Type:
-
Job ID:
R416848
Job Description
Who we want
Dedicated achievers. People who thrive in a fast-paced environment and will stop at nothing to ensure a project is complete and meets regulations and expectations.
Goal-oriented developers. Keeping the customer and system requirements squarely in focus, people who deliver safe and robust solutions.
Collaborative partners. People who build and leverage cross-functional relationships to bring together ideas, information, use cases, and industry analyses to develop best practices.
Self-directed imitators. People who take ownership of their work and need no prompting to drive productivity, change, and outcomes.
User-focused creators. People who imagine with the user in mind, developing technology that helps change patients’ lives.
What you will do
As a Senior Engineer, under the direction of the manager and staff/principal engineers, you will conduct/perform documented failure investigations on customer complaints leading to the timely identification of root cause and corrective/preventive actions. You will also be responsible for identifying continuous improvement initiatives to drive process efficiencies.
Responsibilities:
- Mentor junior analysts and engineers by providing technical training and coaching to colleagues about Stryker’s product portfolio and business procedures.
- Identify continuous improvement initiatives to drive process efficiencies
- Work in a team environment with members of the complaint handling group to achieve business metrics.
- Generate team metrics and present at meetings on team progress.
- Ensure timely, accurate and complete failure investigations of product complaints leading to root cause and corrective/preventive action.
- Participate in and/or organize a cross functional team to help identify problem issue and drive product improvement process.
- Provide support to the new product development and risk management process.
- Work with all product, manufacturing and quality teams to determine root cause and to ensure proper corrective actions have been identified, implemented and verified to be effective.
- Generate data for Competent Authorities (FDA, BSI and other regulatory bodies).
- Collaborate with legal counsel for patient claims and cases.
- Collaborate with consulting clinicians on medical dictations.
- Train sales representatives on PER process.
- Attend job-pertinent training classes.
What you need
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Minimum 3 years’ experience in quality, manufacturing or engineering.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s Degree in engineering or science related field
- Prefer experience with medical device product development life cycle, including risk management and design/ process verification & validation
- Knowledge of FDA QSRs, ISO 13485 Design Control Procedures and ISO 14971. | https://careers.stryker.com/job/senior-engineer/J3R6616WGM4761XFCYT/ |
Twenty years on from its first edition, the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7) continued to provide audiences with an unsurpassed opportunity to view a diverse selection of work by artists from across the Asia Pacific region. As a core program of the Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), the APT has been instrumental in asserting QAGOMA as an industry leader in this field, with its continuity within the institution feeding into the development of its curators’ practices, a world-class collection, and an audience increasingly interested and literate in contemporary art from this area.
Started in 1993, the APT emerged out of an Australian political climate colored by then- Prime Minister Paul Keating’s concern with strengthening economic and cultural ties with the Asia Pacific. This was part of his “big picture” view for the nation, which acknowledged the geographic position of Australia within the region, the shifting axes of power globally, the changing face of Australia’s cultural demographic in light of migration, and the independence of Australia’s own history— including reigniting the republic debate and pushing for Aboriginal land rights. Set amongst this, the first APT boldly assumed a political position in positive support, with the ongoing exhibition series designed to actively participate in the imagining of an Asia Pacific geo-political construct through fostering relationships and making significant cultural and economic investment in the region.
The regional specificity of the APT has also made it an unusual bedfellow of the lineup of prominent recurring exhibitions. Its preference for a “regional” rather than a “global,” “national,” “local,” or “thematic” framework has proven to be its strength, allowing for a more open-ended consideration of how geography is defined while providing prominence and scholarship to a historically marginalized region. On this front, APT7 is no exception. Like the region it attempts to represent, the exhibition sprawls across the majority of QAGOMA’s two buildings, offering a veritable smorgasbord of mediums, approaches, and concerns. The works may be explored as discrete islands, or intuitive connections may be drawn between them to create constellations of meaning. Unsurprisingly, ideas of cultural exchange, conflict, diffusion, and mutuality arise throughout.
The complex nature of such issues is most strikingly captured by Vietnamese-born, US-based photographer An-My Lê. While at first the photographs from her series “Events Ashore” (2005–ongoing) appear visually incongruous with the surrounding works— which readily suggest their geographic specificity through easily read appropriations of cultural references on a bombastic scale— Lê’s work provides a subtle and moving reflection on the contradictory reality of a globalized world. Produced on her worldwide travels with US Marines and Navy deployed for training, her carefully framed juxtapositions of landscapes and people tease out the histories that they both embody and the psychology of anticipated military action. Other memorable works included Korean artist Sangdon Kim’s absurd sculptures, photos, and video that carefully balance humor and pathos to distill the artist’s engagement with local communities; the Taiwanese artist Yuan Goang-Ming’s technically mesmerizing multichannel video Disappearing Landscapes – Passing II (2011); and the Iranian born, US-based Sara Rahbar’s lovingly crafted Flags, which poetically merges competing national identifications into single objects.
Allowing the audience to pause for a more focused reflection on particular regional specificities is the inclusion of two smaller exhibitions by invited co-curators— a curatorial tactic that was first employed in 2009 with a presentation of work around the Mekong River system in Southeast Asia. For APT7 the areas considered are West Asia— defined as the vast region from Western China to Turkey traversed by the Silk Road— and the New Britain and Sepik regions of Papua New Guinea. In “O – Now: Traversing West Asia,” co-curated by November Paynter, photo media is heavily represented, indicating a sophisticated use of this medium by artists across West Asia. In Egyptian artist Wael Shawky’s Telematch Crusades (2009) a historical event from the Crusades is playfully reenacted with local school children to consider alternative perspectives of the past, while Kazakh artist Erbossyn Meldibekov’s Family Album (2011) is effective in its simplicity, placing family photographs taken in front of official buildings and monuments during Soviet rule beside those taken at the same place after independence. The previous structures have been replaced with figures of local significance, displaying how cultures symbolically define themselves and the struggle for Kazakhstan to assert independence.
Co-curated by Martin Fowler, the presentation of work from the New Britain and Sepik regions of Papua New Guinea are bold, colorful, tactile, and instantly arresting. Placed prominently in the entrance foyer, a commissioned spirit house tambaran by the Brikiti Cultural group of the East Sepik region scales the wall to the height of the Gallery’s top third level, articulating the important relationship between art and architecture in Papua New Guinean culture as well as displaying the artists’ experiments in new mediums— acrylic and board supplied by QAGOMA. This is accompanied by an array of commissioned masks traditionally used for performance. These include monumental Mandas masks by Katnanat Elison, which evoke dramatic plant-like forms and are awe-inspiring in their size, sensitivity of material, and in the imagination of how they might appear when in use.
Strongly based in tradition, the question of the “contemporary” nature of the works and practices presented from Papua New Guinea would provide an easy rhetoric for criticism. However, such a simplification would avoid the larger and more difficult questions surrounding culture and its preservation today that their commission, collection, and display provokes. Customarily ephemeral or site-based— due to the nature of the materials and the works intended use as architecture or in performance— the commodification of these objects raises questions about colonization and cultural independence. Such issues require a careful negotiation between cultures and the different balances of economic power, infrastructure, agendas, and understandings that exist between them alongside the importance of visibility. It is also an issue that Australia is yet to fully reconcile in relation to the cultural practices and the surrounding contemporary art market of its own Aboriginal people, an issue poignantly expressed in Richard Bell’s seminal work Aboriginal Art, It’s a White Thing (2003).
These issues are critically reflected in the adjoining room through Graham Fletcher’s paintings of retro chic interiors with Pacific ethnographics as objects of decoration and desire. Continuing his interest in how periods and perspectives have shaped the understandings of Pacific cultural objects, Fletcher’s paintings clearly ask such questions, albeit leaving the answers up for deliberation. Nearby, paintings and a video work by the Aboriginal artist Daniel Boyd are an exciting resolution of ideas and experiments in new media that the artist has been working with over the last few years. Utilizing dots to build compositions and as a lens through which to see the world, his works provide an alternative consideration of the politics of the dot in Australian representational practices. The presence of work by other Aboriginal artists— of varied gender, generation, urban and regional centers— provides a more holistic view of approaches by Aboriginal artists today.
The archive also emerges as a recurrent thread throughout APT7. This is seen both in the practices of artists— such as the collective Ruangrupa’s fictional archive of an underground Indonesian punk band from the 1970s and Raqs Media Collective’s presentation of their own twenty-year history— and in the inclusion of artist talks across the triennial’s duration. The emphasis on the archive is poignant in its reflection on the importance of the historical record, on what is preserved and what is forgotten— suggesting, somewhat, that the APT will be best understood over time. Having displayed an encouraging responsiveness to each iteration’s triumphs and failings, the APT is an ongoing work in progress, with APT7 continuing to build a bigger picture of the Asia Pacific region and to stimulate significant debates. It is difficult to think of another exhibition program currently running in Australia that has the weight and importance of APT, one that makes the viewer feel a part of living history. | http://www.leapleapleap.com/2013/05/the-7th-asia-pacific-triennal-of-contemporary-art/ |
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Mid-term and final grades are uploaded and available to advisors via myBerea for appropriate follow-up with assigned advisees. Mid-term grade reports are also reviewed by the Intervention Response Team and the Office of Academic Services to identify students at risk and students who are no longer engaged in the academic environment. Appropriate follow-up is coordinated through the Office of Academic Services including assisting students with academic processes to ensure adherence to campus policy and to best serve the student situation. Examples include:
- Leave of Absence
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Attendance Tracker
Attendance Tracking is used to track attendance for students by course.
Faculty members can enter attendance data on a laptop or mobile device in the classroom.
Tracking is done at the meeting level for sections. A student’s attendance can be marked as
present or absent; meeting cancellations and notified absences can also be recorded.
Faculty can access Attendance tracking by going to teach.berea.edu.
PDF instructions are available here.
Summer Success Experience
The Summer Success Experience is an 8-week summer program offered to 15-18 first-year students (rising second-year students). These students are at risk for suspension or academic failure but have demonstrated a potential for success. The SSE program provides an intensive and structured environment for struggling students who have been identified by faculty as having a likelihood of success if offered a final opportunity to address strategies for academic success. | https://www.berea.edu/academic-services/faculty-staff/ |
THIRD DIVISION
BARNES, P. J.,
BOGGS and BRANCH, JJ.
NOTICE: Motions for reconsideration must be
physically received in our clerk’s office within ten
days of the date of decision to be deemed timely filed.
http://www.gaappeals.us/rules/
July 14, 2014
In the Court of Appeals of Georgia
A14A0683. BODIFORD v. THE STATE.
B RANCH, Judge.
Ricardo Breshard Bodiford appeals from an order of the Henry County Superior
Court denying his motion to suppress cocaine discovered in his car during a traffic
stop. Bodiford asserts that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress
because police discovered the cocaine only after the arresting officer impermissibly
prolonged the traffic stop for the purpose of conducting a drug investigation, and
because the officer lacked a legal basis for expanding the scope of the traffic stop
beyond its original purpose. We agree with Bodiford and therefore reverse the trial
court’s order.
At a hearing on a motion to suppress, the trial judge sits as the trier of fact.
Gonzalez v. State, 299 Ga. App. 777, 778 (1) (683 SE2d 878) (2009). On appeal from
the grant or denial of such a motion, therefore, this Court “must construe the evidence
most favorably to uphold the findings and judgment of the trial court, and that court’s
findings as to disputed facts and credibility must be adopted unless clearly erroneous.
However, we owe no deference to the trial court’s conclusions of law and are instead
free to apply anew the legal principles to the facts.” State v. Able, 321 Ga. App. 632-
633 (742 SE2d 149) (2013) (punctuation and footnote omitted).
The relevant facts in this case are undisputed and the record shows that while
patrolling I-75 on the evening of October 30, 2012, Officer Jason Hart of the Henry
County Police Department performed a traffic stop of a car being driven by Bodiford
after Hart detected the car traveling 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Hart
initiated the traffic stop at 6:40 p.m., and a video recording of that stop was introduced
into evidence at the hearing on the motion to suppress. 1
Hart testified that when he asked Bodiford for his driver’s license, Bodiford
appeared visibly nervous; his right hand was shaking, he was breathing heavily, and
sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead. The officer therefore asked Bodiford to
step out of his vehicle while Hart wrote him a courtesy warning. The video of the stop
shows that Hart thereafter retrieved his citation book from his patrol car and then
1
Hart testified that the video accurately reflects the traffic stop.
2
spent approximately two-and-one-half minutes writing Bodiford a warning ticket,
conversing with Bodiford as he did so. The video shows that Hart explained the
warning to Bodiford, and Bodiford appears to sign the citation. After he completed
writing and explaining the warning, however, Hart did not give the ticket to Bodiford
or return Bodiford’s license. Rather, at that point, approximately six-and-one-half
minutes after the traffic stop had begun, Hart questioned Bodiford about the status of
his driver’s license and told Bodiford the officer would need to run a check of the
same. According to Hart, his standard practice was to refrain from running a license
check until at or near the time he had completed writing the traffic citation.
The video of the traffic stop shows Hart standing between Bodiford’s car and
his patrol car, using his shoulder-mounted radio to provide dispatch with Bodiford’s
driver’s license number. After transmitting the license information to dispatch, Hart
asked Bodiford whether he had any contraband in the car, such as drugs, guns, or
excessive amounts of cash. When Bodiford responded negatively, Hart asked for
permission to search the car. Bodiford questioned Hart as to whether he was required
to consent to an automobile search and Hart explained that Bodiford had a
constitutional right to refuse, but that if Bodiford refused consent, “what I’m gonna
do is, I’m gonna get my dog out of the [patrol] car, run my dog around [your] car and
3
see if he shows any positive odor response on the vehicle.” When Bodiford refused
to give an unequivocal “yes” to Hart’s request for consent to search the car, the officer
patted him down, instructed him to stand away from his car and next to Hart’s patrol
car, and asked for and received permission to turn off Bodiford’s car.
After turning off Bodiford’s car, and approximately nine minutes into the traffic
stop, Hart returned to his patrol car to retrieve his dog. Although Hart cannot be seen
on camera at this point, dispatch can be heard very clearly on the radio attempting to
contact Hart. Hart, however, did not respond to the dispatcher. At the hearing below,
Hart testified that he heard dispatch attempting to reach him, but explained that he did
not respond because he was “in [the] process of hooking my lead up to my dog and
I didn’t want to take my hands off it in order to key up on the radio.” The officer
acknowledged, however, that at the time he received the radio call, he had not yet
removed his dog from the patrol car. After Hart failed to respond to the radio call, the
dispatcher can be heard on the recording making a second attempt to reach the officer.
Seven seconds later, as he was standing together with his dog next to Bodiford’s car,
Hart responded to the radio call, telling the dispatcher, “I’m in a bad spot here.” Hart
testified that his response resulted from the fact that radio service on the part of I-75
where the traffic stop was occurring was “very poor” and that “90 percent of the time”
4
officers in that area would need to use the radio in their patrol car to speak with
dispatch. Hart further explained that once dispatch was told he was in a bad spot for
radio, the dispatcher would know she should make no further attempts to contact him;
rather, the dispatcher would wait for Hart to contact her.
Having thus instructed dispatch not to initiate any further contact with him, Hart
walked his dog around Bodiford’s car. The dog indicated that there was contraband
in the car and Hart then searched the vehicle. During that search, the officer found a
large quantity of cocaine located underneath a passenger-side seat. Based on this
discovery, Hart arrested Bodiford.
Savannah Black was the Henry County dispatcher with whom Hart had contact
during the incident in question. She testified that dispatch operators fulfill two general
functions with respect to traffic stops. First, dispatchers create a computer-aided
dispatch (“CAD”) report for every traffic stop conducted. Second, the operators log
all relevant information into those CAD reports as the information is received. Such
information would include the make, model, and tag number of the car being stopped
and the license information of the driver. According to the CAD report generated in
connection with the stop of Bodiford, Black sent Bodiford’s driver’s license
information to the GCIC at 6:46:13 p. m., and the results of that check were
5
transmitted back to her two seconds later, at 6:46:15 p. m.2 At 6:48:14 p. m., Bodiford
logged that information into the CAD report, and she testified that as a matter of
routine practice, her next step would be to communicate the results of the license
check to the requesting officer. The record shows that Black’s first attempt to contact
Hart occurred at 6:48:45 p.m., or approximately 30 seconds after Black logged the
information received from GCIC regarding Bodiford’s license into the CAD report.
Following his arrest, Bodiford was indicted on a single count of trafficking in
cocaine. Prior to trial, he moved to suppress the cocaine found in his car, arguing that
it resulted from an illegal detention. After holding an evidentiary hearing on that
motion, the trial court denied the same but granted Bodiford a certificate of immediate
review. Bodiford then filed an application for an interlocutory appeal, which this
Court granted. This appeal followed.
1. On a motion to suppress contraband discovered during a traffic stop, “[t]he
State bears the burden of proving that the search of the car was lawful, and to carry
this burden, the State must show that it was lawful to detain [Bodiford] until the time
the drug dog indicated the presence of drugs.” Dominguez v. State, 310 Ga. App. 370,
2
The license check showed that Bodiford’s license was valid and that there
were no outstanding warrants on Bodiford.
6
372 (714 SE2d 25) (2011) (citation omitted). As our Supreme Court has recently
explained, claims that an officer illegally prolonged a detention resulting from a traffic
stop generally fall into two categories. The first category involves those cases where
the officer allegedly extended the stop “beyond the conclusion of the investigation that
warranted the detention in the first place,” i.e., whether the officer prolonged the stop
after concluding his investigation of the traffic violation. Rodriguez v. State, ___ Ga.
___ (2) (b) (Case No. S13G1167, decided June 30, 2014) (citation omitted). In such
cases, courts have “generally concluded” that even a “short prolongation” is
“unreasonable unless . . . good cause has appeared in the meantime to justify a
continuation of the detention to pursue a different investigation.” Id. In the second
category of cases, the detention is not extended
beyond the conclusion of the investigation that originally warranted the
detention, but it is claimed that the investigation took too long . . . . In
these cases, the courts examine “whether the police diligently pursued a
means of investigation that was likely to confirm or dispel their
suspicions quickly, during which time it was necessary to detain the
defendant. United States v. Sharpe, 470 U. S. 675, 686 (II) (B) (105 SCt
1568, 84 LE2d 605) (1985).”
Id. In either type of case, the touchstone of our analysis is the reasonableness of the
investigating officer’s conduct, i.e., we ask whether the officer’s conduct in
7
prolonging the stop was reasonable given the objective facts known to the officer and
the circumstances under which he was working. See Walker v. State, 314 Ga. App. 67,
73 (2) (722 SE2d 887) (2012); Young v. State, 310 Ga. App. 270, 273 (712 SE2d 652)
(2011). See also Rodriguez, ___ Ga. at ___ (2) (b) (“[i]n the end, the question is
whether the detention was appreciably prolonged, considering the detention as a
whole, and keeping in mind that the touchstone of our inquiry is reasonableness”)
(citation and punctuation omitted). The question of reasonableness is one of law. See
Nash v. State, 323 Ga. App. 438, 442 (746 SE2d 918) (2013) (in reviewing a motion
to suppress resulting from a traffic stop, this Court examines whether police conduct
was reasonable, based upon the facts of record); Heard v. State, 325 Ga. App. 135,
137 (751 SE2d 918) (2013).
Bodiford alleges that Hart unreasonably prolonged the traffic stop by extending
it after he had completed the investigation of the traffic violation. In support of this
argument, Bodiford points to the fact that Hart failed to initiate a check of Bodiford’s
driver’s license at the earliest practicable time during the traffic stop, but instead
waited until after he had completed all other aspects of his investigation, including the
writing of the traffic citation. See Weems v. State, 318 Ga. App. 749, 751-752 (1) (734
SE2d 749) (2012) (holding that an officer’s decision to delay initiating a license check
8
until after he had completed all other tasks associated with his investigation of a traffic
violation, including writing the ticket, unreasonably prolonged the stop given that the
record showed “no apparent reason . . . justify[ing] the officer’s decision” to proceed
in that fashion).3 See also St. Fleur v. State, 296 Ga. App. 849, 851-852 (1) (676 SE2d
243) (2009) (“[i]t does not unreasonably expand the scope or duration of a valid traffic
stop for an officer to prolong the stop to immediately investigate and determine if the
driver is entitled to continue to operate the vehicle by checking the status of the
driver’s license, insurance, and vehicle registration”) (punctuation and footnote
omitted; emphasis supplied); Young, 310 Ga. App. at 273 (finding that a traffic stop
was not unreasonably prolonged by an officer’s decision to call a K-9 unit to the scene
while awaiting the results of license checks on the driver and passenger where there
was “no evidence to suggest that the officer delayed in” running those checks).
3
Surprisingly, the trial court characterized Weems, on which Bodiford relied
below, as “only a three-judge panel decision” of this Court, a sentiment echoed by the
State on appeal. We note that in Weems, this Court reversed this same trial court judge
after he denied a motion to suppress involving this same officer. These similarities not
withstanding, we take this opportunity to reiterate that “[a] unanimous decision by a
three-judge panel of this Court remains binding precedent until such time as it is
modified or reversed by this Court en banc or our Supreme Court.” Evergreen
Packaging v. Prather, 318 Ga. App. 440, 445, n.15 (734 SE2d 209) (2012).
9
Alternatively, Bodiford argues that Hart extended the traffic stop by failing to
pursue immediately and diligently the available means of investigation so as to
complete quickly his investigation of the traffic violation that precipitated the stop.
Specifically, Bodiford contends that Hart failed to pursue diligently his investigation
of the traffic violation when he ignored the dispatcher’s initial attempt to contact him
with the results of the license check and then instructed the dispatcher not to make any
further attempt to contact him. We find that regardless of whether Hart had some
reason to delay initiating the check of Bodiford’s license, his subsequent refusal to
have any contact with dispatch, despite his knowledge that he was awaiting the results
of the license check, unreasonably prolonged the traffic stop.
As noted above, the general rule is that an officer may run a check of the
driver’s license of both the car’s driver and any passengers without unreasonably
prolonging a traffic stop. St. Fleur, 296 Ga. App. at 852 (1). This rule, however,
assumes that the time involved in running license checks will be relatively brief, and
any undue delay in that process could render the length of the detention unreasonable.
See Salmeron v. State, 280 Ga. 735, 736 (1) (632 SE2d 645) (2006) (“‘a seizure that
is justified solely by the interest in issuing a warning ticket to the driver can become
unlawful if it is prolonged beyond the time reasonably required to complete that
10
mission.’ Illinois v. Caballes, 543 U. S. 405, 407 (125 SCt 834, 160 LEd2d 842)
(2005)”). Thus, the law does not allow an officer unilaterally to extend the time
reasonably required for a traffic stop by knowingly avoiding communication with
dispatch after requesting a license check. See Rodriguez, ___ Ga. at ___ (2) (b)
(whether police unreasonably prolonged a traffic stop depends upon “whether the
police diligently pursued a means of investigation that was likely to confirm or dispel
their suspicions quickly”) (citation and punctuation omitted); Salmeron, 280 Ga. at
736 (1). In this case, Hart unilaterally extended the time for the traffic stop by failing
to respond to dispatch.
The record shows that dispatch attempted to contact Hart approximately two
minutes and 30 seconds after the officer requested a check of Bodiford’s license. Hart,
however, chose to ignore the dispatcher, despite his admitted knowledge that if the
license check showed no problems, the traffic stop would be at an end and Bodiford
would be free to go. According to Hart, he heard the dispatch but did not respond
because he was “in [the] process of hooking my lead up to my dog and I didn’t want
to take my hands off it.” Hart admitted, however, that he had not yet removed his dog
from the car at this point. After he had retrieved his dog from his patrol car and
walked towards Bodiford’s car, Hart responded to the dispatcher’s second attempt to
11
reach him but told her that he was in a “bad spot” for radio reception, thereby
signaling the dispatcher that she should make no further effort to contact him. Hart’s
actions thereby ensured that the traffic stop would be prolonged at least until he had
the opportunity to have his dog perform a free-air sniff around Bodiford’s car.
Despite these facts, the State argues that we have no basis for reversing the trial
court’s order, given the court’s legal conclusion that the Fourth Amendment is
violated only when an officer “purposefully delay[s] the investigation [of the traffic
violation] without an articulable reasonable suspicion of criminal activity” and that
Hart did not act “purposefully.” The trial court’s legal conclusion, however, is
erroneous. The law is well-established that the question of whether a traffic stop was
reasonable under the Fourth Amendment does not depend upon the subjective
motives, beliefs, or intentions of the individual officers involved. See Whren v. United
States, 517 U. S. 806, 813 (II) (A) (116 SCt 1769, 135 LEd2d 89) (1996)
(“[s]ubjective intentions play no role in ordinary, probable-cause Fourth Amendment
analysis,” and “the constitutional reasonableness of traffic stops [do not] depend[ ] on
the actual motivations of the individual officers involved”); Maryland v. Macon, 472
U. S. 463, 470–471 (II) (A) (105 SCt 2778, 86 LEd2d 370) (1985) (“[w]hether a
Fourth Amendment violation has occurred turns on an objective assessment of the
12
officer’s actions in light of the facts and circumstances confronting him at the time,
and not on the officer’s actual state of mind at the time the challenged action was
taken”) (citation and punctuation omitted); Rodriguez, ___ Ga. at ___, n. 13 (an
officer’s subjective beliefs and intentions are not dispositive factors in determining
whether the officer acted reasonably under the Fourth Amendment); Oglesby v. State,
311 Ga. App. 615, 617 (716 SE2d 742) (2011) (“[w]hen analyzing whether a person
has been unconstitutionally seized, we are not bound by the investigating officer’s
subjective belief”) (citation and punctuation omitted); In the Interest of A. A., 265 Ga.
App. 369, 372 (1) (593 SE2d 891) (2004) (“the officer’s subjective belief that he had
authority to detain the juveniles is not controlling”) (citation omitted). Rather, as noted
above, our analysis requires us to determine whether the officer’s conduct was
reasonable “based upon the objective facts known to the officer at the time.” Oglesby,
311 Ga. App. at 618 (citation omitted).
The State contends that Hart’s conduct was reasonable because he had no way
of knowing that the dispatcher was attempting to provide him with the results of
Bodiford’s license check. In support of this argument, the State relies on Black’s
testimony that a dispatcher is required to run periodic “status checks” on any officer
who initiates a traffic stop by making contact with the officer at specified intervals.
13
The first such check is supposed to occur four minutes after the stop is initiated and
checks should thereafter be done every five minutes until the stop is completed. If an
officer makes contact with dispatch before time for the next scheduled status check,
that contact restarts the clock, with the next check being due five minutes following
dispatch’s last contact with the officer. Black testified that she could not say whether
she was attempting to contact Hart with the results of Bodiford’s license check, or
because she was due to make a status check on him.4
The fact that dispatch might have been attempting to reach Hart simply for a
status check, however, does not control our analysis. Rather, the question is whether
Hart’s conduct in refusing contact with dispatch was reasonable, given the facts of
which Hart did have knowledge. The facts known to Hart were that he had requested
the license check; that he was waiting for dispatch to provide him with the results of
that license check; and that if the check showed that Bodiford’s license was valid, the
traffic stop would be at an end and Bodiford would be free to go. Given this
4
The record shows that dispatch spoke with Hart at 6:46:13 p.m., when he
contacted Black with Bodiford’s license information. Thus, dispatch was not
scheduled to make a status check of Hart until approximately 6:51:13 p.m. Black first
attempted to contact the officer, however, at 6:48:45 p.m., approximately thirty
seconds after entering into the CAD the information received on the return on
Bodiford’s driver’s license and almost two minutes and thirty seconds before she was
due to make a status check of Hart.
14
knowledge, and in the absence of any extenuating circumstances, the Fourth
Amendment’s requirement that Hart diligently pursue his investigation so as to
minimize the time of a motorist’s detention meant that Hart was required to respond
promptly to any efforts by dispatch to contact him.
The State argues that despite his knowledge that he was awaiting the results of
Bodiford’s license check, Hart’s decision not to respond to dispatch was reasonable
because poor radio reception meant that Hart could not communicate with dispatch
via his shoulder-mounted radio and that requiring Hart to leave Bodiford unattended
while he used his car radio would have presented an unreasonable danger to the
officer. This argument is not supported by the record.
We first note that the trial court did not make any factual finding that Hart and
the dispatcher were in fact experiencing problems communicating with each other.
Rather, the trial court’s factual findings simply reflect the fact that Hart “advise[d] the
dispatcher that he [was] in a bad area for radio traffic (i.e., cancels checks on him).” 5
Moreover, we have carefully reviewed the testimony of record, and neither Hart nor
the dispatcher testified that they were actually experiencing problems communicating
5
The trial court further found that “[t]he radio communication problem [could]
be overcome by moving into the officer’s car and using the car radio instead of the
handheld device.”
15
with each other. Instead, both testified only that radio service was known to be poor
on that part of I-75 where the traffic stop occurred, and Hart further testified that “90
percent of the time” officers in that area would need to use the radio in their patrol car
to speak with dispatch. Additionally, the video shows that Hart and the dispatcher had
no difficulty communicating with one another via Hart’s shoulder-mounted radio. The
recording of the stop shows Hart standing on the side of the road, speaking into the
radio and providing dispatch with Bodiford’s driver’s license information; the
dispatcher does not indicate that she is having any problems understanding Hart, and
she never asks Hart to repeat anything. Furthermore, the dispatcher can be heard very
clearly on the radio attempting to contact Hart, and no static or other interference can
be heard. Additionally, Hart had no problem communicating to dispatch that he was
in a “bad spot” for radio.
Even construing the evidence as showing that Hart and the dispatcher were
having problems communicating via Hart’s shoulder-mounted radio, however, there
was no evidence of any extenuating circumstances, such as concern for officer safety,
that prevented Hart from responding to dispatch by using the radio in his patrol car.
The record shows that by the time dispatch attempted to contact him, Hart had frisked
Bodiford for weapons and had found none. Additionally, Bodiford, who cooperated
16
completely with Hart throughout the traffic stop, was standing away from his car and
next to Hart’s patrol car as instructed by Hart. Accordingly, given the lack of
extenuating circumstances, the fact that Hart and dispatch may have had some
problems communicating over Hart’s shoulder-mounted radio did not relieve Hart of
his responsibility to respond to dispatch before extending the traffic stop any further.
The fact that Hart did not want to interrupt the process of retrieving the police dog,
which was still in his patrol car, to respond to dispatch does not change this analysis.
Based on the facts of record, we find that Hart’s conduct unreasonably
prolonged the traffic stop of Bodiford and that, absent a valid reason for extending the
stop beyond the investigation of the traffic violation, the search of Bodiford’s car
resulted from his illegal detention.
2. An officer may continue to detain a driver after the investigation of the traffic
violation is complete only if the officer has “a reasonable, articulable suspicion that
[the driver] was engaged in other illegal activity.” Valentine v. State, 323 Ga. App.
761, 765 (2) (748 SE2d 122) (2013) (citation omitted). In its brief the State points to
no evidence, other than the fact that the police dog alerted on Bodiford’s car, that
would support an extension of the traffic stop beyond its original scope. As explained
in Division 1, however, the free air sniff occurred as a result of Hart’s decision to
17
expand the traffic stop beyond its original purpose and it therefore cannot serve as a
basis for Bodiford’s continued detention. Moreover, Hart testified that if Bodiford’s
license check showed no problems with the license and no outstanding warrants for
Bodiford, the traffic stop would be concluded and Bodiford would be free to go.
Additionally, Hart testified that he suspected that Bodiford was engaged in
criminal conduct because of the extreme nervousness Bodiford displayed at the outset
of the traffic stop. According to Hart, when he saw someone who displayed such signs
of nervousness during a traffic stop, he took that as an indication that the person might
be involved in illegal activity “and I’d like to investigate further.” This Court,
however, has repeatedly held that “nervousness alone cannot provide reasonable
suspicion of criminal activity.” Bell v. State, 295 Ga. App. 607, 610 (2) (672 SE2d
675) (2009) (footnote omitted). See also Rosas v. State, 276 Ga. App. 513, 516 (1) (b)
(624 SE2d 142) (2005) (“[w]e have consistently held that ‘nervousness alone’ is not
sufficient to establish reasonable suspicion to detain and investigate illicit drug
activity”) (footnote omitted); State v. Harris, 261 Ga. App. 119, 122 (581 SE2d 736)
(2003) (“[n]ervousness in police presence, standing alone, provides no articulable
suspicion” of criminal activity and cannot serve as the basis for prolonging a traffic
stop) (footnote omitted); Barraco v. State, 244 Ga. App. 849, 852 (2) (b) (537 SE2d
18
114) (2000) (“[e]ven when other factors are present, nervous behavior of a person who
has been stopped by an armed law enforcement officer is not an unusual response and
is not necessarily strong evidence to support either reasonable suspicion or probable
cause”). Accordingly, Hart had no basis for prolonging the traffic stop beyond the
time reasonably required to complete his investigation of Bodiford’s traffic violation.
The search of Bodiford’s car, therefore, resulted from an illegal detention. Given this
fact, we reverse the order of the trial court and remand the case with direction to grant
Bodiford’s motion to suppress.
Judgment reversed and case remanded with direction. Barnes, P. J., and Boggs,
J., concur.
19
| |
UAE leads Middle East in AI adoption
A report by the Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Campus (DTEC) has stated that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is first place in the Middle East region for artificial intelligence (AI) adoption.
The study shows an annual growth rate of AI adoption in Dubai at 33.5%
Further figures contained in the report include a stunning statistic - 45% of the world economy's total gains by 2030 will be due to AI.
HH Sheikh Hamdan Inspects Dubai RTA’s Plans
In terms of the Middle East, the aforementioned UAE is first (33.5%), followed by Saudi Arabia (31.3%), with the rest of the GCC at 28.8%.
As well as outlining general AI strategies, the report lists three priority areas for enterprise adoption of AI solutions: AI for operation enhancement, AI for customer service enhancement, and AI for growth strategy support.
The report also outlines the concerns of entities regarding AI, primarily the risk of security breach, data leaks, privacy threats, job replacement, lack of knowledge required by suppliers, and the absence of regulatory frameworks in many countries. | https://www.transportandlogisticsme.com/global-news/2018/12/12/uae-top-in-region-for-ai |
Who's who in the great EU jobs hunt
BRUSSELS, May 17 (Reuters) - Next week's European Parliament election will usher in a major reshuffle of top jobs in EU institutions.
These include presidents of the three political bodies - the executive European Commission (currently Jean-Claude Juncker), the Council of national leaders (Donald Tusk) and Parliament (Antonio Tajani) - and the European Central Bank (Mario Draghi) plus the EU's foreign policy chief (Federica Mogherini).
National leaders meet on May 28 to haggle and prepare to bargain with EU lawmakers (MEPs). Any deals must balance the interests of: states and Parliament; key member states; big countries and small; Europe's north, south, east and west; and pan-EU political parties, right, left and centre.
Who gets what is anyone's guess at this stage but these are some of the names in the mix for the Brussels political posts:
MANFRED WEBER - German, centre-right EPP, 46, MEP.
Leading EPP election campaign to be Commission president. A strong EPP result would help him but centrist French President Emmanuel Macron and others reject a parliamentary push to bind leaders into choosing an MEP "Spitzenkandidat" for the job. Many dismiss Weber for lacking national government credentials.
Dark horse, not running in election but discreetly working to capitalise on respect of leaders for Brexit negotiations; energy belies age; as a moderate French conservative, could please both liberal Macron and conservative German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
MARGRETHE VESTAGER - Danish, ALDE, 51, EU commissioner.
Promoted by ALDE centrists in campaign, attacks on big U.S. firms' tax affairs raised profile; as a liberal and a woman, she could please Macron, Merkel and several liberal prime ministers. | |
The invention discloses compounds of formula I wherein Y is a group of formula A, B, C, D, or E: and W, Q, n, R1, R2, R3, U1-U5, J and K have the meanings given in the description. The compounds of formula I are TRPV1 antagonists and are useful as active ingredients of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of pain and other conditions ameliorated by the inhibition of the vanilloid receptor TRPV1. | |
One of the nearest stars to Earth, Proxima Centauri, is home to an exoplanet named Proxima B. The star around which that world is orbiting has recently been seen erupting with massive discharges of radiation. This has led some astronomers to conclude that system is unsuitable for life. Although that planet may be warm enough to support lifeforms, many researchers now believe any atmosphere around the planet would be stripped away by the powerful flares.
Astronomers typically study the gases surrounding extra-solar worlds by analyzing light passing through its atmosphere. However, Proxima B is not aligned correctly for that type of study. Therefore, researchers try to model what would happen to Earth if it were placed at the same distance from the star in alien systems.
“The question is, how much of the atmosphere is lost, and how quickly does that process occur? If we estimate that time, we can calculate how long it takes the atmosphere to completely escape — and compare that to the planet’s lifetime,” Ofer Cohen from the University of Massachusetts said.
Calculations show that if Earth were placed in that system, our atmosphere would drain away 10,000 times faster than it does here at home. Atmospheres are thought to be necessary for any world to sustain life.
However, some astronomers believe life may still be possible on Proxima B, as the atmosphere could be replenished by volcanoes, chemical reactions, or impacts from comets. This alien world might also support liquid oceans, which could provide refuge for alien life there. | https://thecosmiccompanion.com/2018/04/13/extraterrestrial-life-may-feel-at-home-on-proxima-b-after-all/ |
It is often necessary to resize or crop photos prior to use on the web. Besides, there is a number of tips and tools available to simplify your work with photos as outlined below.
When to use .jpg and when to use .png?
There are various types of formats for photos and graphics, but .jpg and .png are the most important when photos should be used on websites. It is of immense importance that you chose the right type. If you chose the wrong format, your photo might get blurred.
In general, when you are uploading a photo, WebHare is telling you what the (minimum) dimensions are.
All available features are presented and explained on our test-website. The file types are mentioned on that website as well. See for instance the website about using photos on the test-website.
>> The header of the default UT-website requires photos with a width of at least 3000 pixels (a little smaller is acceptable, but will not be sharp on some displays). The text area is 1000 pixels wide. Thus, if you want to place a photo that spans over the full width, that photo should have a width of 1000 pixels. If you are using small portrait pictures like on people.utwente.nl, 200x200 will be enough.
The most important dimensions of all templates are summarized in this pdf-file (currently only in Dutch), which is kept up to date.
What are the dimensions for photos on Social Media?
Dimensions on Social Media are changing frequently. This blog by Sprout Social is summarizing the current dimensions. Remember, that it is best to use PNG when you are planning to use photos that contain text as a header photo for Social Media (as explained above). Unfortunately, Twitter is going to convert the PNG to a JPG file, whereas Facebook is going to place the (sharper) PNG. However, they will only place PNG files that are no larger than 1MB.
Are my photos large enough?
Open the folder on your computer that holds the photo. Select the photo (single click with the left mouse button) and take a look at the dimensions (size of the photo) in the grey status bar at the bottom. Alternatively, on some machines, hovering your mouse over a photo and waiting for a second will display a popup that gives you information about the dimensions of the photo. This is where you can check if the photo has at least the minimum dimensions that are required.
A photo taken with a camera can easily be as large as 8MB, however 0,2 is enough for the most websites. Photos that are too large can be really time consuming and can cause frustration when working with those files in websystems. Therefore, please download this file to your desktop, which will allow you to resize photos with a single click. Place one (or more) photos that you want to resize on your desktop or open the folder in which those photos are stored. Select the photos that you want to resize and click and drag those files with your mouse to this file on the desktop. Once you let go of the mouse button above that file, all selected photos will be resized and saved with the original filename and an additional -3000 in the end. For instance, a photo named piet.jpg will be called piet-3000.jpg en will be 3000 pixels wide. At default, the file is set to resize photos to 3000 pixels, which is excellent for e.g. the header of the new websites. If you want this file to resize photos to another dimension (on the width dimension), you can simply rename the file that you can download here.
View the (second half of the) video in the next paragraph to see how this file works. If you use an Apple computer you may want to try the free programme iResize.
WebHare is offering you to crop images after uploading them if they are uploaded to locations where choosing the right parts of a photo is relevant (e.g. in the header of the new template). You can find a couple of screenshots of the WebHare-photo-editor on the test-website. There is a button for cropping and a button for choosing a focus point. WebHare will make sure that those parts of an image that are around the focus point will remain visible on all screen sizes. Thus, if a user has a small screen and only some parts of the photo will be visible, the visitor will still see that area (e.g. the head of a person).
Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10 offer a small application that allow you to do this for free: In Windows 7, that is the Picture Viewer, with the so called crop function. Simply open a photo with the Picture Viewer and click on the second button (Fix) above the photo. Next, choose the option crop. In Windows 8, open a photo and then click on the photo to show the options below the photo. This is where you will find the crop feature. Windows 10, the default operating system at the UT, also has this option.
If double clicking the picture opens a different picture programme on your computer, try right mouse button on the picture > open with > 'photos'.
If you want more options (for advanced users), it might be the best option to use Photoshop. This application is the most used application for editing photos and is available for use at UT-workplaces of staff members. On the Windows 7 or Windows 10 workplaces, you can install it yourself. For using it at home, members of the staff can download Photoshop via https://www.utwente.nl/lisa/en/nsc/ —> Log on to Software distribution. Photoshop is a rather complex application. If you have to work with it regularly, you can follow a Photoshop course that is offered by Marketing & Communicatie.
There are many tutorials available on YouTube. For resizing a picture, just open a picture (file > open) and resize it by selecting image > image size. Make sure your size is set to pixels and fill in the pixels you need. | https://www.utwente.nl/en/websites/image-video/photo/ |
Contact Information:
(#98133) San Juan, P.R. -- The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will receive $22.8 million dollars from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use in a loan program designed to finance drinking water system infrastructure improvements. The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996 established a low-interest loan program, called the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, to help local water suppliers make improvements to their systems. The program places special emphasis on small and disadvantaged communities and on projects that encourage pollution prevention.
"For years, EPA has successfully granted money to be used by the Commonwealth in revolving funds that local communities make improvements to their sewage treatment systems. Now, we are capitalizing on that success to improve drinking water systems," said Jeanne M. Fox, EPA Region 2 Administrator. "The Commonwealth's revolving fund will make a real difference. Improvements funded by this and other loan programs help ensure that all Puerto Ricans, especially those in small or poor communities, have safe, clean drinking water."
Puerto Rico will match EPA's capitalization money with 20% to seed a revolving loan program, which will finance six drinking water projects worth $24.5 million throughout the Island. The revolving fund money will be used not only for the construction of needed drinking water facilities, but also to implement programs that will help Puerto Rico better assess drinking water conditions, enhance operator certification programs and provide technical assistance to small communities. The funds will be available through the Puerto Rico Infrastructure Financing Authority (PRIFA).
For more information contact:
Mary Mears, Press Office
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway
NY, NY 10007-1866
Voice: 212-637-3669 FAX: 212-637-5046 E-Mail: [email protected]
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website. | https://archive.epa.gov/epapages/newsroom_archive/newsreleases/7ef7113435285c088525726c0068d7fa.html |
The present invention relates to a coupling process between a transferable group and an acceptor group by creation of a carbon-carbon bond in the presence of a catalyst of palladacycle type.
The coupling of organometallic nucleophiles with organic halides or sulfonates in the presence of a catalyst based on nickel, palladium or platinum is currently the most effective means for producing carbon-carbon bonds.
Such cross-coupling reactions give access to a great many products which serve the chemistry, agrochemistry, pharmaceutical or electronic markets and high performance products which are used, for example, in the preparation of liquid crystals, and the like.
Grignard reagents were the first organometallics employed with success in this type of reaction and subsequently many other nucleophiles derived from lithium, zinc, tin, titanium, and the like, were tested.
J. Organomet. Chem.,
J. Organomet. Chem.,
A major advance was made by Suzuki et al. (1999, 675, 147) by introducing boronic acids into the coupling reaction and then Hiyama et al. (2002, 653(1-2), 303) showed that organosilyl compounds, also compatible with a large range of functional groups, can under some conditions be coupled with organic halides in the presence of palladium catalyst and of an anionic activator.
J. Org. Chem.,
The studies by C. Najera et al. (2002, 67, 5588-5594) also describe coupling reactions of the type of those of Suzuki using catalysts of palladacycle type and arylboronic acids.
The advantage of the organosilyl derivatives lies in the fact that it is easy to prepare them from chlorosilanes. They are lower in cost and are more easily purified than organic boronic acids, which have a tendency to polymerize. In addition, the reaction effluents with organosilyl compounds present fewer problems than the reaction discharges with organoboronic acids, with regard to the environment and current regulations.
Patent application WO 01/94355 discloses a process for carbon-carbon coupling starting from silyl derivatives and from an organic electrophile in the presence of a basic nucleophilic anionic activator and of a catalyst which is a metal from Group 10. However, the process described in this patent application results in undesirable homocoupling by-products, which is harmful to the provision of compounds of very high purity for the applications defined above.
However, it is indicated that the formation of homocoupling by-products can be reduced by addition of phosphine derivatives to the reaction medium. However, their removal can present problems, both with regard to the difficulty in producing products of high purity and with regard to the treatment of the effluents before discharge to the environment.
In addition, the phosphines are relatively difficult to synthesize, are generally unstable and are expensive.
There consequently exists a need for a novel synthetic process which makes possible the creation of a carbon-carbon bond between a transferable group and an acceptor group which eliminates the disadvantages related to the processes of the prior art.
Thus, a first object of the present invention consists in providing a process for coupling a transferable group to an acceptor group by creation of a carbon-carbon bond without having recourse to compounds of boron type.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for coupling a transferable group to an acceptor group by creation of a carbon-carbon bond without having recourse to compounds of phosphine type.
A third object consists in preventing, or at the very least reducing, the formation of homocoupling by-products during the creation of a carbon-carbon bond in a process which is targeted at the coupling of a transferable group to an acceptor group.
A fourth object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of catalyst necessary for the creation of a carbon-carbon bond during a process for coupling a transferable group to an acceptor group.
A fifth object of the present invention is to obtain coupling of a transferable group to an acceptor group by creation of a carbon-carbon bond with kinetics which are substantially higher than those observed with the analogous coupling reactions available in the prior art.
The preparation of products from the coupling of a transferable group to an acceptor group by creation of a carbon-carbon bond with good yields, in particular greater than those observed with the analogous coupling reactions available in the prior art, also represents one of the objects of the present invention.
Yet other objects will become apparent in the account of the invention which follows.
It has now been discovered that the objects set out above can be achieved in all or in part by virtue of the process for coupling a transferable group to an acceptor group by creation of a carbon-carbon bond, which represents one of the subject matters of the present invention, set out in detail below.
a) activation of a siliceous compound carrying a group which can be transferred by an activating agent;
b) addition of a derivative carrying an acceptor group and, simultaneously or consecutively, in any order,
c) addition of a compound of palladacycle type which acts as catalyst of the reaction of coupling the transferable group to the acceptor group by creation of said carbon-carbon bond.
Thus, the present invention relates first of all to a process for creating a carbon-carbon bond by coupling a transferable group to an acceptor group comprising the stages of:
The process can also be followed by a stage d) of separation, isolation and purification of the coupling product thus obtained.
The stage a) of activation of the siliceous compound is carried out in a medium comprising a solvent, preferably a polar solvent, in particular ethers, among which may be mentioned, as nonlimiting examples, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, anisole, dibutyl ether, methyl tert-butyl ether, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, diethylene glycol diethyl ether or diisopropyl ether, dioxane and anisole being among the preferred solvents. Of course, mixtures of these solvents can be used in all proportions.
However, the solvent of the activation stage is not limited to polar solvents and it is also possible to use other solvents, such as, for example, aromatic solvents, it being possible for mixtures of these solvents to be used. Toluene is a possible representative of this category of solvents.
It also remains understood that mixtures of one or more solvents chosen from polar solvents with one or more other solvents, such as those defined, for example, in the preceding paragraph, can be used.
−
In the stage a) of activation of the siliceous compound, use is made of the activating agents commonly used and in particular of anionic nucleophilic compounds. Generally, this anionic nucleophilic compound is capable of releasing anions, for example hydroxide (OH) ions, ions of alkoxide type, and the like, in the reaction medium.
Organic or inorganic fluorides may also be suitable as activating agents. Mention may be made, in this case, of alkaline earth metal fluorides, in particular potassium fluoride, and of tetraalkylammonium fluorides, for example tetrabutylammonium fluoride.
Preferably, the activating agent is chosen from hydroxides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, alkoxides, carbonates, amides, and their derivatives. For example, the activating agent can be chosen from sodium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, barium hydroxide, barium oxide, the potassium salt of hexamethyldisilazane (KHMDS), and the like.
Preferably, the activating agent used is an alkali metal hydroxide, in particular sodium hydroxide, in the solid form, for example in the form of finely milled pellets, or in the form of an aqueous solution.
As in the case of the reaction solvent, mixtures of activating agents can be used.
The amount of activating agent employed is such that the activating agent/siliceous compound molar ratio is generally between 1 and 8, preferably between 2 and 6, generally between 3 and 5, for example approximately 4.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the siliceous compound which has to be activated is run into the solvent/activating agent mixture so as to keep the reaction temperature between 40° C. and 120° C., preferably between 60° C. and 110° C., more preferably between 80° C. and 110° C.
It is obvious that the reaction medium can be heated or cooled, as the case may be, as the siliceous compound is being run in, so that the temperature of the reaction medium remains within the range of values which are set out above. The reaction medium can be cooled or heated according to any conventional method known to a person skilled in the art who is an expert in organic syntheses.
According to one aspect of the invention, the siliceous compound carrying the transferable group can be of any type and in particular a dihalosilane corresponding to the formula (I):
in which:
1
2
1
2
Xand X, which are identical or different, are, independently of one another, a halogen atom selected from fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine, preferably from chlorine and bromine; more preferably, Xand Xare identical and are each a bromine atom or a chlorine atom, advantageously a chlorine atom;
T
R is selected from the hydrogen atom, a linear or branched alkyl radical comprising from 1 to 6 carbon atoms and the Rradical defined above;
T
T
Ris the transferable group and is selected from an aryl, vinyl and allyl radical, it being possible for each of them optionally to be substituted, Rpreferably representing an optionally substituted aryl radical, for example an optionally substituted phenyl radical.
T
T
The transferable group Rcan, for example, be a group of following formula R′:
in which:
T1
T2
T3
R, Rand R, which are identical or different, are selected, independently of one another, from the hydrogen atom and a hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which can be a saturated or unsaturated and linear or branched aliphatic group; a saturated, unsaturated or aromatic, monocyclic or polycyclic, carbocyclic or heterocyclic group; or a sequence of aliphatic and/or carbocyclic and/or heterocyclic groups as mentioned above.
The invention does not rule out the presence of one or more other unsaturations on the hydrocarbon chain, such as one or more other double bonds and/or one or more triple bonds, which may or may not be conjugated.
The hydrocarbon chain can optionally be interrupted by a heteroatom (for example, oxygen or sulfur) or by a functional group, insofar as the latter does not react; mention may in particular be made of a group such as especially —CO—.
The hydrocarbon chain can optionally carry one or more substituents insofar as they do not react under the reaction conditions and mention may in particular be made, as possible substituents, of a halogen atom, a nitrile group or a trifluoromethyl group.
The saturated or unsaturated and linear or branched acyclic aliphatic group can optionally carry a cyclic substituent. The term “cyclic” is understood to mean a saturated, unsaturated or aromatic carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring.
The acyclic aliphatic group can be connected to the ring via a valency bond, a heteroatom or a functional group, such as oxy, carbonyl, carboxyl, sulfonyl, and the like.
It is possible to envisage, as examples of cyclic substituents, cycloaliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic substituents, in particular cycloaliphatic substituents comprising 6 carbon atoms in the ring or benzene substituents, these cyclic substituents themselves optionally carrying any substituent insofar as they do not interfere with the reactions involved in the process of the invention. Mention may in particular be made of the alkyl or alkoxy groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
The targeted aliphatic groups carrying a cyclic substituent include more particularly the aralkyl groups having from 7 to 12 carbon atoms, in particular benzyl or phenylethyl.
T
T1
In the R′group, Rcan also be a saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic group preferably comprising 5 or 6 carbon atoms in the ring, preferably cyclohexyl; a saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic group comprising in particular 5 or 6 atoms in the ring, including 1 or 2 heteroatoms, such as nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen atoms; a monocyclic aromatic carbocyclic group, preferably phenyl, or a condensed or noncondensed polycyclic aromatic carbocyclic group, preferably naphthyl.
T2
T3
With regard to Rand R, they are preferably a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a phenyl group or an aralkyl group having from 7 to 12 carbon atoms, preferably a benzyl group.
T
T1
T2
T3
T1
T2
T3
In the R′group, R, Rand Rare more particularly a hydrogen atom or else Ris a phenyl group and Rand Rare a hydrogen atom.
T
T
The transferable group Rcan also be a group of following formula R″:
in which:
A symbolizes the residue of a ring forming all or part of a monocyclic or polycyclic, aromatic, carbocyclic and/or heterocyclic system;
T4
R, which are identical or different, are substituents on the ring,
t is the number of substituents on the ring.
a monocyclic aromatic carbocycle or a polycyclic aromatic carbocycle, that is to say a compound composed of at least 2 aromatic carbocycles which form, between them, ortho- or ortho- and peri-fused systems or a compound composed of at least 2 carbocycles, of which one alone of them is aromatic, which form, between them, ortho- or ortho- and peri-fused systems;
a monocyclic aromatic heterocycle comprising at least one of the heteroatoms chosen from oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur or a polycyclic aromatic heterocycle, that is to say a compound composed of at least 2 heterocycles comprising at least one heteroatom in each ring, at least one of the two rings of which is aromatic, which form, between them, ortho- or ortho- and peri-fused systems, or a compound composed of at least one carbocycle and at least one heterocycle, at least one of the rings of which is aromatic, which form, between them, ortho- or ortho- and peri-fused systems.
In particular, A is the residue of a cyclic compound which preferably has at least 4 atoms in the ring, preferably 5 or 6, which is optionally substituted and which represents at least one of the following rings:
More particularly, the optionally substituted residue A is preferably the residue of an aromatic carbocycle, such as benzene, of an aromatic bicycle comprising two aromatic carbocycles, such as naphthalene, or of a partially aromatic bicycle comprising two carbocycles, one of the two of which is aromatic, such as 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene.
an aromatic heterocycle corresponding to one of the following formulae:
The invention also envisages the fact that A can be the residue of a heterocycle. More particularly, the optionally substituted residue A is one of the following rings:
an aromatic bicycle comprising an aromatic carbocycle and an aromatic heterocycle represented by one of the following formulae:
a partially aromatic bicycle comprising an aromatic carbocycle and a heterocycle represented by one of the following formulae:
an aromatic bicycle comprising two aromatic heterocycles of formula:
a partially aromatic bicycle comprising a carbocycle and an aromatic heterocycle corresponding to the formula:
a tricycle comprising at least one carbocycle or one heterocycle which is aromatic of formulae:
T
In the process of the invention, use is preferably made of a compound of formula (I) having a transferable group R″as defined above in which A is an aromatic nucleus, preferably a benzene or naphthalene nucleus.
T
The transferable group R″can carry one or more substituents. The number of substituents present on the ring depends on the carbon condensation of the ring and on the presence or absence of unsaturations in the ring. The maximum number of substituents capable of being carried by a ring is easily determined by a person skilled in the art.
T4
In the present text, the term “several” is understood to mean generally less than 4 Rsubstituents on an aromatic nucleus.
Examples of substituents are given below but this list does not exhibit a limiting nature.
T4
a linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl or tert-butyl;
a linear or branched alkenyl or alkynyl group having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, such as vinyl or allyl;
a linear or branched alkoxy or thioether group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as the methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy or butoxy groups, an alkenyloxy group, preferably an allyloxy group, or a phenoxy group;
a cyclohexyl, phenyl or benzyl group;
a acyl group having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms;
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
2
3
a group of formula
—ROH, —R—SH, —R—COOR, —R—CO—R, —R—CHO, —R—CN, —R—N(R), —RCO—N(R), —R—SOZ, —R—SOZ, —R—Y or —R—CF; in which formulae Ris a valency bond or a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, divalent hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, such as, for example, methylene, ethylene, propylene, isopropylene or isopropylidene; the Rgroups, which are identical or different, represent a hydrogen atom, a linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl group; Z represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, preferably sodium, or an Rgroup; and Y symbolizes a halogen atom, preferably a chlorine, bromine or fluorine atom.
The Rgroup or groups, which are identical or different, are preferably one of the following groups:
It should be understood that the various substituents present in the dihalosilane of formula (I) and as just described are chosen so that they do not interfere, and in particular so that they do not react, with the reaction medium, in particular with the activating agents, under the activation conditions.
1
2
Xand Xare identical and are each a bromine atom or a chlorine atom, advantageously a chlorine atom;
T
R is chosen from the hydrogen atom, the Rradical defined below and a linear or branched alkyl radical comprising from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably the methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, tert-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, pentyl, neopentyl and n-hexyl radical, more preferably the methyl or ethyl radical;
T
Ris an optionally substituted aryl radical, for example an optionally substituted phenyl radical.
The preferred compounds of formula (I) defined above are those having the following characteristics, taken in isolation or in combination:
1
2
Xand Xare each a chlorine atom;
R is the methyl radical or an optionally substituted phenyl radical; and
T
Ris an optionally substituted phenyl radical.
The compounds of formula (I) which are particularly preferred for the process of the present invention are those for which:
The compounds of formula (I) are either directly available commercially or are obtained from various silicon sources according to procedures known to a person skilled in the art or available in the scientific literature, the patent literature, computerized databases, Chemical Abstracts and the Internet.
By way of example, the compound of formula (I) defined above can be selected from chlorosilanes and in particular the compound of formula (I) can be diphenyldichlorosilane, methylphenyldichlorosilane or methyltolyldichlorosilane.
According to another aspect, the siliceous compound carrying the transferable group can advantageously be selected from silicone oils, named generically as polysiloxanes. Examples of polysiloxanes which are suitable for the process of the present invention correspond to the formula (I′):
in which:
T
Rrepresents a transferable group as defined above;
a
b
c
d
e
T
R, R, R, Rand R, which are identical or different, are selected, independently of one another, from the hydrogen atom, a linear or branched alkyl radical comprising from 1 to 6 carbon atoms and the Rradical defined above;
r is an integer between 1 and 10, limits included;
q is 0 or an integer between 1 and 9, limits included; and
s is 0 or an integer between 1 and 9, limits included,
the sum q+r+s being between 4 and 10, limits included.
The polysiloxanes of formula (I′) can also exist in the cyclic form, that is to say in the form of a ring, the endocyclic atoms of which are alternately silicon and oxygen. Such cyclic polysiloxanes can be represented diagrammatically by the following formula:
in which:
T
a
b
c
d
e
R, R, R, R, R, R, q, r and s are as defined above.
The silicone oils and in particular the cyclic or noncyclic polysiloxanes of formula (I′) are known compounds which are available in particular from the silicone industries. In addition, the compounds of formula (I′) can also be readily prepared by hydrolysis in a buffered aqueous medium of the compounds of formula (I) defined above.
In the same way as for the dihalosilanes of formula (I), it should be understood that the various substituents present in the silicone oils and in particular the compounds of formula (I′) must be such that they do not interfere, and in particular that they do not react, with the reaction medium, in particular with the activating agents, under the activation conditions.
a
b
c
d
e
T
R, R, R, Rand R, which are identical or different, are selected, independently of one another, from the hydrogen atom, the Rradical defined below and a linear or branched alkyl radical comprising from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably the methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, tert-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, pentyl, neopentyl and n-hexyl radical, more preferably the methyl or ethyl radical;
T
Ris an optionally substituted aryl radical, for example an optionally substituted phenyl radical.
For the compounds of formula (I′), whether linear or cyclic, preference is given to those for which:
Mention may be made, among the silicone oils suitable for the process of the present invention, of those obtained by hydrolysis of the dihalosilanes of formula (I) as defined above, alkylarylpolysiloxanes, in particular methylarylpolysiloxanes, and for example the methylphenylpolysiloxane sold by Rhodia under the name of Rhodorsil H550®.
As has been said above, the siliceous compounds carrying a transferable group used in the process of the present invention must be activated before carrying out the coupling reaction proper.
The activation time depends on the nature and on the amount of the compound carrying the transferable group (for example, compound of formula (I) or of formula (I′)), on the solvent used and on the activating agent used. This time generally varies from a few minutes to a few days. It may be generally less than a few hours, advantageously less than 3 hours.
When the compound carrying the transferable group is activated, it can be employed directly in the following stage b) and/or c), that is to say that there is added to it a compound carrying an acceptor group of —C═C—X type which makes possible the creation of a C—C— bond and, simultaneously or consecutively, in any order, a catalyst of palladacycle type.
A
in which:
A
Ris a hydrocarbon group (acceptor group) comprising from 2 to 20 carbon atoms and has a double bond situated in the α position with respect to a leaving group X or a monocyclic or polycyclic, aromatic, carbocyclic and/or heterocyclic group; and
X is a leaving group.
More specifically, the compound carrying an acceptor group corresponds to the following formula (II):
R—X (II)
A
Preferably, Ris an aliphatic hydrocarbon group comprising a double bond in the α position with respect to the leaving group X or a cyclic hydrocarbon group comprising an unsaturation carrying the leaving group X or alternatively is a monocylic or polycyclic, aromatic, carbocyclic and/or heterocyclic group.
2
2
Preferably, X is a halogen atom, a perhaloalkyl group, such as trifluoromethyl, or a sulfonic ester group of formula —OSO—R′ in which R′ is a hydrocarbon group. In the formula of the sulfonic ester group, R′ is a hydrocarbon group of any nature. However, given that X is a leaving group, it is advantageous from an economic viewpoint for R′ to be simple in nature and consequently advantageously to be a linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, preferably a methyl or ethyl group; however, R′ can also be, for example, a phenyl or tolyl group or a trifluoromethyl group. For example, when the leaving group X is a triflate group, this corresponds to an —OSO—R′ group in which R′ represents the trifluoromethyl group.
The selection is preferably made, as preferred leaving groups, of a halogen atom, in particular a bromine or chlorine atom, more preferably a chlorine atom.
(1) those of aliphatic type carrying a double bond and which can be represented by the formula (IIa):
The compounds of formula (II) targeted very particularly according to the process of the invention can be categorized into two groups:
in which formula (IIa):
A1
A2
A3
R, Rand R, which are identical or different, are selected, independently of one another, from the hydrogen atom and a hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which can be a saturated or unsaturated and linear or branched aliphatic group; a saturated, unsaturated or aromatic, monocyclic or polycyclic, carbocyclic or heterocyclic group; or a sequence of aliphatic and/or carbocyclic and/or heterocyclic groups as mentioned above;
X symbolizes the leaving group as defined above,
(2) those of aromatic type which are denoted subsequently by “haloaromatic compound” and which can be represented by the formula (IIb):
in which:
D symbolizes the residue of a ring forming all or part of a monocyclic or polycyclic, aromatic, carbocyclic and/or heterocyclic system,
X is a leaving group as defined above,
A4
R, which are identical or different, are substituents on the ring,
n is the number of substituents on the ring.
A1
The invention applies to the unsaturated compounds corresponding to the formula (IIa) in which Rpreferably represents a saturated, linear or branched, acyclic aliphatic group preferably having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms.
The invention does not rule out the presence of one or more other unsaturations on the hydrocarbon chain, such as one or more other double bonds and/or one or more triple bonds, which may or may not be conjugated.
The hydrocarbon chain can optionally be interrupted by a heteroatom (for example, oxygen or sulfur) or by a functional group, insofar as the latter does not react; mention may in particular be made of a group such as especially —CO—.
The hydrocarbon chain can optionally carry one or more substituents insofar as they do not react under the reaction conditions and mention may in particular be made, as possible substituents, of a halogen atom, a nitrile group or a trifluoromethyl group.
The saturated or unsaturated and linear or branched acyclic aliphatic group can optionally carry a cyclic substituent. The term “cyclic” is understood to mean a saturated, unsaturated or aromatic carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring.
The acyclic aliphatic group can be connected to the ring via a valency bond, a heteroatom or a functional group, such as oxy, carbonyl, carboxyl, sulfonyl, and the like.
It is possible to envisage, as examples of cyclic substituents, cycloaliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic substituents, in particular cycloaliphatic substituents comprising 6 carbon atoms in the ring or benzene substituents, these cyclic substituents themselves optionally carrying any substituent insofar as they do not interfere with the reactions involved in the process of the invention. Mention may in particular be made of the alkyl or alkoxy groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
The targeted aliphatic groups carrying a cyclic substituent include more particularly the aralkyl groups having from 7 to 12 carbon atoms, in particular benzyl or phenylethyl.
A1
T1
In the formula (IIa), Rshould be understood as having the same definition as that given above for Rand thus can also be a saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic group preferably comprising 5 or 6 carbon atoms in the ring, preferably cyclohexyl; a saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic group comprising in particular 5 or 6 atoms in the ring, including 1 or 2 heteroatoms, such as nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen atoms; a monocyclic aromatic carbocyclic group, preferably phenyl, or a condensed or noncondensed polycyclic aromatic carbocyclic group, preferably naphthyl.
A2
A3
T2
T3
With regard to Rand R, which have the definitions identical to those given for Rand Rdefined above, they are preferably a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a phenyl group or an aralkyl group having from 7 to 12 carbon atoms, preferably a benzyl group.
A1
A2
A3
A1
A2
A3
In the formula (IIa), R, Rand Rare more particularly a hydrogen atom or else Ris a phenyl group and Rand Rare a hydrogen atom.
Mention may in particular be made, as examples of compounds corresponding to the formula (IIa), of vinyl chloride, vinyl bromide, β-bromostyrene or β-chlorostyrene.
T
The invention applies in particular to the haloaromatic compounds corresponding to the formula (IIb) in which D represents the residue of a cyclic compound having the same definition as that given for the residue of the cyclic compound A of the R″group defined above, that is to say which preferably has at least four atoms in the ring, preferably 5 or 6, which is optionally substituted and which is at least one of the rings described above for A, that is to say, a monocylic or polycyclic aromatic carbocycle or a monocyclic aromatic heterocycle, comprising at least one of the heteroatoms selected from oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur, or a polycyclic aromatic heterocycle.
More particularly, the optionally substituted residue D is preferably the residue of an aromatic carbocycle, such as benzene, of an aromatic bicycle comprising two aromatic carbocycles, such as naphthalene, or of a partially aromatic bicycle comprising two carbocycles, one of the two of which is aromatic, such as 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene.
T
The invention also envisages the fact that D can be the residue of a heterocycle. More particularly, the optionally substituted residue D is one of the rings already listed above for A of the R″group.
In the process of the invention, use is preferably made of a haloaromatic compound of formula (IIb) in which D is an aromatic nucleus, preferably a benzene or naphthalene nucleus.
The aromatic compound of formula (IIb) can carry one or more substituents. The number of substituents present on the ring depends on the carbon condensation of the ring and on the presence or absence of unsaturations in the ring. The maximum number of substituents capable of being carried by a ring is easily determined by a person skilled in the art.
A4
In the present text, the term “several” is understood to mean generally less than 4 Rsubstituents on an aromatic nucleus.
A4
T4
Examples of Rsubstituents are in particular those given as example of Rabove in the description. However, this list of substituents does not exhibit a limiting nature.
A4
a linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl or tert-butyl;
a linear or branched alkenyl group having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, such as vinyl or allyl;
a linear or branched alkoxyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as the methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy or butoxy groups, an alkenyloxy group, preferably an allyloxy group, or a phenoxy group;
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
3
a group of formula —ROH, —R—N(R)or —R—SOZ, in which formulae Ris a valency bond or a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, divalent hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, such as, for example, methylene, ethylene, propylene, isopropylene or isopropylidene; the Rgroups, which are identical or different, represent a hydrogen atom, a linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl group; and Z represents a hydrogen atom or a sodium atom.
The present invention applies very particularly to the compounds corresponding to the formula (IIb) in which the Rgroup or groups are:
In the formula (IIb), n is an integer of less than or equal to 4, preferably equal to 1 or 2.
Mention may in particular be made, as examples of compounds corresponding to the formula (IIb), of p-chlorotoluene, p-bromoanisole or p-bromotrifluoromethylbenzene.
The amount of the compound carrying a leaving group of formula (II), preferably of formula (IIa) or (IIb), employed is generally expressed with respect to the amount of siliceous compound carrying a transferable group. Thus, the ratio of the number of moles of the siliceous compound carrying a transferable group to the number of moles of the compound carrying an acceptor group generally varies between 1 and 3, preferably between 1 and 2.
Before starting the coupling reaction proper, it can prove to be advantageous to add a phase transfer agent to the reaction medium. The appropriate amount of phase transfer agent depends, of course, on the nature of the various constituents of the reaction medium and is generally between 0.01 mol and 1 mol of phase transfer agent per one mole of compound carrying the acceptor group (II). This amount is preferably between 0.01 mol and 0.1 mol, advantageously approximately 0.05 mol of phase transfer agent per one mole of compound carrying the acceptor group (II).
+
−
+
−
in which A is a cation and W is a counterion selected from those generally known to a person skilled in the art.
The phase transfer agent is of any type known to a person skilled in the art. A phase transfer agent which can advantageously be used in the process of the present invention is represented by the compounds of formula:
AW
−
Mention may in particular be made, as counterion W, of halides, for example fluoride, chloride, bromide or iodide, or hydroxide anions, and the like.
+
The cation A is generally an organic cation, in particular of onium type, especially selected from ammonium, sulfonium, phosphonium, carbenium, oxonium picolinium, pyridinium, arsonium, triazolium and iodonium cations.
Preference is particularly given, among these, to the compounds of following general formulae (III-1) and (III-2):
in which:
E is selected from the nitrogen, phosphorus or arsenic atom;
G is selected from the sulfur, oxygen, selenium and carbon atom;
1
2
3
4
Y, Y, Yand Y, which are identical or different, are selected from:
a linear or branched alkyl radical having 1 to 16 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted by one or more phenyl, hydroxyl, halogen, nitro, alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl groups or atoms, the alkoxy groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms;
a linear or branched alkenyl radical having 2 to 12 carbon atoms;
an aryl radical having 6 to 10 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted by one or more alkyl groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl groups, the alkoxy radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or halogen atoms;
1
4
it being possible for two of the said Yto Yradicals together to form a linear or branched alkylene, alkenylene or alkadienylene radical having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms.
Quaternary ammonium derivatives are particularly advantageous, in particular tetraalkylammoniums, trialkylbenzylammoniums, dialkyldiphenylammoniums and alkyltriphenylammoniums.
+
−
4
4
4
4
4
2
2
4
2
4
4
4
4
2
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
3
Mention may be made, among the compounds of formula AW, of the following compounds: tetrabutylammonium iodide, tetrabutylammonium chloride, tetrabutylammonium bromide, tetramethylammonium bromide, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, BuNSCN, BuNOCN, BuNCN, EtNCN, KCN, BuNOSONH, BuNONO, BuNONO, BuNSPh, EtNSH, MeSNa, BuNSEt, NaSOMe, BuNOAc, BuNOMe, BuNHSO, BuNN, CFSCu and (MeN)SOCF.
Mention may in particular be made, among the phase transfer agents which are particularly preferred for the process of the present invention, of tetrabutylammonium iodide, tetrabutylammonium chloride, tetrabutylammonium bromide, tetramethylammonium bromide and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide.
It remains, of course, that the presence of a phase transfer agent is not essential for the process of the invention.
Thus, the coupling reaction, optionally in the presence of a phase transfer agent as just defined, is carried out at a temperature generally between ambient temperature and 150° C., preferably between 50° C. and 110° C., for a period of time of usually between a few minutes and 4 hours, generally in the region of 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.
Depending on the nature of the compound of formula (II), the coupling reaction can even be virtually instantaneous, indeed even instantaneous, or alternatively can last for more than 1 hour 30 minutes, indeed even more than 4 hours.
The solvent of the coupling reaction proper (stage b)) is generally identical to that used in the stage of activation of the halosilyl compound (stage a)). This is generally the case when the reaction product from stage a) is not isolated and is charged directly to stage b).
However, it can prove to be useful to add solvent before charging, to stage b), the reaction product from stage a), whether or not the latter has been isolated. The solvent of stage b) will advantageously be selected from the possible solvents defined for stage a) and as described above.
Generally, the amount of solvent used in the coupling stage is such that the concentration of the compound comprising an acceptor group of formula (II) is between 0.01M and 2M, preferably between 0.1M and 1M.
The coupling stage b) is additionally characterized by the addition (stage c)) of a catalyst of palladacycle type, before, during or even after the addition of the compound carrying an acceptor group of formula (II) as defined above.
2
3
The term “catalyst of palladacycle type” (called simply “palladacycle” in the continuation of the present account) is understood to mean a cyclic compound comprising a carbon-palladium bond in the ring. This carbon-palladium bond generally results from a carbopalladation reaction, in particular substitution, by a palladium atom, of a hydrogen atom carried by a carbon atom of sphybridization, for example an aromatic carbon atom, or by a carbon atom of sphybridization.
Inorg. Synth.,
Inorg. Synth.,
J. Org. Chem.,
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.,
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem.,
Such palladacycles are well known in the prior art and have been described, for example, by K. Hiraki et al. (1989, 26, 208-210), M. Pfeffer (1989, 26, 211-214), C. Nájera et al. (2002, 67, 5588-5594), R. B. Bedford et al. (2002, 41(21), 4120-4122) and J. Dupont et al. (2001, 1917-1927).
By way of example, the palladacycles which can in particular be used in the process of the present invention correspond to the following formula (IV):
in which:
Q is a group of formula (Q-1) or a group of formula (Q-2):
in which groups:
E is selected from the nitrogen, phosphorus or arsenic atom;
G is selected from the sulfur, oxygen, selenium and carbon atom; and
3
4
a linear or branched alkyl radical having 1 to 16 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted by one or more phenyl, hydroxyl, halogen, nitro, alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl groups or atoms, the alkoxy groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms;
a linear or branched alkenyl radical having 2 to 12 carbon atoms;
an aryl radical having 6 to 10 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted by one or more alkyl groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl groups, the alkoxy radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or halogen atoms;
3
4
it being possible for Yto Ytogether to form a linear or branched alkylene, alkenylene or alkadienylene radical having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms;
3
4
4
4′
it being possible for Yor Yto form, with Ror Rand with the atoms to which they are connected, an unsaturated or completely or partially unsaturated 5- or 6-membered ring;
3
4
it additionally being possible for one of Yor Yto be hydrogen, the other being as defined above;
Yand Y, which are identical or different, are selected from:
3
3
3′
4
it additionally being possible for Yto form a bond with R(or R) when E is the nitrogen atom and, in this case, Ycan also be the hydroxyl group;
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
3
6
7
8
8
8
8
8
T is a counterion commonly understood as such by a person skilled in the art and is generally selected from the anions of the following groups: —F, —Cl, —Br, —I, —CN, —OCN, —SCN, —CF, —OCF, —SCF, —ONO, —ONO, —OSON(R) (R), —SOR, —OSOR, —O(O)CR, —SR, —Nand —OR;
3
4
3′
4′
3
4
3′
4′
3
4
3′
4′
3
4
5
R, R, Rand R, which are identical or different, are selected from the hydrogen atom and a linear or branched alkyl radical comprising from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; preferably, R, R, Rand R, which are identical or different, are the hydrogen atom or the methyl radical, more preferably the hydrogen atom; it additionally being possible for R, R, Ror Rto form, with Yand/or Yand/or R, together with the atoms to which they are connected, an unsaturated or completely or partially unsaturated 5- or 6-membered ring;
5
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
5
3
4
3′
4′
3
4
5
2
2
3
2
3
R, which are identical or different, are substituents on the ring, preferably one of the groups selected from the linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl or tert-butyl; a linear or branched alkenyl or alkynyl group having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, such as vinyl or allyl; a linear or branched alkoxy or thioether group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as the methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy or butoxy groups, an alkenyloxy group, preferably an allyloxy group, or a phenoxy group; a cyclohexyl, phenyl or benzyl group; an acyl group having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms; a group of formula —R—OH, —R—SH, —R—COOR, —R—CO—R, —R—CHO, —R—CN, —R—N(R), —R—CO—N(R), —R—SOZ, —R—SOZ, —R—Y or —R—CF; in which formulae Ris a valency bond or a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, divalent hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, such as, for example, methylene, ethylene, propylene, isopropylene or isopropylidene; the Rgroups, which are identical or different, are a hydrogen atom or a linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl group; Z is a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, preferably sodium, or an Rgroup; Y symbolizes a halogen atom, preferably a chlorine, bromine, iodine or fluorine atom; Rcan additionally form, with R, R, Ror R, Y, Yor another Rsubstituent, together with the atoms to which they are connected, an unsaturated or completely or partially unsaturated 5- or 6-membered ring;
6
7
1
16
Rand R, which are identical or different, are the hydrogen atom or a linear or branched C-Calkyl group;
8
1
16
Ris a linear or branched C-Calkyl group;
p is the number of substituents on the ring, that is to say 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; and
m is 0 or 1.
The palladacycle of formula (IV) can also exist in the dimeric form.
Q is a group of formula (Q-1):
Preference is given, among the palladacycles of formula (IV) defined above, to those having one or more of the following characteristics, taken in isolation or in combination:
in which:
E is the nitrogen atom;
3
4
3
4
Yand Y, which are identical or different, are a linear or branched alkyl radical having 1 to 16 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, more preferably the methyl radical; it additionally being possible for one of Yor Yto be hydrogen, the other being as defined above;
3
3
3′
4
it additionally being possible for Yto form a bond with R(or R) when E is the nitrogen atom and, in this case, Ycan also be the hydroxyl group;
T is a halogen, preferably —F, —Cl, —Br or —I, more preferably —Cl, or else the triflate group or the acetate group;
3
4
3′
4′
R, R, Rand R, which are identical or different, are the hydrogen atom or the methyl radical, more preferably the hydrogen atom;
5
R, which are identical or different, are one of the groups selected from a linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl or tert-butyl; or a halogen atom, preferably a chlorine, bromine or fluorine atom;
p is 0, 1 or 2; and
m is 0.
An altogether preferred example of palladacycle of formula (IV) is a palladacycle, in the dimeric form, of following formula (IV-1):
5
in which Ris as defined above.
5
Preference is additionally given, among the compounds of formula (IV-1) above, to those for which Ris hydrogen or a halogen atom, for example fluorine or chlorine.
Palladacycles, in the dimeric form, which are particularly preferred are the following palladacycles P1 and P2:
Of course, any other palladacycle, such as those presented in the disclosures of the prior art, for example the papers cited above, may be suitable for the process of the present invention.
Solely by way of illustration, some examples of such palladacycles of the prior art which can be used in the process of the present invention, even if they do not correspond to the formula (IV) defined above, are as follows:
4
5
3
4
where R, R, Y, Yand p can, for example, take the values defined for the above formula (IV).
The catalysts of palladacycle type used in the process of the present invention are in the liquid or solid form. In the latter case, the catalyst can be introduced directly into the reactant or after dilution in an appropriate solvent, for example the solvent used in stages a) or b) and as defined above.
The process of the present invention, involving catalysts of palladacycle type with silyl derivatives, shows that the reaction product is virtually devoid of homocoupling product, without it being necessary to have recourse to the addition of phosphines. In addition, the yields observed are substantially better than those obtained with the coupling processes described to date in the prior art and the reaction times are generally shorten than those known in the prior art.
Another very advantageous characteristic of the process of the invention is the very low amount of catalyst necessary to give very good results, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Specifically, the amounts of catalyst employed in the process of the present invention are generally between 0.0005 mol % and 2 mol %, preferably between 0.01 mol % and 1 mol %, with respect to the compound carrying the acceptor group of formula (II). In particular, the process of the invention has been shown to be entirely suitable and effective with amounts of catalysts of less than 0.1 mol % (1000 ppm), with respect to the compound carrying the acceptor group of formula (II).
In the account of the process according to the invention which has just been described, the compounds of formulae (I), (I′), (II), (III) and (IV) are either directly available commercially or are easily prepared according to conventional procedures known to a person skilled in the art, procedures available, for example, in the scientific literature, in patents and patent applications, in the abstracts of Chemical Abstracts and via the Internet.
On conclusion of the coupling reaction, the reaction product is separated from the reaction medium, isolated and purified according to techniques known to a person skilled in the art or according to known procedures readily accessible from in particular the sources cited above.
T
A
T
A
in which compound Rand Rare as defined above.
The reaction product from the process according to the invention is a compound which can be represented diagrammatically by the following formula (V), when it is obtained by coupling a compound carrying a transferable group and a compound carrying an acceptor group as are defined above:
R—R (V)
The compounds (V) have entirely advantageous applications in a great many fields, such as, for example, those of agrochemistry, pharmaceuticals, electronics and high performance products used, for example, in the preparation of liquid crystals, and the like.
The purpose of the following examples is to illustrate the process of the present invention, without, however, introducing any limitation thereto.
2
Palladium chloride (PdCl, 1.26 g), lithium chloride (LiCl, 0.6 g) and 30 ml of water are charged to a reactor. The stirred mixture is brought to boiling point for 1 hour 30. The water is evaporated under reduced pressure and the solid obtained is taken up in 10 ml of methanol. The solvent is evaporated under reduced pressure and the brown solid is dissolved in 35 g of methanol, and then N,N-dimethylbenzylamine (1.06 g) is added.
The mixture is stirred for 5 minutes and then triethylamine (0.7 g) is added dropwise over 1 hour. At the end of the addition, stirring is maintained for 8 hours. The yellow precipitate obtained is filtered off and washed three times with methanol and twice with ether. The yellow solid is dried under reduced pressure. 1.78 g of palladacycle P1 are obtained (Yield: 91.2%).
The synthesis of the palladacycle P2 defined above in the description is also carried out according to a similar procedure.
2
2
20 ml of dioxane and 80 mmol of sodium hydroxide, reduced to powder, followed by 20 mmol of diphenyldichlorosilane (PhSiCl), are introduced into a reactor. The stirred mixture is heated at 100° C. for 30 minutes. Tetrabutylammonium bromide (0.5 mmol), 4-trifluoromethyl-1-bromobenzene (10 mmol) and the palladacycle P2 (0.005 mmol) are then charged at 70° C.
The mixture is stirred at 100° C. for 30 minutes, then cooled to 40° C. and hydrolyzed with 20 ml of water. The reaction mass is extracted with 2×20 ml of toluene. After evaporating the solvents from the combined organic phases, 9.5 mmol of the expected product, [4′-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]benzene, are obtained (Yield 95%).
20 ml of anisole and 80 mmol of sodium hydroxide, reduced to powder, are introduced into a reactor. 20 mmol of methylphenyldichlorosilane are subsequently run in, over 30 minutes, onto the stirred mixture heated to 85° C. After keeping stirred at 85° C. for 1 hour, tetrabutylammonium bromide (0.5 mmol), the aryl bromide (10 mmol) and the P1 catalyst (0.005 mmol) are introduced.
The mixture is stirred at 110° C. for 1 hour 30 minutes and then cooled to 40° C. before hydrolysis with 20 ml of water. The organic phase is separated from the reaction medium and quantitatively determined by GC (gas chromatography) with internal calibration. The yields (RY) of biphenyls (V) corresponding to the starting aryl bromide (II) obtained are given in the following table:
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RY(% by weight)
<chemistry id="CHEM-US-00024" num="00024"><img id="EMI-C00024" he="17.95mm" wi="22.27mm" file="US07524992-20090428-C00024.TIF" alt="embedded image" img-content="table" img-format="tif" /></chemistry>
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99
<chemistry id="CHEM-US-00027" num="00027"><img id="EMI-C00027" he="17.95mm" wi="22.27mm" file="US07524992-20090428-C00027.TIF" alt="embedded image" img-content="table" img-format="tif" /></chemistry>
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99
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96.8
20 ml of anisole and 40 mmol of sodium hydroxide, reduced to fine powder, are introduced into a reactor. 20 mmol (expressed as Si unit) of methylphenylpolysiloxane silicone oil, sold by Rhodia under the name Rhodorsil H550®, are subsequently run in, over 10 minutes, onto the stirred mixture heated to 85° C. After keeping stirred at 85° C. for one hour, the P1 catalyst (0.005 mmol) and the aryl bromide (10 mmol) are introduced.
The mixture is stirred and heated at 110° C. for 1 hour 30 minutes and then cooled to 40° C. before hydrolysis with 20 ml of water. The organic phase is separated by settling and the aqueous phase is extracted with 20 ml of anisole. The organic extracts are combined and quantitatively determined by GC (gas chromatography) with internal calibration. Complete conversion is obtained and the yields (RY %) obtained are as follows:
RY
Silicone oil
R<sup>A</sup>—X
R<sup>T</sup>—R<sup>A</sup>
(% by weight)
Rhodorsil H550 ®
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98
Rhodorsil H550 ®
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99
EXAMPLES
Synthesis of the Catalyst P1
2
2
Examples of Coupling Operations Starting from Diphenyldichlorosilane PhSiCl
2
Examples of Coupling Operations Starting from Methylphenyldichlorosilane (PhMeSiCl)
Examples of Coupling Operations Starting from Methylphenylpolysiloxane | |
This is the third part of a continuing series of articles as I explore the inner workings of Sierra's Adventure Game Interpreter (AGI). This article will focus on the use of colors in these 80s games.
When I was working on my example to export the views from an AGI game, I noticed that there seemed to be some inconsistencies in the color palette values I had originally used from another code example. The original color palette had appeared to vary slightly from the standard CGA palette, but after more carefully inspecting the available colors in several AGI games, I noticed that it was indeed using the CGA colors, and not some variant palette.
The following table lists the CGA color palette, which consists of four highlights and twelve colors formed from a mixture of red, green, and blue components. Note how each of the RGB elements increments by a perfect third. In the 8-Bit Guy's video Modding a consumer TV to use RGB input, he explains how with a digital RGB signal, there are only eight colors possible using three bits (23 = 8), but an intensity signal effectively doubles the number of colors, which is what we see with the CGA color palette where most of the colors have a light and dark variant, the exception being for the brown color.
|Full CGA 16-Color Palette|
|0||
Black
|
(0, 0, 0)
#000000
|8||
Grey
|
(85, 85, 85)
#555555
|1||
Blue
|
(0, 0, 170)
#0000AA
|9||
Light Blue
|
(85, 85, 255)
#5555FF
|2||
Green
|
(0, 170, 0)
#00AA00
|10||
Light Green
|
(85, 255, 85)
#55FF55
|3||
Cyan
|
(0, 170, 170)
#00AAAA
|11||
Light Cyan
|
(85, 255, 255)
#55FFFF
|4||
Red
|
(170, 0, 0)
#AA0000
|12||
Light Red
|
(255, 85, 85)
#FF5555
|5||
Magenta
|
(170, 0, 170)
#AA00AA
|13||
Light Magenta
|
(255, 85, 255)
#FF55FF
|6||
Brown
|
(170, 85, 0)
#AA5500
|14||
Yellow
|
(255, 255, 85)
#FFFF55
|7||
Light Grey
|
(170, 170, 170)
#AAAAAA
|15||
White
|
(255, 255, 255)
#FFFFFF
Since the CRT monitors of the era were based off of RGB, instead of the standard primary colors of red, blue, and yellow, so the available colors are more of a mix of red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow along with several levels of highlights from black to white.
Most of the standard colors are represented with this color palette, with the notable exceptions of orange and purple, two of the three secondary colors on a standard RYB color wheel, which are absent. These two colors are simulated with the light red and magenta colors.
In the AGI version of Mixed-Up Mother Goose, the giant pumpkin (which houses Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater and his estranged wife) was more of a salmon color, since a true orange was not available. Of interest, in the SCI remake of Mixed-Up Mother Goose, the pumpkin looks much closer to orange, but upon further inspection, one will find that it still maintains the similar salmon color, but the higher screen resolution and dithering effect trick the eyes into perceiving that the pumpkin is closer to orange. It's interesting to see how doubling the screen resolution, yet keeping the same color palette gives the illusion of more colors.
Also of interest is how the colors might even vary slightly from one system to another. The screenshot at the beginning of this post is from King's Quest on an Apple ][, where the colors are slightly different from a PC, plus there are some artifacts around the edges of objects where the color bleeds. However, if the screen uses a mono tint, the images and text are a little sharper.
When the Mac version of King's Quest 2 is run through ScummVM, the green is a little more fluorescent in appearance when compared to the DOS version of the game. Whereas the PC uses the traditional
#55FF55 color for the light green, the Mac uses a more vibrant
#00FF00, which is in line with many of the Mac colors which tend to be a little brighter.
|Apple Macintosh Default 16-Color Palette|
|0||
White
|
(255, 255, 255)
#FFFFFF
|8||
Green
|
(31, 183, 20)
#1FB714
|1||
Yellow
|
(251, 243, 5)
#FBF305
|9||
Dark Green
|
(0, 100, 18)
#006412
|2||
Orange
|
(255, 100, 3)
#FF6403
|10||
Brown
|
(86, 44, 5)
#562C05
|3||
Red
|
(221, 9, 7)
#DD0907
|11||
Tan
|
(144, 113, 58)
#90713A
|4||
Magenta
|
(242, 8, 132)
#F20884
|12||
Light Grey
|
(192, 192, 192)
#C0C0C0
|5||
Purple
|
(71, 0, 165)
#4700A5
|13||
Medium Grey
|
(128, 128, 128)
#808080
|6||
Blue
|
(0, 0, 211)
#0000D3
|14||
Dark Grey
|
(64, 64, 64)
#404040
|7||
Cyan
|
(2, 171, 234)
#02ABEA
|15||
Black
|
(0, 0, 0)
#000000
As can be seen by comparing the Macintosh and CGA color palettes, they hold many similarities, but the Macintosh palette uses better representations of orange and purple.
This article was originally intended as an addendum to a previous post, but it became far more involved as I further explored how AGI and various computing platforms presented color. | http://www.edenwaith.com/blog/index.php?p=92 |
Study of Religions
The Study of Religions at Oxford covers a wide range of approaches to Jewish studies, to Hinduism, and to Islam (from historical and textual, to philosophical and theological, to sociological and ethnographic). There is also a strong interest in the Faculty in the social scientific study of religion– sociological, anthropological, and psychological – each with an important body of empirical studies and accompanying theories. Teaching in the Faculty draws on all three strands and has a strong interest both in the diversity of religious practices worldwide and in the history of their study.
- Interdisciplinary Research Seminar in the Study of Religions
- Research Seminar on the Abrahamic Religions
Further information on these programmes and the wide range of other events at the Faculty can be found here and also on the lecture list.
Click here for information on supervisors working in this area. | https://theology.web.ox.ac.uk/study-of-religions |
Many of the determinants of healthy outcomes and of creating healthy communities are rooted in longstanding social and economic factors, including education, employment, housing and the environment — particularly in underserved communities. The elimination of health disparities and the achievement of health equity across all populations is one of the most important social justice issues of our time.
Georgetown’s commitment to the common good and social justice, and its programs in service, interprofessional education, advocacy and research provide a strong foundation for our work in advancing healthy communities
The Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) is an NIH-funded project to better understand how HIV impacts women’s lives. Since 1994, participants (both HIV-infected and uninfected), staff and researchers have worked together to accomplish this goal across a broad range of topics, both medical and psychosocial.
The Georgetown Initiative to Reduce Health Disparities is a university-wide initiative to expand interdisciplinary collaboration across the university’s campuses to conduct research, education and outreach efforts that address global and local inequities in health and health care. The initiative enhances an important research portfolio within the medical center, trains future leaders in health disparities research, develops leadership for related health policy, prepares professionals and future professionals to deliver state-of-the-art services and programs to eliminate health disparities, and provides a vehicle to move from research to practice and policy.
The Georgetown University Health Justice Alliance is a medical-legal partnership launched by Georgetown’s Law and Medical Centers in 2016 to prepare future generations of lawyers, doctors, nurses and other health professionals to work together to help promote health and well-being of vulnerable individuals and families in order to prevent legal crises that could have health effects and contribute to health disparities.
The Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities Research at Georgetown Lombardi actively engages in research focused on reducing cancer disparities among the underserved and ethnic minority populations in the District of Columbia, including African-Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans.
The Capital Breast Care Center is a community-based program of the Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities Research. Its mission is to provide community outreach and patient navigation services for cancer prevention and early detection, including screenings and diagnostics utilizing evidence-based health and wellness education practices, to underserved women in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
The School of Health houses the Center for Men’s Health Equity, which leads state, regional, national and global research, policy, and practice to pursue men’s health equity, well-being, and social justice.
The Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD) works to improve the quality of life for all children and youth and their families, especially those with special health care needs, behavioral health challenges or disabilities (including adults with disabilities). Founded with an emphasis on bringing the social justice values of Georgetown University to life,
GUCCHD has built a strong training and research program that impacts thousands of lives across the world. It embraces an interdisciplinary approach to its work, whether creating clinical teams, collectively solving service delivery issues, or developing effective policies and practices. Locally, nationally and globally, GUCCHD brings to bear its unique capacities on critical social issues of our time, such as poverty, health and mental health inequities, and homelessness.
The School of Health is committed to addressing population health and health equity. The school developed a public health minor for its students, as well as those at Georgetown College, the McDonough School of Business, the School of Foreign Service and the School of Nursing. Faculty colleagues developed the three-credit Health Equity Think Tank course. Additionally, population health themes are infused throughout the curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate levels. ranging from global health research practica abroad to experiential learning opportunities in locations like Buenos Aires.
At the School of Nursing, curricula emphasize the work of the nurse with vulnerable persons, as well as ethical, epidemiological, health promotion and policy approaches to related issues. Faculty members connect these themes to other credit-bearing and co-curricular activities, such as experiential learning opportunities in locations like West Virginia.
At the School of Medicine, two longitudinal academic tracks address population health and health equity.
The School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine is the proud home of Washington’s Area Health Education Center (AHEC). The District of Columbia AHEC is committed to addressing the need to increase diversity in health care professions and to improve primary care workforce distribution in underserved areas. | https://gumc.georgetown.edu/areas-of-focus/population-health-area-of-focus/ |
Electrodermal reactions (EDRs) can be attributed to many origins, including spontaneous fluctuations of electrodermal activity (EDA) and stimuli such as deep inspirations, voluntary mental activity and startling events. In fields that use EDA as a measure of psychophysiological state, the fact that EDRs may be elicited from many different stimuli is often ignored. This study attempts to classify observed EDRs as voluntary (i.e., generated from intentional respiratory or mental activity) or involuntary (i.e., generated from startling events or spontaneous electrodermal fluctuations).
Eight able-bodied participants were subjected to conditions that would cause a change in EDA: music imagery, startling noises, and deep inspirations. A user-centered cardiorespiratory classifier consisting of 1) an EDR detector, 2) a respiratory filter and 3) a cardiorespiratory filter was developed to automatically detect a participant's EDRs and to classify the origin of their stimulation as voluntary or involuntary.
Detected EDRs were classified with a positive predictive value of 78%, a negative predictive value of 81% and an overall accuracy of 78%. Without the classifier, EDRs could only be correctly attributed as voluntary or involuntary with an accuracy of 50%.
The proposed classifier may enable investigators to form more accurate interpretations of electrodermal activity as a measure of an individual's psychophysiological state.
Electrodermal activity (EDA) is one of the most popular methods of measuring arousal, attention and orientation in fields such as psychology , emotion recognition and psychophysiology . It consists of a slowly evolving baseline and quick, transient changes known as electrodermal reactions (EDRs), defined as increases in EDA of over 0.05 μS within five seconds . EDRs are a result of cholinergenic stimulation of the sweat glands, causing increases in electrical conductance of the skin. These fluctuations in conductivity are interpreted as a measure of overall arousal of the sympathetic nervous system. While amplitude, latency and fall time are routinely reported, reporting the stimulus of an EDR remains challenging. In particular, it is difficult to discern among uncued increases in EDA due to: (1) spontaneous increase, often referred to as a non-specific EDR; (2) result of internal stimulation (e.g. mental stimulation, a large amplitude inspiration, biting the tongue); or (3) result of external stimulation (e.g. startling noises, changes in visual stimulation)[3, 5–8].
Often, it is important to be able to attribute an EDR to one of the three aforementioned sources. For example; in the field of polygraphy, EDA is often measured as suspects are administered a series of questions, one of which pertains to knowledge of the details of the crime (i.e. the Guilty Knowledge Test or the Concealed Information Test). An EDR succeeding a crime-relevant question indicates that the suspect is lying, and can be used to detect 94.2% of innocent suspects and 83.9% of guilty suspects, under controlled conditions . However, EDRs can be voluntarily generated using a variety of physical and mental activities, significantly decreasing the accuracy of the test. Clearly, having a method of distinguishing the involuntary guilty reaction from the voluntary mental activities would significantly enhance the reliability of polygraphy examinations. Differentiation between voluntary and involuntary electrodermal activity may also useful in the field of access pathways for individuals with severe and multiple disabilities. Numerous options have been explored to enable individuals without speech or reliable motor movement to interact with the environment, among them, the use of electrodermal activity as an access pathway [10, 11]. While voluntarily generating EDRs to indicate intent remains a promising access pathway for these individuals, the use of this signal for precise and reliable communication has been contested on the grounds of high incidences of metabolic noise ; the ability to distinguish involuntary EDRs from voluntary ones would greatly enhance the robustness of this access pathway.
Cardiac and respiratory signals are recorded simultaneously with electrodermal activity. However, all signals are analyzed independently, not taking into account the interaction among the signals [1, 7, 20, 21].
The interaction among cardiac, respiratory and EDA signals is acknowledged. However, procedures for removing cardiac and respiratory artefacts are not described [22–24].
Cardiac, respiratory and EDA signals are recorded simultaneously. Features from each signal are extracted independently and used as independent inputs into a classifier that determines the overall source of all the EDRs recorded within the classification period [2, 3, 17, 25–30].
The first two methods do not sufficiently account for the interaction between these physiological signals. The third method follows in the spirit of Cacioppo and Tassinary, improving classification accuracy by accounting for the changes in more than one physiological signal. However, while this third method is useful for classifying an individual's psychophysiological state based on a long term recording, it is unable to determine the source of a single EDR, a process necessary for the real-time application of polygraphy and access mentioned earlier. To date, few efforts have been made towards single EDR discrimination; Crone et. al used the respiratory signal to eliminate heart rate and skin conductance changes associated with gross respiratory manoeuvres, and Schneider et. al have developed a set of rule-based guidelines to eliminate respiration-related artefacts in EDA recordings.
While the aforementioned techniques exist to eliminate respiratory-related artifacts from the EDA signal, they typically involve manual, offline analysis of the respiratory signal, and are unsuited for real-time EDR classification. Additionally, there currently exists no means of distinguishing voluntarily generated EDRs from involuntary EDRs using respiratory information alone. The purpose of this study is to develop a classifier that uses information from non-EDA physiological signals, namely, respiration and heart rate, to classify the source of a single EDR into one of two categories: (1) a voluntarily generated EDR, including those generated by internal physiological processes such as inspiration and internal mental processes such as music imagery; and (2) an involuntary EDR, including those generated by external startling stimuli and non-specific EDRs.
A convenience sample of eight able-bodied individuals (3 males, mean age 26 ± 3 years) participated in this study. Participants did not have conditions that may have affected their physiological signals and/or their ability to perform the required tasks, including metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, psychiatric, or drug- or alcohol-related disorders. Participants also had normal, or corrected to normal, hearing, were electrodermally labile and had a periodic baseline respiration pattern. Ethical approval was received from the relevant institutions and all participants provided written consent.
Three peripheral physiological signals were recorded from each subject using the ProComp Infiniti data acquisition system (Thought Technology). These were: (1) electrodermal activity, using two Ag/Ag-Cl gel-less electrodes attached to the medial phalange of the second and third fingers; (2) respiration, using a piezoelectric belt positioned around the subject's thoracic cavity; and (3) blood volume pulse, measured using an infrared sensor attached to the subject's fourth finger. All sensors were placed on the subject's non-dominant hand, and sampled at a frequency of 256 Hz. No additional filters or amplifiers other than those intrinsic to the ProComp Infiniti hardware were employed. Subjects were blindfolded and asked to don a pair of soundproof ear covers over a set of headphones, to ensure that the external stimuli being presented to each subject were fully controlled by the experimenter. Typical signals that were recorded from all sensors are presented in Figure 1.
Typical signals recorded from the Thought Technology equipment. Raw electrodermal activity, respiration and heart rate signals recorded from the ProComp Infiniti hardware.
Participants were seated comfortably in front of a computer as the sensors were attached. Prior to the data collection, participants were asked to choose several songs of their own preference and of the same valence (i.e. happy or sad), which they felt elicited a strong emotional reaction. The participants were informed that when cued in the experiment, they would be required to perform music imagery of one of their chosen songs, in other words, to sing the song vividly in their head. They were additionally informed that the purpose of the imagery was to elicit an emotional reaction, thus, when they began to feel emotionally habituated to their current song, they were requested to switch to another song. Visual inspection of the recorded physiological signals confirmed that music elicited sympathetic excitation in all participants. After choosing their songs, the participants performed the four sets of trials outlined in Table 1. The order of the trial presentation was randomized for each participant, and the participants performed the activities over two separate days to ensure maximum concentration and focus during each trial.
In Block A trials (quiet resting trials), subjects were instructed to relax and clear their minds of thought, keeping their bodies as still as possible. During Block B trials (music imagery), the investigators cued subjects every 20 seconds via a gentle tap on their arm to alternate between quiet resting and performing music imagery. For Block C trials (quiet resting with startles), participants received the same set of instructions as in Block A. At the time points indicated in Table 1, participants were presented with one of five auditory startling stimuli through their headphones. Characteristics of these stimuli are presented in Table 2. During Block D trials (music imagery with startles), participants received the same instructions as Block B trials, and one of the five auditory stimuli in Table 2 were presented at the time points indicated in Table 1. Prior to Block A and B trials, participants were asked to take 3 deep breaths over the course of 1 minute so as to elicit inspiratory-induced EDRs. Trials in all four blocks were conducted under two conditions: (1) in silence, and (2) in the presence of a continuous background noise (an air conditioner), yielding a total of 16 recorded trials. The presence of background noise has been noted to enhance startle reactivity in humans ; this condition was included to develop a classifier trained on EDRs generated in both controlled and naturalistic environments.
The following section will present the three elements that constitute the proposed cardiorespiratory classifier of electrodermal activity (Figure 2).
Overview of the cardiorespiratory classifier. Electrodermal reactions are identified from the raw EDA signal by the automatic EDR detector. These EDRs are subsequently tested by the respiratory and cardiorespiratory filters to determine whether they were voluntarily or involuntarily generated by the participant.
To detect EDRs, we employed the rule-based classifier proposed by Blain et al. . Here, we only review the main concepts of the method and refer the reader to the original article for additional details. The gradient of baseline electrodermal activity is predominantly negative; during the initiation of an electrodermal reaction, this gradient becomes sharply positive. As a result, the first difference of the EDA signal is a discriminatory feature that indicates the presence of electrodermal reactions. In particular, the mean (C) of the distribution of the first difference of the EDA signal over a one second window can be used to detect the presence of an EDR ; this process is summarized in Figure 3.
Automatic EDR detection algorithm. The mean of the histogram of the derivative of the EDA signal (C) is compared to the threshold (D) to determine whether a one second interval of EDA contains an EDR .
If C < D, the EDA signal from (ti, ti + 1) contains no EDRs.
If C ≥ D, the EDA signal from (ti, ti + 1) is part of an EDR.
D was chosen via an receiver operating characteristic analysis to simultaneously maximize sensitivity and specificity of EDR detection. To this end, a typical EDA signal was selected at random from a Block A trial of one of the participants. In this signal, five EDRs of varying amplitudes were identified manually. A maximum sensitivity and specificity of 100% were achieved at a value of D = 4 x 10-4. Using this threshold, a sensitivity and specificity of 100% were achieved for all trials of each of the eight subjects. This method of identifying EDRs is similar in principle to other methods that use first derivatives to define the start point, peak and end point of an observed EDR, but is more general in its abilities . While it has the same ability to identify EDRs as the algorithm proposed by Frantzidis et al., this method does not have the ability to define the characteristics of the response.
Having presented a method to detect EDRs, we now introduce a respiratory filter whose purpose is to remove respiration-induced EDRs. Deep inspirations are known sympathetic stimuli - subjects are often asked to take a deep breath while EDA equipment is being set up and calibrated, as it is an established method of generating an EDR [6, 18]. The characteristics of the respiration signal as recorded via a piezoelectric belt have a large variance not only between subjects, but within subjects as well. In addition to natural circadian variations of respiratory patterns, the position and tension of the belt is not identical between trials, resulting in a large intrasubject variability. As a result, specific features cannot be used to classify a deep inspiration from typical respiration patterns. Instead, we propose to detect the point at which respiration patterns deviate significantly from a baseline respiration model developed for each session, for each participant. Details of our algorithm follow below.
The algorithm uses the respiration length line (RLL) to characterize each second of the respiration signal. RLL combines the measures of respiration rate and amplitude, and is a common measure of respiration suppression . A decreased respiration rate and a decrease in respiration amplitude result in a shorter length line. Let the respiration signal generated by the expansion and contraction of the lung cavity be represented by r(t) and the sampling frequency of the signal be represented by f (in this protocol, f = 256 Hz). The respiration length line is produced by summing the Euclidean distance between successive points within a five second window of r(t), as presented in equation (1).
This single measure of RLL is disproportionately affected by the starting point of measurement on the curvilinear respiration pattern. Following the solution outlined by Ben-Shakhar et al. we address this problem by recalculating the RLL within a five second window 10 more times, each time beginning the measurement 0.1 seconds after the previous calculation. The average of these 10 measurements yields RLLavg(t) for each second of the recorded signal, as illustrated in equation (2).
The 5% trimmed mean (μtrim) and trimmed standard deviation (σtrim) for the resultant RLLavg(t) signal are then calculated for the baseline signals, yielding robust measures of the distribution of respiration length lines during quiet breathing . We define the respiratory threshold ψ as ψ = μ trim ± 3*σ trim . For the remainder of the trials, each RLLavg(t) is compared against this respiratory threshold, such that if |RLL avg (t)| > ψ, the respiration signal contained in the 5 second window beginning at time t contains an irregular breath, i.e., one that departs from baseline respiration.
Having screened out respiration-induced EDRs, we now present a filter to classify the remaining EDRs as voluntary (i.e., due to music imagery) or involuntary (i.e., due to auditory startle or spontaneous EDA fluctuations). The classification of EDRs into voluntary or involuntary responses requires several assumptions. The source of some EDRs, such as those generated by a deep inspiration, can be verified from the record of other physiological signals. However, in most other situations, the source of the EDR is unknown, and we must classify the EDRs based on the assumption that the participant is fully compliant, engaging in the specified mental task. Thus, in this study, all EDRs generated during periods of rest were assumed to be involuntary, and all electrodermal reactions generated during periods of music imagery were assumed to be voluntary. The presented cardiorespiratory filter tracks respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a phenomenon whose physiological origins are still debated wherein heart rate fluctuations at respiratory frequencies are observed in healthy humans [36, 37]. The filter is based on the premise that we will observe a momentary lapse in the RSA of an individual during the generation of voluntary EDRs; in other words, voluntarily generated EDRs will be accompanied by a marked decorrelation between heart rate and respiration. The proposed method creates a statistical model of the expected correlation of the heart rate and respiration data while the individual is at rest, and using bootstrap prediction bands, determines whether a significant decorrelation between the two signals has occurred. This decorrelation is attributed to non-respiratory influences including the imagery and startle responses of the participants.
where δ is defined as in equation 1. Both HR'(t) and R'(t) were standardized to 0 mean and unit variance, yielding in HR z (t) and R z (t), respectively.
where m - 1 ≤ t ≤ m + 1, m = 1,2,...,M and M = ⌈ T - δ ⌉ - 1 with ⌈ ⌉ denoting the ceiling function . In other words, the cross-correlation between HR z (t) and R z (t) is calculated within a two-second sliding window with 50% overlap between successive windows. In the above, C 1(t) is the cross-correlation between HR z (t) and R z (t), from 0 to 2 seconds; C 2(t) is the cross-correlation between the same two signals from 1 to 3 seconds, and so on. Note that HR z (t) R z (t) signals change over similar timescales so that their cross-correlation is meaningful.
Therefore, for a signal of duration T seconds, we will have T two second cross-correlation curves. These T curves generated from the resting trial data were assumed to represent the typical correlation between heart rate and respiration in the absence of both environmental and internal stimuli. Following the formulation of Lenhoff et al. [ 39], we use these resting trial correlation curves to generate a resting model for the cardiorespiratory correlation, and use prediction bands to determine whether or not a test correlation curve belongs to the same population from which the resting curves were generated. If the test curve falls within the prediction bands, i.e., belongs to the population of resting trials, we conclude that the individual was in a resting state; if the test correlation curve falls outside of the prediction band, we conclude that the individual was affected by an internal or external stimulus. The cross-correlation curves are low harmonic curves, consequently, this method is reliable using as few as 25 curves ; the authors recommend a minimum of T = 30 seconds to generate a valid population model. The generation of the population model and the prediction bands is detailed below.
The mean and variability curves, i.e., M(t) and S(t), define the resting curve model for the participant.
Now that we have a resting cardiorespiratory correlation curve model, we need to define its boundaries of membership. In other words, when do we consider a correlation curve as belonging to the resting model? One way to define this membership is to construct prediction bands around the mean curve [39–41], such that curves lying within the prediction bands are considered as belonging to or arising from the resting model.
For the i th bootstrap sample, i = 1,...,N B , we obtain D i * as the maximum difference over all M - 1 curves, over time.
where M(t), S(t) and θ are given by equations (10), (11) and (14), respectively. Any correlation curve bounded by U(t) and L(t) is considered as arising from the resting curve model given by M(t) and S(t). A resting model and the associated prediction bands were estimated individually for each participant.
For a given participant, each two seconds of cardiorespiratory data from the non-resting trials (blocks B, C, and D) were tested against the prediction bands of the resting model, thereby determining whether or not these data resembled the resting cardiorespiratory correlation curves. In essence, we are thus determining whether or not external influences are mediating cardiac activity.
where, as before, 0 ≤ t ≤ T and t - 1 ≤ s ≤ t + 1. This indicator function is used in Section 4.4 to determine the source of a single, observed EDR.
All detected EDRs were subsequently validated by visual inspection. In addition, each electrodermal activity signal was visually inspected for undetected EDRs. Here, an EDR was defined as an increase in the EDA signal of over 0.02 μS within five seconds. When the automatic detection algorithm flagged an EDR, the heart rate and respiratory signals were segmented beginning two seconds preceding the onset of EDR detection and ending one second following the onset of EDR detection. This window was chosen to account for the difference between the latency of the heart rate response (0.25 to 2 seconds) , and the latency of an electrodermal response (1.3 to 2.5 seconds) . Segmentation thus yielded a 3 second segment for analysis by the cardiorespiratory classifier described in Section 4.3, generating a corresponding indicator function I(t). If I(t) = 1 (i.e., significantly different from the resting model) at any time within the segmented signal, the detected EDR was classified as voluntary, otherwise, it was classified as involuntary. For each subject, the number of true positives (TP), i.e., correctly classified voluntary reactions, including EDRs generated by a deep inspiration; true negatives (TN), i.e., correctly classified involuntary reactions, including EDRs generated from a startling stimulus; false positives (FP), i.e., incorrectly classified voluntary reactions; and false negatives (FN), i.e., incorrectly classified involuntary reactions were recorded. From these values, the positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and overall accuracy of the classifier were calculated.
Classification results were compared for EDRs generated during trials conducted in silence and trials conducted in the presence of a background noise. These two conditions were compared with a Pearson's chi-squared test (df = 1) to determine whether classification accuracy differed significantly between trials conducted in the presence and absence of background noise.
In all the signals across all subjects, 100% of the EDRs present in the signals were detected, and no false positives were generated. The number of detected EDRs varied between participants; these results are presented in Table 3.
The respiratory and cardiorespiratory patterns varied significantly between participants. As a result, the threshold values ψ for the respiratory filter and θ for the cardiorespiratory filter were unique to each individual; these values are listed in Table 3.
PPV and NPV for each participant were calculated according to the truth set defined by the rules presented in Section 4.4. These results along with the overall accuracy of single EDR classification are presented for each participant in Table 4.
Examples of classified trials are presented in Figure 4. Figure 4a presents a trial wherein the individual alternated between 20 second periods of rest and activity. In this trial, each detected EDR was correctly classified with the exception of that generated in the final imagery period. Figure 4b presents a baseline trial during which startling noises are presented; four of the five audio stimuli produced a startle EDR, all of which were correctly classified as involuntary reactions. The classifier also correctly identified the two spontaneous EDRs in this trial as involuntary. In Figure 4c, the participant alternated between rest and music imagery while audio stimuli were presented at random intervals; two of the audio stimuli (at 10s and 72s) generated EDRs, which were correctly classified as involuntary. Voluntary EDRs were correctly classified in all imagery periods with the exception of the EDR at 100s. All involuntary EDRs were also correctly identified.
Classification of EDRs. Classification of EDRs within: a) an imagery trial (Block B); b) a quiet resting trial with startles (Block C); and c) an imagery with startles trial (Block D). Solid vertical lines denote the times at which audio startles were presented.
Trials conducted in silence were compared to trials conducted in the presence of low-level background noise for each participant. Table 5 illustrates that for all except one participant, there was no significant difference in classification accuracy. However, for partcipant 2, EDRs generated during trials conducted without background noise were more accurately classified (p = 0.02) than those generated in the presence of background noise.
This study proposes a method of classifying single EDRs as voluntary or involuntary by utilizing cardiorespiratory signals that are recorded simultaneous with electrodermal activity. Distinguishing between resting and active states without the help of the classifier would require the assumption that all observed EDRs were generated due to mental imagery. In this situation, classification of the EDA signal would decrease in accuracy from 79 ± 7% to 50 ± 8%, demonstrating that a cardiorespiratory classifier based on the respiration length line and the cross-correlation of heart rate and respiration significantly improves the ability to determine the source of an observed EDR.
The participants recruited to this study were not trained in mental control techniques, such as meditation. Therefore, it is likely that at some point during the periods of rest, the participants' minds were not entirely cleared, and a mentally stimulating thought caused an EDR. This EDR would be preceded by a decorrelation between the respiratory and cardiovascular signals, as it was voluntarily generated by the mental stimulus. However, as it occurred during the resting period, this EDR would be considered misclassified under the assumption that all EDRs generated during a resting period were involuntary. The converse situation may also occur; spontaneous EDRs are generated 7.5 times every minute in the average population ; it is likely that during an imagery period, the participant experienced a spontaneous EDR that was not preceded by a decorrelation between respiratory and cardiovascular patterns. The presented classifier would correctly label this reaction as involuntary, yet under the study assumptions, this classification would be erroneous, as the EDR occurred during an imagery period. While the authors recognize this problematic situation, data have not been gathered to provide any further information on the true source of the electrodermal reaction. Consequently, the assumption of full compliance to the required mental task is necessary, though as a result, the accuracy of the presented classifier is likely underestimated.
One recurring situation highlights the potential classification errors due to this assumption. Often, when cued to switch from a period of music imagery to a period of rest (ex. during experimental blocks B and D), an electrodermal reaction is generated within the first five seconds of the rest period, and is classified as a voluntary reaction. As it occurs during a rest period, this EDR is considered to be a false positive. However, many participants reported that it was difficult to stop the music imagery process on cue, and that the act of ceasing to perform music imagery required more effort than initiating music imagery. This effortful act of abruptly terminating music imagery may well result in a voluntary EDR as the resting process is initiated. Taking this into consideration, if EDRs that occur within the first five seconds of an imagery to rest transition are considered voluntary, the positive predictive value significantly increases from 77% ± 8.7% to 87% ± 8.7% (p = 0.04), illustrating that the current reported classification accuracy is likely an underestimation of the true performance of the classifier.
In their 1963 study on animal startle reactions, Hoffman and Flesher serendipitously discovered that the background noise they were using to mask unpredictable environmental sounds in fact had an enhancing effect on startle reactivity in the rat . This result has been replicated many times, and recently, the same phenomenon of increased startle reactivity during increased background noise has been demonstrated in humans . In the context of these previous studies, it is intriguing that the results indicate that for seven of the eight participants, the classifier performs equally well for startle EDR generated under both conditions. This can potentially be explained with Holand's finding that a component of the overall startle response included an increase in blood pressure and heart rate . The results from this present study suggest that while the magnitude of the startle reaction may be enhanced in the presence of background noise, the classifier remains robust against these changes, and is able to perform equally well under both conditions. In the case of participant 2, the classifier performed significantly better under conditions of silence. This difference may be attributed to either: a) distraction from the music imagery task in the presence of background noise or; b) a different pattern of cardiovascular startle response in the presence of background noise for this particular individual. Further investigation of this participant's responses to determine the source of the preferential classification is warranted.
While the ability for the classifier to distinguish between voluntarily and involuntarily generated EDRs appears promising, the results must be interpreted in light of the limitations of the study design. The classifier was tested on eight, able-bodied individuals within a narrow age range, who may not have demonstrate significant differences in their patterns of electrodermal activity. This is illustrated in the fact that parameter D, the threshold for detecting an EDR, which was determined from one randomly chosen subject was 100% suitable for the remaining 7 subjects. Electrodermal activity has been known to vary with age, and among individuals with different disabilities. Further studies are needed to determine suitable parameter values for EDR detection in individuals outside the demographics of those who participated in this study. Furthermore, all physiological signals were recorded under controlled environmental conditions (minimal radio frequency interference). The values of the parameters presented in this study are thus specific to uncontaminated physiological signals. Application of the proposed classifier amid noisy experimental conditions would require specific removal of the offending artefacts.
In fields where electrodermal activity is used as a measure of the state of an individual's sympathetic nervous system, some means of artifact control must be employed to determine the source of the EDRs (i.e. whether they are voluntarily or involuntarily generated). Until now, these methods have not existed, with the exception of a recently-developed standardized rule-base that utilizes visual inspection of a respiratory signal to determine whether or not an EDR is a respiratory artefact . While useful for identifying EDRs that were generated from changes in respiration, these rules do not distinguish voluntary from involuntary EDRs. As there is no existing means of making this distinction, every discipline makes different generalizing assumptions about the source of the observed EDRs. In the field of polygraphy, all electrodermal reactions are assumed to be involuntary, and indicative of the subject's unconscious reactions, despite evidence illustrating that mental exercises are an effective countermeasure and can be used to voluntarily generate EDRs to bias the results . In the field of access technologies, all electrodermal reactions generated are assumed to be voluntary, in spite of a priori knowledge that spontaneous EDRs occur at an average rate of 7.5 per minute . Fields of study that include electrodermal activity as a measure of sympathetic arousal may benefit from using the proposed classifier to obtain greater insight into the source of observed EDRs, provided that the relevant cardiorespiratory signals can be simultaneously obtained.
This paper has proposed a method for classifying EDRs using simultaneously recorded cardiac and respiratory signals. The presented classifier tracked both the RLL over a five second moving window, and the cross-correlation between the respiratory and heart rate signals, to distinguish voluntary EDRs due to an irregular breath or mental imagery, from involuntary EDRs associated with startle reactions or a spontaneous increases in EDA. This classifier had a positive predictivity of 78%, a negative predictivity of 81%, an overall accuracy of 79%, and, with the exception of one subject, performed equally well under conditions of silence and background noise. This is nearly a 30% improvement in accuracy over the case when all EDRs are naively assumed to be voluntarily generated. Our results suggest that the cardiorespiratory classifier may be useful for EDA research, such as polygraphy or alternative access for individuals with disabilities, where the source of single EDRs is of particular interest.
This study was funded by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and by the Bloorview Research Institute.
SB carried out the study, developed and tested the classification algorithm, and performed the statistical analysis. SP designed and carried out the data collection sessions. ES helped to draft the final manuscript. AM participated in project direction, funding and manuscript editing. TC conceived of the study, directed the statistical analysis, participated in algorithm development and managed the project. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. | https://biomedical-engineering-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-925X-9-11 |
Secreted Frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) were initially described as tumour suppressor genes when *SFRP1* was found to be downregulated by loss of heterozygosity or promoter methylation in breast and colorectal cancer cell lines[@b1][@b2]. Given their crucial role in Wnt signalling, and in development, the *SFRP* gene family was quickly recognized for its potential to modulate tumourigenic behaviour.
SFRPs 1--5 are secreted glycoproteins of \~300 amino acids in length, which fold into two independent domains: (1) a N-terminal cysteine-rich domain (CRD), and (2) a C-terminal netrin-like domain (NTR)[@b3]. The cysteine-rich domain shares considerable sequence homology with Fzd receptors, and due to this molecular mimicry, SFRPs were immediately recognized for their potential to sequester Wnt ligands away from receptor complexes and ultimately antagonize Wnt signalling[@b4][@b5]. Wnt signalling pathways have been shown to play central roles in cell survival, proliferation, fate determination, polarity, and tissue patterning. Unsurprisingly, dysregulation of Wnt-associated pathways is a key event in the development of many types of cancer. In general, constitutive activation of Wnt signalling (eg. through stabilizing beta-catenin mutations) is recognized to contribute to tumourigenesis[@b6]. Thus, due to their ability to antagonize Wnt signalling, and their frequent epigenetic silencing, *SFRP*s were initially designated as tumour suppressor genes and many studies have gone on to support this proposed functional role (reviewed in ref. [@b7]).
However, accumulating evidence suggests that they may also promote tumourigenesis in certain contexts. One instance is canine mammary gland tumours, where SFRP2 was found to be overexpressed and induces cancerous transformation in normal mammary epithelial cells. In this case, SFRP2 associated with a fibronectin-integrin extracellular matrix protein complex, and this interaction mediated cell adhesion and blocked apoptosis[@b8][@b9][@b10]. In metastatic renal cell carcinoma, SFRP1 was found to be upregulated, concomitant with a hypomethylated promoter region. Functionally, knocking down SFRP1 resulted in increased apoptosis and decreased invasive potential[@b11]. Furthermore, in renal cancer, SFRP2 was also shown to have oncogenic potential; SFRP2 promoted both *in vitro* cellular proliferation and *in vivo* tumour growth[@b12]. Deciphering the complex effects of SFRPs on tumour progression is likely complicated by the local context of Wnt signalling components, differences between SFRP family members and the unknown impact of NTR domain interactions.
Recent transcriptional and genomic profiling of thousands of patient tumour samples by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) has enabled a thorough investigation of the functions of the SFRP gene family across different types of cancers. In this study, we investigate the context-specific associations of *SFRP1*--*5* expression in over 8000 tumour and normal samples from 29 different cancers. We show that the putative tumour suppressor function is not consistent between members of the *SFRP* family and that specific *SFRP*s behave in a cancer type-dependent manner. We found that *SFRP1* is the only family member whose expression is consistently decreased in primary cancer samples as compared to associated normal tissues. Moreover, this loss of *SFRP1* expression correlates with gene promoter methylation. Despite these abstruse associations, *SFRP2* and *4* expression consistently clusters together, suggesting a common gene program. We found that *SFRP2* and *4* expression is tightly correlated to stromal content, and forms part of a common epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) gene program that is expressed in a multitude of different cancers.
Results
=======
Association of *SFRP*s with patient survival reveals strong correlations, but inconsistency between family members and cancer type
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We were first interested in determining if *SFRP* expression was associated with favourable patient outcomes, as suggested by their proposed tumour suppressor function. We looked at primary tumours from fifteen different cancer types ([Supplementary Fig. 1](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) and dichotimized *SFRP* expression into high and low expressors by ROC curve. Univariate Cox regression analysis was conducted and Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed based on overall survival ([Fig. 1](#f1){ref-type="fig"}, [Supplementary Fig. 2](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). To determine the robustness of these associations, re-sampling analysis was conducted ([Supplementary Fig. 3](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). In general, we found that S*FRP* expression was frequently significantly associated with patient outcomes. However, the direction of that association varied with regards to the particular SFRP isoform queried and the cancer type. Despite this, we observed select consistent cancer-specific or gene-specific effects: For example, high expression of any *SFRP* was associated with poor prognosis in stomach cancer; and high expression of SF*RP4* only associated with poor outcomes (p \< 0.05). In colorectal cancer, where promoter *SFRP* methylation and functional studies in cell lines have implicated their role as tumour suppressive[@b13][@b14], we found that high expression of *SFRP2* and *SFRP4* is associated with poor patient outcomes (*SFRP2*: HR = 2.14 \[1.27--3.58\], p = 0.004; *SFRP4*: HR = 2.76 \[1.25--6.08\], p = 0.01).
Expression of *SFRP1* and *5*, but not other *SFRP*s, is lost in primary tumours
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One of the defining features of *SFRP* expression during tumourigenesis is a decrease in gene expression. While much of this work has been conducted on normal and cancer cell lines, we investigated the expression levels of all five genes in over 8,000 primary tumours, and 780 associated normal tissues from 29 different cancers ([Fig. 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"}, [Supplementary Tables 1](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} and [2](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). *SFRP1* and *5* consistently have lower expression in primary tumour tissue compared to normal tissue. However, expression of *SFRP2, SFRP3* and *SFRP4* were often unchanged or even increased in tumour tissue, indicating that they do not undergo the same silencing process as *SFRP1* and *5*.
Regulation of *SFRP* gene expression is commonly observed at the epigenetic level, through DNA methylation, but has also been observed at the genetic level, through loss of heterozygosity[@b1][@b2][@b15][@b16]. We investigated these possibilities in breast cancer by looking at how copy number events and CpG site methylation correlates with *SFRP* expression levels. We found that there were no copy number alterations that consistently associated with gene levels ([Supplementary Fig. 4](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). At the epigenetic level, methylation of the *SFRP1* promoter region was strongly inversely correlated with *SFRP1* gene expression ([Fig. 3a](#f3){ref-type="fig"}). Methylation of this region in primary tumours was also observed to increase as compared to matched normal tissues at both a cancer-specific and a patient-specific level ([Fig. 3b,c](#f3){ref-type="fig"}). Gene expression did not correlate with CpG methylation for any other *SFRP*s, indicating that their expression is regulated at a different level ([Fig. 3d--g](#f3){ref-type="fig"}).
SFRP2 and 4 expression in tumours is likely contributed by stroma
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A possible alternative mechanism governing alterations in SFRP expression in tumours is that SFRPs are differentially expressed by various cell types in the tumour microenvironment. Several studies have indicated that SFRPs may be expressed by tissue stroma[@b17][@b18][@b19] and we investigated that possibility by correlating *SFRP* expression to tumour-specific Stromal Scores (as determined by the ESTIMATE algorithm, [Fig. 4](#f4){ref-type="fig"}). We found that *SFRP2* and *SFRP4* strongly correlated with Stromal Scores in the fourteen cancer types investigated, with an average Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0.67 and 0.66, respectively. Furthermore, single cell RNA-sequencing in breast cancer suggests that *SFRP2* and *SFRP4* expression is restricted to cells identified as stromal ([Supplementary Fig. 5](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). By contrast, expression of *SFRP1, 3*, and *5* only weakly or conditionally associate with Stromal Scores: for example, *SFRP1* expression strongly correlates with Stromal Scores in colorectal cancer, a cancer where *SFRP1* promoter methylation has been demonstrated to occur in both cell lines and patient samples[@b13][@b14].
Common pan-cancer gene program associated with *SFRP2* and *4* expression
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When expression levels of the various *SFRP*s were correlated to each other ([Supplementary Fig. 6](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) and averaged across cancers, we found *SFRP2* and 4 expression to be tightly correlated ([Fig. 5a](#f5){ref-type="fig"}). This suggests that those two *SFRP*s share a common gene program. Furthermore, the pattern of correlation of *SFRP2* and *4* expression to gene set enrichments are highly concordant, with tight correlations to EMT and angiogenesis gene sets ([Supplementary Fig. 7](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}, [Fig. 5b](#f5){ref-type="fig"}). Correlation network analysis of *SFRP2* and *4* reveals a common gene program of 180 genes that are tightly correlated (r \> 0.5) across multiple cancers ([Fig. 5c](#f5){ref-type="fig"}). This program includes previously identified key EMT proteins such as ZEB1, ZEB2, VIM, and MMP2. Gene ontology reveals an enrichment of extracellular matrix constituents and metallopeptidase activity ontologies in the identified *SFRP2/4* gene set ([Fig. 5D](#f5){ref-type="fig"}). This correlation network analysis and gene ontology strengthens the notion that SFRP2 and 4 have stromal functions --- distinct from their proposed Wnt antagonistic activity, and that they may promote processes such as cellular invasion and metastasis.
Discussion
==========
This is the first study of its kind to systematically investigate the survival associations and context-specific interactions of secreted Frizzled-related protein family members. Our results contradict the notion that SFRPs are tumour suppressive across all cancers. Indeed, in many cancers, high expression is associated with poor patient outcomes. We show that while *SFRP1* is frequently silenced in many cancers through methylation, the other *SFRP*s do not undergo this silencing event. In fact, *SFRP2* and *SFRP4* expression is often increased in tumours and are tightly correlated to Stromal Scores, suggesting that their expression is produced by the tumour stroma. Gene ontology strengths this observation, with both genes contributing to a common pan-cancer gene set that is tightly associated with EMT. Based on these discoveries, we anticipate that SFRP2 and SFRP4 function as complex matricellular proteins, and that they may have functions that extend far beyond the regulation of Wnt signalling.
*SFRP1* was the first of the gene family found to be altered during tumourigenesis. It was discovered in this manner when it was found to be silenced by methylation or loss of heterozygosity in colorectal and breast cancers[@b1][@b2]. Following these initial reports, others went on to show similar trends and to tie the effects of *SFRP1* loss to increased Wnt-related signalling in a variety of other cancers. We further validated the essence of these studies with our pancancer analysis by showing that in 17 different cancers, SFRP1 expression is significantly downregulated in tumourous tissues compared to normal counterparts. In addition, we confirmed that in breast cancer the downregulation of *SFRP1* associated with promoter methylation. Several groups have proposed the use of *SFRP1* promoter methylation as a cancer biomarker, and our study provides further support for this concept[@b20][@b21][@b22][@b23][@b24].
However, our investigation into the other *SFRP*s did not lead to the same conclusions. We found that high expression of *SFRP2* and *4* most often was associated with poor patient prognoses. Furthermore, expression of *SFRP2* and *4* often increased in primary tumours compared to their normal counterparts, and this expression tightly correlated to tumour stromal content. Given that SFRPs are secreted proteins, expression from any cell type has the potential to modulate the tumour microenvironment, and affect tumourigenesis. Since many of the initial studies into SFRP2 and 4 were done using cancer cell lines, which are composed solely of tumour cells, this nuance has likely been largely overlooked. The effects of stromal-derived SFRPs could be completely different from tumour cell-derived SFRPs. For example, only tumour cell-derived, not stromal-derived, MMP-2 and MMP-13 correlate with poor patient outcomes and aggressive tumour phenotypes in ovarian or breast cancer, respectively[@b25][@b26]. This is in line with multiple studies that are beginning to appreciate and characterize the complexity involved in biomarker generation[@b27][@b28][@b29]. Moreover, the effects of SFRPs on three-dimensional tumours composed of a plethora of cell types is likely entirely distinct from their effects on cancer cell lines. This theory is strengthened by a recent study of SFRP2 in melanoma[@b30]. Kaur *et al*. found that SFRP2 expressed by aged fibroblasts drove melanoma angiogenesis and metastasis. This study was unique in that much of the work was conducted in models that incorporated alternative cells types, such as skin reconstructions or transfer of conditioned media. We suggest that future studies investigating the role of SFRP2 or 4 in tumourigenesis consider possible contribution by the tumour microenvironment and incorporate this into model choice.
Despite production by tumour stroma, *SFRP2* or *4* promoter gene methylation may still show promise as a cancer biomarker. Kalmar *et al*. found that despite an increase in *SFRP2* expression in colorectal cancer compared to associated normals, the SFRP2 promoter region became hypermethylated in the cancerous tissues[@b31]. They used laser-capture microdissection of colonic epithelial cells to show that this increase was not due to expression within the tumour cells themselves. Moreover, the tumour cells had hypermethylation in the *SFRP2* promoter region. This has also been observed in various cell lines, where the *SFRP2* promoter region of normal cell line derivatives are unmethylated, but that region is hypermethylated in tumour cell lines[@b16][@b32][@b33]. Therefore, despite the stromal contribution of SFRP2 and/or SFRP4, hypermethylation within the tumour cell compartment may still show utility as a clinical biomarker. Given that the robustness of cancer biomarkers is often an issue, the utilization of SFRPs with other biomarkers (individual or signature-based) would likely improve accuracy.
In all solid cancers investigated, *SFRP2* and *4* showed high concordance in terms of associations with survival, correlation to one another and association with enriched gene sets. The exception to this was brain cancers, where these two proteins appear to act independently of one another. In glioma, high *SFRP4* expression is strongly associated with poor outcomes (HR = 3.93 \[2.27--6.81\], p \< 0.0001), while high *SFRP2* expression is strongly associated with favourable outcomes (HR = 0.16 \[0.09--0.28\], p \< 0.0001). In addition, in glioma, *SFRP4* is strongly associated with EMT and angiogenesis gene sets, like in all other cancers. On the other hand, *SFRP2* in glioma is an exception: It is the only cancer where *SFRP2* expression negatively correlates with EMT and angiogenesis gene sets. This disparity may be driven by tissue of origin effects --- *SFRP2* has been shown to be highly expressed in the developing neural system whereas *SFRP4* is not expressed in those structures[@b34][@b35][@b36]. Further studies are needed to clarify the details of this divergence. However, it may provide a unique opportunity to elucidate some of the distinct molecular mechanisms of these two proteins.
Conclusions
===========
This study is the first of its kind to systematically analyze the *SFRP* gene family in multiple cancers. We focused on gene expression and patient survival data and sought to identify if all *SFRP*s are associated with tumour suppression. We determined that *SFRP1*, the prototypical family member, is downregulated during tumour formation, silenced by methylation and likely follows much of the dogma surrounding this gene family. On the other hand, *SFRP2* and *4* expression levels often increase during tumourigenesis, likely as a result of increased production by the tumour stroma. These two *SFRP*s, which are often associated with poor patient outcomes, form part of a common gene program that is expressed across many cancers and is associated with EMT. We anticipate that as more studies are conducted, new functions will be discovered for these complex matricellular proteins that extend far beyond their putative Wnt antagonistic ability.
Methods
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Datasets
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RNA-seq expression, patient clinical and methylation data were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas Data Matrix on 17 August 2014. For gene expression analysis of normals and primaries, RNASeqV2 (HiSeq) data was used for ACC, BLCA, BRCA, CESC, COAD, DLBC, GBM, HNSC, KICH, KIRC, KIRP, LAML, LGG, LIHC, LUAD, LUSC, MESO, OV, PAAD, PCPG, PRAD, READ, SARC, SKCM, THCA, and UCS. RNASeqV2 (GA) data was used for UCEC. RNASeq (HiSeq) level data was used for ESCA and STAD cancers. *SFRP* expression values (RSEM or RPKM) were normalized to the expression of *TBP* for each tumour sample. Comparisons between the normal and tumour RNA-seq-derived expression values were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test to determine significance. Breast cancer (BRCA) *SFRP* copy number status was accessed using the cBioPortal on 17 May 2015 (<http://www.cbioportal.org/>). Single cell RNA-sequencing data was accessed on 7 December 2015 for 51 breast cancer cells from tumour BC02 profiled by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) series, GSE75688.
Survival Analysis
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To include the most recently released patient samples, additional RNASeqV2 (HiSeq) and clinical data were downloaded on 20 August 2015 for COAD, LIHC, BLCA, STAD, and ESCA cancers. These data were used in downstream survival analyses. *SFRP* expression values (RSEM normalized values) were dichotomized by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and the Youden index J method was used to determine the optimal cutoff. Survival curves for overall survival (OS) were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method and significance was determined by log-rank test. The associations between *SFRP* expression (high versus low) and OS were tested in univariate Cox regression models. Re-sampling Cox regression analysis was conducted by calculating hazard ratios on SFRP expression on 70% of the dataset and re-sampled 500 times.
Methylation analysis
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Breast cancer sample associations between individual CpG site methylation (beta values) and *SFRP* expression (log~2~\[RSEM + 1\]) were calculated using Pearson's correlation in normal, primary and metastatic samples.
Tumour purity
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Stromal Scores were defined for tumours through the use of the ESTIMATE (Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumour tissues using Expression data; original publication[@b37]) algorithm using RNASeqV2 data or accessed through the MD Anderson Bioinformatics Portal on 15 May 2015 (<http://bioinformatics.mdanderson.org/estimate/>). Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to calculate the association of specific genes to Stromal Scores.
Gene set enrichment analysis
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Enrichment for *SFRP* associated gene sets was conducted using Generally Applicable Gene-set Enrichment (GAGE, v2.12.3). Hallmark gene sets were downloaded from the Molecular Signatures Database (<http://software.broadinstitute.org/gsea/msigdb>) v5.0 on 10 August 2015[@b38]. Enrichment was calculated against a formulated sample composed of the mean expression values for each gene and sample-specific test statistics were correlated to *SFRP* expression values (log~2~\[RSEM + 1\]) using Spearman's rank correlation on a cancer-specific level.
Correlation network analysis
----------------------------
Correlation network analysis was conducted to determine the context in which *SFRP*s are expressed. Pearson's correlation coefficient were determined for *SFRP*s (log~2~\[RSEM + 1\]) to all genes. Correlations were determined for cancers where *SFRP2* is associated with poor prognosis (BLCA, COAD, HNSC, KIRC, LIHC, LUSC, PAAD, and STAD) and for cancers where *SFRP4* is associated with poor prognosis (BLCA, COAD, HNSC, KIRC, LGG, and STAD). Genes were included in the network if their expression values (log~2~\[RSEM + 1\]) were strongly correlated (Pearson's correlation coefficient \>0.5) in at least 50% of the cancers analyzed for correlation with *SFRP2* and 50% of the cancers analyzed for correlation with *SFRP4*. Cytoscape (v3.2.1) was used to visualize the constructed network[@b39]. Edges depict an average gene-gene expression correlation coefficient of \>0.8 in the STAD dataset.
Gene ontology
-------------
The identified *SFRP2/4* gene set (n = 180) was classified using the PANTHER Classification System (<http://www.pantherdb.org>, version 10.0, released 2015-05-15)[@b40]. The genes were classified based on their molecular function and a Statistical Overrepresentation Test was performed on these genes to examine enrichment of GO terms.
Statistical analysis
--------------------
We conducted all analyses and visualizations in the RStudio programming environment (v0.98.501). R/Bioconductor packages ggplot2, corrplot, plyr, gplots, matrixStats, survival, and GAGE were used where appropriate.
Additional Information
======================
**How to cite this article**: Vincent, K. M. and Postovit, L.-M. A pan-cancer analysis of secreted Frizzled-related proteins: re-examining their proposed tumour suppressive function. *Sci. Rep.* **7**, 42719; doi: 10.1038/srep42719 (2017).
**Publisher\'s note:** Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Material {#S1}
======================
###### Supplementary Figures and Tables
This work was supported by an Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Translational Health Chair in cancer and a Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation operating grant awarded to LMP. LMP was the recipient of the Peter-Lougheed Premier New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. KMV is a Vanier Scholar.
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
**Author Contributions** K.M.V. and L.-M.P. conceived of the analysis. K.M.V. prepared the data and performed all data analysis. All authors participated in interpreting results. K.M.V. wrote the manuscript. L.-M.P. participated in revising the manuscript. All authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
{#f1}
![Expression levels of *SFRP*s in normal and cancerous tissue types.\
Expression levels of (**a**) *SFRP1*, (**b**) *SFRP2*, (**c**) *SFRP3*, (**d**) *SFRP4*, and (**e**) *SFRP5* in patient samples. Each data point represents the *SFRP* expression levels (log~2~\[RSEM normalized values relative to TBP\]) of one tumour or normal sample. Horizontal bars indicate median expression values for normal (blue) or primary tumour (red) samples. Zero value *SFRP* expressors are plotted at the bottom of the y axis. Comparisons between the normal and tumour expression values were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test to determine significance (\*p \< 0.05).](srep42719-f2){#f2}
{#f3}
{#f4}
![*SFRP2* and *SFRP4* expression strongly associates with an EMT signature.\
(**a**) Correlation matrix of the expression levels of different *SFRP* family members (log~2~\[RSEM normalized values + 1\]) in primary tumours. Average of Pearson's correlation coefficient of gene-gene pairs from 15 different cancers. (**b**) Correlation matrix of *SFRP2* and *SFRP4* expression values (log~2~\[RSEM normalized values + 1\]) with individual gene sets (GAGE determined enrichment values for MSigDb Hallmark gene sets) in 15 different cancers. Gene sets were included if they had an absolute correlation coefficient of over 0.5 with *SFRP2* or *4* expression values. (**c**) Correlation network analysis of *SFRP2* and *4* reveals a common gene set. The network displayed genes whose expression strongly correlates (r \> 0.5) with *SFRP2* and *4* in over 50% of cancers where they are a poor prognostic factor. Nodes colours indicate *SFRP* member location (purple, *SFRP*s; orange, others); edges represent average correlation coefficient \>0.8 in the STAD dataset. (**d**) *SFRP2* and *4* correlated genes (n = 180) were classified using PANTHER Classification System based on molecular function.](srep42719-f5){#f5}
| |
This report focuses on how to implement the right to food in four countries in Africa (Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia). The main purpose is to assess how rights-based development exemplified by the right to food can be better integrated in Norwegian development co-operation and how to better link international agreements and bilateral country support. The right to food is about how to foster conditions to enable people to care for themselves and their own food needs. The most appropriate way of fostering such conditions in Africa is by using the Poverty Reduction Strategy Plans (PRSP) as entry points and mechanism. Hunger and food insecurity is a poverty problem. Legislation alone annot solve the food insecurity problem although legislation might be one important tool in the struggle to eliminate poverty and food insecurity. Whether or not the countries have included food as a human right in national legislation does not appear to be of significant importance for the food security situation in the country. The critical issue regarding food as a human right is enforcement, not the legislation by itself. Integrating the food as a human right approach in the ongoing poverty reduction processes is probably the most effective way of contributing towards a food secure Africa. In order for this integration to be successful, social mobilisation and empowerment is needed. Poor and hungry people need to have a voice in the policy formulation and implementation process and through this process claim their rights. What can be done by external actors such as Norway is, for example, support to public investment schemes. Food security responsibilities lie with national states. Resource availability at national level is an important, but not necessarily sufficient measure in implementing the right to food. The political will to end hunger and poverty is needed as well as resources and the ability to allocate resources in a wise way. In other words, the quality of public investments to facilitate pro-poor growth and social development is of crucial importance. The Sositmodel is applied for the agricultural sector to illustrate through a chain of events how allocated resources lead to services, achievements and impact; and what indicators which could be used to monitor the different steps in the process. However, achieving food security goes far beyond agriculture. A complex, multi-sector approach will be needed paying special attention towards human development, coping with conflicts and access to markets. The sustainable livelihoods framework will be an appropriate tool in this regard e.g., to include food security at household and individual levels. Each of the four countries is assessed and analysed for achievements in implementing the right to food including specific recommendations for possible public investment to achieve food security. | https://nmbu.brage.unit.no/nmbu-xmlui/handle/11250/2557637 |
Women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression have an almost fourfold greater risk of early death from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, type 2 diabetes, suicide, and other causes than women without trauma exposure or depression, warn researchers.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, examined longevity--in a way, the ultimate health outcome--and the findings strengthen the understanding that mental and physical health are tightly interconnected
Study author Andrea Roberts from Harvard University in the US said, "This is particularly salient during the pandemic, which is exposing many Americans and others across the world to unusual stress while at the same time reducing social connections, which can be powerfully protective for our mental health.”
For the results, the research team studied more than 50,000 women at midlife ages between 43 to 64 years.
They found that women with both high levels of PTSD and depression symptoms were nearly four times more likely to die from nearly every major cause of death over the following nine years than women who did not have depression and had not experienced a traumatic event.
The researchers examined whether health risk factors such as smoking, exercise, and obesity might explain the association between PTSD and depression and premature death, but these factors only explained a relatively small part.
This finding suggests that other factors, such as the effect of stress hormones on the body, may account for the higher risk of early death in women with the disorders.
Also Read: 'India should begin scaling up syringe supplies for Coronavirus vaccination', say experts
Treatment of PTSD and depression in women with symptoms of both disorders may reduce their substantial increased risk of mortality, the researchers said.
"These findings provide further evidence that mental health is fundamental to physical health--and to our very survival. We ignore our emotional well-being at our peril," said study senior author Karestan Koenen.
Source: IANS
Get the latest update about True Scoop, check out more about Respiratory Disease, Top English News, Cardiovascular Disease & Suicide
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more updates. | https://www.truescoopnews.com/newsdetail/ptsd-depression-can-increase-risk-of-death-in-women |
After completion of the course, students should be able to:
1. Religion, Identity, Faith and Ideologies: Theory and method
- demonstrate familiarity with key religious theories and methods
- problematize aspects related to intersectionality in the reflection on and practice of didactics of religion
- discuss and reflect on how aspects related to intersectionality can be operationalized in the work with values and rights in a school and society characterized by diversity
- demonstrate familiarity with the processes that create meaning in increasingly individualized and fragmented life views.
2. Literature course in identity formation
- demonstrate a deeper understanding of the complexity of identity formation processes, both individual and collective, where religion and belief are key components
- show theoretical insight into and understanding of how different power aspects and other social processes are important for the individual’s view of him-/herself and others
- demonstrate analytical skills and a critical attitude in relation to distinctive research fields that have relevance for the field of religious studies
- show constructive ability to identify problems within the field of religious studies that are of didactic relevance.
3. Theoretical specialisation
- demonstrate familiarity with, and be able to communicate on, theoretical and methodological knowledge in a specific and demarcated area of religious studies
- demonstrate a thorough knowledge of a theme or particular tradition that has to do with ethics, the history of religion or the sociology of religion
- independently identify and formulate a problem against the background of the topic of theoretical processing, and communicate this both orally and in writing
- demonstrate a critical perspective in terms of knowledge in the area of specialization
- reflect on their own knowledge process and show an ability to identify those areas in the field of religious studies where they need to develop their skills.
4. Essay
- demonstrate familiarity with and be able to communicate knowledge about an area of religious studies
- demonstrate in-depth knowledge about a theme that relates to the ethics, history of religion or sociology of religion, or a particular tradition
- based on a specific purpose and adequate presentation of a problem, identify, evaluate, and collect relevant source material
- independently identify, formulate and process problems and communicate this in essay form
- articulate constructive criticism on texts written by others, as well as respond to criticism and process scientifically their own texts based on relevant criticism
- demonstrate an awareness of research ethics. | https://www.du.se/en/study-at-du/kurser/syllabus/?code=RK2027 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a support structure of a conventional riding type mower needs a bar frame, and the composition of the support structure is complicated.
SOLUTION: A riding type mower includes: an engine 1100 provided behind a blower 200 for generating power; a transmission case 1200 provided between the blower 200 and the engine 1100 for transmitting the power generated by the engine 1100 to the blower 200; a front side support frame 1300 for supporting front wheels 1310; and a rear side support frame 1400 for supporting rear wheels 1410. The transmission case 1200 is connected to the engine 1100. The front side support frame 1300 is connected to the transmission case 1200 and extends forward from the transmission case 1200. The rear side support frame is connected to the engine 1100, and extends backward from the engine 1100.
COPYRIGHT: (C)2015,JPO&INPIT | |
Life cycle assessment (LCA)
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique to compile and evaluate the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle, from raw material extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and final disposal.
430.00€
Descripción
Objetive
In this online course you will learn the basics of the life-cycle assessment (LCA) and the tool SimaPro. The course includes practical exercises with the software SimaPro, so you will need to have a computer (not Mac).
Language
English
Date&Time
To be confirmed
Información adicional
|color||
|
Red
Professor
Program
Module 1. Key Concepts of an LCA
- Life Cycle Thinking
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Product System
- Unit Process
- System Boundary
Module 2. Application of LCA
- Types of LCA
- LCA and Circular Economy
- Examples of the applications of LCA
Module 3. LCA Standards
- ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
- Footprint: Carbon, Water and Environmental
- ISO 14001
- Other Standards
Module 4. LCA Methodology (Part I)
- Introduction to SimaPro
- LCA with SimaPro
- Phases on an LCA
- Phase 1. LCA goal and scope
- Phase 2. LCA inventory analysis
Module 5. LCA Methodology (Part II)
- Phase 3. LCA impact assessment methods
- Phase 4. LCA interpretation
Duration
60 hours. 2 months. | https://centrodeformacionsostenible.com/cursos/life-cycle-assessment-lca/ |
Dozens flock for annual Christmas Bird Count
WAYNESBORO – The misty Saturday morning may have skewed this year's result of the Christmas Bird Count in Waynesboro.
Jim Reed and his wife, Elizabeth, started counting at 8:30 a.m. at Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro.
The count can be tedious, but Reed said he likes doing his part.
The annual Christmas Bird Count has been going on since the mid-1960s for the Augusta Bird Club. Reed and his wife have been participating for 14 years since they moved from Indiana — where they were also birders — to Waynesboro.
"It's an important statistical evaluation for the National Audubon Society. It's to keep track of the bird population and changes in migration patterns," he said. "It's important to know that stuff for environmental reasons, to see what's happening to habitat and to where the birds go and how changes affect that."
"It's telling us what the bird population is year-to-year, how it changes or how it doesn't ... patterns of what things are found in what locations and whether there are changes in that or whether there's a decline," he added.
Crista Cabe, who's been in charge of Waynesboro's count for more than two decades, said each year has varying factors that can skew results. Saturday's on-again, off-again raining made it hard to find birds for those who are part of the Augusta Bird Club.
Cabe first started doing the count with her father back in the 1970s. The club does two counts for the annual Christmas Bird Count — one in Staunton and the other in Waynesboro. The count also occurs nationwide.
The count also seeks to track the variation in weather trends and the wintering bird species.
"Historically, there was a tradition during the Christmas holiday to go out and shoot birds," Cabe said. "The count was to give people something to do that was not harmful to the birds. We do it to gather data that you can compare year-to-year."
In Waynesboro , 26 people participated in the count. For both city counts, participants go in groups of two or more in specific areas, so there is no overlap, Cabe said.
As of Sunday afternoon, the tally came to 69 species, Cabe said, which is subject to change once the final count is complete. Last year, the count was 87 species.
According to Cabe, the record high species count was 90 species during the 2012-13 count.
"For this year, I imagine that once all the reports come in we'll meet the average at least, but won't approach the high species counts of the last couple of years," she said. "The variety of raptors, or birds of prey, reported so far this year is significantly lower than normal. I suspect this is because the weather kept them from being very active."
There weren't any unusual sightings, she said, but some birds that are not always easy to locate like the hermit thrush, winter wren, brown creeper, common merganser, canvasback, cackling goose, swamp sparrow and red-headed woodpecker.
The Waynesboro area is a 7.5-mile radius, Cabe said. For her counting area, she spends about three hours on foot.
Because the counting area spans the Blue Ridge, there's a significant portion not available by car and can be left out of the count, Cabe said.
"It really depends on the territory. Some people like a bigger territory, some like to get it over it," she said.
Staunton's count
Staunton held a count on Dec. 14, which resulted in 75 species, slightly above the average 72, according to Penny Warren, of the club.
For Staunton there are seven designated areas that are counted. This year, 31 people participated in the count, which lasted all day.
The first Christmas Bird Count in Staunton was in 1966 and through the years, the comparison of yearly populations has provided information about certain species, Warren said.
According to Staunton's count, this year was special because there were more than usual winter peak counts for a number of species. A number of green-winged teals, red-tailed hawks, ravens, tufted titmouse and cardinals were sighted during the count.
Follow Laura Peters onTwitter andInstagram. You can reach her [email protected] or 540-213-9125. | https://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2015/01/04/dozens-flock-annual-christmas-bird-count/21265899/ |
The Early Dual Language Learner test Initiative (EDLLI) provides resources, professional development, and technical assistance to community partners regarding culturally & linguistically responsive practices for children birth through 5. This cross sector group collaborates with other state initiatives including WI Model Early Learning Standards, Preschool Options Project and WI Pyramid Model.
Master Cadre Trainers List (pdf) updated 2/22/17 - Looking for training about supporting dual language learners (DLLs), age 2.5-5.5 years, and their families? Contact any professionals on the list of Master Cadre trainers - Each one of them has successfully completed the Master Cadre program, a training-of-trainers offered by WIDA Early Years.
Facts and Tips Series (doc) This series Available in both English and Spanish, includes information and practical tips for working with young dual language learners and their families.
Training about Dual Language Learners
Online Modules (website) - WIDA has developed several web-based modules that support the early care & education community in their work with dual language learners (DLLs), age 2.5 to 5.5 years, and their families. You have opportunities within each module to interact with content and apply it to your practice. After completing each 1-hr module, you can receive a certificate of completion. More info & step-by-step registration instructions.
We would like to thank Ruth A. Reinl for her work in developing these materials and the EDLLI Advisory Committee in reviewing all materials.
Updated 1/24/2018
© 2010-2018 | Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners | All rights reserved. | http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/pd-packages/dual-language-learners/ |
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