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abstract: 'Large software projects are among most sophisticated human-made systems consisting of a network of interdependent parts. Past studies of software systems from the perspective of complex networks have already led to notable discoveries with different applications. Nevertheless, our comprehension of the structure of software networks remains to be only partial. We here investigate correlations or mixing between linked nodes and show that software networks reveal dichotomous node degree mixing similar to that recently observed in biological networks. We further show that software networks also reveal characteristic clustering profiles and mixing. Hence, node mixing in software networks significantly differs from that in, e.g., the Internet or social networks. We explain the observed mixing through the presence of groups of nodes with common linking pattern. More precisely, besides densely linked groups known as communities, software networks also consist of disconnected groups denoted modules, core/periphery structures and other. Moreover, groups coincide with the intrinsic properties of the underlying software projects, which promotes practical applications in software engineering.'
address:
- |
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Computer and Information Science,\
Tržaška cesta 25, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia\
[email protected]
- |
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Computer and Information Science,\
Tržaška cesta 25, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia\
[email protected]
- |
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Computer and Information Science,\
Tržaška cesta 25, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia\
[email protected]
- |
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Computer and Information Science,\
Tržaška cesta 25, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia\
[email protected]
author:
- LOVRO ŠUBELJ
- SLAVKO ŽITNIK
- NELI BLAGUS
- MARKO BAJEC
title: |
NODE MIXING AND GROUP STRUCTURE OF\
COMPLEX SOFTWARE NETWORKS
---
biblabel\#1[\[\#1\]]{}
\[sec:introduction\]Introduction
================================
Large software projects are one of the most sophisticated and diverse human-made systems; still, our comprehension of their complex structure and behavior remains to be only partial [@CY09]. On the other hand, studies on modeling software systems as networks of interdependent parts have recently led to some notable discoveries and promoted different applications [@FBL11; @SB11s]. Complex networks possibly provide the most adequate framework for the analysis of large software systems developed according to object-oriented, structured programming and other paradigms [@Mye03; @TCMT13].
Past studies have already shown that software systems modeled as directed networks are [[*scale-free*]{}]{} [@BA99] with a power-law in-degree distribution and, e.g., exponential out-degree distribution [@VCS02; @VS05a]. Furthermore, networks are [[*small-world*]{}]{} [@WS98], when represented with undirected graphs [@Mye03; @Koh09], and reveal a hierarchical [@VS07] and fractal structure [@CLMPT06; @BSB12]. The latter can be, similarly as the properties mentioned above, related to code complexity or reusability and the quality of the underlying software projects [@SB12s; @TCMT13]. Authors have also proposed different growing models of software networks [@VCS02; @SFMV03; @LZCXA13] and investigated the importance of particular nodes in the networks [@Koh09], their evolution during project execution [@CY09], practical applications of network community and motif structure [@VS05b; @SB11s], and other [@SB12s].
In the present paper, we first analyze the correlations or [[*mixing*]{}]{} [@New02; @New03a] between linked nodes in software networks, which has not yet been addressed properly. Despite a common belief that software networks are negatively correlated or [[*disassortative*]{}]{} by degree [@New03a; @GXYLG10] as, e.g., web graphs or the Internet [@PVV01], we show that networks are indeed strongly disassortative by in-degree, but much more positively correlated or [[*assortative*]{}]{} by out-degree, otherwise a characteristic property of different social networks [@NP03]. Software networks thus reveal [[*dichotomous*]{}]{} degree mixing, similar to that recently detected in undirected biological networks [@HL11].
We further show that software networks are characterized by a sickle-shaped [[*clustering*]{}]{} [@WS98] profile also observed in [@HL11]. This unique shape is retained in the case of [[*degree-corrected clustering*]{}]{} [@SV05], whereas the structure of the networks differs significantly from that of the Internet or a social network. More precisely, software networks contain connected parts or regions with very low or very high degree-corrected clustering ([Figure \[fig:lucene\]]{}), which is else observed only for either the Internet or a social network. Nevertheless, all types of networks reveal clear degree-corrected clustering assortativity that has not been reported in the literature before.
We explain the observed degree mixing and clustering assortativity through the presence of different types of [[*groups*]{}]{} or [[*clusters*]{}]{} of nodes with common linking pattern [@NL07]. Besides densely linked groups denoted [[*communities*]{}]{} [@GN02], software networks also consist of groups of structurally equivalent nodes denoted [[*modules*]{}]{} [@SB12u], and different [[*mixtures*]{}]{} [@SBB13] of these, with core/periphery and hub & spokes structures as special cases. We stress that the existence of different types of groups implies high clustering assortativity, with sparse module-like groups occupying regions with very low clustering and dense community-like groups in regions with higher clustering. While the former explain the observed disassortativity by degree, the latter in fact promote the assortativity in the out-degree. Note that the conclusions are consistent with the results obtained for the Internet and a social network, where mostly module-like or community-like groups are found, respectively.
Although the main purpose of the analysis of node mixing is to relate characteristic group structure to the existing network properties, the dichotomous degree mixing in fact implies many of the common properties of real-world networks [@HL11] (e.g., robustness). The latter, together with the observed node clustering assortativity, might be of independent interest in network model design and other.
The paper does not provide a clear rationale behind the existence of different types of groups in software networks. Nevertheless, the revealed groups are found to closely coincide with some of the intrinsic properties of the underlying software projects. The paper thus also includes preliminary work and results of selected applications of network group detection in software engineering.
The rest of the paper is structured as follows. For the analysis in the paper, we adopt software dependency networks based on [@SB11s; @SB12s], which are introduced in [Section \[sec:networks\]]{}. Next, [Section \[sec:mixing\]]{} contains an extensive empirical analysis and formal discussion on node degree and clustering mixing. Analysis of the characteristic groups of nodes in software networks is conducted in [Section \[sec:groups\]]{}, while some practical applications of group detection in software engineering are given in [Section \[sec:applications\]]{}. [Section \[sec:conclusions\]]{} concludes the paper and gives prominent directions for future work.
\[sec:networks\]Software dependency networks
============================================
Complex software systems can be modeled with various types of networks including software architecture maps [@VCS02], class diagrams [@VS05b], inter-package [@LW06] and class dependency networks [@SB11s], class, method and package collaboration graphs [@HCK06], software mirror [@CY09] and subroutine call graphs [@Mye03], to name just a few. Networks mainly divide whether they are constructed from source code, byte code or program execution traces, and due to the level of software architecture represented by the nodes and the types of software relationships represented by the links.
For consistency with most past work, we consider class dependency networks [@SB11s; @SB12s] that are suitable for modeling object-oriented software systems. Here, nodes represent software classes and links correspond to different types of dependencies among them (e.g., inheritance). More formally, let a software project consist of classes $C=\left\{C_1,C_2,\dots\right\}$. Corresponding class dependency network is a directed graph $G(V,L)$, where $V=\left\{1,2,\dots,n\right\}$ is the set of nodes and $L$ is the set of links, $m=|L|$. Class $C_i$ is represented by a node $i\in V$, while a directed link $\left(i,j\right)\in L$ corresponds to some dependency between classes $C_i$ and $C_j$ ([Figure \[fig:example\]]{}). This can be either an *inheritance* (i.e., $C_i$ extends class or implements interface $C_j$), a *composition* (i.e., $C_i$ contains a field or variable of type $C_j$) or a *dependence* (i.e., $C_i$ contains a constructor, method or function with parameter or return type $C_j$).
Note that class dependency networks are constructed merely from the signatures of software classes, and fields and functions therein. Thus, the networks address the inter-class structure of the software systems, whereas the intra-class dependencies are ignored [@SB12s]. However, as such information is often decided by a team of developers, prior to the actual software development, it is not influenced by the programming style of each individual developer. Moreover, such networks coincide with the flow of information and also the human comprehension of object-oriented software systems. Nevertheless, the networks still give only a partial view of the system.
According to the object-oriented programming paradigm, a class that extends a parent class also inherits all of its functionality (not considering the visibility). Hence, each class implicitly acquires the dependencies of its parent class, the parent class of its parent class, and so on. For the analysis in the paper, we thus first construct the networks based on the explicit class dependencies as described above, while we then copy also the implicit dependencies of each class from its parent classes. This provides somewhat more adequate representation of the intrinsic structure of the software system and also coincides with the developer’s view. Note that the process does not significantly increase the overall number of dependencies (see below). Finally, we reduce the networks to simple directed graphs, to limit the influence of individual developers as above. Networks thus utilize merely the connectedness between the nodes, while disregarding its strength. We consider four such software dependency networks that are shown in [Table \[tbl:networks\]]{} (see also [Figure \[fig:lucene\]]{}). All selected networks represent well-known software projects developed in Java including physics simulation, scientific computing and network analysis libraries.
Software networks are reduced to largest connected components
For a thorough empirical comparison in the following sections, we also consider two other real-world networks. Namely, a snapshot of communications between autonomous systems of the Internet collected by the University of Oregon in 2003 [@LKF05] and a social network of collaborations between scientists working on network theory and experiment [@New06b] ([Table \[tbl:networks\]]{}). These are simple undirected networks. Although some directed social and technological networks would enable more straightforward comparison, such networks are commonly either much larger than software networks or do not reveal particularly clear group structure. On the other hand, we stress that the selected networks represent two fundamentally different topologies. While social networks are characterized by a dense degree assortative structure and community-like groups [@New02; @NP03], the Internet is much sparser and disassortative by degree [@PVV01]. Also, the prevalent groups of nodes are module-like, e.g., hub & spokes [@LKSF10].
\[sec:mixing\]Node mixing in software networks
==============================================
The present section contains an extensive comparative analysis of different networks according to node degree and clustering mixing. We first review characteristics of node degree distributions in [Section \[sec:mixing:scale-free\]]{} and then show that software networks reveal dichotomous degree mixing in [Section \[sec:mixing:dichotomous\]]{}. Next, sickle-shaped clustering profiles of software networks are explored in [Section \[sec:mixing:sickle\]]{}, while [Section \[sec:mixing:clustering\]]{} provides empirical evidence of node clustering assortativity in real-world networks.
\[sec:mixing:scale-free\]Scale-free node degree distributions
-------------------------------------------------------------
Let $k_i$ be the degree of node $i\in V$ and let $\left<k\right>$ be the mean degree in the network. For directed networks, the degree is defined as the sum of in-degree and out-degree. Next, let $\Delta$ be the maximum degree, and $\Delta_{in}$ and $\Delta_{out}$ the maximum in-degree and out-degree, respectively. Last, let $\gamma$ be the scale-free exponent of the power-law degree distribution $P(k)\sim k^{-\gamma}$ [@BA99], $\gamma>1$, and let $\gamma_{in}$ and $\gamma_{out}$ be the exponents corresponding to in-degree and out-degree distributions, respectively. The values of $\gamma$-s were estimated by maximum-likelihood method with goodness-of-fit tests [@CSN09].
[Table \[tbl:mixing:scale-free\]]{} describes node degree sequences of different networks. The degree $\left<k\right>$ is somewhat comparable across software networks and approximately half the size for [[*internet*]{}]{}and [[*collaboration*]{}]{}networks. Observe, however, that in the case of directed software networks the values of $\Delta$-s and $\gamma$-s are obviously governed by a much broader in-degree sequences, compared to a relatively suppressed out-degree sequences (e.g., [[*lucene*]{}]{}network). Particularly, as past work has already shown, software networks have scale-free in-degree distribution that follows a power-law with $2<\gamma_{in}<3$ [@VCS02] and highly truncated, e.g., log-normal [@CMPS07] or exponential [@VS05a], out-degree distribution (see [Table \[tbl:mixing:scale-free\]]{}). Note also that the tail of the (in-)degree distribution of [[*lucene*]{}]{}software network is well modeled by the scale-free degree distribution of a sparse topology of the Internet, while, from the perspective of out-degrees, the network is somewhat more similar to a dense assortative social network ([Figure \[fig:mixing:scale-free\]]{}).
For the concerned software dependency networks, in-degree and out-degree sequences have a rather clear meaning in software engineering. The out-degree of node $i$ corresponds to the number of classes required to implement the functionality of class $C_i$ and is thus a measure of ’external’ complexity [@SB12s]. Indeed, different software quality metrics are based on the out-degrees of nodes in software networks [@CK94; @TCMT13]. On the other hand, the in-degree of node $i$ corresponds to the number of classes that depend on or use class $C_i$ and is related to the level of code reusability [@SB12s].
Highly reused classes are, obviously, well known among developers and are thus also more commonly used in the future. The latter is exactly the principle behind the preferential attachment model [@BA99], which produces power-law in-degree distribution in software dependency networks [@SB12s]. For the case of the out-degree distribution, long scale-free tail is suppressed by constant incremental refactoring of classes within a growing software project [@BFNRSVMT06] (to reduce its complexity), while such distribution also results from a certain class of software duplication mechanisms [@VS05a].
\[sec:mixing:dichotomous\]Dichotomous node degree mixing
--------------------------------------------------------
The most straightforward way to analyze node degree mixing in general networks is to measure $r$ [@New02; @New03a], which is defined as a Pearson correlation coefficient of degrees at links’ ends, $r\in\left[-1,1\right]$. Hence, $$r=\frac{1}{2\sigma_k}\sum_{(i,j)\in L}\left(k_i-\left<k\right>\right)\left(k_j-\left<k\right>\right),
\label{equ:r}$$ where $\sigma_k$ is the standard deviation, i.e., $\sigma_k=\sqrt{\sum_{i\in V}\left(k_i-\left<k\right>\right)^2}$. Assortative mixing by degree shows as a positive correlation $r>0$, while disassortative degree mixing refers to a negative correlation $r<0$. For the case of directed networks, one can similarly define four additional coefficients $r_{(\alpha,\beta)}$ [@FFGP10], $\alpha,\beta\in\left\{in,out\right\}$, where $\alpha$, $\beta$ correspond to the types of degrees of links’ source and target nodes, respectively.
[Table \[tbl:mixing:dichotomous\]]{} summarizes degree mixing in different networks. As already stated before, social networks reveal strong assortative mixing [@New02] (e.g., [[*collaboration*]{}]{}network), whereas the Internet is degree disassortative [@PVV01]. Software networks also appear to be disassortative by degree according to $r$ [@GXYLG10]. Nevertheless, this is actually a consequence of the prevailing in-degree sequences (see [Section \[sec:mixing:scale-free\]]{}). The networks are indeed highly disassortative by in-degree, $r_{(in,in)}\ll 0$, though much more assortative by out-degree in most cases, $r_{(out,out)}\gg r_{(in,in)}$ (e.g., [[*lucene*]{}]{}network). Expectedly, $r_{(in,out)}$ reveals no clear mixing regime, $r_{(in,out)}\approx 0$, while $r_{(out,in)}$ is again governed by the dominant in-degrees, $r_{(out,in)}\approx r_{(in,in)}$.
Note that above coefficients provide a rather limited global view of degree mixing and can capture merely linear correlations. [Figure \[fig:mixing:dichotomous\]]{} shows also neighbor connectivity plots [@PVV01] that display mean neighbor degree $k_N$ against node degree $k$. Here, assortative or disassortative mixing reflects in either increasing or decreasing trend, respectively. While the software network is clearly disassortative by in-degree, it is in fact slightly assortative by out-degree, as in the case of a social network. Furthermore, the degrees $k$ show a clear two-phase or dichotomous mixing that is controlled by out-degrees for smaller $k$, and by in-degrees, when $k$ increases. Although one can also observe some dichotomous behavior for [[*collaboration*]{}]{}and [[*internet*]{}]{}networks, this does not appear significant and can be due to the size of the networks. Thus, as previously claimed, software networks reveal dichotomous degree mixing and differ from other degree disassortative networks like web graphs and the Internet.
It ought to be mentioned that similar observations were recently made also in undirected biological networks [@HL11]. Although these are disassortative by degree [@MS02], removing a certain percentage of high degree nodes or [[*hubs*]{}]{} [@HBHGBZDWCRV04] renders the networks degree assortative. Since hubs in software networks correspond to nodes with high in-degree (see [Table \[tbl:mixing:scale-free\]]{}), our work generalizes that in [@HL11] to directed networks.
Dichotomous degree mixing in software networks can be seen as a product of different programming paradigms. Recall that the out-degree of a node measures the complexity of the corresponding software class, whereas its in-degree is related to class reuse (see [Section \[sec:mixing:scale-free\]]{}). Disassortativity in the in-degrees can be interpreted as low probability of hubs to link; thus, highly reused classes tend not to depend on each other. Since these commonly implement a rather different functionality, the latter is in fact a result of minimum-coupling and maximum-cohesion principle [@SMC99]. On the other hand, object-oriented software systems are commonly developed according to Lego hypothesis [@BFNRSVMT06], where smaller and simpler classes are used to implement larger and more complex ones, and so on. As this results in an entire hierarchy of classes with increasing complexity across the levels of the hierarchy, a class depends only on classes with rather similar complexity, i.e., classes from the previous level. Obviously, this implies assortativity in the out-degrees in software networks.
\[sec:mixing:sickle\]Sickle-shaped node clustering profiles
-----------------------------------------------------------
Besides degree distributions and mixing considered above, real-world networks are commonly assessed due to their transitivity. For simple undirected graphs, this can be measured by node clustering coefficient $c$ [@WS98], $c\in\left[0,1\right]$, defined as $$c_i=\frac{t_i}{{k_i \choose 2}},
\label{equ:c}$$ where $t_i$ is the number of links between the neighbors of node $i\in V$ and ${k_i \choose 2}$ is the maximal number of links ($c_i=0$ for $k_i\leq 1$). Note that the denominator in [Eq. (\[equ:c\])]{} introduces biases in the definition, since ${k_i \choose 2}$ often cannot be reached due to a fixed degree sequence [@SV05] (see below). Thus, an alternative definition of node degree-corrected clustering coefficient $d$ [@SV05], $d\in\left[0,1\right]$, has been proposed as $$d_i=\frac{t_i}{\omega_i},
\label{equ:d}$$ where $\omega_i$ is the maximal possible number of links between the neighbors of node $i$ with respect to their degrees ($d_i=0$ for $k_i\leq 1$). Since $\omega\leq {k \choose 2}$, $d\geq c$ by definition.
Networks are reduced to simple undirected graphs
[Table \[tbl:mixing:sickle\]]{} shows the mean node (degree-corrected) clustering $\left<c\right>$ and $\left<d\right>$ in different networks. As these are small-world [@WS98], $\left<c\right>$ and $\left<d\right>$ are considerably larger than the expected clustering coefficient $p$ in a corresponding random graph [@ER59], $p=\left<k\right>/\left(n-1\right)$. The structure of [[*collaboration*]{}]{}network else reveals the most densely linked neighborhoods, where the majority of nodes have $d$ equal to one (see [Table \[tbl:mixing:sickle\]]{}). Exactly the opposite holds for [[*internet*]{}]{}network, where $d$ is close to zero, $d<p$, in most cases. On the other hand, software networks are again characterized by an interplay between the dense structure of social networks and the sparse topology of the Internet. Most of the nodes have moderate values of $d$, $p<d<1$, whereas nodes with either very low or high $d$ are concentrated in certain parts of the networks (not shown).
We next consider node (degree-corrected) clustering profiles shown in [Figure \[fig:mixing:sickle:c\]]{} and [Figure \[fig:mixing:sickle:d\]]{}. One can observe degree biases in the standard definition of clustering $c$ that imply low $c$ for hubs (see [Eq. (\[equ:c\])]{}), particularly apparent in degree disassortative networks (see [Figure \[fig:mixing:sickle:c\]]{}). More precisely, $c$ decreases rapidly with $k$, roughly following a power-law form $c\sim k^{-1}$ in the case of the Internet [@VPV02; @SV05]. Note that these biases are absent from the degree-corrected definition of clustering $d$ (see [Figure \[fig:mixing:sickle:d\]]{}), which thus provides somewhat more adequate measure of network transitivity.
Notice also very peculiar sickle-shaped (degree-corrected) clustering profiles revealed for the software network (see, e.g., [Figure \[fig:mixing:sickle:c\]]{}). This unique form is most notably pronounced in the case of out-degrees and is, at least in the undirected case, an artifact of dichotomous node degree mixing [@HL11]. On the contrary, profiles of [[*internet*]{}]{}and [[*collaboration*]{}]{}networks show no particular scaling for degree-corrected clustering $d$ (see [Figure \[fig:mixing:sickle:d\]]{}), consistent with the analysis of node degree mixing in [Section \[sec:mixing:dichotomous\]]{}. Nevertheless, all networks considered here reveal clear degree-corrected clustering assortativity, which is throughly investigated in the following section.
Same as before, (degree-corrected) clustering profiles in software networks can be related to the intrinsic properties of the underlying software systems [@SB11s; @SB12s]. While nodes that represent core classes of a software project commonly group together into dense neighborhoods with high clustering, nodes with lower clustering most often correspond to different implementations of the same functionality (see [Figure \[fig:applications\]]{}).
\[sec:mixing:clustering\]Node degree-corrected clustering assortativity
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The present section explores node (degree-corrected) clustering mixing in different networks. For this purpose, we define clustering mixing coefficient $r_c$, $r_c\in\left[-1,1\right]$, as $$r_c=\frac{1}{2\sigma_c}\sum_{(i,j)\in L}\left(c_i-\left<c\right>\right)\left(c_j-\left<c\right>\right)
\label{equ:rc}$$ and similarly $r_d$ for degree-corrected clustering coefficient. $r_c$ and $r_d$ are again just Pearson correlation coefficients of (degree-corrected) clustering at links’ ends and are shown in [Table \[tbl:mixing:clustering\]]{}. Due to degree biases in $c$ (see [Section \[sec:mixing:sickle\]]{}), $r_c>0$ in degree assortative networks (e.g., [[*collaboration*]{}]{}network), while $r_c<0$ for networks that are disassortative by degree (e.g., [[*lucene*]{}]{}network). On the other hand, all networks show clear degree-corrected clustering assortativity with $r_d\gg 0$ (see also [Figure \[fig:mixing:clustering\]]{}). Note also that correlations reflected in $r_d$ are much stronger than in the case of degree mixing coefficients $r$-s (see [Table \[tbl:mixing:dichotomous\]]{}). To the best of our knowledge, this distinctive property of real-world networks has not yet been reported in the literature.
Networks are reduced to simple undirected graphs
According to [Section \[sec:mixing:sickle\]]{}, nodes in software networks have very different values of degree-corrected clustering $d$, which is not true for social networks or the Internet. Together with strong assortativity $r_d\gg 0$, this in fact implies entire connected parts or regions of nodes with rather similar $d$ (e.g., very low or high). The latter can be clearly seen in [Figure \[fig:lucene\]]{}, while, in the following section, we explain degree-corrected clustering assortativity, and dichotomous degree mixing observed in [Section \[sec:mixing:dichotomous\]]{}, through the presence of characteristic groups of nodes with common linking pattern [@NL07]. More precisely, dense community-like groups occupy network regions with higher $d$ and imply degree assortativity, while sparse module-like groups are found in regions with lower $d$ and are responsible for degree disassortativity.
\[sec:groups\]Group structure of software networks
==================================================
Node group structure of different networks is explored using a principled group extraction framework based on [@SBB13; @ZLZ11a]. The present section thus first introduces the framework and corresponding formalisms in [Section \[sec:groups:extraction\]]{}, while [Section \[sec:groups:structure\]]{} reports the characteristic group structure revealed in software and other networks. Last, [Section \[sec:groups:mixing\]]{} relates different types of groups to degree and clustering mixing observed in [Section \[sec:mixing\]]{}, which uniquely characterizes the structure of these networks.
\[sec:groups:extraction\]Node group extraction framework
--------------------------------------------------------
The formalism proposed in [@SBB13] defines network groups for the case of simple undirected graphs. Let $S$ be a group of nodes and $T$ a subset of nodes representing its characteristic linking pattern, $S,T\subseteq V$. Also, let $s=|S|$ and $t=|T|$. The node pattern $T$ is defined thus to maximize the number of links between $S$ and $T$, and minimize the number of links between $S$ and $T^C$, while disregarding the links with both endpoints in $S^C$. Note that this simple formalism allows one to derive most types of groups commonly analyzed in the literature [@For10; @New12] ([Figure \[fig:framework\]]{}).
For instance, communities [@GN02], i.e., densely linked groups of nodes that are only sparsely linked between, are characterized by $S=T$. On the other hand, $S\cap T=\emptyset$ corresponds to groups of structurally equivalent [@LW71] nodes denoted modules [@SB12u]. Communities and modules represent two extreme cases, with all other groups being the mixtures of the two [@SBB13]. For the analysis in the paper, we thus distinguish between three types of groups according to the following definitions.
\[def:community\] [*Community*]{} is a group of nodes $S$ with $S=T$.
\[def:module\] [*Module*]{} is a group of nodes $S$ with $S\cap T=\emptyset$.
\[def:mixture\] [*Mixture*]{} is a group of nodes $S$ with $S\cap T\subset S,T$.
All these groups have been extensively analyzed in the past [@Sch07; @POM09; @For10; @New12]. Clear communities appear in different social and information networks [@GN02; @DDDA05], while modules are most commonly found in the case the Internet, biological and technological networks [@PSR10; @SB12u]. For consistency, we also consider two special cases.
\[def:core-periphery\] [*Core/periphery*]{} structure is a mixture $S$ with either $S\subset T$ or $T\subset S$.
\[def:hub-spokes\] [*Hub & spokes*]{} structure is a module $S$ with $t=1$.
According to the above definitions, one can in fact determine the type of some group $S$ by considering Jaccard index [@Jac01] of $S$ and $T$. We thus define a group type parameter $\tau$ [@SBB13], $\tau\in\left[0,1\right]$, as $$\tau(S,T)=\frac{|S\cap T|}{|S\cup T|}.
\label{equ:tau}$$ Communities have $\tau=1$, whereas modules are indicated by $\tau=0$. Mixtures correspond to groups with $0<\tau<1$. For the remaining of the paper, we refer to groups with $\tau\approx 1$ or $\tau\approx 0$ as community-like and module-like groups, respectively.
The framework presented below is based on a group criterion $W$ [@SBB13], $W\in\left[0,1\right]$. $$W(S,T)=\mu(S,T)\left(1-\mu(S,T)\right)\left(\frac{L(S,T)}{st}-\frac{L(S,T^C)}{s(n-t)}\right),
\label{equ:W}$$ where $L(S,T)$ is the number of links between $S$ and $T$, i.e., $L(S,T)=\sum_{\left(i,j\right)\in L}\delta(i\in S, j\in T)$, and $\mu(S,T)$ is the geometric mean of $s$ and $t$ normalized by the number of nodes $n$, $\mu\in\left[0,1\right]$. $$\mu(S,T)=\frac{2s t}{n(s+t)}
\label{equ:mu}$$
Notice that $W$ is an asymmetric criterion that favors the links between $S$ and $T$, and penalizes for the links between $S$ and $T^C$. Since the links with both endpoints in $S^C$ are not considered, $W$ is also a local criterion. We stress that, at least for the case $S=T$, criterion $W$ has a natural interpretation in a wide class of different generative graph models [@ZLZ11a] (e.g., block models [@WBB76]). Factor $\mu(1-\mu)$ in [Eq. (\[equ:W\])]{} prevents from extracting either very small or large groups with, e.g., $s=1$.
We next present the adopted group extraction framework [@SBB13; @ZLZ11a]. The framework extracts groups from the network sequentially, one by one, as follows. First, one finds group $S$ and its corresponding pattern $T$ that maximize criterion $W$ using, e.g., tabu search [@Glo89] with varying initial conditions for $S$ and $T$. At each step of the search, a single node is swapped in either $S$ or $T$. Next, to extract the revealed group $S$ from the network, one removes merely the links between $S$ and $T$, and any node that might thus become isolated. The entire procedure is then repeated on the remaining network until criterion $W$ is larger than the value expected under the same framework in a corresponding Erd[" o]{}s-R[é]{}nyi random graph [@ER59]. The latter is estimated by a simulation, thus, all groups reported in the remaining of the paper are statistically significant at the $1\%$ level (see [@ZLZ11a] for further details).
Note that the framework allows for overlapping [@PDFV05], hierarchical [@RSMOB02], nested and other classes of groups commonly found in real-world networks. Nevertheless, it explicitly guards against extracting groups that are not statistically significant. We refer to the network structure remaining after the extraction as [[*background*]{}]{}.
Networks are reduced to simple undirected graphs
\[sec:groups:structure\]Characteristic node group structure
-----------------------------------------------------------
[Table \[tbl:groups\]]{} summarizes the basic properties of node groups extracted from different networks. Notice that the mean group size $\left<s\right>$ is somewhat comparable across software networks, where a characteristic group consists of around ten nodes. The mean pattern size $\left<t\right>$ is slightly smaller, but still comparable to $\left<s\right>$ (e.g., [[*jung*]{}]{}network). On the other hand, $\left<s\right>\gg\left<t\right>$ for the Internet, due to an abundance of hub & spokes-like modules. Since social networks are characterized by a pronounced community structure [@NP03], expectedly, $\left<s\right>\approx\left<t\right>$ for [[*collaboration*]{}]{}network.
By examining the types of the revealed groups (see [Table \[tbl:groups\]]{}), one observes a very clear distinction between different networks. As already indicated above, [[*collaboration*]{}]{}network consists of almost only communities. On the contrary, $85\%$ of the groups found in [[*internet*]{}]{}network are modules. Software networks, however, are characterized by communities, modules and different mixtures of these (e.g., [[*lucene*]{}]{}network). Thus, as already argued in the case of node mixing in [Section \[sec:mixing\]]{}, software networks represent a unique mixture of dense community-like structure of social networks and sparse module-like topology of the Internet. For a better comprehension, [Figure \[fig:groups:criterion\]]{} shows most significant groups extracted from the networks.
Networks are reduced to simple undirected graphs
Nodes can be included in multiple overlapping groups
Characteristic group structure of different networks is also reflected in the mean group parameter $\left<\tau\right>$ ([Table \[tbl:groups:structure\]]{}). Indeed, $\left<\tau\right>$ is almost zero or one for [[*internet*]{}]{}and [[*collaboration*]{}]{}networks, respectively. For software networks, $\left<\tau\right>$ is between $0.4$ and $0.65$, as discussed above. [Table \[tbl:groups:structure\]]{} reports also the proportion of links explained by the group structure, and the proportion of nodes included in the groups. Despite the fact that group structure provides a rather coarse-grained abstraction of a network, the reveled groups explain $80$-$90\%$ of the links in software and social networks, and almost $60\%$ for the Internet. Also, groups contain most of the nodes in the networks.
As already discussed in [Section \[sec:mixing:sickle\]]{}, different types of groups observed in software networks actually coincide with the intrinsic dynamics of the underlying software systems. More precisely, core classes of a software project commonly form dense inheritance hierarchies, while they also provide different convenience methods for transforming other core classes. Consequently, corresponding nodes in class dependency networks cluster together and form communities [@SB11s; @SB12u] (see [Figure \[fig:applications\]]{}). Moreover, software projects commonly consist of classes that represent independent implementations of the same functionality (e.g., different group detection algorithms). By definition, these do not depend on each other; however, they do depend on a similar set of other classes. Hence, corresponding nodes in software networks aggregate together into module-like groups [@SB12u; @SB12s] (see [Figure \[fig:applications\]]{}). Similarly as above, mixtures of nodes in software networks are often just an artifact of different programming principles and practical limitations of software systems.
Notice also particularly module-like structure of [[*colt*]{}]{}network compared to other software networks (see $\left<\tau\right>$ in [Table \[tbl:groups:structure\]]{}). Since the network represents a software library for complex scientific and technical computing, high performance and scalability are of much greater importance than the system extensibility and future reusability. While the latter implies a modular design according to minimum-coupling and maximum-cohesion paradigm [@SMC99] and, consequently, a community-like structure of software networks [@SB11s], the former demands a great deal of code duplication, which in fact promotes module-like groups in software networks [@SB12u]. Equivalently, networks that correspond to software projects with particularly modular design reveal more community-like structure (e.g., [[*jung*]{}]{}network). Group structure of software networks thus reflects different programming principles and paradigms followed during project development, which could be used for software quality control.
Preliminary work on practical applications of network group detection in software engineering is described in [Section \[sec:applications\]]{}, while, in the following section, we relate the characteristic group structure of software networks to previously observed dichotomous node degree mixing and degree-corrected clustering assortativity.
\[sec:groups:mixing\]Group degree and clustering mixing
-------------------------------------------------------
[Section \[sec:mixing\]]{} shows that software networks are characterized by dichotomous node degree mixing that is assortative from the perspective of out-degrees, and disassortative from the perspective of in-degrees. Moreover, networks are composed of regions with rather similar clustering and reveal strong degree-corrected clustering assortativity. We have postulated a hypothesis that the observed structure is a consequence of different types of groups of nodes present in the networks. More precisely, software networks contain dense community-like groups in regions with higher clustering, which imply assortativity in the out-degree, and sparse module-like groups in regions with lower clustering, which promote disassortativity by in-degree, and different mixtures of these. As already discussed before, existence of different groups immediately explains also degree-corrected clustering assortativity.
We pursue the hypothesis by first investigating the regions of the networks occupied by different types of groups. [Figure \[fig:groups:degree:profile\]]{} shows group degree profiles that plot mean group parameter $\left<\tau\right>$ against node degree $k$. These do not provide any clear insight into the structure of the networks, due to a rather extensive overlaps between the groups, i.e., both high and low degree nodes are included into different groups. On the other hand, group degree-corrected clustering profiles in [Figure \[fig:groups:clustering:profile\]]{} clearly show that software network indeed consists of module-like groups with $\tau\approx 0$ in sparse regions with low clustering $d\approx 0$ as hypothesized, while the plot reveals an expected increasing trend. Similarly, the network contains mostly community-like groups with $\tau\approx 1$ in dense regions with high clustering $d\approx 1$; however, the corresponding nodes are included also in overlapping module-like groups thus $\tau\approx 0.5$ (see [Figure \[fig:groups:clustering:profile\]]{}). The same observations apply for social network and the Internet.
We next consider group degree and clustering mixing. For this purpose, we define group degree mixing coefficient $\tilde{r}$, $\tilde{r}\in\left[-1,1\right]$, as $$\tilde{r}=\frac{1}{\sigma_{\tilde{k}_S}\sigma_{\tilde{k}_T}}\sum_{S,T}\left(\tilde{k}_S-\left<\tilde{k}_S\right>\right)\left(\tilde{k}_T-\left<\tilde{k}_T\right>\right),
\label{equ:r:tilde}$$ where $\tilde{k}_S$ is the degree of group $S$, i.e., $\tilde{k}_S=\sum_{i\in S}k_i/s$, and similarly for the pattern degree $\tilde{k}_T$. We further define also directed group degree mixing coefficients $\tilde{r}_{(\alpha,\beta)}$, $\alpha,\beta\in\left\{in,out\right\}$, and group clustering mixing coefficients $\tilde{r}_c$ and $\tilde{r}_d$, symmetrically as in [Section \[sec:mixing\]]{}. These provide an overview of degree and clustering mixing in regions covered by groups of nodes, and enable reasoning about the network structure implied by different types of groups.
[Table \[tbl:groups:mixing\]]{} displays group mixing coefficients. Most evidently, almost all correlations observed in the case of node mixing are strictly enhanced (see [Table \[tbl:mixing:dichotomous\]]{}). Social network is assortative by degree, while the Internet is degree disassortative. Software networks again reveal disassortativity in the in-degrees. However, in contrast to before, group structure in fact promotes assortativity by out-degree in all software networks except [[*colt*]{}]{}network, due to the reason given in [Section \[sec:groups:structure\]]{}. [Figure \[fig:groups:degree:mixing\]]{} shows also group pattern connectivity plots. For software network, one can clearly observe an increasing trend in the case out-degrees, and also larger in-degrees, which is obviously an artifact of community-like groups, as in the case of social network. Otherwise, in-degree profile has a decreasing structure similar to that of the Internet, which signifies module-like groups. Thus, confirming the above hypothesis, group structure of software networks can indeed explain dichotomous degree mixing with module-like groups responsible for disassortativity, most notably seen for smaller in-degrees, and community-like groups promoting assortativity in the out-degrees.
It ought to be mentioned that the above relation between degree mixing and different groups of nodes can be justified theoretically. Since $S=T$ for communities, this implies degree assortativity, as long as the sizes of communities differ [@NP03]. Also, for $s\not\approx t$, module-like groups should result in degree disassortativity [@SB12u]. Finally, according to discussion in [Section \[sec:groups:structure\]]{}, modules or communities are best pronounced through the out-degrees and in-degrees of nodes, respectively.
[Table \[tbl:groups:mixing\]]{} also reports group clustering mixing coefficients. As before, $\tilde{r}_c<0$ in some degree disassortative networks, due to the biases introduced in clustering $c$ (see [Section \[sec:mixing:sickle\]]{}). Nevertheless, degree-corrected clustering mixing $\tilde{r}_d$ signifies extremely assortative structure with correlations between $0.75$ and $0.95$ for software and social networks (see also [Figure \[fig:groups:clustering:mixing\]]{}). Presence of clear groups of nodes thus indeed implies degree-corrected clustering assortativity, while the value of $\tilde{r}_d$ can be related to the quality of network group structure. For example, in the case of the Internet, which has least clear group structure (see [Section \[sec:groups:structure\]]{}), $\tilde{r}_d$ is only $0.37$.
In summary, characteristic groups of nodes provide an important insight into the dynamics of complex networks and can, at least to some extent, explain the unique structure of software networks (i.e., degree and clustering mixing). There is of course no reason why the same principles should not apply to other real-world networks, directed or undirected, which will be thoroughly explored in future work.
\[sec:applications\]Applications in software engineering
========================================================
The present section describes preliminary work on practical applications of network group detection in software engineering. As already discussed before, groups of nodes in software dependency networks coincide with the intrinsic properties of the underlying software systems. For instance, [Figure \[fig:applications\]]{} shows the most significant groups revealed in [[*jung*]{}]{}and [[*colt*]{}]{}networks. In the case of the former, the best group is a community that corresponds to core classes of the project, as predicted in [Section \[sec:groups:structure\]]{}. Since the network represents a framework for graph and network analysis, these are actually different graphs, multigraphs, hypergraphs and trees. Notice that the revealed group is not only very clear, but also rather exhaustive.
On the other hand, the most significant group in [[*colt*]{}]{}network, which represents a software library for high-performance scientific computing, is module-like and contains different implementations of matrices (e.g., dense, sparse or wrapped). Recall that the latter is consistent with the rationale behind the existence of modules in software networks given in [Section \[sec:groups:structure\]]{}. Similarly as above, the group is indeed transparent, while the identifiers of the corresponding software classes are extremely consistent with each other (see [Figure \[fig:applications:colt\]]{}). Thus, one can in fact derive templates for class identifiers (e.g., by mining common textual patterns [@BR99]) and unique class dependencies on the level of groups of nodes in a software network (i.e., by analyzing corresponding node patterns). These can be adopted in future project development, in order to maintain a high consistency of a software system, to reduce code duplication issues and other. Furthermore, one can also predict the package of a class.
Classes of object-oriented software systems are organized into software packages that form a complex hierarchy. Each class is a member of exactly one package, whereas the classes can reside also in the inner nodes of the package hierarchy. For example, the group of nodes shown in [Figure \[fig:applications:jung\]]{} consists mostly of classes in `edu.uci.ics.jung.graph` package, while the group in [Figure \[fig:applications:colt\]]{} represents classes in `cern.colt.matrix.impl` package. To predict the package of some class given the group structure of the software network, we investigate the classes, whose nodes are residing in the same network groups as the concerned one. These classes are then weighted according to the Jaccard similarity [@Jac01] between the corresponding nodes’ neighborhoods and their packages are taken as the candidates for the prediction. We select the most frequent package with respect to weights, while ties are broken uniformly at random (see [@SB11s; @SB12s] for details). Note that, instead of considering nodes within the same network groups, one can of course examine merely nodes’ neighbors or the entire network. For comparison, we also report the performance of a classifier that predicts the most frequent (i.e., majority) package within the software system for each class and a random classifier. However, the adoption of some more sophisticated approaches like deep belief nets [@HOT06] or structured support vector machine [@TJHA05] would inevitably require the identification of learning features.
[Table \[tbl:applications:prediction:package\]]{} shows classification accuracy for software package prediction. Observe that the accuracy for the strategy based on network groups is around $75\%$ in all cases except for the larger [[*lucene*]{}]{}network. We stress that the latter is an impressive result. Indeed, the task at hand represents an extremely difficult classification problem due to a large number of possible classifications, while this number is else two or three in most practical applications (see performance of the baseline classifiers). Notice also that the strategy based on nodes’ neighbors performs very well in [[*jbullet*]{}]{}and [[*jung*]{}]{}networks with more community-like groups (see $\left<\tau\right>$ in [Table \[tbl:groups:structure\]]{}), since the groups well coincide with nodes’ neighborhoods. On the other hand, the neighbors are in fact different from one another in [[*colt*]{}]{}network with more module-like groups (see [Section \[sec:groups\]]{}), which significantly decreases the performance.
Results are averages over $100$ runs
Analysis is reduced to nodes included in network groups
[Table \[tbl:applications:prediction:highlevel\]]{} shows also the accuracy for high-level software package prediction problem, where we consider only the packages at the topmost level of the package hierarchy. For [[*jung*]{}]{}network, these are `graph`, `algorithms`, `io`, `visualization` and `visualization3d` (prefix `edu.uci.ics.jung` is omitted). Again, the strategy based on network groups performs particularly well with classification accuracy around $85$-$90\%$. Besides, the strategy based on nodes’ neighbors, and also the network-based strategy for [[*jung*]{}]{}network, obtains surprisingly high results, which further justifies the construction of software dependency networks (see [Section \[sec:networks\]]{}).
Results are averages over $100$ runs
Analysis is reduced to nodes included in network groups
Thus, characteristic group structure of software networks can indeed be exploited to quite accurately infer the package hierarchy of software systems [@SB11s; @SB12s]. This has numerous applications. For instance, the framework can be used to predict packages of new classes introduced into an unknown software project or even the programming language itself, to detect possibly duplicated classes, or for merging classes across different software packages or libraries (one by one). Such tasks would else demand significant manual labor, especially for large and complex software systems. Furthermore, network group detection can be adopted for software project refactoring, in order to derive either more modular or more functional software package hierarchy [@SB12s; @SB12u] (i.e., community-like and module-like, respectively).
As shown below, characteristic groups in software networks can also be used to infer the name of the developer that implemented a particular class, the exact version at which it was introduced into the project or its type (i.e., class or interface). However, as this information was largely unavailable or could not be obtained automatically for the software projects considered, we only report the results for [[*jung*]{}]{}network. The prediction else proceeds exactly the same as before, while the classes with unknown version or author information are grouped into a single category.
Results are averages over $100$ runs
[Table \[tbl:applications:prediction:other\]]{} shows the classification accuracy for different software prediction problems. For class type prediction, the strategy based on network groups performs only slightly better than the baseline approach that classifies all software classes into the same category. On the other hand, the performance is significantly improved in the case of class version and author prediction problems with accuracy over $70\%$. This is not very surprising, since classes with the same functionality that appear as different groups in software networks are commonly introduced within the same version of the software project and implemented by the same developer.
Furthermore, according to [Section \[sec:groups:structure\]]{}, the quality of network group structure reflects different programming principles and paradigms. Since this can be measured by degree-corrected group clustering mixing (see [Section \[sec:groups:mixing\]]{}), the latter enables different applications in software development and quality control.
\[sec:conclusions\]Conclusions and future work
==============================================
The present paper rigorously analyzes the structure of complex software networks. These can be seen as an interplay between a dense structure of social networks and a sparse topology of the Internet. In particular, we show that software networks reveal characteristic node group structure, which consists of dense communities, sparse module-like groups and also different mixtures of these. Communities imply assortative mixing by degree, whereas just the opposite holds for the modules. Thus, software networks reveal dichotomous degree mixing that is assortative in the out-degrees and disassortative in the in-degrees. Furthermore, communities appear in denser regions with higher clustering, while most pronounced modules occupy sparse regions with very low clustering. The latter in fact promotes degree-corrected clustering assortativity, which is observed in all of the networks analyzed.
Besides, the group structure of software networks also coincides with the intrinsic properties of the underlying software systems. The paper thus includes some preliminary work on practical applications of network group detection in software engineering. Nevertheless, their true practical value in real scenarios remains somewhat unclear and will be more throughly investigated in the future.
The study of differences between software and social networks, and the Internet, reveals notably distinct network topologies that are most likely governed by different phenomena. We stress that dichotomous node degree mixing has not yet been observed in the case of directed networks. Furthermore, preliminary results show that the existing graph models do not produce degree-corrected clustering assortativity of real-world networks. The latter will be the main focus of our future work.
Additionally, the paper implies several other prominent directions for future research. First, the observed node mixing and group structure might also apply to different software and other real-world networks. Among these, various information networks seem most promising. Next, characteristic group structure revealed for software networks might be further related to other properties, e.g., self-similarity [@BSB12] or hierarchical structure [@VS07]. Last, although we provide some rationale for the presence of groups in software networks, a generative graph model is still an open issue.
Acknowledgments {#acknowledgments .unnumbered}
===============
This work has been supported in part by the Slovenian Research Agency Program No. P2-0359, by the Slovenian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport Grant No. 430-168/2013/91, and by the European Union, European Social Fund.
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| |
Charging management for Electric Vehicles (EVs) on-the-move (moving on the road with certain trip destinations) is becoming important, concerning the increasing popularity of EVs in urban city. However, the limited battery volume of EV certainly influences its driver's experience. This is mainly because the EV needed for intermediate charging during trip, may experience a long service waiting time at Charging Station (CS). In this paper, we focus on CS-selection decision making to manage EVs' charging plans, aiming to minimize drivers' trip duration through intermediate charging at CSs. The anticipated EVs' charging reservations including their arrival time and expected charging time at CSs, are brought for charging management, in addition to taking the local status of CSs into account. Compared to applying traditionally applying cellular network communication to report EVs' charging reservations, we alternatively study the feasibility of applying Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication with Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) nature, due primarily to its flexibility and cost-efficiency in Vehicular Ad hoc NETworks (VANETs). Evaluation results under the realistic Helsinki city scenario show that applying the V2V for reservation reporting is promisingly cost-efficient in terms of communication overhead for reservation making, while achieving a comparable performance in terms of charging waiting time and total trip duration. | https://waseda.pure.elsevier.com/ja/publications/applying-dtn-routing-for-reservation-driven-ev-charging-managemen |
Influenza Virus are remarkable because of the frequent antigenic change that occurs in HA (hemagglutinin) or NA (neuraminidase). The two surface antigens of influenza undergo antigenic variation independent of each other. They are Antigenic Shift and Antigenic Drift.
Some of the Differences Between Antigenic Shift and Antigenic Drift are as follows:
S.N.
Antigenic Shift
Antigenic Drift
|1||Major Antigenic Change||Minor Antigenic Change|
|2||Forming new sub-type (Subtype A + Subtype B –> New Subtype)||Forming new strain of virus|
|3||One or Two Viruses are Involved||Only one virus is involve|
|4||Occurs once in a time||Occurs frequently|
|5||May jump from one species to another (animal-human)||May infect animals of the same species|
|6||Large change in nucleotides of RNA||Small mutation of RNA|
|7||Occurs as a results of genome reassortment between difference subtypes.||Occurs as a result of the accumulation of point mutations in the gene.|
|8||An antigenic change which results in drastic or dramatic alternation in HA (hemagglutinin) or NA (neuraminidase) subtypes.||An antigenic change can alter antigenic sites on the molecule such that a virion can escape recognition by the host’s immune system.|
|9||Large and sudden mutation||Random and Spontaneous Mutation|
|10||Difficult to treat (need new vaccine)||Easy to treat (antibody and drugs available)|
|11||Occurs only in Influenza Virus A||Occurs in Influenza Virus A, B and C|
|12||Give rise to pandemics, which occurs irregularly and unpredictably.||Usually responsible for epidemics in between pandemics.|
|13||Example: The 1968 pandemic arose when the H3 hemagglutinin gene and one other internal gene from an avian donor reassorted with the N2 neuraminidase and five other genes from the H2N2 human strain that had been in circulation.|
Example: The 1918 pandemic arose when an avian H1N1 strain mutated to enable its rapid and efficient transfer from human-to-human.
|Example: The subtle mutations accumulated through antigenic drift of these subtypes (e.g., H1N1, H3N2, H5N1) give rise to different strains of each subtype.|
Example: Antigenic drift is also known to occur in HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which causes AIDS, and in certain rhinoviruses, which cause common colds in humans. It also has been suspected to occur in some cancer-causing viruses in humans. | https://microbiologyinfo.com/differences-between-antigenic-shift-and-antigenic-drift/ |
Budget 2020: Stalling property market needs economic relief
DURBAN – The stalling property market is in dire need of economic relief, said Samuel Seeff, chairman of the Seeff Property Group.
The 2016-2018 transfer duty and Capital Gains Tax (CGT) hikes were never going to result in higher government revenue, quite the opposite as is now evident from the sales data, said Seeff.
The hikes started in 2015 when a new transfer duty category of 11 percent above R2,25 million was introduced. In 2017 a further new category of 13 percent above R10 million was added. At the same time, Capital Gains Tax (CGT) increased in 2017 to 16.4 percent (from 13.65 percent) and again in 2018 to 18 percent (from 16.4 percent). These hikes coincided with the rise of expropriation without compensation (EWC) further compounding the pressure on the R3 million-plus price categories.
Rather than contribute more in tax revenue, Seeff says that it has had the complete opposite effect to the extent that sales volumes at the higher price bands are just about back to the pre-2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) levels.
Additionally, the current interest rate is too high. By now, we should have had at least 100bps cut which would have had a positive impact on the market and economy. More first time buyers would have been able to get into the market while considerably more disposable income could have been freed up to spend in the economy.
Consider for example that a 1 percent rate cut on a 20-year mortgage bond of R900 000 bond would have saved about R580 per month and on R1,5 million about R970; savings that could provide a considerable economic boost.
Although the interest rate cut in January brought some relief, Seeff says that it falls well short of what is needed by the economy and property market. There has been ample support for rate cuts since mid-2019 and the Reserve Bank has been overcautious at the expense of the economy.
To reignite the market and economy, we need at least two interest rate cuts from the Reserve Bank during the first half of the year. More importantly, there a strong case for the Finance Minister to re-evaluate and reverse the disastrous tax hikes, said Seeff.
Pre-2016/17, property was one of the best performing economic sectors. As the market ticked up, Seeff says there was significant growth and an influx of new developments and upgrades. Aside from the construction and real estate industry benefits and laying the foundation for further growth, the market generated significant taxes for the fiscus.
It is evident from the sales turnover figures that the price bands which have remained unaffected by the tax hikes have continued to be fairly active (i.e. to about R2.25 million), although at slightly lower levels as a consequence of the economic decline.
Above that, says Seeff, there is a marked decline and the higher up on the price ladder you go, the more pronounced it becomes. The high-end luxury areas have really felt the decline with some R2 billion lost to the market in Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl area alone including foreign buying which has more than halved.
When the market functions normally, volumes and values increased naturally through the forces of demand and supply. This was clearly evident from the 2002-2007 and 2012-2017 growth phases when the market performed well above the GDP growth rates, says Seeff. This of course meant higher tax revenues and it is unfortunate that government used that opportunity to hike taxes with, as we can now see, disastrous consequences.
Seeff concludes by saying that the property market is well poised for growth this year despite the economic and EWC concerns but needs an economic kickstart in the form of interest rate cuts and a reversal of the tax and CGT hikes.
Samuel Seeff, chairman of the Seeff Property Group. | https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/budget/budget-2020-stalling-property-market-needs-economic-relief-43352020 |
The Little Beanie Bear series, written and illustrated by local Hong Kong author Carmen Lee, are a set of board books about a young Beanie Bear that many young readers can relate with!
As a mother to young children herself, Carmen has front row seats into the mindset of small children. She uses relatable topics and themes to introduce our young readers concepts around humility, kindness, responsibility, and sustainability.
In book #7, Why Do I Have to Follow Rules?, Beanie Bear explores boundaries and tries to figure out why rules exist. A great book for young readers who are just developing their own thoughts and opinions, and who will undoubted question why certain rules exist. | https://kozzi.ca/products/little-beanie-bear-7-why-do-i-have-to-follow-rules-%E5%B0%8F%E7%86%8A%E8%B1%86%E8%B1%86%E6%88%90%E9%95%B7%E7%B3%BB%E5%88%97-%E7%82%BA%E4%BB%80%E9%BA%BC%E8%A6%81%E5%AE%88%E8%A6%8F%E7%9F%A9 |
Location in the large bowel influences the APC mutations observed in FAP adenomas.
Will OC., Leedham SJ., Elia G., Phillips RKS., Clark SK., Tomlinson IPM.
The right colon differs from the left, in embryological origin, luminal environment, and function. In both sporadic colorectal cancer and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), polyp density and cancer susceptibility vary markedly by colonic site. Adenomas in FAP have a different mutational spectrum in small intestine versus colon. This study aimed to investigate whether colonic location also influences the APC mutation spectrum in FAP. 127 1-2 mm mildly dysplastic adenomas from 5 patients with a codon 1309 germline mutation, and 41 from 3 patients with mutations proximal to codon 1265, were analysed to assess the frequency of loss of heterozygosity (LOH). We chose polyps from different locations in the colon. Immunohistochemistry for beta-catenin, caspase-3 and Ki-67 was performed to assess Wnt pathway activation, apoptosis and proliferation. In polyps from patients with a 1309 mutation, the frequency of LOH showed a gradient from rectum (highest) to caecum/ascending colon (lowest), but this was not present in patients with proximal germline APC mutations. Crypt-by-crypt analysis confirmed the LOH findings from whole polyps. Beta-catenin and caspase-3 expression showed no significant variation by colonic region, but Ki-67 expression decreased from ascending colon to rectum in tumours and normal tissue. Colonic site alters the mutational spectrum of APC, and crypt cell proliferation. The higher frequency of LOH in rectal polyps from patients with codon 1309 mutations may help to explain their increased polyp burden at this site compared with patients who have other germline APC mutations. | https://www.expmedndm.ox.ac.uk/publications/72286/ |
BACKGROUND
Animators often seek to animate facial expressions. However, animating realistic facial expressions can be challenging since facial movement depends on many complicated muscle movements. Some traditional animation techniques make use of key-framing to animate characters and their facial expressions. For example, to animate a character's mouth, an animator would key-frame the mouth by manually animating each key-frame one frame at a time. However, it is not always intuitive for some animators to focus on movements of the mouth.
Some recent animation techniques use software to automatically convert an audio signal of speech into corresponding key-frames for the mouth. This type of audio-driven animation can provide a more intuitive and accessible interface for some animators that find it easier to work directly with audio or speech. One conventional audio-driven animation technique attempts to detect phonemes in input speech and map detected phonemes to corresponding facial animations. More recently, audio-driven “deep fake” videos have emerged. Deep fake videos can depict someone speaking, and may appear somewhat realistic. However, the videos are fake in the sense that at least some frames of the video depict speech that never actually occurred. Some audio-driven deep fakes are generated by predicting each video frame directly from input speech. In each of these cases, the quality of the animation or video output has been limited.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to audio-driven animation of a talking head from an input audio signal of speech and a representation of a head to animate (e.g., a static image of a character's head). A set of template 3D facial landmarks can be extracted from the input image of the head, an audio feature vector can be extracted from the input audio signal, and the template 3D facial landmarks and audio feature vector can be used as inputs into a neural network that predicts 3D facial landmarks reflecting facial dynamics corresponding to the input speech. The template 3D facial landmarks can serve as an initial structure representing an identity and/or a rest pose. By using an initial structure as an input, the neural network can be trained to predict displacement from the initial structure. This serves to disentangle identity, enabling the neural network to be applied during operation to different identities than the one (or more) on which it was trained.
Generally, the neural network may include a recurrent neural network configured to generate a set of predicted 3D facial landmarks corresponding to a particular window of audio. The set of predicted 3D facial landmarks reflect a predicted position, orientation, and/or expression of the body parts corresponding to the initial structure, when speaking the portion of speech in the window of audio. By inputting a desired set of 3D facial landmarks as the initial structure, the neural network can learn to use the initial structure as a template to predict corresponding 3D facial landmarks that can be used to selectively animate and synchronize motion for the corresponding parts of the face and head reflected by the initial structure. To generate video frames for the animation, the input image of the head can be warped to fit the predicted 3D facial landmarks (e.g., for each window of audio), and the resulting frames can be compiled along with the input audio into an animation of a talking head saying the input speech.
The neural network may be designed to predict 3D facial landmarks by accounting for a single speaking style or multiple speaking styles. In embodiments in which the neural network accounts for different speaking styles, a set of template facial landmarks and an audio feature vector can be used as inputs into a neural network that automatically detects different speaking styles from arbitrary vocal clips and predicts 3D facial landmarks corresponding to a detected style. In some embodiments, instead of automatically detecting a speaking style from the vocal clip, the neural network can be selectively set to predict 3D facial landmarks for a specified style during operation. For example, upon receiving an input designating a desired style to use, the style can be encoded and input into a decoder in the network in order to force the network to predict 3D facial landmarks for the specified style. As such, in these embodiments, the neural network can adapt to different speaking styles.
Accordingly, using implementations described herein, professional animators and even amateurs can easily generate an animation of a talking head from an input audio signal of speech. Depending on the implementation, a neural network can learn to selectively animate and synchronize motion for a desired set of body parts of the face and head, including lips, nose, eyes, ears, and head pose. Template 3D facial landmarks can be identified or extracted from an input image or other representation of a head to animate, and the template 3D facial landmarks can be used with successive windows of audio from the input speech to predict 3D facial landmarks and generate a corresponding animation with plausible 3D effects.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of an example computing system for audio-driven talking head animation, in accordance with some embodiments;
FIG. 2
is a block diagram of an example audio-driven talking head animator, in accordance with some embodiments;
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is a block diagram of an example single-style landmark predictor, in accordance with some embodiments;
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is a block diagram of an example multi-style landmark predictor, in accordance with some embodiments;
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is a flow diagram showing a method for audio-driven animation, in accordance with some embodiments;
FIG. 6
is a flow diagram showing another method for audio-driven animation, in accordance with some embodiments; and
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is a block diagram of an example computing environment suitable for use in implementing some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Overview
There is little prior work on audio-driven facial animation. Existing solutions can be broadly classified into procedural animation and deep learning data-driven approaches. Procedural animation techniques such as lip sync animation generally work by extracting phonemes from an input audio signal or textual transcript, and then mapping the extracted phonemes to corresponding visemes. Over time, procedural animation maps phonetic streams to viseme motion curves. At least one conventional technique has applied deep learning to map phonemes to visemes. However, one of the drawbacks with these and other phoneme-based approaches is that they require accurate phoneme prediction (e.g., textual transcript phonetic alignment, automatic speech recognition, etc.), and current phoneme prediction techniques often produce misclassifications, which can compound over time. For example, techniques that predict phoneme from an audio waveform can have unwanted dependencies on speech intensity, pitch, emphasis, syllable duration, and other characteristics that may be present in a raw audio waveform. Furthermore, conventional phoneme to viseme maps fail to account for the one-to-many relationship between some phonemes and the possible corresponding facial expressions, thereby producing inaccuracies in the resulting animations. Moreover, phoneme-based approaches often generate output video with discontinuities between successive facial positions. Finally, phoneme-based approaches have conventionally been limited to animation of only a character's lips, not eyes, nose, and head poses, which can sometime cause the resulting character animation to appear unrealistic
More recent deep-learning based approaches to audio-driven animation predict facial animation from input audio waves without relying on phoneme predictions. However, conventional deep-learning based approaches to audio-driven animation have a number of drawbacks. For example, conventional techniques predict a whole image for each video frame. Since there can be millions of pixels to predict for each video frame, conventional techniques are highly computationally challenging and costly. Furthermore, conventional deep-learning based approaches to audio-driven animation have produced limited accuracy. For example, conventional techniques have been limited to animations of the mouth region, which often cause the output animation to appear unrealistic. One prior technique can generate neutral head motion using re-timing dynamic programming. However, since this head motion is generated based simply on binary detection between utterance and silence, the resulting head motion is crude and unrealistic. Moreover, this conventional technique for generating head motion only works on specific face meshes or 3D rigs, so the applicability is limited to skilled animators with access to 3D software and face meshes or 3D rigs for the characters to be animated.
Accordingly, embodiments described herein are directed to audio-driven animation of a talking head from an input audio signal of speech and a representation such as a static image of a head to animate with the speech. A set of template 3D facial landmarks can be extracted from the input image of the head, an audio feature vector can be extracted from the input audio signal, and the template facial landmarks and audio feature vector can be used as inputs into a neural network that predicts 3D facial landmarks reflecting facial dynamics corresponding to the input speech. Generally, the template 3D facial landmarks can serve as an initial structure representing an identity and/or a rest pose. By using an initial structure as an input, the neural network can learn to predict displacement from the initial structure. This serves to disentangle identity, enabling the neural network to be applied during operation to different identities than the one (or more) on which it was trained.
Generally, the neural network may be a recurrent neural network configured to generate a set of predicted 3D facial landmarks corresponding to a particular window of audio. In other words, the set of predicted 3D facial landmarks reflect a predicted position, orientation, and/or expression of the body parts corresponding to the initial structure, when speaking the portion of speech in the window of audio. By inputting a desired set of 3D facial landmarks as the initial structure, the neural network can learn to use the initial structure as a template to predict corresponding 3D facial landmarks that can be used to selectively animate and synchronize motion for the corresponding parts of the face and head reflected by the initial structure. Thus, unlike prior techniques, the present audio-driven animation techniques can synchronize multiple components of a talking head, including lips, nose, eyes, ears, and head pose. As such, the present techniques can generate more realistic looking animations than prior techniques. To generate video frames for the animation, the input image of the head can be warped to fit the predicted 3D facial landmarks (e.g., for each window of audio), and the resulting frames can be compiled along with the input audio into an animation.
There are a number of benefits that result from predicting a sparse set of 3D facial landmarks instead of a full resolution image like conventional techniques. For example, since the neural network only needs to predict a sparse set of landmarks, the network size can be much smaller, making training time faster and leaving more capacity for other features such as learning to recognize different speaker styles, as described in more detail below. Another benefit to predicting 3D facial landmarks instead of a full resolution image is that it disentangles identity (e.g., facial proportions) from the dynamics of facial motion. Thus, the network can learn to predict deformation or displacement of landmarks, which is transferrable to other identities, independent of facial proportions. In other words, even if the network is trained using videos of a single face, the network can learn to predict 3D facial landmarks that can drive animations of other faces, significantly extending use cases and applications. Finally, directly predicting 3D facial landmarks without relying on a phoneme map as an intermediate step removes dependencies on many unwanted audio characteristics that may be present in raw wave forms, as the neural network learns to ignore characteristics that do not carry relevant information.
In some embodiments, the neural network can learn to account for different speaking styles. Generally, different speaking styles (e.g., sentiment, pitch, emotion, speed, pace of speech) have been found to have a correlation with different styles of facial motion. Since different speaking styles can be captured in an audio recording of speech, the audio recording also captures different styles of facial motion, at least to an extent. In other words, when we hear different speaking styles (e.g., active, quiet, sad), we associate them with different styles of facial motion. As such, in some embodiments, a set of template facial landmarks and an audio feature vector can be used as inputs into a neural network that automatically detects different speaking styles in an arbitrary vocal clip and predicts 3D facial landmarks corresponding to that style. In some embodiments, the neural network can be set to predict 3D facial landmarks for a specified style during operation. For example, the neural network may include a multi-style landmark decoder, and upon receiving an input designating a desired style to use, the input into the multi-style landmark decoder can be switched and fed a style embedding corresponding to the desired style. This configuration can force the landmark decoder to predict 3D facial landmarks corresponding to the specified style. As such, in these embodiments, the neural network can adapt to different speaking styles, unlike prior techniques.
Whether accounting for different speaking styles or not, predicted 3D facial landmarks may be generated from input speech and some representation of a head to animate, and the predicted 3D facial landmarks may be used to generate an animation of a talking head (e.g., a person or character saying the input speech). For example, a window of audio from the input speech can be encoded and used to generate an animation frame. In some embodiments, the head to animate may be input as a single, static input image of a person or character (e.g., a portrait). To generate an animation frame, Delaunay triangulation can be applied on the predicted 3D facial landmarks over a given input image to drive an image warping. Any type of warping may be applied to warp the image and align each facial landmark point in the image with its corresponding triangle region, and the resulting warped output image may be used as an animation frame. Each window of audio from the input speech may be used to generate a set of predicted 3D landmarks, which can be applied to warp the input image to generate a corresponding output frame. Based on the motion of the predicted 3D facial landmarks over time and corresponding warped images, the resulting output frames can serve as the basis for an animation video (e.g., the output frames can be stitched together to compose the video). Thus, an animation can be generated from a single input image of a head to animate. In these embodiments, face meshes or 3D rigs are no longer needed to animate characters, making it easier for even amateurs to generate realistic talking heads.
In some embodiments, the head to animate may be input using some other structure besides a single image. For example, the head to animate may be input as 2D layered artwork (e.g., with different parts of the face in different layers). In that scenario, correspondence between points in the 2D layers and 3D facial landmarks can be identified and used to drive an animation of the person or character in the 2D layered artwork. More specifically, once the correspondence between the 2D layout and 3D facial landmarks is established, any change to the predicted 3D landmarks can be mapped to corresponding changes in the 2D layout. Each window of audio from the input speech can be used to update the 2D layout, and the updates (e.g., each update) can be used as a basis for corresponding animation frames for a video.
In some embodiments, the head to animate may be input as a 3D mesh or a 3D rig, the template 3D facial landmarks may be selected from (or based on) points in the 3D mesh or 3D rig, and the predicted 3D facial landmarks can be used as 3D model controls or 3D rigging controls by using the predicted landmarks to generate control parameters for the 3D mesh or 3D rig. Each window of audio from the input speech can be used to update the 3D mesh or 3D rig. The updated 3D mesh or 3D rig may be used to render an animation frame for a video, or may be projected into augmented reality or virtual reality to generate realistic 3D avatars, virtual assistants, creatures, and the like. These are just a few examples of possible structures that may be used to designate the head to animate, and other variations are contemplated within the present disclosure.
In each of these foregoing scenarios, an animation can be generated by analyzing a particular window of an input audio signal at a given time. This is in contrast to conventional techniques that analyze a particular point of audio at a given time, for example, to predict a corresponding phoneme. Generating a particular animation frame from a window of audio removes each frame's dependency upon a particular point of time. Since each animation step no longer needs to be based solely on a single point from the input, using a window of audio as an input can account for the one-to-many relationship between some phonemes and the potential corresponding facial expressions, thereby producing smoother and more continuous animations.
As such, using implementations described herein, professional animators and even amateurs can easily generate an animation of a talking head from an input audio signal of speech. Depending on the implementation, a neural network can learn to selectively animate and synchronize motion for a desired set of body parts of the face and head, including lips, nose, eyes, ears, and head pose. More specifically, the neural network can predict a set of 3D facial landmarks that can be used to drive the animation. In some embodiments, the neural network can learn to detect different speaking styles in the input speech and account for the different speaking styles when predicting the 3D facial landmarks. Different embodiments may be implemented depending on the structure used to input the person or character to be animated. Generally, template 3D facial landmarks can be identified or extracted from an input image, 2D layered artwork, a face mesh, or a 3D rig of the head to animate, and the template 3D facial landmarks can be used with successive windows of audio from the input speech to predict 3D facial landmarks and generate a corresponding animation with plausible 3D effects.
The various techniques described herein reflect a number of improvements over prior techniques. In addition to the benefits described above, some embodiments can generate dynamic 3D facial landmarks with head poses using only audio and a single static image as inputs. This is a significant step from previous methods. Broadly speaking, audio-driven facial animation can significantly ease an animation pipeline. For example, being able to generate 3D human head models from only audio and a single static image can greatly assist with professional movie VFX production. Furthermore, prior audio-driven talking head techniques generally animate only the mouth region given an audio input. In other words, the eyes, the nose, ears, and head pose are not animated in the automatic process. By contrast, the present techniques can animate all these features simultaneously, resulting in a more realistic animation than in prior techniques. Moreover, and unlike prior techniques, embodiments that account for different speaking styles are able to account for different stylized facial motion carried in an audio signal of input speech. These are just a few benefits of the various embodiments described herein.
Having briefly described an overview of aspects of the present invention, various terms used throughout this description are provided. Although more details regarding various terms are provided throughout this description, general descriptions of some terms are included below to provider a clearer understanding of the ideas disclosed herein:
As used herein, a neural network generally refers to a machine-learning model that learns to approximate unknown functions by analyzing example (e.g., training) data at different levels of abstraction. Generally, neural networks can model complex non-linear relationships by generating hidden vector outputs along a sequence of inputs. In particular, a neural network can include a model of interconnected digital neurons that communicate and learn to approximate complex functions and generate outputs based on a plurality of inputs provided to the model. A neural network can include a variety of deep learning models, including convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, deep neural networks, and deep stacking networks, to name a few examples. A neural network may include or otherwise make use of one or more machine learning algorithms to learn from training data. In other words, a neural network can include an algorithm that implements deep learning techniques such as machine learning to attempt to model high-level abstractions in data.
Three dimensional (3D) facial landmarks generally refer to a set of points in 3D space that represent specific points (landmarks) on a face. The position, orientation, and expression of a particular face can be represented by a set of 3D facial landmarks (e.g., the values or 3D positions of the 3D facial landmarks). One common application uses 68 facial landmarks, however, any number of facial landmarks may be used.
Some embodiments distinguish between speech content and speaking style. Speech content generally refers to what a speaker is saying, while speaking style refers to how or she is saying it. For example, speech content may include structure (e.g., phonemes, words, sentences) and/or semantic meaning. Speaking style may include speech intensity, pitch, emphasis, syllable duration, and/or other characteristics. In some embodiments, speech content and speaking style may be separately encoded and combined to account for different speaking styles.
Example Audio-Driven Animation Environment
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Referring now to , a block diagram of an example computing system for audio-driven talking head animation is shown. Generally, environment is suitable for audio-driven animation, and, among other things, facilitates automatic generation of an animation from an audio signal of speech and an image or some other structure representing a head to animate. Environment includes client device and server . Client device and server may communicate with each other via a network , which may include, without limitation, one or more local area networks (LANs) and/or wide area networks (WANs). Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, and the Internet. Generally, client device and/or server can be any kind of computing device capable of facilitating animation generation. For example, in an embodiment, client device and/or server can be a computing device such as computing device , as described below with reference to . In embodiments, client device can be a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a workstation, a mobile computing device, a PDA, a cell phone, or the like.
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In the embodiment illustrated in , client device includes application . Application may generally be any application capable of facilitating audio-driven animation. Application may be a stand-alone application, a mobile application, a web application, or the like. In some implementations, the application(s) comprises a web application, which can run in a web browser, and could be hosted at least partially server-side. Additionally or alternatively, the application(s) can comprise a dedicated application. In some cases, the application can be integrated into an operating system (e.g., as a service) of client device or server . One example application that may be used for animation is ADOBE® CHARACTER ANIMATOR®, which is a motion capture and animation tool.
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Server includes audio-driven talking head animator . Generally, audio-driven talking head animator automatically generates an animation of a talking head from an audio signal of speech and an image or some other structure representing a head to animate. Although embodiments are generally described with audio-driven talking head animator residing on server , in some embodiments, audio-driven talking head animator or some portion thereof may be incorporated, or integrated, into an application, or an add-on or plug-in to an application, such as application residing on client device . Additionally or alternatively, audio-driven talking head animator or some portion thereof can be integrated into an operating system (e.g., as a service) of client device or server . The illustrated allocation of functionality across the components of environment is meant merely as an example, and any other suitable allocation may be implemented.
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At a high level, a user operating application on client device may identify an audio signal of speech and an image or some other structure representing a head to animate, and application may transmit the input speech and input image (or corresponding paths at which the input speech and input image may be accessed) to audio-driven talking head animator via network . Audio-driven talking head animator may generate an animation of the talking head and return the video (or a corresponding path) back to application via network . In a simple example, a user might upload an audio clip and an image to be animated, and server might return an animated video.
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The input speech may be a recorded or synthesized audio signal of speech, which may be in any spoken language (e.g., English, Japanese, etc.). The audio signal may be represented in any file format, such as uncompressed audio (e.g., WAV, AIFF, AU, RAW), formats with lossless compression (e.g., FLAC, MPEG-4, ATRAC Advanced Lossless, WMA Lossless, SHN), formats with lossy compression (e.g., MP3, AAC, ATRAC WMA lossy), or others. The input image may be any type of image or portrait depicting the head of a person or character to animate, whether captured (e.g., a photograph), synthesized (e.g., composed using creative software), or otherwise. For example, the input image may be an image or photo of a cartoon or anime character (e.g., generated using creative software), a real person, a famous sculpture or painting such as the Mona Lisa, a hand-drawn sketch of a person or character, Japanese manga, a stylized caricature, and the like. The input image may use any type of file format, such as JPEG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, or PNG, to name a few common examples. The input speech and/or input image may be accessible via application (e.g., stored locally on client device , accessible from some remote location such as cloud storage or an internet location) such that a user may use application to access, transmit, or otherwise identify the input speech and input image to audio-driven talking head animator .
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In embodiments that use an image to represent the head to animate, audio-driven talking head animator generates an animation of a talking head from the input speech and the input image. In the embodiment illustrated in , audio-driven talking head animator includes single-style landmark predictor , multi-style landmark predictor , image warper , and animation compiler . More specifically, audio-driven talking head animator may include a neural network (e.g., single-style landmark predictor or multi-style landmark predictor ) configured to predict a set of 3D facial landmarks from a window of input speech and a set of template facial landmarks (e.g., which may be extracted from the input image). By feeding successive windows of audio into the neural network, the neural network can predict successive sets of 3D facial landmarks, which can be used (e.g., by image warper ) to warp the input image into successive animation frames such that the head in each of the warped images looks like it is saying the portion of speech in a corresponding audio window. Finally, animation compiler may compile the successive animation frames along with the input speech into an animation video of a talking head saying the input speech.
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Turning now to , illustrates a block diagram of an example audio-driven talking head animator , in accordance with some embodiments that use an image to represent the head to animate. In the example illustrated in , audio-driven talking head animator includes audio feature extractor , facial landmark extractor , landmark predictor (which may correspond with single-style landmark predictor or multi-style landmark predictor of ), image warper (which may correspond with image warper of ), and animation compiler (which may correspond with animation compiler of ). In this example, the inputs into audio-driven talking head animator are audio and an image of a head to animate . At a high level, facial landmark extractor may extract a set of template facial landmarks from the image of the head , and audio feature extractor may extract an audio feature vector from a window of audio . The set of template facial landmarks and audio feature vector are input into landmark predictor , which generates predicted 3D facial landmarks corresponding to the window of audio . Image warper uses the predicted 3D facial landmarks to warp the image of the head to generate an animation frame. The process may be repeated for successive windows of audio to generate successive animation frames, which are compiled by animation compiler into an animation video, using audio as the audio track.
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In some embodiments, audio feature extractor exacts audio feature vectors from a sliding window of audio (e.g., an audio recording, audio clip, audio track). For example, an audio recording can be broken into chunks of a designated duration (whether pre-determined or configurable), and each chunk can be used to generate a separate audio feature vector. Each processed audio chunk may be used to generate a separate video frame. For example, to generate a frame rate of around 30 frames per second (which is usually sufficient for animation), chunks from a 32 ms window of audio may be used. In some embodiments, the window can be advanced by some step size that is less than the window size so the resulting audio chunks partially overlap. In some embodiments, window size, step size, and/or frame rate may be configurable (e.g., via a user interface of application of ) to achieve a desired output.
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To generate audio feature vectors (e.g., audio feature vector ), for each window of audio associated with time t (e.g., starting at time t, centered at time t), audio feature extractor may generate a time-frequency representation of the chunk of audio in the window. For example, audio feature extractor may perform a transform such as a short-term Fourier transform (STFT) on the chunk of audio in the window to generate a 2D STFT spectrogram. The 2D STFT spectrogram may be stored in a data structure (e.g., a matrix or tensor) that includes a time axis or dimension (t) and a frequency axis or dimension (f), and for each point (t,f), the 2D STFT spectrogram may store the complex STFT coefficients (e.g., with magnitude and/or phase values). In some embodiments, phase values can be dropped. Generally, audio feature extractor may split the 2D STFT spectrogram (e.g., along the time axis) and flatten the spectrogram into a single dimensional audio feature vector. For example, if the spectrogram has N columns corresponding to N samples from the window of audio , the N columns can be flattened by concatenating the values of the columns (e.g., magnitude and/or phase values) into a single dimensional vector (e.g., audio feature vector ). In some embodiments such as where the spectrogram is dense, audio feature extractor may sample the spectrogram by flattening every Xcolumn into the audio feature vector . These operations are meant merely as an example, and other suitable techniques may be employed to extract an audio feature vector from audio .
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In embodiments that use an image to represent the head to animate, facial landmark extractor may extract a set of template facial landmarks from the image of the head , and the template facial landmarks may be used by the landmark predictor to generate predicted 3D facial landmarks . In this scenario, the template facial landmarks can serve as an initial structure representing an identity and/or a rest pose. By using an initial structure as an input into the landmark predictor , the landmark predictor can learn to predict corresponding facial landmarks that reflect displacement of the initial structure. That is, the landmark predictor can learn to predict displacement based on an initial structure. This configuration effectively serves to disentangle identity, enabling the landmark predictor to be applied to different identities than the one (or more) identities on which it was trained. In other words, even if landmark predictor is trained using videos of a single face, it can learn to predict 3D facial landmarks that can drive animations of faces other than those it was trained on, significantly extending use cases and applications.
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Generally, facial landmark extractor may be designed to extract a set of template 3D facial landmarks corresponding to the desired facial features to animate. For example, one common application uses 68 3D facial landmarks, which can represent the position, orientation, and expression of various parts of a face, including lips, nose, eyes, ears, and head pose. In some embodiments, rather than choosing to represent each of the parts of a face, a corresponding set of 3D facial landmarks can be selected to represent some subset of body parts (e.g., omit body pose or nose, eyebrows only, head pose only), or simply displacement of a certain portion of the face (e.g., how much the mouth opens and closes). By selecting an appropriate initial structure, the landmark predictor can be trained to selectively animate a corresponding subset of body parts. These are just a few examples, and other variations and combinations may be implemented within the scope of the present disclosure.
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Generally, landmark extractor may use any known technique to detect and/or extract a set of facial landmarks from an input image, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. In embodiments which the head to animate is input using some other structure besides an image (e.g., 2D layered artwork, 3D mesh, 3D rig), facial landmark extractor may be adapted to select, detect, extract, or otherwise convert the input structure into the set of template facial landmarks, if necessary.
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Generally, landmark predictor accepts as inputs the set of template facial landmarks and audio feature vector , and generates a set of predicted 3D facial landmarks corresponding to the window of audio from which audio feature vector was extracted. In other words, the set of predicted 3D facial landmarks reflects a predicted position, orientation, and/or expression of the body parts corresponding to the initial structure, when speaking the portion of speech in the window of audio. Generally, landmark predictor may be designed to account for a single speaking style (e.g., single-style landmark predictor of ) or multiple speaking styles (e.g., multi-style landmark predictor of ). illustrates an embodiment of a single-style landmark predictor, while illustrates an embodiment of a multi-style landmark predictor.
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In the embodiment illustrated in , single-style landmark predictor can generate predicted 3D facial landmarks from a single audio clip and a set of template 3D facial landmarks . At a high level, single-style landmark predictor may use a recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture to learn a mapping from an audio feature vector (e.g., audio feature vector ) to corresponding 3D facial landmarks (e.g., predicted 3D facial landmarks ) that reflect facial dynamics. In the example illustrated in , single-style landmark predictor includes audio feature extractor , speech content encoder , and single-style landmark decoder .
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Audio feature extractor (which may correspond with audio feature extractor of ) generally extracts audio feature vectors from audio clip . For example, audio feature extractor may identify a window of audio clip at time T, generate a time-frequency representation of the chunk of audio in the window (e.g., STFT spectrogram , or a portion thereof), and generate an audio feature vector for time Tby flattening the time-frequency representation into a single dimensional vector. By way of nonlimiting embodiment, audio feature extractor may flatten STFT spectrogram (or a portion thereof) by dropping phase values, splitting the STFT spectrogram along the time axis, and concatenating the resulting vectors of magnitude values into a single dimensional vector). Audio feature extractor may advance the window by some step size and extract corresponding audio feature vectors from each window of audio clip . By way of nonlimiting example, audio clip may have a 16 kHz sampling rate, a 30 ms window size may be used for each STFT, and a step size may be selected to provide a 160 sample overlap for successive windows. Of course, these values are meant simply as an example, and any other suitable values may be used. As such, audio feature extractor may extract audio feature vectors from a sliding window of audio clip .
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Generally, speech content encoder may encode an extracted audio feature vector and a set of template 3D facial landmarks into a speech content embedding, and single-style landmark decoder may decode the speech content embedding into a set of predicted 3D facial landmarks . For example, speech content encoder may comprise a recurrent neural network (e.g., three layers, in a simple example) in order to capture history from a sequence of audio feature vectors. Single-style landmark decoder may comprise a multilayer perceptron (MLP) network (e.g., three layers, in a simple example), which may serve to convert the dimensionality of the speech content embedding into a desired dimensionality for the predicted 3D facial landmarks. For example, if 68 facial landmark coordinates in 3D space are desired for each window of audio clip , and the output of speech content encoder (the speech content embedding) has 256 dimensions, the architecture of single-style landmark decoder may be selected to convert 256 dimensions into 68×3=204 dimensions. As such, in operation, speech content encoder and single-style landmark decoder may operate iteratively to predict 3D coordinates for a set of 3D facial landmarks for each window of audio clip . These landmarks can then be used to drive facial motion for a video clip.
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Single-style landmark predictor (e.g., speech content encoder and single-style landmark decoder ) may be trained using any suitable training dataset. The training dataset can include any video(s) of a talking head (e.g., some person or character), and the training video(s) may be in any spoken language (e.g., English, Japanese, etc.). Generally, single-style landmark predictor can learn to predict 3D facial landmarks that simulate the speaking style of the person or character in the training videos. For example, some duration of training videos (e.g., on the order of hours) may be identified, and the frame rate and audio sample rate may be converted to match the architecture of single-style landmark predictor (e.g., convert video to 100 frames-per-second and audio to 16 kHz). One of the video frames may be used as a resting pose, and a set of template 3D facial landmarks may be extracted from the frame. The set of template 3D facial landmarks and extracted audio feature vectors may be fed into single-style landmark predictor to predict 3D facial landmarks, the predicted 3D facial landmarks may be compared with ground truth 3D facial landmarks extracted from a corresponding video frame from a training video, and single-style landmark predictor may be updated accordingly (e.g., by minimizing L2 distance between predicted and ground-truth facial landmarks). During test time and in operation, single-style landmark predictor may be fed with facial landmarks from other characters or people to generate corresponding facial dynamics.
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Turning now to , illustrates a block diagram of an example multi-style landmark predictor , in accordance with some embodiments. Given a single audio clip and a set of template 3D facial landmarks , multi-style landmark predictor can generate predicted 3D facial landmarks for a specific speaking style. At a high level, multi-style landmark predictor may use a recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture to learn a mapping from an audio feature vector to corresponding 3D facial landmarks (e.g., predicted 3D facial landmarks ) that reflect facial dynamics. To accomplish style adaptation, one recurrent neural network may be trained to encode speech content, and another recurrent neural network may be trained to encode speaking style. By training on videos depicting different speaking styles, the combined network can learn to simulate different types of motion dynamics carried by audio itself. In the example illustrated in , multi-style landmark predictor includes audio feature extractor , speech content encoder , multi-style style encoder , multi-style landmark decoder , and classifier .
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Generally, audio feature extractor and speech content encoder may operate in a similar manner as audio feature extractor and speech content encoder of , respectively. Further, multi-style style encoder may have a similar structure as speech content encoder , but followed by a network (e.g., one-layer MLP network) to transform the output into a style embedding (e.g., 128 dimensions). Multi-style landmark decoder may have a similar structure as single-style landmark decoder of (e.g., another three-layer MLP network), but configured to use both the speech content embedding and the style embedding as inputs to predict 3D facial landmarks that account for the particular speaking style used by the speaker of audio clip . To make style embedding different for each speaking style (e.g., each speaker), classifier may be applied on style embedding . Classifier may be a multi-class classifier that includes a number of classes that correspond to the number of different speaking styles to be accounted for. In the example architecture illustrated in , classifier effectively serves as a probe and a control knob during training. In other words, multi-style landmark predictor can learn to account for different speaking styles at least in part by comparing ground truth data on the classification of a speaker in a training video with the output of classifier during training, as explained in more detail below.
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In operation, multi-style landmark predictor can automatically detect different speaking styles in an arbitrary vocal clip and predict 3D facial landmarks corresponding to that style. In some embodiments, instead of automatically detecting a speaking style from a vocal clip, multi-style landmark predictor can be selectively set to predict 3D facial landmarks for a specified style during operation. For example, upon receiving an input designating a desired style to use (e.g., via application of ), the input into multi-style landmark decoder can be switched from accepting the output of multi-style style encoder to accepting a style embedding corresponding to the input style. This configuration can force multi-style landmark decoder to predict 3D facial landmarks corresponding to the specified style. In either scenario, whether automatically detecting a speaking style or using a hard-coded speaking style, multi-style landmark predictor can adapt to different speaking styles. By way of nonlimiting example, given two pieces of input audio from different speakers (e.g., a politician and a comedian), the same multi-style landmark predictor can predict different facial dynamics. For example, the audio of the politician might produce more neutral facial motions, whereas the audio of the comedian may generate much more dynamic or emotional motion.
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Multi-style landmark predictor (e.g., speech content encoder , multi-style style encoder , multi-style landmark decoder , and classifier ) may be trained using any suitable training dataset. The training dataset can include any video(s) depicting different speaking styles with corresponding ground-truth classifications, and the training video(s) may be in any spoken language (e.g., English, Japanese, etc.). Generally, multi-style landmark predictor can learn to predict 3D facial landmarks that simulate the speaking styles in the training videos. For example, multi-style landmark predictor can be trained by minimizing both L2 distance loss between predicted and ground-truth facial landmarks for each speaker in the dataset, and the cross-entropy loss for classifier . Thus, multi-style landmark predictor can be trained using a combined loss function applied during backpropagation. Accordingly, by training on different input videos depicting different speaking styles, multi-style landmark predictor can learn to simulate different types of motion dynamics carried by audio itself.
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In some embodiments, an initially trained landmark predictor (e.g., single-style landmark predictor of or multi-style landmark predictor of ) may be updated based on additional training video(s), which may be provided by an end user (e.g., using application of ). For example, a landmark predictor may be initially trained with a training video of a particular person or character so the landmark predictor initially learns to simulate the facial dynamics captured in the training video. Application may allow the user to upload or otherwise identify or record a supplemental training video clip (e.g., a 5-10 minute clip) reflecting a desired speaking style (e.g., a recording of themselves or some other video capturing a desired speaking style), and the initially trained landmark predictor may be trained using the supplemental training video clip to update the base dynamics of the underlying model. As such, an initially trained landmark predictor can be transformed to simulate facial dynamics reflected in the supplemental training video clip.
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Whether the predicted 3D facial landmarks are generated to account for different speaking styles, the predicted 3D facial landmarks may be used to drive an animation of a talking head. For example and returning to , in embodiments that that use an image to represent the head to animate, image warper can use the predicted 3D facial landmarks to warp a static face in the image. Generally, for an input image with a face to animate (e.g., image ), a set of template facial landmarks can be extracted (e.g., by facial landmark extractor ) for that face. A landmark predictor (e.g., single-style landmark predictor or multi-style landmark predictor ) can be used to generate predicted 3D facial landmarks for that face. In some embodiments, image warper may apply Delaunay triangulation on the predicted facial landmarks to derive a set of corresponding triangles, which can be used to subdivide the image into corresponding triangle regions. Each landmark point can be inserted into a corresponding triangle region, and image warper can warp the image to align each landmark point with its corresponding triangle region. Any warping model may be used, which may be selected based on a desired number of degrees of freedom to preserve (e.g., rotate, rotate+scale, rotate+scale+skew). One example warping model that may be used is as-rigid-as-possible (ARAP) surface modeling, but any other warping model may be used. In some embodiments, the warping model may be applied using commercial software tools such as the Puppet Warp feature in ADOBE PHOTOSHOP®, ILLUSTRATOR®, or AFTER EFFECTS®. As such, warped images can be generated from each window of audio.
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Generally, a sequence of warped images may be generated from a single input image , and the warped images can be used as individual frames for an animation video (e.g., compiled by animation compiler ), using the input speech for audio. More specifically, the sequence of warped images can be compiled into a video track, for example, using one warped image per frame. Any suitable frame rate may be used (e.g., user-selected, pre-determined, etc.), and may correspond with the window and/or step size used by audio feature extractor . Audio may be used as the audio track for the animation. As such, animation compiler may compile animation using the sequence of warped images generated by image warper and audio .
Generally, 3D facial landmarks predicted using the present techniques can be used by themselves to drive an animation, or they can be combined with other animation techniques. By way of nonlimiting example, an existing full body animation technique can be supplemented with predictions for face and head movement generated using the present techniques. In another example, an existing lip sync technique can be supplemented with predictions reflecting how much to open the mouth generated using the present techniques. In yet another example, physics coupling can be applied to predictions for face and head movement in order to animate other regions such as hair, facial muscles, or ears, etc. These are just a few examples, and other animation techniques may be employed.
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With reference now to , flow diagrams are provided illustrating some example methods for audio-driven animation. Each block of the methods and and any other methods described herein comprise a computing process performed using any combination of hardware, firmware, and/or software. For instance, various functions can be carried out by a processor executing instructions stored in memory. The methods can also be embodied as computer-usable instructions stored on computer storage media. The methods can be provided by a standalone application, a service or hosted service (standalone or in combination with another hosted service), or a plug-in to another product, to name a few.
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Turning initially to , illustrates a method for audio-driven animation, in accordance with embodiments described herein. Initially at block , an image of a head to animate with an audio signal of speech is accessed. As used herein, a head may include any type of face, with or without boundaries (e.g., outer contours of the head). At block , a plurality of animation frames are generated through sub-blocks -. More specifically, at block , a set of template 3D facial landmarks is extracted from the image, and an audio feature vector is extracted from an audio chunk from a sliding window of the audio signal. A set of predicted 3D facial landmarks is generated from the set of template 3D facial landmarks and the audio feature vector. The set of predicted 3D facial landmarks reflects a corresponding portion of the head saying the portion of the speech in the window of the audio signal. At block , an animation frame is generated by warping the image to fit the set of predicted 3D facial landmarks. Block indicates that blocks - are repeated for each of the plurality of animation frames. For example, the sliding window may be advanced by a designated step size to extract audio feature vectors from corresponding chunks of audio, and each window may be used to generate a corresponding animation frame. At block , the plurality of animation frames are compiled with the audio signal into an animation of the head saying the speech.
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Turning now to , illustrates a method for audio-driven animation, in accordance with embodiments described herein. Initially at block , a representation of a head to animate with an audio signal of speech is accessed. For example, the representation of the head may be an image, a 3D mesh, a 3D rig, or 2D layered artwork. At block , a set of template 3D facial landmarks is generated from the representation of the head. At block , an audio feature vector is extracted from each window of the audio signal. Each audio feature vector encodes a corresponding portion of the audio signal in the window. At block , a set of predicted 3D facial landmarks are generated from each audio feature vector and the set of template 3D facial landmarks, forming a plurality of sets of predicted 3D facial landmarks reflecting a corresponding portion of the head saying a portion of the speech in the window. At block , an animation of the head saying the speech is generated from the plurality of sets of predicted 3D facial landmarks.
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Having described an overview of embodiments of the present invention, an example operating environment in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented is described below in order to provide a general context for various aspects of the present invention. Referring now to in particular, an example operating environment for implementing embodiments of the present invention is shown and designated generally as computing device . Computing device is but 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 computing device be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated.
The invention may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-executable instructions such as program modules, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a cellular telephone, personal data assistant or other handheld device. Generally, program modules including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., refer to code that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The invention may be practiced in a variety of system configurations, including hand-held devices, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, more specialty computing devices, etc. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote-processing devices that are linked through a communications network.
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With reference to , computing device includes bus that directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory , one or more processors , one or more presentation components , input/output (I/O) ports , input/output components , and illustrative power supply . Bus represents what may be one or more busses (such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof). Although the various blocks of are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in reality, delineating various components is not so clear, and metaphorically, the lines would more accurately be grey and fuzzy. For example, one may consider a presentation component such as a display device to be an I/O component. Also, processors have memory. The inventor recognizes that such is the nature of the art, and reiterates that the diagram of is merely illustrative of an example computing device that can be used in connection with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Distinction is not made between such categories as “workstation,” “server,” “laptop,” “hand-held device,” etc., as all are contemplated within the scope of and reference to “computing device.”
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Computing device typically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computing device and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, and 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 computing device . Computer storage media does not comprise signals per se. 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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Memory includes computer-storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. The memory may be removable, non-removable, or a combination thereof. Example hardware devices include solid-state memory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Computing device includes one or more processors that read data from various entities such as memory or I/O components . Presentation component(s) present data indications to a user or other device. Example presentation components include a display device, speaker, printing component, vibrating component, etc.
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I/O ports allow computing device to be logically coupled to other devices including I/O components , some of which may be built in. Illustrative components include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, etc. The I/O components may provide a natural user interface (NUI) that processes air gestures, voice, or other physiological inputs generated by a user. In some instances, inputs may be transmitted to an appropriate network element for further processing. An NUI may implement any combination of speech recognition, stylus recognition, facial recognition, biometric recognition, gesture recognition both on screen and adjacent to the screen, air gestures, head and eye tracking, and touch recognition (as described in more detail below) associated with a display of computing device . Computing device may be equipped with depth cameras, such as stereoscopic camera systems, infrared camera systems, RGB camera systems, touchscreen technology, and combinations of these, for gesture detection and recognition. Additionally, the computing device may be equipped with accelerometers or gyroscopes that enable detection of motion. The output of the accelerometers or gyroscopes may be provided to the display of computing device to render immersive augmented reality or virtual reality.
Embodiments described herein support audio-driven animation. The components described herein refer to integrated components of an audio-driven animation system. The integrated components refer to the hardware architecture and software framework that support functionality using the audio-driven animation system. The hardware architecture refers to physical components and interrelationships thereof and the software framework refers to software providing functionality that can be implemented with hardware embodied on a device.
The end-to-end software-based audio-driven animation system can operate within the audio-driven animation system components to operate computer hardware to provide audio-driven animation system functionality. At a low level, hardware processors execute instructions selected from a machine language (also referred to as machine code or native) instruction set for a given processor. The processor recognizes the native instructions and performs corresponding low level functions relating, for example, to logic, control and memory operations. Low level software written in machine code can provide more complex functionality to higher levels of software. As used herein, computer-executable instructions includes any software, including low level software written in machine code, higher level software such as application software and any combination thereof. In this regard, the audio-driven animation system components can manage resources and provide services for the audio-driven animation system functionality. Any other variations and combinations thereof are contemplated with embodiments of the present invention.
Having identified various components in the present disclosure, it should be understood that any number of components and arrangements may be employed to achieve the desired functionality within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the components in the embodiments depicted in the figures are shown with lines for the sake of conceptual clarity. Other arrangements of these and other components may also be implemented. For example, although some components are depicted as single components, many of the elements described herein may be implemented as discrete or distributed components or in conjunction with other components, and in any suitable combination and location. Some elements may be omitted altogether. Moreover, various functions described herein as being performed by one or more entities may be carried out by hardware, firmware, and/or software, as described below. For instance, various functions may be carried out by a processor executing instructions stored in memory. As such, other arrangements and elements (e.g., machines, interfaces, functions, orders, and groupings of functions, etc.) can be used in addition to or instead of those shown.
The subject matter of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventor has contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms “step” and/or “block” may be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.
The present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages which are obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. | |
She certainly dressed to impress for the appearance, with her donning a pair of high-waisted black and white wide-legged trousers, which she teamed with an off-the-shoulder plunging black crop top.
Alesha added a splash of colour with lashings of bright red lipstick and she tied her brunette locks up into a chic top knot.
Alesha was seemingly the only judge not to take their dog to work today, with Simon, Ant and Dec and Amanda - who covered up in the chilly weather by wearing a long cream coat - all posing for photographers with their pets.
FLYNET
Alesha showed off her toned midriff in a black crop top
FLYNET
Alesha looked as stunning as ever as she greeted fans in London
FLYNET
Amanda Holden covered up in the chilly weather by wearing a long cream coat | |
Open letter to the leadership of Canada’s Federal political parties:
A federal election has been called, and all Canadians are discussing critical issues regarding the future of our country. The Council for Canadian Urbanism (or CanU) is very pleased to contribute to this national discussion, and submits this 10 point “call-to-action” to the major Federal political parties for consideration in your evolving platforms during this election.
Canada is an increasingly urban country. Over 80% of Canadians live and work in urban settings, and expect the major political parties to address the pressing needs of Canadian cities in their platforms. CanU and our many partner organizations across Canada, understand well the critical role our cities and urban areas must play in addressing many of the country’s largest challenges. These include challenges involving economic resiliency, climate change mitigation and adaptation, energy security and self-sufficiency, traffic congestion with few alternatives to driving, changing national demographics, and the growing costs of health care and preventable health issues. Well planned, designed and funded cities and communities are increasingly seen as the “convenient solution” to a convergence of national issues. In order for our cities to be able to meet these challenges, they require new support and tools from the Federal Government. Investing in healthy sustainable cities and regions will deliver a strong and resilient future for Canada, while keeping us globally competitive.
Given the above, the Council for Canadian Urbanism calls for the following:
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A progressive and influential National Urban Policy, that recognizes the critical role of the success of cities in Canada’s future.
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A National Housing Policy that addresses the acute and growing need for affordable housing.
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A National Transportation Policy that particularly addresses the need to expand active, cost-effective and sustainable forms of transportation, such as transit, rail, walking, and biking.
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Effective Federal programs that will make us a world leader in combating climate change. There is a need to align the above three national policies in achieving this goal.
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A national dialogue involving the Federal Government, Provinces and Cities on the development of new sustainable, long-term funding and legislative tools for urban resiliency and success.
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Future Federal funding and stimulus programs focused on spending that supports urban resiliency and “smart growth” (i.e. complete and compact communities, expanded transit and rail, renewing aging urban infrastructure, enhancing cultural and civic amenities, etc), rather than on “shovel-ready projects”. A corresponding de-prioritization of, or halt to, stimulus funding that promotes auto-dependency and urban sprawl.
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Tax reforms that support full-cost accounting of housing choices (which would reveal the well-researched and well-understood economic advantages of compact, walkable communities and sustainable transportation modes that require less infrastructure and lower public expense).
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Federal tax incentives to promote the construction of purpose-built rental housing.
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Reinstatement of the long-form census to enable reliable planning to better understand, and meet, future needs.
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Electoral district reform that addresses democratic and fair representation of the population in urban areas, and recognizes the increasing urbanization of Canada.
These 10 points in the call-to-action are highly interconnected, and thus require a highly integrated approach.
We urge all federal parties to address these calls in their platforms, discuss and debate these issues during their campaigns, and work to address these critical needs in their future work. We respectfully request a response to these calls from each party, and we commit to sharing such responses with our membership across Canada, as well as with our many partner organizations across the country. CanU intends to be part of the national dialogue during this election, promoting and advocating issues of importance to the success of Canadian cities. We would be pleased to discuss these calls with any and all parties, lending our nation-wide expertise on urban and community issues, while again stressing our non-partisan status.
The Council for Canadian Urbanism (CanU) is a national non-profit, non-partisan, information and advocacy group incorporated in 2009, made up of many of Canada’s leading urban experts, from the fields of city planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, land development and related disciplines. Our National Board of Directors is comprised of key public, private and academic sector leaders from major cities across Canada. CanU’s role is to actively promote more resilient, sustainable, economically vibrant and healthy Canadian cities and urban areas, and to strengthen the role and ability of cities to address Canada’s critical urban challenges. | https://www.canu.ca/open-letter-to-the-leadership-of-ca |
An interview with Dr. Jeannette South-Paul, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Three days shy of a much-deserved vacation, Dr. Jeannette South-Paul, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, shared her practical professional and personal strategies for maintaining her vitality in academic medicine.
Dr. South-Paul spent 22 years practicing and teaching family medicine in the US Army and served as Uniformed Services University of the Health Services’ first Vice President for Minority Affairs affording her the opportunity to create formal mentoring programs that matched students with residents, faculty and practicing physicians. In 2001, Colonel South-Paul retired as Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at USUHS. Today she is the first woman and first African-American to serve as Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Her distinguished teaching and administrative roles have not gone unnoticed; Dr. South-Paul recently received the prestigious Joy McCann Foundation award for her accomplished work in mentoring.
Dr. South-Paul, you made a significant transition from government culture to a private medical health system in the midst of a major merger. How did you manage the new challenges?
“In my new position as Chair of Family Medicine at Pittsburgh, I quickly had to balance three competing priorities of the medical school dean, health system CEO, and my own faculty. I knew the value and importance of assessing the environment by identifying key players when entering an established department. I listened to and supported seasoned faculty, and met individually with faculty and staff to find out what motivates them. I was always aware that being patient and knowing tasks take time, often more time than we planned. It is so important to know who is on board with my agenda and vision.
“Often we find ourselves doing lots of conflict management rather than work. You can be the smartest scientist, but the things that trip us up are human relationships." Through the process (merger), I never forgot that I was leading bright people and kept my mission and vision out front.”
What factors should we consider when barriers arise to our visions and plans?
“When you come to a barrier, don’t abandon your vision but rather re-think it or re-direct the plan. Consider bringing in external advisors. Failure to see significant gains after investing time, energy, and resources could be due to several factors:
- Wrong people working on the project/task. Change them.
- Not enough staff assigned to project/task. Add the right staff.
- Approach might be all wrong. Adjust it.
- Mission might be off/wrong. Review it.
- Wrong timing to initiate project/task. Re-think it.
What steps do you take to ensure that you are assessing your own level of vitality accurately?
“Fortunately at Pittsburgh, our dean, Dr. Art Levine has established a formal and extensive annual performance review that requires faculty to document and collect professional accomplishments, including academic responsibilities, presentations, national contributions, and community involvement. The formal review process for Chairs consists of a 15- page list of goals and objectives that drives a 30-minute discussion with a four-member panel (dean, CEO of the health system, president of the practice plan, and VP of physician services). By the end of the meeting, you either have a good assessment of your work or understand you need to revisit your objectives.”
Personally, to assess my own vitality, I found a couple of colleagues that I respect and trust to provide honest and open feedback. These important conversations are not about whining or complaining, but rather these exchanges are a chance to talk out loud and strategize about how to be more productive, lead effectively, and end up with smart solutions.”
To stay true to myself I have my own personal mission: to help in improving the health status of disadvantaged people of color. I’m committed to giving back and increasing the number of minority physicians and am constantly looking for opportunities that support my personal mission, while I am very careful not to allow my personal mission derail my primary mission as department chair.
Similar to being on a treadmill, the world keeps us running no matter what. We can slow the treadmill down, stay on, or get off, but we are responsible for making the necessary adjustments. We determine our own reality. I spend time with family and friends to keep appropriately centered. We are all busy and “life does happen”--staff resign, family members become ill. More importantly, I recognize I must rely and depend on a higher source of power and energy other than my own.”
How would you recommend faculty maintain professional and personal vitality?
“We can’t do this work alone. We need each other!”
- Build solid professional working relationships with colleagues both inside and outside your institution and academic medicine. Look for people you trust and respect to help you strategize and work through challenges.
- Spend time with family and friends. They provide the energy you need to do the important work we do.
- Develop a personal mission to strive for other than your career mission. Then work to incorporate your personal mission whenever appropriate into your career mission.
- When you get off track or derailed, identify what lessons you can learn from the situation and move on. Don’t let the situation take charge of you!
- Find a mentor, someone who is invested in your success.
When do you see organizations exhibit high vitality? What are the indicators of organizational vitality that we should look for? | https://www.aamc.org/professional-development/affinity-groups/gfa/faculty-vitae/maintaining-vitality |
Currently based in Bristol, UK, Joe Barker AKA worm specialises in hand-drawn psychedelic abstractions. He began this journey with mostly ink on paper creations, using ruler and compass, and has since incorporated colour work using paint markers, experimented with paint, animation, 3D and more.
Recurring geometric patterns and formulas can be found throughout nature, from the smallest scale of atoms and molecules, to snowflakes, flowers, all the way out to the macro level of planetary systems, galaxies and beyond. The same patterns can be found permeating the inner metaphysical realms: another expression of nature. Through this geometrical language, worm strives to create a bridge between our inner experiences and the outer physical world - portals to unseen dimensions beyond the confines of our five senses.
On the deepest level we are all connected: one unfolding process from the big bang to the end of time. Through his work, worm hopes to trigger something deep within the viewer, beyond their personal identity. A reminder of the mystery of this experience we all find ourselves a part of. | https://www.wooorm.co.uk/about |
as interest groups, political parties, public opinion, political economy, voting behavior,
and political philosophy.
Areas of concentration include American government, comparative government and politics, international relations, public administration and political theory. Southeast's political science majors regularly intern with local, state and federal elected officials
The server encountered an internal error and was unable to complete your request. Either the server is overloaded or there is an error in the application. | http://www.sgvulcan.com/study/political-scienceBA.html |
User experience design is an emerging field in the world of technology. It is an opportunity to improve people’s lives by helping them navigate the digital world more easily and comfortably. It is an evolving field of study that has become increasingly important in the context of digital media and technology.
As a user experience designer, you’ll be responsible for everything from designing an app or website to making sure it’s easy to use.
You’ll also be responsible for creating wireframes, which are sketches that show how all the components of a site or app will fit together. Your job is to make sure all those pieces work together seamlessly.
If you’re looking to get started in UX design, or just trying to figure out where to go with your UX career, here are the best colleges for user experience design in 2022.
In addition, you can get good careers to study:
1. University of California at Berkeley 2.
University of California-Berkeley: This school offers students hands-on learning opportunities through its summer design program and final design project.
Students also have access to the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), which offers research opportunities for those interested in pursuing an academic or industrial career after graduation. There are 14 different undergraduate degrees
2. Stanford University
A private research university located in California. The program includes an internship where students work in a team to develop a design project for a client organization. This experience helps students prepare for real-world scenarios, as well as build their network within the industry.
3. University of Washington (Seattle)
The University of Washington is one such institution that offers a bachelor’s degree in human-centered design and engineering. This program is accredited by ABET and focuses on creating innovative products through research and analysis.
The university also offers a master’s degree in human-centered design and engineering; this program focuses on developing creative solutions to real-world problems.
4. Cornell University
At Cornell University, the user experience design major is a field focused on creating the best possible experience for users of a product or service. It is a multidisciplinary field that requires expertise in a variety of disciplines, including user research, information architecture, visual design, interaction design, and cognitive psychology.
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s user experience design program is a unique and rewarding way to learn what you need to know about career development.
The program combines theory and practice, with courses that focus on user-centered interface and product design. You’ll learn how to understand user needs and workflows, as well as how to design effective solutions that meet those needs. | https://zipmeme.com/the-best-universities-for-user-experience-design-in-2022/ |
CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME IN THE SERVICE JOURNEY
Abstract: Background: During the last few years, the manufacturing industry has experienced a multitude of disruptions. One major strategic shift that is occurring across industries today is the implementation of services or “servitization”. Servitization is defined as the movement where firms are changing from the traditional way of thinking, where a firm can only be a service or product provider, to a firm that has integrated packages of products and services as a system. Manufacturing firms need to move into the service area to survive going forward. The products in the traditional manufacturing industry have become more connected, forcing the firms to provide services. It is essential to have the technology in place, but the critical issue for companies seems to be that firms fail to change their strategy, not technology. Companies need to have a clear transition strategy of becoming more service-focused, and firms will need to rethink the business model in this transition.Purpose: The purpose of this research is to create an understanding of the challenges that traditional manufacturing firms go through in the transition to servitization and to understand what requirements this transition is demanding on the manufacturing firms.Research Question: How can incumbent manufacturing firms transform their current business model to a more service-focused business model?Literature: The literature framework depicts the steps that need to be taken for an incumbent manufacturing firm to become more service focused and avoid the service paradox. The service paradox is when firms are investing in developing service offerings, which leads to higher costs but not generating relatively higher returns. It is vital to transform factors such as leadership, change to service culture (norms and values), and change to a service strategy to reach the full potential of servitization. Incumbent manufacturing firms must also make changes to the business model, which include value discovery, value creation, value delivery, and value capture. Business Model Canvas and Business Model Innovation are key tools use to help companies in the servitization transformation.Methodology: A qualitative research strategy was chosen along with an abductive approach. A combination of comparative design and case study design was selected to depict the study best. The comparative design was completed by comparing the business models of five different companies in both the manufacturing and service industries. The framework from the literature and comparative study was then used in the case study to analyze an incumbent manufacturing firm going through a transition phase of becoming more service focused. A case design (case study) is where the developed framework from the comparative design is tested with a case company.Comparative Study: Six main themes were identified after interviewing the companies from the comparative study. The first theme is transformation demand, meaning that firms have different motivations or agendas to transform into a more service-focused business. The second theme is related to the defined enabling factors, which consist of culture, leadership, and strategy. The last four themes are related to business model innovation, how firms discover, create, deliver, and capture value. The analytical framework from the literature review is further developed with the collected results from the comparative study.Case Study: The results from the case study were gathered from multiple managers from different departments in the case company. The results were examined with help from the analytical framework from the comparative study. Recommendations on how the company should move forward in the servitization transformation were then presented.Conclusion: The challenge with becoming more service-focused is the potential to fall into the service paradox, meaning that when firms are investing in developing service offerings it can lead to higher costs but not generating relatively higher returns. The main challenges related to this are the changes in the soft values, such as culture, leadership, and strategy. Our research concludes that a traditional manufacturing firm needs to reconsider the leadership, culture, and strategy and the firm’s business model to become service focused. | https://www.essays.se/essay/7822850d00/ |
The effect of emergency department crowding on reassessment of children with critically abnormal vital signs.
The objective was to determine whether several measures of emergency department (ED) crowding are associated with an important indicator of quality and safety: time to reevaluation of children with documented critically abnormal triage vital signs. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of all patients with critically abnormal vital signs measured in triage over a 2.5-year period (September 1, 2006, to May 1, 2009). Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to determine rate ratios for time to critically abnormal vital sign reassessment, when controlled for potential confounders. In this 2.5-year sample, 9,976 patients with critically abnormal vital signs in triage (representing 3.9% of 253,408 visits) were placed in regular ED rooms with electronic alerts prompting vital sign reassessment after 1 hour. Overall, the mean time to reassessment was 84 minutes. The rate of vital sign reassessment was reduced by 31% for each additional 10 patients waiting for admission (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.98 to 0.99), by 10% for every 10 patients in the lobby (adjusted OR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.93 to 0.96), and by 6% for every additional 10 patients in the overall ED census (adjusted OR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.97 to 0.98). Emergency department crowding was associated with delay in the reassessment of critically abnormal vital signs in children; further work is needed to develop systems to mitigate these delays.
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Sleep is such an important part of life. A lack thereof will have detrimental effects in many areas. To improve the amount and quality of your slumber, continue reading to discover four ways in which you can create a healthy sleep pattern.
1. Start a Routine
Waiting until you feel tired and then heading up to the bed, hoping that you will suddenly fall asleep doesn’t necessarily work.
A better way of approaching things is going to be at the same time every night, regardless of the day.
Of course, you may have a night out every once in a while and stay up later, but generally, stick to the same time every day.
It is also essential to set your alarm for the same time each day as well, ensuring that you get at least seven hours. It may feel unusual for a while, and it might take your body a while to settle into the routine. Give it time, and don’t give up.
2. Reduce Your Stimulation
One of the main modern reasons for struggling to sleep is linked to our increased exposure to technology directly before going to bed.
Using a mobile phone while lying in bed or watching an intense television program can have a negative impact on your routine. Your mind will be overactive, and you will find it challenging to switch off. Instead of facing this problem, choose to switch off your devices instead.
Why not read a nice book or spend some time taking part in relaxation or stretching activities? Alternatively, you could consider massage. Alongside this, see if you sleep better with essential oils. They can relieve anxiety while you are relaxing or meditating.
3. Create the Right Environment
If you have ever spent the night in a cheap hotel in a busy city center, you probably found it challenging to get good quality sleep.
The level of noise from sirens and traffic, the bright lights everywhere and the place not feeling like home are all factors as to why. Remembering these things is vital if you are able to spend a little time and money upgrading your bedroom.
If you don’t already, try blackout blinds or curtains to ensure you do not get woken in the early hours when the sun starts to come up earlier and earlier. Having a place free of clutter is crucial too. This allows your mind to relax more easily. Furthermore, when you update your double glazing, if you live in a noisy area, be sure to invest in the best soundproofing.
4. Reduce Your Caffeine Intake
Caffeine is a stimulant. This is why so many people rely on a cup of coffee, or several, on a morning to make them feel ready and raring to go. Reducing your caffeine intake will support you in your mission to achieve better sleep.
It is essential to avoid any after late afternoon as the effects continue for several hours after consumption. Stick to herbal teas or even decaffeinated hot drinks instead. | https://www.wellnessgeeky.com/four-ways-to-establish-a-healthy-sleep-pattern/ |
The Headhunters of Longwa: A Photoessay by Shweta Rane
The north-eastern state of Nagaland is remote, lush and mountainous. Bordering India’s eastern neighbour, Myanmar, Nagaland is home to 16 indigenous tribes, each with their own cultural practices and traditional way of life.
Mumbai-based photographer, Shweta Rane, armed with her Canon 6D camera, documents her experience meeting with the Konyak Tribe, of the Longwa Village.
Longwa is one of the biggest villages in the Mon District of Nagaland on the India-Myanmar Border. The villagers belong to the Konyak Tribe and posess dual citizenship.
The Indo-Myanmar border passes from this village dividing the chief Angh’s house into two halves, one of which is in India and the other half is in Myanmar.
Angh, the chief has 60 wives and rules more than 70 villages which extend up to Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh. His house is a demonstration of tribal power and glory, flashing various animal skulls on the porch.
In the past, Konyak’s were infamous for marauding nearby villages of other tribes, often resulting in killings and decapitations of the heads of opposing warriors. The Konyak’s belief was that the skull of a person holds within it the soul force of their being. This soul force is strongly affiliated with prosperity and fertility and is used for the benefit of the village, personal life, and crops.
Eventually, the British Raj reached Nagaland, and with it Christian Missionaries who converted 95% of Nagas to Christianity and signalled the start of big changes in the lives of the people. The Konyaks were the last among the Naga tribes to accept Christianity, following which the tradition of headhunting came to an end in 1960.
While modernisation has indeed made its way to the village, remnants of the regions cultural heritage can be found at every turn. The tattoo patterns and placements that are evident even today once depicted ones social status, or cycle of life for the Konyak’s.
Face tattoos were reserved for Warriors specifically those returning from wars with enemy heads. The queen of the village would make the tattoos on the warrior’s bodies.
Panache, a man of 82 years of age, was one such warrior who brought enemy heads from wars as a symbol of victory. A living piece of history and culture, Pache belongs to the last generation of head hunters. He explained that back then, headhunting was a natural part of their daily lives, with wars fought for power over resources like land and food. When asked, Panache revealed a sense of happiness with Christianity coming and modernising their way of living.
With generations of societal and cultural changes between them, the headhunter’s family has values deeply rooted in their culture, with the essence of modernisation visible in their clothing and way of life.
A candid picture capturing the moment Panache’s family came together for a picture. Though they each belong to different generations and cultural practices, the happiness on their faces is timeless. | https://www.thevibe.me/stories/the-headhunters-of-longwa-a-photoessay-by-shweta-rane/ |
432/433 CE. He is credited with expanding literacy in Ireland through the monastic orders he established, revising and codifying the Brehon Laws, and converting the country to Christianity. He was not the first Christian missionary to Ireland but is the most famous.
How did St Patrick convert Ireland to Christianity?
When Patrick was 16 years old, he was captured by Irish pirates. They brought him to Ireland where he was sold into slavery in Dalriada. … Patrick came to view his enslavement as God’s test of his faith. During his six years of captivity, he became deeply devoted to Christianity through constant prayer.
What did St Patrick bring to Ireland?
Patrick was a 5th-century missionary to Ireland and later served as bishop there. He is credited with bringing Christianity to parts of Ireland and was probably partly responsible for the Christianization of the Picts and Anglo-Saxons. He is one of the patron saints of Ireland.
How did Christianity come to Ireland?
Christianity had arrived in Ireland by the early 5th century, and spread through the works of early missionaries such as Palladius, and Saint Patrick. The Church is organised into four provinces; however, these are not coterminous with the modern civil provincial divisions.
What happened to Ireland after Patrick introduced Christianity there?
Patrick had previously been in Ireland working as a slave, but had escaped to Gaul where he became a Christian Priest. … Thus Ireland became a land of saints and scholars. Their influence spread outside Ireland. St Colum Cille and his followers brought Christianity to Scotland in 563 and northern England by 627.
What is the real reason for St Patrick Day?
St. Paddy’s Day started as a religious celebration in the 17th century to commemorate the life of Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. This “Feast Day” always took place on the anniversary of Patrick’s death, which was believed to be March 17, 461 AD.
What religion was in Ireland before Christianity?
Celts in pre-Christian Ireland were pagans and had gods and goddesses, but they converted to Christianity in the fourth century. Q: Where did Celts originally come from? The Celts are believed to come from Central Europe and the European Atlantic seaboard, including Spain.
What is Ireland’s nickname?
The name “Éire” has been used on Irish postage stamps since 1922; on all Irish coinage (including Irish euro coins); and together with “Ireland” on passports and other official state documents issued since 1937. “Éire” is used on the Seal of the President of Ireland.
Why are there no snakes in Ireland?
When Ireland finally rose to the surface, it was attached to mainland Europe, and thus, snakes were able to make their way onto the land. However, about three million years ago, the Ice Age arrived, meaning that snakes, being cold-blooded creatures, were no longer able to survive, so Ireland’s snakes vanished.
Is St Patrick a Catholic saint?
Patrick Was Never Canonized as a Saint. He may be known as the patron saint of Ireland, but Patrick was never actually canonized by the Catholic Church. … After becoming a priest and helping to spread Christianity throughout Ireland, Patrick was likely proclaimed a saint by popular acclaim.
What year did Christianity come to Ireland?
Introduction of Christianity
Christian worship had reached pagan Ireland around 400 AD. It is often misstated that St. Patrick brought the faith to Ireland, but it was already present on the island before Patrick arrived.
Is Ireland a religious country?
The predominant religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity, with the largest church being the Catholic Church. The Constitution of Ireland says that the state may not endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion.
What was the first religion in Ireland?
The first religious beliefs and practices of ancient Ireland centred around Celtic tribes which was known as Celtic paganism. The Celtic pagans believed that spirits existed in natural objects such as trees and rocks. Such Celtic beliefs were held throughout different Celtic lands including Ireland, Britain and Gaul.
What Cromwell did to the Irish?
Cromwell in Ireland
There had been problems in Ireland since the Catholic Irish had rebelled and massacred Protestant settlers in 1641. … His troops massacred nearly 3,500 people, including 2,700 royalist soldiers, all the men in the town with weapons and probably also some civilians, prisoners and priests.
Why do we wear green on St Patrick’s Day?
TODAY’S TRADITIONS
Unauthorized use is prohibited. Leprechauns are actually one reason you’re supposed to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day—or risk getting pinched! The tradition is tied to folklore that says wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, which like to pinch anyone they can see.
Who brought potatoes to Ireland?
Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 1589 on the 40,000 acres of land near Cork. It took nearly four decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe. | https://cosmoibleo.com/bible/question-how-did-st-patrick-bring-christianity-to-ireland.html |
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The website is owned by Chris Kelly. | https://www.chriskellywithlove.com/about-me/ |
The earning potential of a school counselor increases gradually in the course of his/her career. Read on to understand various aspects regarding the same.
The need for school counselors in the recent years has assumed a great significance owing to the increasing unrest and behavioral problems among the students. It is not that there were no problems in the past. However, in the recent years, the statistics have shown an unprecedented rise in the cases of violence and drug abuse among students.
The role of school counselors, although not restricted to working in the rehabilitation cases, has hence gained tremendous importance. There are various career opportunities in this field as it is diverse, and the job responsibilities vary greatly. And depending on these diverse job profiles, their salaries vary, as well.
Job Description
The school counselors are people who are responsible for the designing and implementation of counseling programs for the students in schools. The structure and scope of such programs must be addressed to the teachers’ associations, administrative authorities, parents, students, and the shareholders in the educational field.
This helps to establish communication among all people who are an important part of the school organization. Also known as educational/vocational counselors, they provide solutions to the individual and social problems of students. They advocate social, academic, and personal developments of students, and guide them on queries related to higher education.
They conduct interview sessions and aptitude exams to analyze students’ inherent skills. The salary range in this profession has scaled up in the recent years and is competent with that of a school psychologist. The career development path for such counselors is full of opportunities, offering higher level positions in specialized branches of this field.
Salary Range
When it comes to deciding salaries, various market forces govern the earnings of an individual. The pay scale in this field depends on various factors like the educational qualification, school funding, job location, and work experience. It also depends as per the elementary and secondary schools, in which the school counselors are working.
Those having a work experience of around 1 year to 4 years can earn between USD 34,000 and USD 58,000. During the first three-four years, these professionals must work hard to gain expertise and knowledge about the practical dimensions of this occupation. This helps them to establish themselves and prepare a strong platform for the future.
The salary for those having a work experience between 5 – 14 years is between USD 38,000 and USD 68,000. The advanced degrees and certifications make a positive impact on the school management and you may be paid better than the one with less credentials than yours. For those with 20-plus years of work experience, the salary can go as high as USD 89,000.
Depending on the state rules and regulations, the salary is supplemented with some perks and benefits that are added advantage to the teachers. Paid holidays, vacations, sick leaves, and health insurance claims are some of the benefits enjoyed by these professionals.
Once they have established themselves in this field and have made very good contacts, they can start their own independent counseling centers. Licenses and other legal formalities are essential before one starts practicing as a school counselor.
Thus, the pay scale is fairly well and besides this, the job satisfaction derived from helping students and children is in itself a good experience. Instilling confidence and making the students realize their true potential is surely challenging. If you love working with children, kids, and school going students, this can be an apt career for you to choose. | https://ibuzzle.com/school-counselor-salary-2 |
The Google Webmaster Central blog announced the release of several new tools added to the Webmaster Central toolbox. The new features are pretty neat and include;
- Googlebot activity reports that shows the "number of pages Googlebot's crawled from your site per day, the number of kilobytes of data Googlebot's downloaded per day, and the average time it took Googlebot to download pages."
- Crawl rate control tells Google how fast or slow you want Googlebot to crawl you.
- Enhanced image search allows you to be included in Google Image Labeler
- Number of URLs submitted
Don't you just love transparency?
Here is the number of pages crawled per day by Googlebot for last 90 days for the Search Engine Roundtable:
Forum discussion at DigitalPoint Forums and WebmasterWorld. | https://www.seroundtable.com/archives/006453.html |
Authentication Token provide computing and business systems the enormous benefit of portable and secure storage of data and value. Authentication Token containing an embedded microchip that can be programmed to store specific user authentication information. The chip on Authentication Token can store multiple identification factors of a specific user (i.e. password and fingerprint).
Authentication Token have become common place in high-security networking environments because:
- They offer an added layer of security. Intruders cannot just guess a userís password and gain access to the network; they must also possess the physical cards.
- They are tamper-resistant. Because they are self-contained and donít depend on external resources, it is more difficult for a hacker to compromise their security.
- They are flexible. In many cases, the PIN can be changed (by an authorized user) for added security. | http://en.bumblebeetech.com/authentication-tokens.html |
Hatshepsut’s controversial accession as a female pharaoh in the early period of New Kingdom Egypt led to an influential reign of self-promotion. However, her motives continue to be a subject of question as to whether Hatshepsut was motivated by her predecessor’s traditions, or were the essentialities of self-promotion too lucrative.
Hatshepsut improved the economic state of Egypt and made bold moves through building projects and trade expeditions all of which secured Egypt’s prosperity and Hatshepsut’s position in power.Her sovereignty can be considered an anachronism as her accession as pharaoh was contentious due to the fact she was a woman. Her acceptance may also have been amplified by self-promotion. Hatshepsut was interpreted and portrayed herself as both man and woman and often publicized her relation to Amun-Re and her father Thutmose I.
Throughout her period of influence there was much controversy surrounding her relationship with Senemut, which may have lead to the eradication of her reign.The unusual circumstances of Hatshepsut coming into power are what make her reign so remarkably fascinating. For more than 1000 years, Egypt had been only been ruled by men, until Hatshepsut. Being the daughter of the remarkable pharaoh Thutmose I and Aahames, both of royal lineage, Hatshepsut was presumably born into power.
When Thutmose I died his only remaining son (to a commoner) logically assumed power. However to legitimize his position in power as pharaoh, he married his half-sister Hatshepsut.However Ray believes that “…it is likely that the King was worried about his wife’s ambitions; her name after all, meant foremost of the noble ladies. ” (Ray, 1994) Ray clearly believes that Hatshepsut had substantial ambitions prior to her becoming pharaoh.
Despite this fact Hatshepsut had a strong desire to rule “… in few early scenes she is shown dutifully following her partner, but this soon changes. This was to be co-regency that was far from equal. ” (Ray, 1994) These vicissitudes have been depleted in conventional temple scenes from Deir el Bahri.Ray considers that “… the icon of a tradition pharaoh is necessary; she appears as a male ruler.
In sculpture, on the other hand, she is shown as female but imperial, with the typical Tuthmosid face and arched profile. Her portraits were unmistakable. ” (Ray, 1994) This transformation from male to female is one that makes her reign so captivating, the move shows the possible inclination of Hatshepsut’s confidence and security as a ruler. During Thutmose II and Hatshepsut’s diarchy “… little is known and arguably little is worth knowing.
(Hurley, 2008) It can be assumed that Thutmose II was threatened by his wife’s ambitions; Hatshepsut after all emphasized her political right to the throne through her father Thutmose I and relation to Amun. These claims of Hatshepsut being named heir to the throne may have proven to be propaganda to justify her accession as pharaoh when Thutmose II died. Hatshepsut may have felt that as the daughter of a pharaoh and a great royal wife she had a superior claim to the throne that Thutmose III the son of a mere concubine did not.Thutmose III befell into the position of pharaoh at the diminutive age of ten.
Customary it was necessary for the former queen Hatshepsut to become regent until Thutmose III became of age. During this time Hatshepsut proclaimed herself as pharaoh, and had an extensive, efficacious reign in Egypt but unfortunately passed away on “the tenth day of the sixth month of her twenty-second year of reign. ” (Lawless, 1996) (approx. : 1482 BC) Tactlessly at some point it is conspired that Thutmose III began a proscription of his aunt’s memory.
It can perhaps be said that he was in awe of her, or reacted in such a manner as female sovereigns had long been attested. Officials have long referred to Hatshepsut as “the excellent seed of a God,” (Lawless, 1996) and its no secret Hatshepsut also publicized these beliefs about herself, through her temple Deir el Bahri. Hatshepsut not only claims to be her father’s heir to the throne she also claims to be the daughter of Amun and from this it can be speculated that Thutmose III did not share this same opinion and thus implemented the eradication of her memory in history.Female rulers had long been attested in history of dynastic Egypt.
Men deemed female pharaohs as “unnatural and meant decline and retribution”. (Ray, 1994) Hatshepsut attested these beliefs when she took the unprecedented step from being regent for Thutmose III to being the crowned pharaoh; it is difficult to determine why this step was undertaken when it seemed she already possessed un-rivaled power. “Egyptian society gave remarkable freedoms and legal rights to women- far more than in the rest of the Near East or in the classical world- but limits were limits, even by the Nile. (Ray, 1994) Hatshepsut was able to legitimize her assumed power by depicting she was “chosen” by the gods, however this can be attested with the likelihood of trickery to swathe her insecurities as a woman in a civilization governed by men.
Such scenes from these claims have been carved at her temple Deir el Bahri, particularly in the Middle Colonnade. Amun: “Khnemer-Amun-Hatshepsut shall be the name of this my daughter, whom I have placed in your body… she shall exercise the excellent kingship in this whole land.My soul is hers, my bounty is hers, my crown is hers, that she may rule the two lands,” (Lawless, 1996) This evidence was an important aspect of Hatshepsut’s bid for throne along with key courtiers support which was necessary to establish the bureaucracy and the vast civil services. These supporters may have been established from her father and husband’s administrations in the Amun Priesthood, where she was already well known as God’s wife Amun.
It was necessary for Hatshepsut to gain such support from key men in her attempt for throne, as this move violated all conventions set by predecessors due to the mere fact she was a woman. Hatshepsut’s accession as pharaoh was portrayed as a prosperous reign in ancient Egypt. Once control was gained, she began an extensive building program, precarious trade expeditions to undiscovered lands (Punt) and reformed religious policies. The impact of her rule was subsequently extensive, despite the fact that she was regarded as an “unfortunate anomaly” (Ray, 1994) being a pharaoh and women in the 18th dynasty.
Hatshepsut reflected a wide range of changing perspectives from original Egyptology but Roebuck believes that “…the constitutional aspects of her succession and the co-regency continue to undermine her achievements in supremacy as pharaoh. ” (Roebuck, 1966) Hatshepsut’s need to fortify her power with propaganda may have been the very reason her succession is undermined. “Hatshepsut the female Horus, was not orthodox. Her kingship depended on mythological props, and also political ones; in fact, she would not have made a distinction between the two.
(Ray, 1994) Rays opinions also suggest that there may have also been a third element at work… a personal one to prove her worth as a pharaoh. Hatshepsut’s voyage to Punt allowed new trade links to be established between Egypt and inner Africa, which verified her position in authority as “Egypt was prospering, and arguably on the threshold of perhaps its greatest period of achievement in both internal and foreign affairs. ” (Hurley, 2008)One pertinent fact of her reign was the “apparent lack of military activity. (Ray, 1994) “Hatshepsut’s pride was in the internal development of Egypt and in commercial enterprise; Thutmose III pride was in the external expansion of Egypt and in military enterprise.
” (Hurley, 2008) “Inconsequential indications of campaigns to Nubia have been evident in Hatshepsut’s reign”. (Clayton, 2006) This lack of military expeditions may have been her attempt to adopt a pacifist and feminine advance in Ancient Egyptian politics or it is probable that Hatshepsut could simply not trust the army. If she led a campaign herself, even if this were politically acceptable, what would happen if she lost? A female commander would be a natural thing to blame for defeat. ” (Ray, 1994) The voyage to Punt may have been used to conceal this apparent lack of military activity, as it was certainly an exercise for an underemployed army, but no matter how immense or diminutive Hatshepsut’s extent was she made a point of showcasing her prosperous and illustrious reign as pharaoh.
These publications of her achievements meant further showcasing of her personal relationships with the gods. Hatshepsut was known to have a strong sense of the future and reformed religious policies at that time, by including aspects in the important development of the gods, particularly Amun, divine oracles, personal piety, the ideology of kingship and religious festivities, all of which Hatshepsut was extremely proud of. However perhaps she was not so great. What if she was just another pretentious pharaoh?Intending to confirm her worth and significance as a woman, many pharaohs both prior to and subsequent to Hatshepsut erected monuments in their honor, and claimed they were practically God’s them selves, could it be affirmed that Hatshepsut was no exception to such predecessors? Hatshepsut was recognized and portrayed as being a munificent employer to those who served her dutifully.
Those who were been enticed to deceive their mistress were counseled of the consequences.This caveat is present in an inscription from the third terrace of her mortuary temple at Deir el- Bahri: “he who shall do her homage shall live, he who shall speak evil in blasphemy of her Majesty shall die. ” (Hurley, 2008) Such coercion was what enabled Hatshepsut to seize supremacy for such a prolonged time period. This grasp of power may have also been armored by the gradual disappearance of her father’s advisers, thus virtually all her supporters were new men whom of hich owed nothing to the customary aristocracy and little to conformist benefaction.
Hatshepsut’s controversial relationship with Senemut was undoubtedly one of the most influential along with her viziers, this facet of her reign can additionally be used as supporting substantiation for her determination to hold power.Bedez supports this credence as it is recognized that “…Hatshepsut produced no offspring with Thutmose II, her only daughter Neferure was most likely the daughter of his lover Senemut. (Bedez, 1997) Numerous Egyptologists have conjectured this view that they might have in fact been lovers and this portion of her sovereignty was held in reserve as it was immoral for a pharaoh to publicize her relationship with a commoner. “Other evidence offered as a justification of this conjecture is a graffito from an unfinished Middle Kingdom Deir el-Bahri tomb used as a rest house by the workers of her mortuary temple: it depicts a male and a second person of ambiguous gender with pharaonic regalia engaging in an explicit sexual act from behind.
The latter person in the graffito is wearing what has been identified as a royal headdress. ” (Hawass, 2007) These opinions could arguably be justified that the figure has been misinterpreted “as a contemporary political parody to highlight one way in which Hatshepsut could never be a true king–she could never dominate a man in the way that she is now being dominated. ” (Hawass, 2007) While the conjecture that the pair was in fact lovers this depiction could also be bias towards the conventional view that no illustrious woman could govern with such accomplishments without the contribution of a male.However such views are intricate and challenging to accept when Hatshepsut was recognized as a key intellectual female of this time in the 18th dynasty.
Although numerous controversies were protuberant in Hatshepsut’s accession as pharaoh, Hatshepsut’s regency was one of relative peace and prosperity, her influence and supremacy is unquestionable as no such substantiation suggests threats from foreign lands during her sovereignty, therefore military expeditions were not necessary to be undertaken, and instead an illustrious building project was immanent along with religious reforms.The controversy that is Hatshepsut will continue to be distinguished by historians, as the ambiguity of her accession still remains questionable. Were the essentialities of self-promotion to decoying for Hatshepsut? Was she just another ostentatious ruler who used propaganda to publicize her worth to the throne? There is no doubting that Hatshepsut’s impact in influence was extensive but will these triumphs continue to be surpassed until the feminist movement rediscovers her, or will her rule continue to be disregarded by contemporaries and predecessors alike?
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Starts and Stripes has published a guest column from one of our veterans on protecting Fort Ord:
Recently Colorado College announced the results of its second annual "Conservation in the West" poll, showing that western voters across the political spectrum nearly unanimously agree that public lands such as national parks, forests, monuments and wildlife areas are "an essential part" of the economies of these states. More than 9 in 10 western households with active or retired military view these public lands as critical to their quality of life.
The 2012 bipartisan poll of 2,400 voters in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Montana and Wyoming found that 4 in 5 western voters view having a strong economy and protecting land and water as compatible. Pollster Lori Weigel of Public Opinion Strategies, the nation's largest Republican polling firm, said that "the depth and breadth of the connection between westerners and the land is truly remarkable - when people are telling us that public lands are essential to their economy, and that they support continued investments in conservation, even in these difficult economic times. Westerners are telling us that we've got to find a way to protect clean air, clean water and parks in their states."
In a political atmosphere rife with discord and dissent, this unified position on preserving western lands is remarkable. As a U.S. veteran living in California, I can assert that protecting our land and water protects my opportunities to hike and camp but, more importantly, it protects the very heart of the America the Beautiful that I fought for.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently toured one of these places: former military base Fort Ord, which sits on California's Monterey Bay. Salazar stood on Wildcat Ridge overlooking the Pacific and called the breathtaking panorama "a crown jewel that will be around when all of us are gone."
From 1917 to 1994, Fort Ord housed and trained 1.5 million U.S. soldiers. For much of that time, spanning World War I to the Persian Gulf War, the fort was the primary basic training facility for the Army. Veterans who trained at Fort Ord are still alive.
Since 1994, this distinct setting of more than 7,000 acres of maritime chaparral and grasslands - featuring 86 miles of roads and trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding - has been managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and much of it is open to the public. Accordingly, Fort Ord attracts 100,000 visitors every year, many of whom frequent and spend money in nearby municipalities. Tourism already plays a significant role in Monterey County, employing more than 24,000 people needed to serve the 8 million annual visitors who spend roughly $2 billion in the county.
Designating Fort Ord the nation's newest national monument would almost surely boost tourism numbers and enhance the associated economic impacts, while protecting this striking landscape.
That message comes through loud and clear in the Colorado College poll results, too. Nearly 8 in 10 western households with active or retired military believe we can protect our land and water and have a strong economy with good jobs at the same time.
Neighboring communities also support protecting the area's public lands. The president has the authority under the Antiquities Act to establish national monuments at places of natural, historical or scientific significance, and we invite President Barack Obama to exercise his authority and take decisive action to protect Fort Ord.
Members of the Vet Voice Foundation and a group of California veterans recently sent a letter to Salazar saying, "A National Monument designation [at Fort Ord] will serve as a reminder of the triumphs and sacrifices that have shaped the United States and honor the legacy of the millions of soldiers who trained on these lands."
Salazar got it right when he said, "This is one of those places where you are as close as you can come to having heaven on earth." Now is the time to ensure that the heavenly public lands that envelop historic Fort Ord are protected so that we and future generations may come to enjoy its scenery, to recreate, and to remember how Fort Ord once protected all of us.
Vitali Mostovoj is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel. He lives in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and is a member of Vet Voice Foundation, which seeks to help veterans continue to serve their country by speaking out on vital national issues. | http://2015.vetvoicefoundation.trilogyarchive.com/press/stars-and-stripes-on-ft-ord |
Small support for long term impact
Since 1986 the Small Grants Programme (SGP) of WWF-Pakistan has been supporting grass root level organizations, research-based institutions, researchers and students to strengthen nature conservation efforts in Pakistan.
SGP has supported innovative conservation initiatives for priority species such as marine turtles, snow leopards, Indus River dolphin, sharks, vultures and critical ecosystems such as mangroves forests, Indus River Delta and Coniferous forests. The greatest value of funding is that it enables and builds the capacity of small-scale conservation work as well as environmental research and field projects by individual scientists, research and academic institutions and conservation organizations.
- Address environmental issues by providing technical and financial support in order to build the capacity of small grass-root level organizations;
- Empower communities; and
- Promote environmental research by strengthening academic, government and research-based institutions.
The SGP proposal form can be downloaded from. The applicant organizations can apply to the SGP through email or post by sending the project proposal to the following email address [email protected]
Please provide complete contact information details in the project proposal. The project without the budget breakup will not be accepted.
PDF files will not be accepted. | https://www.wwfpak.org/take_action/small_grants_programme/ |
Laptop, notary stamps stolen from vehicles
Monday
Several items were stolen from a Salina couple’s vehicles over the weekend.
Salina police said that sometime between 10 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, two vehicles, a Chevrolet Camaro and a Lincoln MKC, at 50 Wildcat Circle were gone through and items were taken.
The couple who owns the vehicles reported a black and white Ogio laptop bag with “1 Vision Aviation” on it, an Asus laptop, Iowa and Kansas notary stamps and other miscellaneous items were missing for a total loss of $1,700.
Police said there are no suspects at this time.
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Edging and Weaving Tips
Try these suggestions to add interest to your knitting projects.
Edging
When edging your knitting with another yarn, you may be tempted to knit a strip the length you need and sew it on. This can backfire on you: The seam will not be as flexible as the rest of your piece, and the strip can stretch out between the knitting and the sewing and not fit as well as you'd like.
The solution is to pick up stitches along the edge of your knitting and knit directly onto your main piece. When picking up the edge of a garter-stitch item, skip the bump and knit into the stitch.
Weaving
Weaving another yarn onto your knitted piece is an efficient use of novelty yarn and really easy. Simply knit whatever project you like (using a larger needle than the manufacturer recommends can make the weaving easier, but isn't necessary) and use a large-eye blunt needle or your fingers to weave the yarn in and out of your knitted fabric at regular (or not) intervals.
Sewing around the edge to secure the woven yarn is important so you don't lose any. | https://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/edging-and-weaving-tips |
2007-2018 © OnlinePlantGuide.com All Rights Reserved. Information and images may not be reused without written consent.
Scientific Name:
Leucophyllum frutescens 'Silverado'
Common Name:
Texas Silverado Sage
Plant Type:
Evergreen
Leaf Type:
Broadleaf
Hardiness Zone:
7, 8, 9, 10
Determine Your Zone
Height:
2- 5 feet
Spread:
3 -5 feet
Bloom time:
Spring, Summer
Flower color:
Pink
Light Exposure:
Sun, Part Sun
Drainage:
Well drained, Moist, Dry
Rate of Growth:
Moderate
Water Requirement:
Medium
Maintenance Level:
Low
Landscape Categories:
Comments:
This is a dwarf selection that has extra silvery foliage make it an outstanding cultivar of Texas sage. It has a rounded form and dense foliage, even to its base. It produces a larger number of pink flowers in summer than other selections. As with all Texas sage, flowers appear after summer rains. Drought tolerant. | http://www.onlineplantguide.com/Plant-Details/4061/ |
- 1 Rationale: Why is the case study interesting?
- 2 Author's perspective
- 3 Cultural landscape context
- 4 Socio-political context
- 5 Spatial analysis of area/project
- 6 Analysis of idea/program/function ("Planning Objective")
- 7 Analysis of design/planning process ("Process Biography")
- 8 Analysis of use/users
- 9 Future development directions
- 10 Peer reviews or critique
- 11 Successes and limitations
- 12 What can be generalized from this case study?
- 13 What research questions does it generate?
- 14 Image Gallery
- 15 References
Rationale: Why is the case study interesting?
BaiHua Park is an ordinary public garden in Jining City. In its 20 years history from the 1990's, it has been looked as an simple-use open space and divided into several parts by different authorities.In 2001, archaeologists found ruins of "xinggongchunshu" in southwest of Baihua park. It is one of the famous ancient serial landscapes in Jining city. However, for some reasons, the site had been protected since then and not open to public. The renewal of this garden started from 2007, and is still ongoing. What will the BaiHua park be? From the mayor and the local administration's perspective, it should be an indispensable part of the Harmonious Society.For citizens nearby, it should be their playground for morning exercises and fitnesses. From the ecologist's view,it should be a habitat and shelter for indigenous species and creatures.For the garden's managers, it should be a park easy to operate and without additional management and money. And for us designers,it should be a cultural landscape adapting to the fast urbanization and the climate change.
The uniqueness of this case is that it has multi-expectations and complex goals.The planning will show us a programme coordinating different communities and solving so much problems.
Author's perspective
As an urban planner engaged in city planning and design for 3 years, I don’t have much experience to deal with such a landscape project. So, it’s a big challenge for me at first. Through the process cooperating with landscape gardeners, water supply & sewerage engineers, civil engineers and local administrative, I have learned a lot as follows:
1.Look the planning as an dynamic solution, not a final blue print.
2.City garden acts as a shelter for local species and resistance against fast metropolis expansion.
3.Design the lake to store and purify storm and rain, to adapt the climate changes and water scarcity, not just for aesthetic use only.
4.Protect ruins with a reasonable manner. Do not damage the integrity as well as enhance public knowledge.
Cultural landscape context
Jining city locates in the central region of southwest of Shandong province, belongs to warm temperate zone and monsoon climate. It has ample water resource. The overall resource is up to 41.74 billion stere. There are five rivers in the main district. Biological diversity is well above the average of Shandong. Baihua park will be a part of the overall green system and water grid.
As to culture, Jining city has long been well known as "The hometown of Confucius and Menci, a state of etiquette". It is the birthland of East Confucianism Culture and Chinese Culture. There are 300 ancient ruins, 70 immemorial architectures and 60 antiquated tombs in Jining. One of the famous ancient serial landscapes in Qing Dynasty, "xinggongchunshu" ruins was found in Baihua park in 2001.
“The serial scene is a traditional perception of landscape in China. This tradition records not only the direct visual landscape but also the scenes with deep historical reference, which is also the perception of landscape from various sensory experiences. The titles of many examples emphasized the interaction between the subject and object of landscape and the timeliness of landscape experience through the connection with special seasons, climates, festivals and events. ”（Cited from "Phenomenological Landscape Study: The Modernity of Chinese Traditional Perception of Landscape Reflected in Serial Scenes" ,LI Kai-ran, (England) Jan Woudstra , 2009, Chinese Landscape Architecture, Vol.25/161, page29）Based on the ancient "xinggongchunshu" ruins, we try to create a new "eight-serial scenes" of Jining city in Baihua park.
"Xinggongchunshu" ruins mean "Emperor Qianlong's palace with trees in the spring". It comes from a poem of Emperor Qianlong, a famous monarch in the Qing Dynasty. The protection of this ruins relates to the appreciation of historical landscape heritage.
Socio-political context
Jining is the central city of southwest Shandong province. In 2007, the population is 840,000, GDP is 1736 billion yuan.
Spatial analysis of area/project
The new Baihua Park covers an area of 17.16 acre. The main landscape is water system. It consists of a lake and a river. They are magnified on the basement of the original water system. Through calculating precipitation per year in Jining city, we get a water scope as the whole water storage in the park. From summer to autumn, water from city drainage are collected to the lake, they are cleared up for daily use, supplementary water are pumped down as an addition for subterranean water. Through the process, the Baihua park could operate all by itself, without outsider supply from the city. And it also could preserve the security of the ecological environment.
Along the water, there's a lake lane to connect roads in the park. Roads are divided into three kinds: main road, sub-road and branch. With the entrance square and parking lot, they forms the Transportation System.
Analysis of idea/program/function ("Planning Objective")
Open spaces, main landscapes & subordinate landscapes are linked by transportation system. Sight interface is open to the city. From any position along the city road, you can get a finely view.
The whole park was divided into 6 districts. They are : Entrance square district; Flowers viewing district; Children amusement district; Water landscape district; Forest & exercises district; The elderly activity district. Ruins "Xinggongchunshu" locates in Flowers viewing district, it is well protected and being open to public.
Analysis of design/planning process ("Process Biography")
In the 1990s, China was experiencing a fast urbanization and city expansion process, Jining city is also included.
Baihua park locates in the Liuzhuang village, it is the so-called "combination area of city and country", it has huge lakes and much cultivated land. The local Urban Planning Bureau aimed to maintain this area as a city park for people living nearby. At first, this park was divided into two parts. One was called "Baihua park", means "thousands of flowers", the other one was called "Children's Playground", landscapes and instruments were independent in the two parts.
In 2007, local municipal government decided to merge the two parks into one, and redesign it. This task was handed into Jining urban planning design and research institute.
After detailed investigation and on-spot research, a design sketch was handed to the leaders in charge. The new park aims to be open to the public, so many buildings, originally belonging to private or government owners, must be removed or destroyed. From the city to district's administration, many meetings were held to persuade the stakeholders into giving up or making sacrifice. At the same time, drawings and sketches were being revised time after time, absorbing suggestions from the government, experts and public. In August the 20th, 2008, a final design was authorized by local Urban-planning Bureau.
Analysis of use/users
The park took different users into consideration when it was redesigned in the beginning. According to the POE of this project, various users make use of different zones freely, without disturbing, just accords to designer's expectation.
Future development directions
Reconstruction of Baihua Park consists of two phases. Phase I had finished in 2009 and achieved much appreciation and approval from the society and people. Phase II is still in building, The project is expected to be done in 2011.
Peer reviews or critique
Some engineers and architects from other design companies criticize that the new park lacks the feeling of farmland. They miss the days when the park used to have a natural pool, brook and barren land. They complain that too much man-made buildings in the park damage the overall landscape. On the other hand, due to the unfinished construction in the park, the water system cannot work effectively to purify and reuse rains collected from the city's drainage as expected.
Successes and limitations
The design has won many important prizes in Jining city as well as in Shandong province. It explores the possibility to use a park's water system to adapt the climate change and to deal with water scarcity. However, it's the first time for us to cope with such an item like this. We do not have much technical experience and sufficient knowledge in it.
Successes
- Reconstruction of cultural landscape
- Creation and restoration of traditional serial Scenes
- Appreciation and protection of historical heritage
- New technical measures to adapt water scarcity
- More plants for carbon fixation
Limitations
- Method to deal with old landscape
- Obstacles from some local administrative(commercial, monopoly, e.g.)
- Manage institutions in landscape
- Measures are difficult and highly expensive
What can be generalized from this case study?
No data available
What research questions does it generate?
No data available
Image Gallery
References
- LI Kai-ran, (England) Jan Woudstra,2009: Phenomenological Landscape Study: The Modernity of Chinese Traditional Perception of Landscape Reflected in Serial Scenes, Chinese Landscape Architecture, Vol.25/161, page29
- Jining City Master Plan (2008-2030), China Academy of Urban Planning & Design , Jining Urban Planing and Research Institute , 2009.
- Website Year: Link, keyword, ...
- etc. | https://fluswikien.hfwu.de/index.php?title=Transformation_and_reconstruction_of_BaiHua_Park:_Alternative_planning_for_complex_objectives,_China |
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Reporting to Project Manager
Location: Sydney, Liverpool, Parramatta, Ashfield
IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU APPLY NOW!!! | https://www.peoplebank.com.au/job/ERP-CRM-Functional-Consultant/ |
Unplugged: Digital Detoxing
Find the reasons why we need to do a digital detox and learn practical steps on how to start incorporating it into your schedule through and online seminar offered by the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- This seminar may be accessed anytime starting July 19.
- No registration is necessary – just log into the EAP website using the username “USC” and password “guest”. Once you're logged in, scroll down and you'll see “Online Seminars” in the middle of the page.
Visit the HR website for more information about the benefits you receive through our employee wellness programs, including the EAP. | https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/human_resources/toolbox/news/2022/disconnecting_to_reconnect.php |
Jake of Hearts is the ninth episode of Season 3 of Daria and the thirty-fifth episode of the series overall. It first aired on MTV on July 21st, 1999.
Synopsis
Jake has a heart attack.
Summary
Daria and Jane are discussing how puppets make any atrocity funny when they're interrupted by the arrival of two newscasts for Z-93's "Mental in the Morning" radio show. Principal Li has invited them to provide morale for the school - Daria questions if removing hidden cameras and bomb-sniffing dogs wouldn't do this too - and silence naysayers. Daria asks if Z-93 is paying them for the stunt; " Ms. Morgendorffer, those bomb-sniffing dogs have to eat!"
Later at the Morgendorffer’s that evening, during dinner, Jake is so excited about a new dish and miffed due to his wife and children’s disinterest that he goes on a stronger rant than usual and has a heart attack. Later at the hospital, Helen and the girls are told that it was just a scare and that he should be spared from stress. Later, as his family stands by his bedside, Jake asks for his mother.
The accident and the arrival of Ruth Morgendorffer a few days later causes changes and stress on all family: Helen resents her mother-in-law's unsolicited advice, and starts to try to cook and take more care of the household to prove she can. Quinn has the idea to study medicine to help her father in the future, despite her grandmother’s warnings that she does not need to study, but rather just marry a nice doctor. For once, Helen is ignoring calls from the office and Quinn ignoring boys to do studying. ("Yes, Quinn's here, but she's studying. ... No, this isn't a prank call. You called me.")
While witnessing this, Daria has to listen to her father’s anxious speeches and beliefs that he will not live much longer, while at the same time having to endure the constant Z-93 stunts at school and the DJs pressuring her to be part of the show. In a low point, "Mental in the Morning" offers a Z-93 bumper sticker as a prize to anyone who'll date Upchuck as a prize; Jodie Landon thinks this is too humiliating, to which Daria remarks "Think how the bumper sticker must feel."
At a later conversation between Ruth and Jake, details of their previous life with "Mad Dog" Morgendorffer begin to surface, revealing that his father had been an abuser of both her wife and son, and she wishes she'd done many things differently.
Between witnessing her father’s and grandmother’s breakdowns, the complete reversal of her mother’s and sisters’ personalities, and the DJs at school, Daria is fed up and decides to take action by appearing on the radio after all:
"A few days ago, my father had a heart attack, forcing me to admit his mortality to myself for the first time. Accepting this grim new knowledge has been especially difficult, as I've been under constant, yammering assault by two utterly brainless and talentless so-called radio personalities. And so, for these reasons, I, Daria Morgendorffer, am mental in the morning."
The DJ's abruptly flee the school.
At home, she calmly puts her grandmother on the spot when she notices how bad her decisions regarding her husband had been. This effectively silences Ruth ("You both owe me") by making her realising she's doing more harm than good. Finally, Daria tries to help her father. In the face of his concerns about whether he's doing a good job as a father, Daria dodges the issue and cures him of his despondency by noting her granddad was dead at this point. Feeling like he's beaten his father - "I'm better at living!" - revives Jake from his funk, and the instant he's okay Helen goes back to overworking and Quinn abandons studying.
At the end of the episode, Daria tells the previous days’ events with Jane while at Pizza King and how she reluctantly sees home and school could both be worse. That's when Z-93 parks and starts broadcasting right outside.
Errors
- Jake rants his father "tried to mold me into a soldier, but did he ever let me have a G.I. Joe? Didn't want his boy playing with dolls, he said!", and that it wasn't a doll but "an action figure!". The original G.I. Joe came out in 1964, with the term "action figure" invented for it. If this happened before Jake went to military school (and it sounds like it did), then he has to go to Buxton Ridge Military Academy between 1964-8 and start at Middleton College in 1968, as That Was Then, This Is Dumb has him and Helen being arrested in August 1969. Unfortunately, "The Daria Diaries" has him lasting 'more than four years at Buxton and implying he was there at an earlier age than 14 (as does this very episode, as he needs to learn how to shave at Buxton). Alternatively, he wanted a G.I. Joe toy when he was a teenager at military school.
Trivia
- Ruth Morgendorffer refers to looking after "his children," indicating Jake has unmentioned siblings.
- Jake had to learn to shave from Corporal Ellenbogen ("The man with one thumb?!") because his dad, allegedly due to razor phobia, refused to.
- We learn Jake's father sent him to military school by claiming Jake wanted to go, for "structure", twisting the boy's words around. ("All I said was I might want to go to tennis camp")
- Mr. O'Neill's is quoting Hamlet in his class.
- When Bing and the Spatula Man first corner Daria and Jane, they're followed by a crowd of background characters - Jennifer and "Red Cap" act like they're mugging for the camera. Except there is no camera. Unless... they're trying to get our attention... | https://daria.fandom.com/wiki/Jake_of_Hearts |
Information about Hotel Ginebra
Only 100 metres from Megaplaza shopping mall, Hotel Ginebra offers rooms with free Wi-Fi and plasma TV in Lima. Free parking is provided. The historic centre is 10 km away. Decorated in lively colours, rooms at Hotel Ginebra are fitted with fans. Some of them boast spa baths in their bathrooms. A continental breakfast is served daily. Hotel Ginebra is 2 km from Terrapuerto bus station and 15 km from Jorge Chavez International Airport.
Based on local tax laws, Peruvian citizens (and foreigners staying more than 59 days in Peru) must pay an additional fee of 18%. To be exempt from this 18% additional fee (IVA), a copy of the immigration card and passport must be presented. Please note both documents are required for fee exemption. Guests who are not able to present both documents will be required to pay the fee. Foreign business travellers who require a printed invoice, will also be charged the additional 18% regardless of the length of their stay in Peru. This fee is not automatically calculated in the total costs for the reservation.
Services of Hotel Ginebra
- Smoke alarms
- Process in place to check health of guests
- WiFi
- Lift
- Safety deposit box
- Bar
- Shared stationery such as printed menus, magazines, pens, and paper removed
- Linens, towels and laundry washed in accordance with local authority guidelines
- WiFi available in all areas
- Screens or physical barriers placed between staff and guests in appropriate areas
- CCTV in common areas
- Tour desk
- Contactless check-in/check-out
- Property is cleaned by professional cleaning companies
- Hot tub/jacuzzi
- Free parking
- Fire extinguishers
- Physical distancing in dining areas
- Daily housekeeping
- 24-hour security
- Non-smoking throughout
- Air conditioning
- On-site parking
- Parking
- Staff follow all safety protocols as directed by local authorities
- Food can be delivered to guest accommodation
- Restaurant
- Luggage storage
- Room service
- Trouser press
- Snack bar
- Fax/photocopying
- Guests have the option to cancel any cleaning services for their accommodation during their stay
- Business centre
- Guest accommodation sealed after cleaning
- Ironing service
- 24-hour front desk
- Internet services
- Use of cleaning chemicals that are effective against Coronavirus
- Laundry
- Hand sanitizer in guest accommodation and key areas
- Free WiFi
- Cashless payment available
- Guest accommodation is disinfected between stays
- Shuttle service (additional charge)
- Physical distancing rules followed
- First aid kit available
- CCTV outside property
- All plates, cutlery, glasses and other tableware have been sanitized
Address
Calle B Mz D Lote 54, Independencia
Similar hotels to Hotel Ginebra
Practical rooms with free Wi-Fi are offered in Lima, 200 metres from the Government Palace. Jorge Chavez Airport is a 30-minute drive. Hostal Bonbini has rooms with TVs and private bathrooms with showers. Guests staying at Bonbini can rely on the hotel’s 24-hour front desk assistance and luggage storage services. Jirón Huancavelica Avenue is 200 metres away.
Its location is only 50 meters to the Main Plaza in Lima's Historical Center and one block from Capon neighborhood, allows you to visit easily the most important touristic sites from the colonial and republican period. There are two individual dining-rooms available, to offer more privacy.At the beginning of the last century, the most representative Peruvian cocktail, the "Pisco Sour", was created in our traditional Bar.Nowadays, it is well known all over the world, satisfying the most exquisite tastes. The building is considered historic and has been renovated in 2000. It is decorated with historic furniture, the lobby has a French neoclassical style with antique mirrors.
Near Plaza San Martin
Near Plaza San Martin
Decorated with original paintings from Lima's colonial era and located only a 5-minute drive from Jorge Chávez International Airport, Limaq Hotel offers accommodation in Lima. The property offers guests free WiFi access. Rooms here will provide you with a private bathroom, a flat-screen TV with 150 cable channels and air-conditioning. Daily maid service, bed linens, towels and a safety deposit box are also included. At Limaq Hotel you will find a bilingual 24-hour front desk offering services such as currency exchange, shuttle bookings for an extra fee and grocery deliveries. The property also has a tour desk, a business lounge and a lounge bar. Guests can also access a shared lounge and a sun terrace. Free parking is available. Room service is available and special diet menus are available upon request. Limaq Hotel lies a 25-minute drive from Lima's historical centre and the Callao area, where guests will find restaurants, shops, galleries and museums. Jorge Chávez International Airport is 4 km away.
Hotel Anthony's offers rooms with free Wi-Fi and cable TV in Lima. Free parking is provided, and there is a restaurant. The Main Square and the historic centre are 5 km away. Bright and spacious, rooms at Anthony's are fitted with telephones and wooden furnishing. All of them have private bathrooms. Laundry service is provided. An American breakfast is served daily at an extra fee. International dishes can be ordered at the restaurant. Hotel Anthony's is 10 metres from Reserve Park and 14 km from Jorge Chavez Airport.
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At what time can I have my room? And what time do I have to leave?Check-in and check-out times vary according to the property. However, the schedules are usually as follows:
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What is the price match guarantee?If you book a hotel or city break (Flight + Hotel/ Eurostar + Hotel) on lastminute.com and you find the same product or package for less on another website within 24 hours of booking, we'll give you the difference! Subject to terms & conditions. | https://www.lastminute.com/hotels/peru/lima/ginebra-hotel |
This longitudinal study explores how a Western university setting affects Chinese international students’ academic reading in terms of their strategy use during their master’s\ud study. In order to explore the multifaceted nature of academic reading, reading strategies in this study are categorised into three types: textbase strategies (TBS); situation model construction strategies (SMS); and comprehension monitoring strategies (CMS). Furthermore, the study applies the concepts of trait and state to distinguish two types of strategy status: Chinese students’ general perception of what they normally do in their\ud coursework reading (trait strategy use), and what they actually do in their on-line reading (state strategy use). Mixed methods were employed in data collection, which was carried out twice among the same participants in one academic year. The results of the questionnaires indicate that significant changes occurred in trait strategy use over time, in particular, in trait situation model construction strategies. Think-aloud was used to examine their cognitive processing in a task-provoked situation. Protocol analysis shows that there were no significant changes in their state strategy use between Time1 and Time2. Case studies and syntactic parsing analysis show that their TBS-oriented processing was mainly triggered by\ud their low competence in English language decoding. In addition, data analysis of focus groups and interviews suggests that their choice of TBS was closely related to the\ud socialisation they had in China. Socio-cultural factors seemed to have a strong impact on what strategies they used, and also on the frequency with which they used them. The unbalanced development between trait and state strategy use suggests that Chinese international students’ academic reading is dynamic and multidimensional. Findings in this\ud study offer us insightful information about the transition in Chinese international students’ reading from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’, and also about the scaffolding that this population needs in master’s study in the UK.
| |
A hybrid system for a heavy duty vehicle having an engine and a pneumatic system is provided. The hybrid system 1 comprises a direct current (dc) network having a peak voltage not exceeding 60 volts. Connected to the dc network are a number of electrical components including: a battery 2; a starter/ generator electric machine 7 having a power delivery mode in which an electrical energy input to the starter/generator is converted into a rotational power output and an electricity generation mode in which a rotational power input is converted into an electrical power output; a plurality of electrically powered ancillary devices 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 one of which is an electrically powered compressor of the pneumatic system; a plurality of vehicle parameter sensors (not shown); a communications network 6 and a controller 4. The controller 4, the vehicle parameter sensors and the electrical components are connected to the communications network 6. The controller 4 is configured to control the flow of electricity between the starter/generator 7, the battery 2, and the electricity consuming devices according to pre-programmed priorities. The priorities include causing kinetic energy converted into electrical energy by the starter/generator 7 when in its electricity generation mode to be stored by the battery 2 by charging or in the pneumatic system by operating an electric motor driven air compressor 8b of the pneumatic system. | |
“There is nothing permanent except change.” This quote is attributed to Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher born in 544 BC. Those words still resonate centuries later as we face the ever changing world in which we live.
It is no surprise, then, that the insurance industry is also changing. A shift to customer driven strategies, expanded distribution channels and heightened competitive pressures are pushing insurers to embrace technology and data to stay ahead.
Is regulation triggering the winds of change?
We asked respondents to identify the challenges that they are currently facing and 47% selected the changing regulatory environment, as shown in Chart 1 below. This comes as no surprise as insurers currently face the forthcoming IFRS 4 insurance accounting standard and FASB’s insurance-targeted improvements to the accounting for Long Duration Contracts. Additionally, IFRS 9 and a similar ruling expected from FASB is expected to affect insurance companies as it relates to investments subject to credit impairment accounting. All of these projected regulatory changes are expected to have a significant impact on IT systems and financial processes and controls.
Chart 1: What are the main challenges your firm is currently facing?
Can risk create new opportunities?
When asked what they predict will present the greatest risk in the coming 12-18 months, 38% cited cyber risk and security, followed by 28% responding that competitive pressures will pose the most risk to their firm.
In recent years, cyber risk has evolved in many areas and become not only more frequent, but increasingly costlier for companies to resolve. The effect of a cyber security breach can have a significant financial impact and result in reputational damage, greater regulatory scrutiny and loss of customer confidence. Additionally, consumers have come to expect a high level of protection for their privacy and data. Insurance companies that are able to protect critical data assets will create and maintain a competitive advantage through loyalty and insight.
Chart 2: What do you predict will present the greatest risk over the next 12-18 months?
Almost a third of respondents saw competitive pressures as the greatest risk facing their organization. In order to outperform the competition, insurers will need to prioritize developing a complete view of the customer. However, a recent study from Gartner found that “only 18% of insurers had a single view of the customer in place today, and an additional 58% of companies currently were working on building this capability out for 2016.”1
With the staggering amounts of data available, insurers can better manage their risk by using customer data to maintain a 360° view of the customer throughout the life cycle of the relationship and inform changes to products, services and customer service. Understanding granular levels of profitability — be it at an individual product, customer or channel level — will help insurers extract insight from their vast amount of data.
Will technology blaze a trail?
Respondents were asked where their firm will allocate the highest proportion of IT spend in the coming 1-3 years and 36.7% expect front office systems to be the focus, as shown in Chart 3. This is no surprise given the need to support the transition to the ‘customer at the core of the business’ mentioned above. Being able to rapidly close business while incorporating scale into their business, will help provide and maintain a competitive advantage. Delivering a better channel experience can further establish a firm as the carrier of choice.
Chart 3: Where is your firm allocating the highest proportion of IT spend in the coming 1-3 years?
Given the changing role of finance within insurance companies, it is not surprising to see that 22% cited finance and accounting systems as their highest IT priority. With the need to address new accounting standards, derive more meaningful insight for internal management reporting and centralize accounting controls, finance organizations require technology to help drive their business forward.
The industry is at a crossroad
Insurance companies are being challenged by the changing environment. The combined pressures from competitors, heightened customer expectations and an evolving regulatory landscape is driving firms to innovate and plan for the future. Reevaluating and updating core systems and processes to support the business will help ensure they are accessing the data needed to present a single view of the customer across all channels and lines of business. Embracing regulation, data and technology will only help the insurer in driving their business forward. Times are changing, but it is important to remember “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Interested in learning more? Read our short case study highlighting how the finance organization at a large reinsurer tackled their complex business requirements, saving time and costs. | https://www.aptitudesoftware.com/blog/blog-changing-insurance-landscape/ |
Get a Quote for Workplace Well-being Services
We partner with a variety of organizations to support workplace well-being. Please fill out the form below to get in touch with us and receive a quote. Feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] if you have any questions.
When partnerting with organizations we assess readiness based on some of the items listed below:
- Your team experiences the impact of the mental and emotional labor of the work they are doing.
- There is a need for awareness, education, and further conversation about genuine, sustaining wellness.
- You have a budget to invest in staff mental health and well-being.
- Leadership is actively supportive of the investment and process to take action in furthering a culture of workplace well-being. | https://secondgrowthcounseling.com/services/workplace-wellbeing/quote/ |
Israel Mulls Increasing Number of Work Permits for Palestinians
Ministers could increase numbers by as much as 40 percent in order to fill manpower shortages in construction and other industries.
The Israeli cabinet discussed a plan Sunday to sharply increase the number of West Bank Palestinians allowed to work in Israel in 2017, to fill manpower shortages in construction and other sectors.
- After Months, Israel Pays Some Palestinian Workers for Sick Leave
- Life and Death of a Palestinian Construction Worker
- With No State in Sight, Palestinians Adapt to Limited Self-rule
Under the plan proposed by several ministers, the number of work permits would be increased by as much as 40 percent – from the current 56,000 to up to 78,000.
The biggest beneficiary would be the building industry, whose quota of Palestinian workers would grow to 13,000 (up from 7,000). Manufacturing would get an additional 2,200 permits, bringing the total to 4,450, while the agricultural sector would get an additional 1,250 permanent and 1,250 seasonal workers, to a total of 11,550 under the proposal.
The plan would increase the number of permits even further in the second half of 2017 – mainly in construction – if certain conditions are met. | https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2016-12-19/ty-article/.premium/israel-mulls-increasing-number-of-palestinian-work-permits/0000017f-e2a9-d568-ad7f-f3eb45ed0000 |
DRIVERS on the Guisborough to Whitby A171 Moor Road today faced some of the most treacherous conditions for years.
As national weather experts had predicted, Teesside and East Cleveland bore the brunt of heavy snow blizzards hitting the North-east.
And despite snow ploughs and gritters being out in force both in Cleveland and North Yorkshire, the intensity and duration of the blizzards began to overwhelm some of the hard efforts of council work force gritters by around 2pm.
Side roads of the main roads such as the A171 Moor Road were particularly treacherous, though most routes were passable with extreme care.
But, as our East Cleveland multimedia journalist Mike Morgan, who was out in the region reporting on the testing traffic conditions said, freezing fog on the Moor Road on the section from Scaling Dam to Whitby was particularly dangerous, combined with the blizzard conditions.
Mike, who has travelled the dangerous route daily for 24 years in connection with his district work on the Gazette, said: "Though we've seen heavier snow drifting in the past on the A171, the blizzard and whiteout conditions made driving and visibility particularly tricky for drivers.
"Gritter crews had done sterling work from early morning and throughout the day, but the heavy nature of the snow showers and their long duration meant that their efforts were being swamped on many rural main routes.
"However, it was obvious that even more chaos was averted by Cleveland and North Yorkshire councils who had heeded the dire warnings and increased their gritting efforts." | https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/local-news/drivers-face-treacherous-conditions-guisborough-3667183 |
In recent years, a new kind of research has been taking place in open space: economics. Showing that nature is not only beautiful and enjoyable, but also economically beneficial, gives open space managers a new language for communicating why preserving natural lands is a cause worth funding.
East Bay Regional Park District released a report this spring called “Quantifying our Quality of Life” estimating the annual contribution of their 120,000 acres of public open space to the local economy at $495 million. It’s the second installment of a similar report produced in 2000 and tallies the dollar-value of visitor fees, increased property values and reduced healthcare costs. It also takes into account passive services provided by nature and their related cost-savings. Known as ecosystem services, these include watersheds providing drinking water, baylands preventing flooding, forests sequestering carbon, and soils growing crops.
Santa Clara County Open Space Authority completed a similar study in 2014 called “Healthy Lands and Healthy Economies” ahead of their successful ballot initiative. The report estimates the annual value of their 16,000 acres of public open space at up to $386 billion. Santa Cruz County’s version of the report sets an annual economic value of up to $2.2 billion for the area’s “natural capital”.
While Midpen has not created such a study, those who voted to pass Measure AA last year proved open space is valued in our community, just as voters did a generation ago when they created Midpen in 1972. Then, as now, Midpen’s open space preserves remain free and open to the public 365 days a year. We are hard at work delivering the land preservation, restoration, and public access projects identified by the community as priorities for Measure AA funding. Thank you for valuing nature and the many ways it benefits us all physically, emotionally, economically and intrinsically.
Ultimately, economics is another measure to communicate the benefits for keeping open spaces viable into the future so they can continue the essential job of sustaining life. For all of our efforts to define its worth in dollars and cents, nature is truly priceless. | https://www.openspace.org/newsletter/can-you-put-price-tag-nature |
This post got me wondering: “Rock Book: Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop” (I’d link to it, but it’s near-impossible on an iPhone).
So, if you drew a Venn diagram of Rock and Pop, would Rock be a smaller circle entirely enclosed within a larger circle of Pop, or would the two be overlapping circles?
My first thought would be that they are overlapping. Rock and Pop are similar in the sense that they both usually are songs of a few minutes each, consisting of a few verses, repeating chorus and sometimes a bridge. But I think of Pop to be “softer”, more hook-heavy and generally more facile and accessible (it’s short for “popular” after all), whereas Rock is harder-edged and not necessarily trying to appeal to the widest, lowest-common-denominator audience. I don’t think Punk Rock or Death Metal could be considered Pop. I think early Beatles fit in the Pop category but not The White Album, or anything by Led Zeppelin. Or could it? It was certainly “popular”.
So what do you think- Rock as a subset of all Pop, or overlapping entities? | https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-rock-also-pop-or-is-there-overlap/743779 |
Mr. President and the Members of the Panel,
The European Court of Human Rights decision demanding my immediate release underlines the absence of evidence in the case file and the indictment regarding my use of coercion or violence, launching or coordinating violent protests or supporting those engaging in activities considered as a crime.
The Decision determined the following:
- In the absence of facts, information or evidence showing that he had been involved in criminal activity – that the applicant could not reasonably be suspected of having committed the offense of attempting to overthrow the Government, within the meaning of Article 312 of the Criminal Code.
- The facts in the indictment are not sufficient to raise suspicions that the applicant had sought by force and violence to organize and fund an insurrection against the Government.
- The authorities are unable to demonstrate that the applicant’s initial and continued pre-trial detention were justified by reasonable suspicions based on an objective assessment of the acts in question.
ECtHR also underlines that it is the responsibility of the court to demonstrate objectively the suspicion behind the decision to deny one’s freedom. The President of the Constitutional Court, Zühtü Arslan pointed at the need to “bring signs that indicate a linkage between the applicant and the criminal aspects of the events to court’s attention,” and thus, their absence in the case.
ECtHR underscored that doubt, even in good faith, does not constitute grounds for arrest. The suspicion needs to be within reason and for that, it needs to be justifiable with objectively convincing facts and information pointing at the applicant as the suspect.
Which brings me to the need for the Prosecution and the Members of the Panel to put themselves in the position of objective observers to show the link between the defendant and the criminal acts of which he is accused. This is an indispensable condition to ensure their doubt is within reasonable suspicion. In the absence of this condition, the strong feeling of suspicion and conviction of the Prosecutor or the Judge does not qualify as reasonable suspicion.
The ECtHR Judges analyzed the information and facts provided in the case from this perspective, that of an objective observer, and concluded the aforementioned decisions. The ECtHR is not only the highest jurisdiction recognized in our Constitution but also a court that is independent from external factors to the case, such as the political views of the government or the defendant, since it does not handle the case directly and is competent and qualified to hold the position of an objective observer and judge accordingly. Their findings and decisions should be acknowledged even simply for these reasons.
The conspiratorial fiction that suggests events surrounding Gezi is an attempt to overthrow the government, planned and coordinated from a single center is not derived from the facts in the indictment. There is no information or document to convince an objective observer of that. The Analysis Report drafted by the Department of Anti-smuggling and Organized Crime Bureau laid the foundation of this fiction, which based its claims on a text published online, without presenting any other evidence.
The Prosecutor considers this political conspiracy theory that aims to discredit the agency of the protestors and the Gezi Protests as fact and uses this fiction to assign hidden meanings to certain phenomena and findings, contrary to the logic of an objective observer.
You may have a personal tendency towards an explanation of a social phenomenon. You may even think that the discourse suggesting that the events surrounding Gezi were part of a plot to overthrow the government is reasonable. Although you may hold these personal views, it does not free you from the responsibility to analyze events and facts from the point of view of an objective observer. This, in fact, is a responsibility towards the public.
For the most obvious example of how the concrete facts are distorted by this conspiracy theory, one can look at an interpretation of the conversation I had with Memet Ali Alabora, included in the Opinion. I would like to examine this example - reserving our objection to the transcripts of the intercepted communication.
There is an allegation against me for I have asked Memet Ali Alabora: “Each time I see Europeans, they are asking how Gezi is going to change the political climate. Do you think we could gather a couple people and talk about it?” The allegation is such that “this conversation indicates that all protests were taking place as planned, with the ultimate goal to change the government through chaos and disorder like those we have observed in Arab countries.” It is not possible to reach the conclusions of the Prosecutor from this exchange. The question at hand is about the future and to suggest that it is explicative of the past goes against not only objectivity but also the rules of logic required for analysis. At the end of this conversation, Alabora states that he is not available and declines the invitation. If there were a plan to overthrow the government, could the implementor of the plan decline such a request from someone above him?
Unfortunately, almost all the conversations included in the indictment were subjected to such treatment: assigning or distorting meanings.
In their Dissenting Opinion, the President and the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court reported examples of evidence in my favor, where I state my hope for the transformatory energy created through Gezi to continue as a democratic pressure mechanism and my discontent with methods that attempt to corner the government through an economic crisis. These were discarded and not included in the assessment of the evidence.
Since no facts in the indictment have been established to have a direct relationship with the acts deemed a crime, the Prosecution in the Opinion concludes that “an overall analysis of the evidence” points at my culpability. An overall perspective of the evidence can only serve a subjective analysis. For an objective conclusion, details of facts and events need to be considered. Increasing the number of information and findings that do not qualify as evidence does not make them evidence.
During the previous hearing, I have stated how ignoring the ECtHR decision and legal findings that qualify as jurisprudence reflecting the norms of European Convention of Human Rights make the Court look like it is breaching the norms of the Convention and ultimately making it impossible for us to believe that the trial is fairly conducted.
The problem we are encountering is not just that the Court tries to postpone the implementation of ECtHR decision by putting procedural grounds forward and end the case by disregarding this decision.
The main problem is that the Prosecutor and the Members of the Panel are reluctant to evaluate the facts as an objective observer, and they do not regard the rule that no one shall be deprived of their liberty unless there is clearly demonstrated reasonable doubt as binding.
In order to understand whether a case is being tried fairly, we should be able to see that the fundamental legal norms are adhered to besides that the rules of procedure are complied.
Although I know it is too late, I invite the Court to treat events and facts not as imposed by political discourses, but as an objective observer. | https://www.osmankavala.org/en/statements-about-osman-kavala/1006-osman-kavala-s-statement-6th-hearing-of-gezi-trial |
In FY2020, we reorganised our sustainability governance structure to reflect our continued efforts towards integrating sustainability across our business practices. It also aims to enhance accountability of stakeholders at each level, increase overall awareness of sustainability and drive relevant efforts across our Group.
The four-tier sustainability governance structure begins at the top with the Board, which is ultimately responsible for Yanlord’s sustainability reporting. They maintain oversight on the business affairs and strategic directions of our Group as well as determining the material ESG topics pertinent to the Group’s business on an annual basis. The Board is supported by the Risk Management and Sustainability Committee which ensures there is an appropriate focus on sustainability by management. They oversee our ESG Management Committee which comprises members of senior management personnel who formulate and supervise the policies and initiatives relating to Yanlord’s material ESG topics. Together with our ESG Task Force, the respective sustainability practices will be cascaded across the respective departments and communicated to stakeholders. Our ESG Management Committee provides periodical updates on our Group’s sustainability performance in an upwards manner to our Risk Management and Sustainability Committee which will then present the information to the Board for their review and approval. | http://www.yanlordland.com/sustainability/ |
This article was posted by CrystalWind.ca.
Weekly Forecast: May 2 - 8, 2021
Category: Forecasts and Horoscopes Written by Kelly M. Beard
5/2 ~ Mercury (ideas, thoughts & concepts) ~trine~ Pluto (rebirth & transformation):
This activation makes any deep delving within easier and more fruitful. It encourages you to ask the deeper questions, clarify your deeper feelings and trust your intuitive, gut-hunches that are telling you something has to die so that some other aspect of your consciousness can live. You will want to explore your inner Self, sort through recently gathered information and try to understand better what your natural process really is. It is best to be alone for such research.
Take a day or a weekend and grab your most powerful books & music and get somewhere beautiful if you can, and if not, then your bedroom will do just fine – then dig deep! You are finally ready for the deeper truth, and you will be transformed by what you learn. If you must communicate with others, plan on that being deep as well, so best to talk to a trusted advisor or wise elder. Nothing superficial today. The only warning with this energy is not to become obsessive about one particular idea – and certainly don’t try to force any ideas on others. If you feel the deep need to focus on one particular thing, that is fine but try to keep some perspective or write down all your revelations so that you can reflect on them at a later time when you can be more objective and prioritize better.
5/2 ~ Venus (essence & natural beauty) ~sextile~ Neptune (consciousness & vision):
This energy connects your true values & priorities to the planet of dreams, mysticism & other dimensions (Neptune). You have an opportunity to gain some real traction on making your vision tangible just by connecting to the essence that you want to experience. Feel the feeling and that will lead to the physical manifestation. This energy helps you believe in what is possible and supports any artistic expression or active practice, such as vision boards, affirmations etc, anything that can help you hone the actual vision. Steps & strategies are for other planets, Venus only cares about the essence of Nature, Love & Beauty and Neptune is definitely not who you’d work with for ‘steps/strategies’ ; -) So, tune-in to the natural beauty around you and suspend any usual inner dialogue for a day or two (as soon as you can) so that you can connect to some inspiration that is guided by your own Heart & Soul (from the inside-out).
5/3 ~ Mercury (expression) ~square~ Jupiter (truth):
This energy challenges you to integrate your smaller, individual point of view with the larger vision for your life. On one hand, you can see the big picture in new ways, but on the other hand, you may not be very interested in the details that bring it about. This is another good one for expanding your consciousness and thinking outside the box, but as the insights come into your conscious awareness, be mindful of the steps that it will take to make your ideas a reality. This activation is also great for course-corrections where your ideas are concerned and will open you up to learning something new or it may bring in a crucial piece of information, just keep in mind that you will have to stabilize anything you start and probably have to review some details down the road because of something you overlooked in your enthusiasm for the new Truth being revealed from within.
5/3 ~ Sun (essential Self) ~square~ Saturn (responsibility):
With this energy, it is best to understand that you will have two distinct pulls within – obligation to others versus responsibility to Self. It’s not nearly as bad as it feels, however, it does bring up something we all work really hard to balance to some degree or another – SELF & OTHERS. How much do you owe your Self and how much are you obligated to others? Balance and reciprocity come to mind as guides. One of the challenges of this influence is making negative assumptions that there is no support for you when in truth, you haven’t asked for any and *help must be invited*. Saturn brings up our relationship to Time, and some people may feel restricted, as if life/other/outer is all too demanding and there’s never any time just for the individual. This activation is a push to grow. It’s time to hold your own structure in some way and reclaim your Inner Authority (also Saturn’s domain) to direct your life. Others may find their lives falling apart because they have avoided responsibility for so long and now there’s no more “wiggle room”. Rather than have a meltdown, take a nap and resolve to wake up with a plan, a strategy for taking the next step, even if that means simply asking for help or guidance from someone older and wiser. It’s time to deepen your dedication and commit to your Self in a whole new way. Recognize any current limitations and work with the resources at hand for now. The Sun usually illuminates the core essential nature or Self, so see where you may be stuck and need to break out of a rut of some sort and trust that taking charge and making a decision and choosing a direction is *inviting help* from the Universe to support your new direction.
5/3 ~ Mercury Enters GEMINI (Until July 11th):
Mercury is entering its home sign, doubling its normal influence out the gate, but it is also where it is going to Retrograde so let’s prepare for some personal processing over the next 2-months. On any day, Mercury activates our mental processes, mental capacity, mental speed and all of our ideas, thoughts, concepts & perceptions. When in Gemini, it increases the likelihood that you are going to need some extra grounding and extra time to individually process whatever is “UP” for you at this time. Normally, this would be the time to look at your current ideas and options and more/less weigh them out and it would only be for the usual 3-weeks but now, because of the Retrograde, you are processing and reviewing bigger concepts in your life. You have to review how your thoughts manifest your reality, how/when/why you get stuck in any negative mind-loops and where what you believe influences what you think is even possible. This is a major upgrade to our intelligence, thinking & ways of processing all that Life throws at us.
Mercury Retrograde happens 3-4 times per year, so we get multiple opportunities to process our lives and do a personal *data dump* of all the non-essential bits of information that we pick up along the course of our daily lives. That means we also get 3-4 times per year to take a time-out from INPUT!! PAUSE – go inward – review the last 3-months at a minimum and the last 5-years at a maximum because that was the last time that we had a year of ALL Air Signs that Mercury lingers in. So this year, we are processing more information than a normal year and at the same time, we have more options & opportunities to sort through as well so a pull-back is not a bad idea. This time, as most of you know, can be weird in that communication breakdowns are that much more likely to occur – like misunderstandings between people, computer, car or mechanical breakdowns. But again, that is the Universe’s way of telling us to slow down and check on things – do some personal maintenance. It’s time to do a mental cleansing, cleaning & clearing so that whatever choices you make going forward are for your Highest Good. This is a time to turn inward to listen for your Soul’s guidance, to commune with your Angels, Ancestors & Animal Spirit Guides because the veils are thinner and it will be easier to hear them. Try to keep a light, flexible schedule and take any down-time that you can to process & integrate your own life so that you can organize your own ideas and take advantage of the options & opportunities presenting themselves NOW.
This *Sacred Season* is About …
Development/Sweet Spot between *Seed & New Life*
Fertility
Conception
Community
Sacred Union
Gifts & Abundance
Celebration of Sexuality
Freedom & Responsibility
New Bonds & Attachments
Ripening, Blossoming & Fruition
This Cross Quarter is an infinitely potent time ‘in between’ ~ a place, also referred to as the “Sweet Spot” – that very thin membrane between Seed and New Life … between Spring Equinox (seed) and Summer Solstice (new life). It reminds us of the beauty & sustenance Mother Earth has always provided, not just for humans, but for all life on this planet. It is time to tune in, harmonize and synchronize your rhythm with Nature’s rhythm. Just like we invite the Invisible Assistance and Ancestors during Samhain/Scorpio Gate of Power (Nov) which honors Death (in the Life/Death/Life Cycle), we can now (May) invite the Elementals, Nature Spirits, Devas and the Plant Kingdom into conscious collaboration. It’s a great time to honor their teachings and sacrifices made to assist, feed & support life on this Planet in ways humans may not always be capable of. This is an initiation and marks the beginning of Summer, life is bursting forth, initial work is done and this is a time to celebrate fertility, abundance and our relationship to Mother. It is a time to celebrate all that you have created and contributed to, while mindfully preserving *Life* along the way. Ritual, dance, drumming, toning and/or chanting are always used in celebrations of Earth and Her bounty, as is wearing or surrounding your Self with Green, the color of Life, Love and the Heart Chakra.
5/6 ~ Venus (values, relationships & resources) ~trine~ Pluto (purification & transformation):
Anytime Pluto’s involved the intensity levels go up and you are able to hear, feel or sense your SoulSelf more clearly than usual. Venus brings up that which is most important to you personally, your individual values & priorities, especially where your relationships & resources are concerned. This is an easy angle, making purification & transformation smoother than usual too. So, what are you ready to change? How have your values & priorities changed completely in the last year or so? Use this activation to deepen your connection with those you love most and allow or encourage the relationship to evolve to a totally new level. If you’re working on your relationship with money or self-worth specifically, then this activation is a good time for prayer or ritual that supports positive change & your vision for the future. Pour any intense emotions or revelations into art of any medium or do a vision board, but give expression to the depths you recognize as coming to the surface of your conscious awareness. This energy tends to “intensify” relationships and/or emotions. You may feel extremely drawn to someone, emotionally as well as physically. You may feel the intense need to express your love, mentally, emotionally or physically. This energy is great for bringing deeper insights to the surface, which ultimately should strengthen any relationship. A new relationship started under this influence will usually have an intensity about it, as will any form of creative expression, artistic or otherwise.
5/8 ~ Venus (love, finances & relationships) ~square~ Jupiter (expansion & consciousness):
This energy is a happy-go-lucky kind of energy that doesn’t really want to be bothered with the mundane, however, you must not allow that passing energy to get you so off track that it costs you more than it is worth. If you don’t have any pressing obligations, then this can be a fun, relaxing time, possibly with friends or out socializing in some way. However, if you have work to do, make sure it gets done first so that you can truly enjoy yourself without the worry of the pile being bigger when you return. Watch the excesses as well, food, drink and/or spending. On a deeper level, you may have to make some adjustments in your relationships or finances. Jupiter always reveals how we make things bigger’ (consciously or not) and this activation usually helps us be a little more realistic, so that we can align our true priorities with our grand vision of the future.
5/8 ~ Ceres Enters TAURUS (Until July 31st):
Ceres is the part of us that nurtures and it often describes how we like to be nurtured as well. It takes Ceres 4-5 years to make it through Aries-Pisces so that is the last time we had access to this energy and at that time, Uranus was not yet in Taurus, so that makes this very special. We can break out of any ruts that we may be in when it comes to self-care, exercise, nourishment, love-making – all the things that make being in a body delicious & miraculous. Uranus is cracking us open as a Collective so it may be a subtle affect, however, 5-years from now, it will be moving on so this may be our only shot at initiating new ways of nurturing and nourishing ourselves, each other and the planet. The next 3-months give you an opportunity to re-connect with what feeds you on the deepest levels – what makes you happy to be in a physical form. You can re-set how you do your creature comforts and how you define personal security. It’s an excellent time to beautify your surroundings, as well as your Self. It’s the best time to improve your diet and love yourself in a more literal way.
5/8 ~ Venus Enters GEMINI (until June 2nd):
This is special because this is the first time Venus has been back in Gemini since it Retrograded there Spring of last year (2020). It is our first opportunity to see how that evolution really shaped where & who we are now. This is where the “review” happened so it is where your life, your values & priorities were re-set for 8-years to come, if you think of the whole cycle. We recalibrated our ideas, thoughts & concepts and went deeper to cultivate some beauty & value so that we could come back now and share them with others. Over the last year, we have had our consciousness and our values utterly changed by the social/collective changes. Now is a good time to see what ideas are still worthy and what people are still standing (still in your life). I recommend you review the Venus in GEMINI Article HERE (10-pg/pdf) but here is what is immediately relevant to your next 3-4 weeks with Venus in Gemini.
Mercury Energy …
Mercury energy is about change, duality, choices, crossroads, and of course, transition. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, which rules (among other things) transition. Transition originally meant “going across or crossing over” ~ sometimes it means changing from one state of form or being to another. What is powerful about this is not in the ‘being here or there’, but in being PRESENT wherever you are. If you are consciously participating in life, then this is a potent time for you. However, if you are overwhelmed and your systems are on overload, you may short-circuit, catalyzing the breakdown that so often precedes the breakthrough, which means that you may have to go down before you can come back up and function properly.
Special Venus Retrograde …
Every 113-130 years, Venus crosses in front of the Sun twice in an 8-year cycle and last time was 2004 & 2012. I had a special meditation circle in 2004 to celebrate and I actually got to witness it in 2012, on the Big Island, HI. Every time we have this special alignment, it is in Gemini or Sagittarius so it always coincides with an evolution of the collective values & social consciousness. It just so happens that then and now, we also had Gemini/Sag Eclipses permanently re-setting patterns in the social & collective realms, as well as on an individual level for those with Mutable Signs activated in their chart (Gemini/Sag/Virgo/Pisces).
Gemini Energy …
Gemini energy is all about how we think, process and express what we learn. It’s the department of life where communication and being able to express your Self is most important. This is the Area of Life you love to think about, talk about and explore the most. It’s about gathering, disseminating and processing the information you gather through your own 6-senses and individual life experience. How you learn and what you like to research is also a reflection of your consciousness.
Venus Energy …
Venus is all about what we love, cherish & value. It represents the essence of every good thing – all that we cultivate with our own time, energy & resources. It rules finances and relationships which is what everyone cares about the most in modern society. Not that they aren’t important, just that we all have our own values and what we feel is worth investing in or not so working with Venus, we always have to ask ourselves what we are spending our time, energy & resources on because that tells the Universe what our values & priorities really are and they evolve over time, every 18-months in personal ways and every 8-years in bigger ways.
Credit
* KarmicTools.com * Copyright © 2000-2021 * Kelly M Beard *
All Rights Reserved * Permission granted to copy/redistribute Kelly’s Forecasts & Updates on the condition that it’s distributed freely, content remains intact and includes contact/link back to post.
The Karmic Tools Weekly Forecast by Kelly M Beard covers the current planetary transits which affect people in different ways and to various degrees of intensity. Take notice when it is a Personal planet (Sun / Moon / Mercury / Venus / Mars) interacting with a Social (Jupiter/Saturn) or Collective planet (Uranus / Neptune/Pluto). And pay extremely close attention when it is a Social planet interacting with a Collective planet because that means something *big* is brewing that will move large groups of people along their evolutionary paths. Tuning in to the energy and rhythm of the planets can serve as a useful *guide* as you move along your Individual Path. It also helps to understand your place within the context of the larger Social & Collective Story.
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Now with 58 cards! | http://www.crystalwind.ca/forecasts-and-horoscopes/weekly-forecast-may-2-8,-2021 |
Analyst Peter Oppenheimer & his team at Goldman say not to worry, writing this morning: “The drop in commodity prices during the past year and recent economic and FX weakness in China and other emerging markets will not tip the global economy into recession, in our view.”
Goldman’s see the recent Chinese stock market collapse as a manifestation of fears that the recent collapse in commodity and oil prices was a signal of slowing Chinese growth.
And if that’s true, then it would spell disaster for exporters around the world.
Not so, say Goldman. They put the commodity price slump down to oversupply rather than falling demand. Here’s Oppenheimer:
Our commodity strategists have long argued that the negative price moves in oil and commodities were primarily a reflection of excess supply as opposed to inadequate demand. For this reason, we see a meaningful risk that markets are over-interpreting the collapse of oil and commodity prices as a negative growth signal.
[We] believe DM [developed market] growth (at least in the US and Europe) is fundamentally sound, will not be very sensitive to China and EM [emerging market] weakness, and will get a decent offsetting boost from even lower oil prices. While there may be risks to the downside based on confidence effects, and while inflation may be lower as a result, we remain of the view that a global recession is very unlikely.
Oppenheimer does concede, however, that in markets the perception can be more important than the reality and says the biggest threat to global growth could be the fear of a Chinese slowdown, whether or not such a phenomenon would affect growth.
The more scared investors are, the less likely they are to take risks, and that could freeze stock markets and company activity. But, ultimately this won’t crash growth according to Goldman and China’s problems are pretty well limited to just China. | |
Diamonds may be a girl's best friend-but paper's more fun to play with!
The creative techniques of acclaimed artist Dafna Yarom transform this versatile and accessible material into lightweight, refined jewelry. Her projects combine paper with diverse materials including iron and bronze wire, wooden and glass beads, crystals and more. By carefully mixing colors, shapes, and textures, crafters can create distinct pendants, striking brooches, delicate necklaces, whimsical earrings, and more. Going beyond the rolled paper bead, these designs will have crafters hooked. | http://www.sixthandspring.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=172 |
Haemophilic patients have a genetic defect. As a result of that, their blood clots not as it should be. If they a have a bleed, it can take a long time until the wound stops bleeding. Therefore, patients have to inject themselves with medication (blood clotting protein F8 and/or F9). You can imagine, the importance of good adherence.
Unconsciously non-adherent
In a study patients, doctors and nurses were interviewed on this topic (De Moerloose, et all. Haemophilia (2008), 14, 931-938). All of the patients said they were 100% compliant to their treatment. But when researchers compared the number of units medication they were prescribed, and the number they really used, there was a discrepancy. 62,8% of the patients was unconsciously non-adherent. Once again, this teaches us that we have to be aware of bias in self-reported adherence.
Researchers found that good compliance was associated with the quality of care patients received from their doctors, nurses and haemophilia treatment centre. The longer the duration of time spent at visits the more adherent they were. Also a good relationship with the doctors and nurses predicts a better compliance.
Big place for app’s
The researchers gave some suggestions to improve adherence. Some of these were very practical: e.g. easier ways to give an injection, medication that can be stored at room temperature, (when travelling), better information about the risks of non-adherence, … The patients believed that electronic diaries and internet tools could be very useful for obtaining a better compliance.
Euh? … Disadvantages of app’s?
Meanwhile we’re 6 years further in time (the study was published in 2008). And indeed, here at the WFH we saw much app’s and electronic tools for self-monitoring. Of course, …. we believe that these tools can increase compliance. But what are the risks? Well, in Melbourne we heard for the first time someone discussing the disadvantages of app’s en electronic tools. Contra’s are:
A more uncommon remark came on “the centre of knowledge’. One of the major disadvantages is the fact that some patients may get to much responsibility. Some app’s are putting nearly the whole follow up in the hand of the patients. But, what about patients who give deliberately false input? Are all the haemophilia patients empowered/trained enough to be the centre of knowledge? After all, there are more pro’s than con’s. But, here was some food for thought! | http://interalis.be/content/compliance-and-haemophilia-wfh-convention |
Human rights and ICTs
The IGF is a key platform for identifying viable ways to shape, sustain and strengthen global digital cooperation, by mobilising collective intelligence and the potential of multistakeholder collaboration and action to respond to the persistent and emerging challenges in the digital age.
As well as requirements such as commitment to the universal application of human rights, relevant experience, competence, independence and personal integrity, any individual considered for this mandate should also be well positioned to address the gendered dimensions of privacy.
Disruptions to the internet and social media applications have emerged as a common and growing trend of digital repression, especially in authoritarian countries in Africa. Since 2019, numerous countries in the region have either restricted or fully blocked access to the internet.
After two years of negotiations, the UN Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security has adopted its final report. Here, APC presents its positions on the most salient points of the report.
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred on existing debates and developments on privacy, government surveillance and data monetisation. But what do all these mean for the Asia-Pacific, the region where most of the world’s population lives but whose voices are often overlooked in global tech discourse?
The results of 7amleh's Index of Racism and Incitement in Israeli Social Networks during the year 2020 showed an increase in violent discourse towards Arabs by 16% over the year 2019, with 1 out of every 10 posts about Palestinians and Arabs in 2020 containing violent speech.
The Indian government has taken various measures that violate free expression and privacy rights in response to growing international criticism of its handling of the farmers protests, targeting critics of the authorities and supporters of the protests.
APC welcomes the opportunity to engage in this session. We appreciate Ambassador Lauber’s openness to civil society and the OEWG’s willingness to receive and consider comments by non-state actors.
In this response to the first substantive draft of the Open-ended Working Group on ICTs (OEWG) report, APC and other civil society organisations provide general feedback, focusing on the “introductory remarks” and the “conclusions and recommendations” sections, and provide recommendations.
This piece is the second in a series where Julia Keseru explores the connection between our online systems and bodily integrity, and the long-term effects of digital innovation on our collective well-being. | https://www.apc.org/en/issues/human-rights-icts?page=15 |
The golden ratio is based on a measure or number also called golden, and represented by the Greek letter φ (fi) (lowercase) o Φ (fi) (capitalize). It is a ratio of roughly: 2 + 1,6 . This means that une mesure a=2 plus another mesure b=1,618…. will be together a mesure of c= 3,618…. Although this is the way that I have invented to quickly understand this ratio and to detect, in a composition, that the golden ratio exists between the measures a, b y c in a image. And, therefore, they have the magical balance where a measurement contains the other plus a little.
They say that the golden ratio is an irrational number, which does not fit the exact measurements. And indeed, because the measure b is like a small infinity, because it never ends, and it becames more smaller.
How do you draw the golden ratio?
We draw a square with a measure a.
From the lower base and center of this square, we create a circle that must have the radius just until the corners of the square we are.
The new circle is bigger that the mesure of a. It give us the point of the new mesure b, by continuing the bottom line of the square just to the point. We have the fragment a + b.
The vertical rectangle is drawn next to our square.The union of both is the first golden rectangle.
Inside the rectangle, and from the upper right corner can create a square, whose mesures are the sectionb. And from this second square we start again all the steps , because now we can find the golden section of the new square.
The spiral we build is called golden or Fibonacci Spiral.
Drawing system drawing of a rectangular golden ratio. SVG, scalable vector format.
Also called the Aristotle triangle or logarithmic, contains the two measures of a and b.
To create the triangle we use the two measures a and b. Inside, we can draw the Fibonacci spiral like in the square we did.
Golden ratio within a triangle. SVG, scalable vector format.
The decagon containing 10 golden triangles. SVG, scalable vector format.
As I’m not a mathematician and I get really bad, if someone wants to provide information about the golden ratio it´s ok, because I still have my share difficulties to see quickly their proportions. | https://www.paintingandartists.com/the-golden-ratio |
Infrastructure in Inclusive Technology Systems
The infrastructure section of the CITES framework is undergoing the Knowledge Development Process. The content on these pages is a place holder while we research best practices, exemplars and potential resources.
The goal of any educational technology system is for students and educators to be able to use robust, comprehensive technology where and when it is needed for learning. Building and sustaining a robust infrastructure includes serious attention to the hardware, software and connectivity that are selected and used across the district. Areas identified in the NETP as essential components of an infrastructure capable of supporting transformational learning experiences are ubiquitous connectivity, powerful learning devices, high-quality digital learning content, all guided by responsible use policies. A synergized and inclusive technology infrastructure that includes assistive technology, educational technology, and information technology will have a focus on accessibility across selection, acquisition, and use of technology within all policies and programs.
CITES infrastructure practices include:
- Incorporate accessibility & inclusivity
- Provide options for variability
- Acquire Interoperable tech
- Ensure accessibility
Across these practices, technology as part of an inclusive technology infrastructure has the potential to improve outcomes for every learner. | https://cites.cast.org/infrastructure/intro-infrastructure-netp |
Friday night and the girls are out. Our monthly cocktail party for moms only - we call it Mommy Needs a Drink. It is a helpful venting and laughter session. It was supposed to be something we did once a year. After the first night, we understood that Mommy needed to get out at least once a month. Round-robin hosting - a different house each month. This month is Jennifer’s turn.
I got there feeling like a terrible mother, but as soon as I stepped in the door, I was greeted by the kind of nurturing I’d needed all day. What is it about girlfriends that makes everything right, even when things go wrong? We feel for each other, we sense beyond words what we are trying to say. It should come as no surprise that girlfriends are good for your health.
While marriage is good for men, actually extending life span and increasing quality-of-life factors, for women it’s a slightly different story. We benefit most from hanging out with other women. It’s something about the way we communicate. We learn it as children.
Look at a playground. Most boys tend to one up each other - to gain friends by out-performing. Girls want to normalize and downplay. They talk in a circle, make eye contact, listen, empathize. When they do that, people are more likely to share information. So women’s power comes from shared knowledge and trust. If someone feels down or thinks their dress looks funny, a girlfriend will jump in and say, “You look great. Don’t worry about it.” Okay, so maybe we lie a little, but it’s to make you feel better. Men are often mystified by female logic and how women connect, but in my view, women are simply experts in emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is more important than IQ. It’s crucial to success in our modern world - the understanding of relationships and community, who we are individually and collectively.
Women use more of their brains to process humor than men. Results of a recent Stanford study show women think more, even about funny things.
When you feel listened to, there is a chemical change in your body: Cortisol (stress hormone) goes down. Cortisol is the culprit that causes aging, heart disease, increased weight in your mid-section and any number of modern ills. Girl time not only lowers stress levels, it increases the body’s feel good chemical serotonin, raises endorphin levels and strengthens the immune system. Those with strong social networks survive cancer better, heal faster and live longer.
“When you analyze happiness, it turns out that the way you spend your time is extremely important. Decisions that affect how much time you spend with people you like are going to have a very large effect on how happy you are-not necessarily satisfied with your life but happy,” says Daniel Kahneman, psychologist and Nobel-prize winning economist.
“Work hard, play harder,” is the advice from Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for her work on discovering the DNA link between stress and aging.
That’s why Mommy Needs a Drink is a good idea for all of us - how to square away time in our lives that seem almost too full already. But girlfriend time is on my priority list from now on. Mommy Needs a Drink and time with friends. Laughter, too. These are the NECESSITIES of life. | http://princessivana.com/blogs/2014/1/20/mommy-needs-a-drink |
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is legislation that acts to protect data, altering how people, businesses and public sector organisations handle personal data. It increases privacy and helps data resist any manipulation. So are there any GDPR implications for schools?
The following information will help you to safeguard the data of students, children and other young people.
- The Implications of GDPR for Schools
- Data Controllers vs. Data Processors
- The Difference Between Personal and Sensitive Data
- The Best Practices for GDPR
The Implications of GDPR for Schools
When GDPR was implemented in 2018, it changed the landscape of data protection, making Europe the continent with the most rigorous data protection rules in the world. While it’s a beneficial system, it does pose a number of new implications and challenges for schools.
There are a number of things you should be aware of:
- Accountability: This is one of the key focuses of GDPR which schools have to take into account.
- Data breaches: Data breaches have to be reported within 72 hours.
- Data processors: It’s a school’s responsibility to ensure that third parties comply with GDPR legislation.
- Data protection officers: As a public authority, schools must appoint a Data Protection Officer.
- Evidence: Schools must demonstrate compliance in GDPR legislation.
- Suppliers: Formal contracts or Service Level Agreements (SLA) are mandatory with all suppliers.
- Individual rights: GDPR gives individuals more power over their data, with the ability to redact any.
Data Controllers vs. Data Processors
Data is recorded within any organisation, be it from clients, partners or staff. When recording this data and determining a use for it, there are two important positions you need to be aware of: the data controller and the data processor.
A data controller is the person or body who determines what the recorded data is used for. In our case, it is that of the school or, more accurately, members of management. The data processor handles the data on behalf of the controller, acting as an intermediary between the controller and those the data belongs to.
The act of ‘processing’ covers anything from collecting data, sorting it or even destroying it. A processor could take the form of many different things - an event photographer, an online software or even a school-wide learning platform.
GDPR highlights these two entities as being important because they’re effectively in charge of personal data that has been freely given. They each have different legal responsibilities.
The Difference Between Personal and Sensitive Data
When it comes to GDPR, there are two types of data: sensitive and personal.
Sensitive data (also known as special category data) can include any of the following:
- Biometric data.
- Religious beliefs.
- Dietary requirements.
- Health information.
These topics are, as the name suggests, sensitive and personal. This type of data can be mismanaged, manipulated or ‘leaked’ and could therefore pose a risk to its owners if used maliciously. It is likely that schools (or any other organisation) cannot use this kind of information without parental consent.
On the other hand, personal data is made up of information that can help identify who a person is and who their relations are. This could be made up of:
- Name.
- Address.
- Contact details.
- Progress reports and disciplinary record.
This data is always known as ‘personal’ data, even if it’s widely known and available to the public.
The Best Practices for GDPR
With the two forms of data and the two types of recipient, here are some best practices to help ensure you don’t suffer from any of the GDPR implications for schools:
Abide by The Six Lawful Bases
There are six lawful bases when it comes to processing data under GDPR legislation:
- Consent.
- Contract.
- Legal obligation.
- Vital interests.
- Public task.
- Legitimate interests.
They describe a reason for the collection of data by a school or organisation. The one that applies most to schools is public task. Data is collected from individuals and families in the interest of the public.
Data collected for one purpose cannot be used for another.
Audit Any Data Processes
In a school setting, where is personal and sensitive data stored? Who is allowed to access it?
Maintaining a good relationship with GDPR legislation means performing an audit of your data-processing practices to determine any weaknesses.
Ensure There Are Security Measures in Place
Data breaches can happen under any circumstances. A stolen laptop, curious third parties or malicious software can all lead to breaches.
Set up a number of regulations all staff can follow to further protect data. For example, staff should use strong passwords, only store personal data on school equipment and set their devices to auto-lock.
USBs should be encrypted and password protected. Staff should also be trained on how to cultivate data-safe spaces by learning about ransomware attacks, phishing, how to stay safe using cloud technologies and other modern technologies.
Issue Privacy Notices to Parents
Prospectuses, newsletters and reports can be amended or sent out to include a privacy notice that states the school’s GDPR policies and data collection processes. It should further state whether any third parties are privy to this data.
Educate Yourself and Staff
Staff, adults and even children need to be taught about data protection, especially as we advance further into a future where technology becomes more wide-reaching.
This can sometimes be difficult, but fortunately the Joint Research Centre developed a mobile game called Cyber Chronix. Set on a futuristic planet, players must advance by tackling GDPR-related obstacles.
You can also contact the Data Protection Authority for more information.
GDPR is just one part of effective safeguarding within a school or other educational setting. To discover more safeguarding policies and protocols, download our handbook.
Explore Effective Safeguarding Today
Safeguarding is something that needs to be embedded within every level and process of your school. Our Safeguarding Handbook explores everything you need to know about these practices and can be easily distributed amongst staff.
The Handbook covers the basics of safeguarding, safeguarding scenarios, legalities and responsibilities amongst many other things.
Click the link below to download. | https://blog.insidegovernment.co.uk/schools/what-are-the-gdpr-implications-for-schools |
Our client is a healthcare communications agency in London.
Building an understanding of client brand, the market environment, (key clinical studies) and marketing strategy.
Take responsibility for tactical implementation of selected client account projects.
Work within agreed budgets and time allocation for jobs.
Prepare prompt and accurate contact reports and relevant aspects of status reports.
Contribute to client campaign/programme planning brainstorm meetings.
Identify new business opportunities from existing clients.
Knowledge of graphics, print and production.
Assist in preparing comprehensive creative briefs for the studio team for review by Account Manager/Director.
Monitoring workflow through the studio. | https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/jobs/job/15651208/account-executive-agency-healthcare-marketing-brand-/?TrackID=10 |
In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream that “…this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: …that all men are created equal.” Dr. King’s dream extended beyond healing African-American suffering; his vision included “…all men…” society as a whole. Seventy years earlier, in 1895, Theodor Herzl shared his vision for Jewish emancipation when he stated that “…the world will be liberated by our freedom…” (Der Judenstaat, “The Jewish State”).
In both movements the calls for freedom and self-determination for a specific group has the potential to extend beyond that particular group. The power of healing ourselves can extend to healing others. But how can we help ensure that dreams for a better world are realized when injustice continues in our world? When our own leadership fails to protect innocent women, men, and children in Syria, Iran and other war-torn oppressive countries for the sake of self-interests? When instead of feeding the poor, we feed the coffers of dictators and radicals who continue to spew words of hate and death – all in the name of “keeping the quiet”.
Martin Luther King Day should not be marked simply as a memorial day. It is a day of action; a day that inspires us to imagine and realize the collective dream of a better tomorrow.
It has been nearly half a century since Dr. King shared his dream, and over a century since Herzl shared his. Yet, the passage of time has placed the greater potential of those dreams further from our grasp. Today, sharing in Dr. King and Herzl’s visions means that we must move from merely longing for what might be in the future and rather focus on what can be in the present. Acting out Dr. King or Herzl’s dream is a continuous journey; a journey whose very purpose is in the present.
Paramount in both dreams is identifying the common denominator that unites a people. For the African-Americans in the 1960s, it was a common struggle against hundreds of years of slavery, oppression, and inequality based on color. For the Jews in Herzl’s time, it was a struggle to put the Jewish collective back on track following 2,000 years of wandering and persecution.
However, for the Jewish People of today, who cannot recall what life was like before the establishment of the state of Israel, the dream as described by Herzl may seem irrelevant. After all, the pogroms of Europe and Czarist Russia and the Shoah (Holocaust) are distant in our collective memory. Today we must face the challenges presented by the disintegration of the social fabric of Jewish Peoplehood, in Israel and around the world.
When citizens of the world remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his march for equality, I am inspired. I am inspired to reclaim my Zionism from those who have hijacked my identity, from those who attempt to isolate my Zionism from my Judaism.
What is my Zionism? My Zionism is served by “Tikun Olam”, healing the world – BUT before I go ahead and heal the world, I engage in “Tikun Israel”, a healing of Israel: Israel the geo-political nation state, Israel the spiritual struggle and wrestling with God and self, and Israel the People (Jewish Peoplehood).
It is an old concept, really. This week’s Torah portion reflects Moses’ engagement in this Tikun as he works hard to get the Israelites out of Egypt, out of the slave mindset and into the Exodus narrative; as did Herzl when he engaged in “Tikun Israel” by convincing the world and the Jewish People that the answer to the Jewish question was a return to Zion.
Sixty-five years after the establishment of the modern-nation state, our work is far from over, our return to Zion is incomplete.As supporters of the Civil Rights Movement stand proud in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, continuing to realize his dream for justice and equality, Zion has arrived at a fork in the road. Will Jews worldwide remember from where they came? Or will they forget and by doing not know to where they are going? Will the government of Israel serve the purpose of Zion and the Jewish State by welcoming all Jews despite their religious affiliation, or will political machinations trump Am Yisrael, Jewish Peoplehood? And finally if we do not heal ourselves, how can we ever truly heal others?
Today we stand atop the shoulders of past visionaries to become inspired by the potential of the journey ahead, a journey that started at Exodus, inspired Dr. King to lead his people to the “Promised Land”, and moved Herzl to declare the founding of the Jewish State fifty years prior to its establishment. This is a journey that will continue to realize its potential so long as individuals recognize the need to engage in healing.
When Israeli citizens go to the polls tomorrow for elections, the international community and Jews worldwide wait to see the make-up of the next government of Israel. For the sake of Zion and making this world a better place – I think of Dr. King and Herzl, and I too dream. I dream that the road to Tikun Olam leads through Tikun Israel, hopefully you do too. | https://leorsinai.com/2013/01/21/on-this-day-what-would-dr-martin-luther-king-say-dream-on/ |
In handling stakeholders, a business also has to accept that it will have to make choices. It is rare that “win-win” solutions can be found for key business decisions. Almost certainly the business cannot meet the needs of every stakeholder group and most decisions will end up being “win-lose”: i.e. supporting one stakeholder means another misses out.
There are often areas where stakeholder interests are aligned (in agreement) – where a decision can benefit more than one stakeholder group. In other cases, there is a clear conflict of interest.In this program, You will learn various techniques and organizational models that have been developed which help business handle their relationships with key stakeholder groups taking account of wider interests to achieve growth and profit.
Who should attend?
Heads of organizations, General Managers, Directors, Leaders, Senior Managers, And board members.
How will this course benefit you?
Upon completion you will:
Learn how the business can respond to variations in stakeholder power and influence
Learn the tools and approaches used to balance between levels of power and levels of intrest.
Align interests of shareholders and employees
Program Outline
Who to influence? Why and what? (Reaching out key stakeholders)
Stakeholder categories VS. Interest.
What are you trying to achieve? -Strategy and Vision Definition.
Where are you currently? -Current reality and gap analysis between current reality and ideal future state.
Philosophy of influence (The Influencer):
Building your reverent power.
Emotional Intelligence.
Managing Difficult people.
Influencing Strategies (Strategies that work).
Stakeholders Analysis (the process):
Who are your audience? -mapping of stakeholders.
Stakeholder Identification.
Stakeholders Analysis.
Designing of the path (now-to)
Influence Strategies and Information. | https://tassililibya.com/management-of-influence-and-interst-mii/ |
The growth and development of flowers occurs over several weeks from the germination of seeds planted in a ground or container to the time in which flowers bloom. The entire process happens in about five stages for most flowers. Although flower species have varying bloom periods, the general growth and development process is basically the same for all flowers. Moderate variations in the length of time of certain stages may differ by flower species.
It usually takes at least seven weeks for a flower propagated from a seed to bloom.
The seed begins the germination process during the first five days after being planted. During day 3 of the initial growth and development stage, imbibition begins as the dry seed takes in water from the ground. Next, the root emerges from the seed coat on or about day 4. On day 5, the root begins to extend and develops a root system at one end while a stem forms at the other end. The stem starts the process of making its way upward and eventually past the soil's surface.
Stage 2 is the stage when a flower's leaves develop. Leaf development usually begins on day 6 and continues to day 26. Leaves begin as tiny rosettes (leaf buds). As the stem begins growing leaves, the development of a flower's primary root structure also culminates usually sometime after day 14. Even though leaf growth does not officially happen until stage 3, the first leaf buds may begin growing after day 18 and continue until day 26.
Leaf growth overlaps slightly between stages 2 and 3 as buds evolve into new leaf growth. But stage 3 officially marks the entire leaf growth period at around day 19. During this stage, all of the leaf buds grow until each one reaches full maturity at about day 29. It's also possible for stage 4 to begin during the latter part (day 26) of the leaf growth stage.
Day 26 is the day in which most flowers experience inflorescence emergence. In other words, flower buds start appearing on the stem, signifying stage 4 of development. It often occurs toward the end of stage 3 leaf growth; however, it is treated as a separate stage because the period indicates the growth and development exclusively of flowers.
Stage 5 commences the flower production phase. On approximately day 31, the first flower bud opens. Additional flower buds continue opening throughout a roughly 18-day bloom period until day 49 at which point flower production typically ends. | https://www.hunker.com/13426298/the-stages-of-a-flower-from-seed-to-bloom |
The Telangana government today signed an agreement with Nasscom to establish a Centre of Excellence for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence here. According to state IT minister KT Rama Rao, with an initial joint investment of Rs 400 billion, the CoE will catalyse the growth of the deep tech ecosystem in Telangana, by providing the stimulus for innovation and in-depth research in the areas of data science and artificial intelligence. "To be established on a public-private partnership model, the CoE is the most recent addition to Nasscom's 'hub-and-spoke' network of CoEs across major locations in the country, aimed at evangelising new and emerging technologies," said Nasscom president R Chandrashekhar. The CoE will serve as a platform for intelligence-sharing and technology collaboration between stakeholders, to build collective capabilities for the industry and country in the cutting-edge areas of data science and artificial intelligence, he added. "This CoE, in partnership with Nasscom and the industry, is in the direction for developing Telangana and India as global hub for DS & AI in the coming years," Rama Rao said. It is expected that the data science and artificial intelligence industry in India (IT and non-IT industries) will be worth $16 billion by 2025, and is likely to spur an additional employment of 150,000 professionals in the country, a Nasscom media release said. | |
If you happen to find yourself suspended in the thick atmosphere of Uranus or Neptune, you’ll want to opt for a shield rather than an umbrella. A study this week from scientists at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) simulated the conditions within the so-called ice giants — the cerulean planets Neptune and Uranus, whose atmosphere consists of hydrogen and helium but also hydrocarbons like methane. By blasting a powerful laser through a polymer — simulating the conditions within the ice giants’ dense atmospheres — scientists witnessed their simulated conditions explode into tiny diamonds, suggesting that Neptune and Uranus’ atmospheres may create the wedding band-worthy carbon allotrope in their everyday weather patterns.
This science is bizarre enough on its own, and the suggestion that Uranus might rain diamonds makes for great headlines. Yet given that there are many similar ice giants scattered all over the galaxy, this suggests that diamond-raining is quite common in the universe, even though it’s unheard of on Earth. Indeed, because of our Earthly perspectives, many things that are quite normal in the universe seem anomalous, particularly when mined for their sensational aspects in a brief news dispatch.
What is normal in the universe and strange on Earth? Take helium, for example: it’s almost nonexistent on Earth, as it is so light it escapes our atmosphere easily — and yet 25 percent of the elemental matter in the universe is helium. The opposite is true, too: There are many anomalous things about Earth compared to the rest of the solar system. Life, for one, but also plate tectonics and our unusually large moon for a rocky planet. Perhaps two planets in the solar system have diamond rain, but only one has humans. Which is weirder?
Diamonds floating in ice giants make for good headlines because diamonds are something humans tend to treasure. And yet there are many pretty weird, seemingly valuable (to us) things floating around in space. Still, many news dispatches about strange planetary conditions focus on those worlds individually, as though they exist in a vacuum — which they do, technically. But that ignores how these kinds of strange discoveries tie into a larger story of how solar systems and galaxies evolve over time. I’ve compiled some of the strangest astronomy discoveries that involve the rare things that we treasure here on Earth, while telling the story of how said oddities come to be.
The diamond planet
Gem precipitation sounds nice, but what about a world made of diamond? 55 Cancri E is a literal gem of a planet. The planet orbits a neutron star — a collapsed sun with so much mass that its protons and electrons merged into neutrons. Neutron stars are kind of like giant atoms, with their neutrons bound in similar close quarters as the particles in atomic nuclei. Hence, neutron stars are so dense that a teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh 10 million tons, the equivalent mass of 130 million humans or so.
55 Cancri E’s neutron star, known as PSR J1719-1438, is only 12 miles in diameter, yet possesses a mass 140 percent of our sun’s. Neutron stars’ surfaces are generally hundreds of thousands of degrees Celsius, hot enough to radiate X-rays. They are not pleasant stars to orbit.
The peculiar planet orbiting PSR J1719-1438 has a mantle that may be mostly diamond. That’s because the planet’s composition contains high levels of carbons, which, at the pressures and temperatures that it is exposed to, would suggest that its carbon has crystallized and compacted at the appropriate temperatures to render it into diamond.
But there are two epilogues to 55 Cancri E’s story. First, some later observations called into question whether the diamond hypothesis theory was correct, as one study suggested the star had more oxygen than accounted for — which does not turn into diamond, or anything like it, under high pressures.
But the star also became peculiarly politicized when one of 55 Cancri E’s celebrated co-discoverers, Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology, wrote an op-ed decrying out the double standard in public discourse faced by climate scientists as opposed to astronomers.
It may come as a big surprise to many, but there is actually no difference between how science works in astronomy and climate change -- or any other scientific discipline for that matter. We make observations, run simulations, test and propose hypotheses, and undergo peer review of our findings. [...] Sadly, the same media commentators who celebrate diamond planets without question are all too quick to dismiss the latest peer-reviewed evidence that suggests man-made activities are responsible for changes in concentrations of CO2 in our atmosphere. The scientific method is universal. If we selectively ignore it in certain disciplines, we do so at our peril.
The vice nebulae
The longest stretch of alcohol on Earth is probably the two-mile beer pipeline that runs under Bruges, Belgium. In space, astronomers have observed multiple giant clouds of alcohol — methanol, the toxic stuff, and ethanol, the drinkable stuff — including one that is about “a thousand times the diameter of the solar system,” according to a New York Times report from 1995.
In 2006, astronomers at Jodrell Bank Observatory found a 288-billion-mile-long cloud of methanol around a nebula. Drinking it might make you go blind, but then again, opening one’s helmet to get a taste would yield other problems.
Finding alcohol molecules in space is strange, given that it’s an organic molecule, but these alcoholic clouds are not formed by distant life forms distilling gin. Rather, alcohols like methanol and ethanol are relatively simple compounds of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, which are rather abundant elements in heavy stars; hence, scientists believe that they formed naturally — on the surface of nebular dust grains that stuck to the stray hydrogen, oxygen and carbon molecules, and served as a catalyst for the reactions that would bind these molecules to create alcohols.
The avarice asteroids
Our solar system was once a nebula — a giant cloud of gas and dust left over from the wake of an exploding star. Slowly, this stellar nebula coalesced into the sparse solar system we know today, with rocky planets, gas giants and a single central star. We know now that this process happens all over the universe, and there are many solar systems like ours with similar planet distribution and composition.
Yet because of the way that our solar system formed, the distribution of resources on Earth differs from the overall distribution of resources in the universe. As I mentioned earlier, there’s a lot of helium in the universe, and almost none on Earth. Similarly, many metals like neodymium, gold and platinum — exotic on Earth — are much more common in the asteroid belt, which consists of many giant rocks whose metallic surfaces never conjoined with any planets. Many of these asteroids have a mining value that is far greater than the wealth of our entire world. One enthusiast website, Asterank, is devoted to cataloguing asteroids, and includes a means of sorting them by how much their metals are worth. Many are in the trillions.
Asteroid mining isn’t something that humans have done yet, and it still seems prohibitively expensive. Also, ethical questions abound: Would said mining be done by private corporations? If mining companies drag asteroids closer to Earth, how do we mitigate the risk of them careening into our planet and killing everyone? Does it make sense for a single asteroid-mining corporation to amass more private wealth than exists on Earth? These are theoretical questions for now, but they speak to the issues raised by such a prospect. | https://www.salon.com/2017/08/27/diamonds-in-the-sky-uranus-isnt-the-only-planet-in-the-universe-raining-treasures/ |
Of all the yarns in the world, cashmere, merino and silk are universally considered the most exquisite. Luxury Knitting tells the unique story behind each of these enduring fibers, taking readers on a worldwide journey through those regions where the most superior fibers are found and woven into yarns.
Ask any knitter why she or he knits, and you are likely to hear a story of a long, enduring love affair—with yarn. Knitters who love the look and feel of luxury yarns are drawn to the softest cashmere, the most sensuous silk, and the finest merino. Each gorgeously illustrated chapter details the history of the fiber, identifies its characteristics, provides valuable tips on handling and caring for the material, and offers patterns for making beautiful garments out of these fine yarns. | https://www.sixthandspring.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=81 |
In pursuit of a Russian sleeper cell on American soil, a CIA analyst uncovers a dangerous secret that will test her loyalty to the agency—and to her family.
What do you do when everything you trust might be a lie?
Vivian Miller is a dedicated CIA counterintelligence analyst assigned to uncover the leaders of Russian sleeper cells in the United States. On track for a much-needed promotion, she’s developed a system for identifying Russian agents, seemingly normal people living in plain sight.
After accessing the computer of a potential Russian operative, Vivian stumbles on a secret dossier of deep-cover agents within America’s borders. A few clicks later, everything that matters to her—her job, her husband, even her four children—are threatened.
Vivian has vowed to defend her country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But now she’s facing impossible choices. Torn between loyalty and betrayal, allegiance and treason, love and suspicion, who can she trust?
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
A thriller book with a CIA influence. Authentic because of the author’s background, superlatively written, gripping and face-paced. Plot driven, with strong character development. How could you go wrong?
The blatant predictability of this plot may give you qualms about reading it, however, know that this book is so much more than a spy thriller, it’s about deceit, trust, corruption, lies, and being torn between doing what is right and doing what family needs done. How far would you go to protect those that you love?
Vivian is an extraordinary character full of conflicts. She is typical in many regards but also atypical in the more important ones. I loved the pace and plot of this book, and especially, all the twists and turns you crash into along the way.
I gave this book: | https://mybookabyss.com/2018/02/24/need-to-know-by-karen-cleveland-doubleday-canada-penguin-random-house/ |
The rural health care system has changed dramatically over the past decade because of a general transformation of health care financing, the introduction of new technologies, and the clustering of health services into systems and networks.
Despite these changes, resources for rural health systems remain relatively insufficient. Many rural communities continue to experience shortages of physicians, and the proportion of rural hospitals under financial stress is much greater than that of urban hospitals. The health care conditions of selected rural areas compared unfavorably with the rest of the nation. The market and governmental policies have attempted to address some of these disparities by encouraging network development and telemedicine and by changing the rules for Medicare payments to providers.
Though a lot of policies and programs are being run by the Government but the success and effectiveness of these programs is questionable due to gaps in the implementation. In rural India, where the number of Primary health care centers (PHCs) is limited, 8% of the centers do not have doctors or medical staff, 39% do not have lab technicians and 18% PHCs do not even have a pharmacist.India also accounts for the largest number of maternity deaths. A majority of these are in rural areas where maternal health care is poor. Even in private sector, health care is often confined to family planning and antenatal care and do not extend to more critical services like labor and delivery, where proper medical care can save life in the case of complications.
In such a landscape, it is imperative that rural healthcare is strengthened. If you wish to have a career that is going to occupy a lot of surface area besides giving you satisfaction at the end of the day, a career in rural healthcare is one option for you.
The Need:
Due to non accessibility to public health care and low quality of health care services, a majority of people in India turn to the local private health sector as their first choice of care. If we look at the health landscape of India 92 percent of health care visits are to private providers of which 70 percent is urban population. However, private health care is expensive, often unregulated and variable in quality. Besides being unreliable for the illiterate, it is also unaffordable by low income rural folks. To control the spread of diseases and reduce the growing rates of mortality due to lack of adequate health facilities, special attention needs to be given to the health care in rural areas. The key challenges in the healthcare sector are low quality of care, poor accountability, lack of awareness, and limited access to facilities.
Expert Advice
Aruna Singh, Principal, Delhi Paramedical and Management Institute, says ” candidates can get 1 year and 2 years Diploma in Rural Health Care and become experts in this field and can practically understand every work related to this field. During the course, they learn how to manage proper medical facilities in the situation of emergency or any kind of disaster in rural areas, learn different mediums of awareness messages which can be conveyed to people as well as they also trained to take care of pregnant women’s and children during any difficulties.”
Course and Institute Cursor:
Diploma in Rural Health Care:
The eligibility for the 12th standard/HSC/ Matriculate
Colleges offering 1 year Diploma in Rural Healthcare in India:
* Delhi Paramedical and Management Institute, Delhi
* All India Institute Of Public & Physical Health Sciences, Delhi
* Ganpat Sahai Post Graduate College, Uttar Pradesh
*Gautam Buddha Government Degree College, Uttar Pradesh
* Karnataka State Open University, Karnataka
* KIIT School Of Rural Management, Orissa
M.Sc. (Rural Health)
M.Sc. Rural Health or Master of Science in Rural Health is a postgraduate medicine course. Rural Health is the interdisciplinary study of health and health care delivery in the context of a rural environment or location, etc. The duration of M.Sc. in Rural Health is mostly of two academic years but it varies from institute to institute. The Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, Maharashtra offers a two year course divided into four semesters.. The degree course is available both in full time and part time basis. To build a career in rural health care and to work for the needy people living in rural areas by giving all the support and care to make their life a worth it. And you can do it by joining NGO’s, Hospitals, Family Planning Departments or any other organization of health care or by doing it by yourself like by opening a clinic in rural areas and spreading the awareness of health issues and giving proper treatment which they need So you can focus on the major aspect like the most important health department where you can give them all the facilities. Bringing accountability by highlighting lapses in the health delivery process and making women aware of their rights to demand good quality of care. It starts by giving them education and discussions programs and campaigns of health care.
MBA in Healthcare and Hospital Management
For an MBA in Healthcare and Hospital Management, you should complete their B.Sc. degree under any registered University with minimum 50 % marks or equivalent grade or score in Science stream. t could be a good choice for students with a background in science, medicine, physiotherapy or other related field. Some colleges may ask for prior experience in hospitals or pharmaceutical companies.
It may appeal to those interested in the pharmaceuticals sector, government agencies, insurance organizations, hospitals and consulting firms in the health sector. As a specialist in health care management you may be required to respond to various critical management problems faced by hospitals and other agencies under the health sector. On completion of this course, you might find employment opportunities in areas of marketing, IT, human resource development, medical colleges, health insurance or the pharmaceutical industry. You may work as a health care manager, hospital administrator, pharmaceutical project manager or health care finance manager. Your responsibility as a manager may involve planning, directing and supervising day-to-day operations. Responsibilities may also include facilitating daily financial operations, budgets, and analysis.
Institutes offering Master’s degree in Health Care
* Delhi Paramedical and Management Institute The Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, Ahmednagar.
* Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences – Pune
* All India Institute of Medical Sciences – New Delhi
* Tata Institute of Social Sciences – Mumbai
* Indian Institute of Health Management and Research – Jaipur
* Welingkar Institute of Management – Pune & Bangalore
* Indira Gandhi National Open University offers Certificate in Rural Health-care Training (CRHT) which is of 2 months duration with eligibility criteria of 12th
Career Prospects:
Career in Rural Development and Management is not only good from salary point of view but it also brings personal satisfaction. State Governments and NGOs are the prime recruiters of Rural Health Care workers. They usually work for schemes, projects and programs designed by Government or NGOs, which are aimed at improving rural healthcare standards.
Candidates specialized in rural management will become rural managers. Professionals of this field can apply in the government sector for the job of Village Development Officer (VDO).
Rural Managers can work in rural co-operative sector, agri-business enterprises, agricultural marketing and management of agro products. Indian Institute of Rural Management which is the government-run institution also recruits candidates holding rural management degree.
Rural managers can work in all functional areas of management, such as human resource development, project implementation, general management, finance, marketing, purchase, in all segments of rural based enterprises.
As a rural manager, you can take up advisory, research & consultancy work with private & public organizations.
Nature of Work
The main role played by a rural health care practitioner, would be to create awareness about healthcare, first aid, sanitation etc. They also run awareness camps in various rural areas educating people on safety and other healthcare aids provided to them by the government and NGOS.
Summing up:
Therefore, if you wish to get into a career that ties you to the roots, get into the promising field of rural healthcare. | https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/healthcare-to-the-rural-roots/ |
d. Deposition and Enforcements:
When the right to declare a judgment of deposition is ascribed to a Classis but not the right to execute it, then the question arises as to what ecclesiastical significance such a decision has? It declares that, according to the judgment of the Classis, the Consistory should be deposed. Yet, if the Classis is of the conviction that she has no right to execute this in the local church, she makes a decision while she knows that it neither can nor will be executed. Naturally this is completely senseless and without ecclesiastical significance. Actually this amounts to less than advice since that is generally observed. An ecclesiastical gathering makes a decision with the intent that it will be carried out. If a Classis makes a decision in the name of Christ and according to his will, it must be executed unless external circumstances in one way or another make this impossible.
The decision to depose a Consistory has, according to ecclesiastical rule, final significance for the local church. There is no consistory in the church that can execute it. The Consistory is by that decision actually deposed.
With a view to the carrying out of such a decision, we must consider that there is no “form for the deposition of office bearers.” The Classis must formulate the decision, giving complete and accurate grounds for the deposition, and send this as an official notice to the deposed office bearers and also to those remaining faithful of the church and it must be declared in an official gathering of the congregation.
e. Interfacing in the Right of the Local Church.
The deposition of a consistory, that is, of all office bearers, is not an intervention in the rights of the local church. Intervention can only take place when the ecclesiastical status of the consistory is normal, (kerkrechtelijk in normalen staat is). In this case the Classis has absolutely no right to decide or to do anything to such a Consistory. But we deal here with the case of a Consistory departing in doctrine or life or both and that is guilty of insubordination to the Classis and Synod and that rebels against the authority of the church and acts directly in opposition to the Formula of Agreement signed by them.
Naturally, mention cannot be made here of intervention by the Classics in the rights of the local church and consistory. Intervention in these rights can only mean that the Classis impedes the consistory in her actions according to Reformed Church Order. Of this no mention is made here. Just the opposite. The Classis employs a means to bring them back from their ways that are in conflict with their own rights and duties.
f. The Insubordination of the Consistory:
Distinction must be made between the departing in the doctrine and life that was treated in the aforementioned process through Classis and Synod and the insubordination or refusal to submit to the decision of the broader gathering.
The question is whether a Consistory by such refusal to submit to the decision of the broader gathering ceases legally to belong to the church and the denomination. This depends on how we view the denominational bond. Does it have its origin in the will of the consistory, (de mutuus consensus) the mutual consent by common accord; then it simply comes down to a contract that may be freely kept or broken. Voetius already strongly defends the godly right (het jus divinum) of the church denomination over against the Independents. The church denomination has its origin in Christ and He, the king, uses His office bearers as His servants to order (het formeel) according to His will. The (kerkverband) denominational bond, as instituted by Christ, functions therefore upon His authority and is officially (kerkrechtelijk) higher than the churches and the office bearers. No consistory can officially sever the ecclesiastical bond. No one can legitimately do what is wrong. No consistory has a legitimate right or power to break the bond by which Christ has bound it with other churches. That would be secession from a true church, an act of human high-handedness. A local church may and must alone secede from a false church, because Christ demands that in His Word, the law of the church.
From this also follows the proper understanding of the character of insubordination. Refusal to submit one’s self to the decisions of Classis and Synod is not an abrogating of the denomination bond but insubordination; disobedience to the authority of the Classis (Art. 36), a gathering of churches, office bearers in the service of Christ, which makes decisions in conformity with His law. This disobedience can be called moral or spiritual sin but all sin that, according to Article 80 of the Church Order officially (kerkrechtelijk) must be treated with discipline, can be named thus. All sin is moral in character but here is no official ecclesiastical conflict because it does not say that it is not official according to the church. This merely signifies that it is a sin that must be treated with discipline, that is, officially by the church. The Formula of Subscription: “being ready always cheerfully to submit to the judgment of the Consistory, Classis and Synod, under penalty in case of refusal to be, by that very fact, (ipso facto) suspended from our office.” Here refusal to submit to the decisions of the Classis is set forth as a sin in the official ecclesiastical sense for which one must be deposed.
g. Finally, it must be noted that the deposition of a Consistory by the Classis is not an act of hierarchy or coercion. Christ alone has the ruling power by which He has the authority to give laws and to demand obedience and to punish disobedience. The office bearers are not administrators of His law-giving nor of His punitive power. Discipline is the administration of His ruling power, the maintaining of His right over against those who depart there from. Discipline is no punishment but the (medisch) and pedagogical means to humble and to save those who depart from the law of Christ. And although this to us appears impossible, and the discipline and also the excommunication do not have this result, the church may not refrain from applying discipline, because the result is neither the ground nor essence of discipline but the maintenance of the right of Christ as the King of the Church. All this applies to the departing officebearers in the Consistory.
II.
In the foregoing, in answering the question, “Does a Classis have the right to depose a Consistory?”, we have briefly shown the character of the local church and the broader gatherings and their reciprocal relation insofar as one or the other stands related to the question. We have proceeded from the Church Order and our Reformed principles. Our conclusion is that we give an affirmative answer to the question and herewith consider our given mandate to have been finished.
We take the liberty to add that our opinion of the adopted position is also supported by Voetius and this practice has existed in Reformed Churches in her most flourishing period.
(1) We limit ourselves alone to Voetius. Firstly, because he is recognized by all Reformers as the best interpreter of Reformed Church Polity. And in the second place, because later writers in the main follow him and have produced nothing new. Insofar as we have been able to note it is nowhere stated in so many words in the Politica Ecclesiastica that the Classis may depose a Consistory, that is, take away the office through excommunication. But for us this is no more necessary as a direct judgment than that baptism is come in the place of circumcision proves infant baptism. The question is solely whether Voetius attributes to the broader gatherings authority and power (authoritas et potestas) which includes the right of deposition.
(a) We find the following definition with Voetius: “The ecclesiastical bond of Classis and Synod is an established, abiding combination of many churches under one limited rule (sub certo regimine) for mutual improvement and preservation.”
The denominational forms and the later acceding to this relation may not be viewed as a matter of choice (of dat het verband blootweg federatief zou zijn). Voetius speaks of libere initia (initiating free-willingly). But this means: “without compulsion and has nothing to do with moral obligation.”
The ecclesiastical relation is clear in the practice and example of the apostles and is set forth through the Holy Spirit in Acts 15:1-34 by which all Christian theologians commonly prove the practice and authority of the Synods.
(b) The power of the broader gatherings is not “private but cumulative,” that is, it does not deprive, take away the power of the local church but is a power that in the broader gatherings accumulates and flows into one, single, undivided, greater power. Ten can do more than one. “Therefore the broader gatherings ordinarily do not exercise this power over and outside of the local church and with her own authority do anything in or concerning the local church except in matters of common interest or in cases of appeal or in cases of mismanagement.”
To the question whether a broader gathering has a binding (coactivum) power so that she can impose the decisions concerning doctrine and ecclesiastical practices and can demand execution under the penalty of censure, Voetius gives an affirmative answer. He proves this with a seven fold argument. In the second argument he says that where there is a regular ecclesiastical relation (denomination), “there is also an ecclesiastical power conformable to this society and where this power is it is necessarily binding (necessario definitive) because otherwise there would be no power, no order, no unity.” After he has noted that the local churches each have, in themselves an active, binding power, Voetius concludes: (though this power remains when they act in common and together) “On the other side, anything good added to something good produces a greater good.” The aim, end (finia) of the denominational bond lies in the preserving, the confirmation, the promotion and reparation of the churches in the common faith and godliness.
c. Voetius raises the question: “Whether a Classis or Synod, that is, a gathering of various consistories that maintain ecclesiastical fellowship (collectione, correspondentiae) has the power to excommunicate (conpetat excommunicandi potestas). Observe here that Voetius speaks of “consistories” gathering together in broader assembly. To this question an affirmative answer is given. In the following three cases Voetius cites excommunication to be legitimate: (1) In cases of mismanagement by the local church and consistory; (2) In cases of appeal to the Synod; or (3) In cases of an indictment of guilt in such a matter (delatianis istius causae) that are brought to Classis or Synod. Likewise Voetius proceeds to give the grounds here for his opinion. He says: “For in case the key of discipline is given a particular or local church or to her consistory, why shall it not be given to an assembly and unity of churches and consistories in which the consistory of the particular and local church is incorporated.” Voetius speaks of a “Synerdrium incorporatum.” And with a view to the defense of the Presbyterial form of Church government, he cites the case of Caspar Coolhaes, an illustre exemplum excommunicationis.” The power of excommunication is not given to the State because the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven are given to the church and to the ecclesiastical officials.
(to be continued)
—G.V.D.B. | https://sb.rfpa.org/the-report-of-the-committee-of-the-synod-of-1924-on-the-question-can-a-classis-depose-a-consistory/ |
For the Cupcakes:
1.5
cups
00 or all purpose flour
1
teaspoon
baking powder
0.25
teaspoon
salt
4
ounces
unsalted butter, room temperature
1
cup
granulated sugar
1
lemon, zest only
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
2
Large Eggs, room temperature
1
cup
whole milk
For the Strawberry Cream Filling:
1
cup
whole milk
3
egg yolks
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
6
tablespoons
granulated sugar
3
tablespoons
corn starch
peel of one lemon
6
tablespoons
heavy cream
1
tablespoons
confectioners sugar
1
cup
fresh strawberries, cut into a very small dice
For the the Topping:
1
cup
heavy cream
2
tablespoons
confectioners sugar
fresh sliced strawberries to decorate
Directions
To make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the butter, sugar, zest and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
Turn the speed down to low. Alternate adding in the dry ingredients with the milk ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until the ingredients are just absorbed. Do not over mix.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way with the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the centers are springy. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
T
o make the Strawberry Cream Filling:
In a mixing bowl whisk together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla.
In a saucepan combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the milk and egg yolk mixture and lemon peel. whisk over a medium flame until the mixture thickens, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Spread into a shallow dish and press plastic wrap into the cream to prevent skin from forming. Cool completely.
Once cooled whip the heavy cream and confectioners sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the custard until fully combined. Fold in the diced strawberries.
Frosting and assembling the Cupcakes:
Whip the remaining heavy cream and confectioners sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip or any tip you prefer.
With a knife, hollow out the center of each cupcake. With your hands break the center pieces apart into crumbs. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Spoon some of the strawberry cream into the center of each cupcake. Smooth the cream with a spatula or a knife so that it is flush with the cupcake.
Pipe a swirl of whipped cream covering the strawberry cream. Decorate with the cupcake crumbs and fresh strawberries as desired. | https://www.cookingwithnonna.com/italian-cuisine/mimosa-cupcakes.html?print=1&tmpl=component |
January 17, 2019—On its website, the FDA posted an advisory to peripheral interventionalists and vascular medicine physicians to inform them that the agency is evaluating recent information regarding the potential for increased long-term mortality after use of paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the femoropopliteal artery. There are a number of these devices approved or under study for peripheral vascular use in the United States.
As noted by the FDA, a recent meta-analysis of randomized trials suggests a possible increased mortality rate after 2 years in PAD patients treated with paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents compared with patients treated with control devices (noncoated balloons or bare-metal stents). The specific cause for this observation is yet to be determined. The study was published by Konstantinos Katsanos, MD, et al online in Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA).
The agency concluded that it believes that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks for approved paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents when used in accordance with their indications for use.
Voluntary reports can be submitted through MedWatch. Device manufacturers and user facilities must comply with the applicable Medical Device Reporting (MDR) regulations.
Prompt reporting of adverse events can help the FDA identify and better understand the risks associated with medical devices, noted the advisory.
The FDA is currently evaluating available long-term follow-up data to determine if there are any long-term risks associated with paclitaxel-coated products. This will include an evaluation of long-term follow-up data from studies that supported approval of paclitaxel-coated balloons or paclitaxel-eluting stents in the United States and other available data sets.
This review will focus on the causes of death, the paclitaxel dose delivered, and patient characteristics that may impact clinical outcomes. Additional statistical analyses will be performed to clarify the presence and magnitude of any long-term risks. Additionally, FDA is working with manufacturers of paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents to better understand this issue. | https://evtoday.com/2019/01/17/fda-issues-letter-on-potential-increased-mortality-with-paclitaxel-coated-devices-in-sfa?center=184 |
Just looking at Amalia Hoffman’s author photo lifts my spirits! I think we are all hungry for the bright and cheerful these days. That makes it especially delightful to host Amalia today in celebration of her new board book, All Colors (Schiffer Publishing).
In 2017, I started experimenting with pastel pencils.
I loved the textures that I could achieve and the vibrant lush colors.
After working for a while on a white background, I ordered a fine black art sand paper and started playing with colors on top. The colors on the black background appeared much more vibrant than on the white.
I discovered that there were so many interesting textures that I could achieve by rubbing the pastel pencils and chalk on the paper. Also, I liked how spattering with a toothbrush, sponging with bubble wrap and combing paints appeared on the black background.
After two months, I had a whole collection of pieces of papers with different colors and textures. I gathered them in a shoe box and every once in a while, just played with them, making different arrangements by assembling pieces together on my art table.
Then, the idea came to me. What if the different colors, textures and shapes could actually make the main character in the book?
So began my book journey for All Colors (Schiffer Publishing).
My agent, Anna Olswanger, has been encouraging me to create a board book for very young children.
I decided to make a board book where kids would be introduced to colors and textures as they turned the pages. It ended up being a concept book with a message about friendship and diversity.
This is my third board book. The first was Dreidel Day (Kar Ben Publishing, 2018.) The second was Astro Pea (Schiffer Publishing, 2019.)
Creating board books is challenging because you have to tell the story in only a few pages so the word count must be minimal. All Colors has 9 words. The author must rely on the illustrations and the concept has to be very clear and simple so a toddler could understand it. At the same time, there’s got to be a narration and procession so it would be a compelling read for the child and the adult who reads the story. The images have to be simple and bright to catch the attention of a very young child.
I’m proud that All Colors was picked by Elizabeth Bird from School Library Journal as one of the 13 best 2019 board books.
http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/12/01/31-days-31-lists-2019-great-board-books/
Here’s a short book blurb:
This concept board book introduces children ages 2-6 to colors and textures while conveying a message about friendship, diversity, and inclusion.
As the reader turns the pages, colors are introduced, creating the image of a boy.
Join in the fun as the boy dips his paintbrush in paint splotches and discovers that friends come in all colors.
Here’s a link to a book trailer where I perform All Colors with a very colorful puppet.
Amalia Hoffman is an author, illustrator and storyteller.
Her board book, Dreidel Day (Lerner/Kar Ben Publishing, 2018) is a PJ Library book and received the PJ Library Author Incentive Award.
She is the author/illustrator of two other board books, Astro Pea and All Colors (Schiffer Publishing, 2019.)
Amalia is the author of The Brave Cyclist: The True Story of a Holocaust Hero (Capstone Publishing, 2019, illustrated by Chiara Fedele.)
Her article, Queen Esther and I was published in Highlights Magazine for Children, March, 2016.
Amalia designed and illustrated an oversized book with pop-up elements for the production of Rose Bud at Israel’s children’s theater, The Train. Other books include, The Klezmer Bunch and Purim Goodies (Gefen Publishing
House, 2007 and 2009.) The Klezmer Bunch was featured in a play, Jewish Books Cooking by the celebrated choreographer and produ,cer, Elizabeth Swados.
Amalia illustrated Friday Night with the Pope, written by Jacques J.M. Shore (Gefen Publishing House, 2006.)
She received the SCBWI 2005 award for illustration in the category of Fantasy. Her portfolio was selected as the winning portfolio in the 2014 21st Century Non Fiction Conference.
Amalia performs her stories in schools, libraries and bookstores dressed up in costumes with puppets and props.
She created innovative window displays for New York City’s prestigious stores including Tiffany, Fortunoff, Bloomingdales and Macy’s.
Amalia is a participating artist at ArtsWestchester, a cultural organization that pairs artists and writers with schools and community centers.
She holds a Masters degree in art and art education from New York University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with honor from Pratt Institute.
Visit Amalia at her website or Twitter @AmaliaHoffman. | http://www.kirbylarson.com/friend-friday-198/ |
Beyoncé (pictured) broke the internet on the first of this month when news broke about her being pregnant with twin babies.
To dispel the rumors about a surrogate mother carrying her children, the 35-year-old “Me, Myself, and I” singer posted pictures of her obvious baby bump on Instagram. The big pregnancy move had many of Beyoncé’s fans wondering what her next move would be now that Blue Ivy was about to get two new siblings.
Some thought the busy entertainer would probably take it easy since a pregnancy with twins is a more of a toll on a woman’s body than a pregnancy with one child is. However, Beyoncé is obviously not the average woman who graces stages for a living after recording Billboard hits in the studio.
At this year’s Grammy Awards, Beyoncé gave another one of her jaw-dropping show stoppers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. She wasn’t originally scheduled to perform at the Grammys last night. However, in true Beyoncé fashion, the electric superstar gave viewers and attendees a big surprise appearance on stage.
Producers of the televised awards show obviously made a willing exception for an artist who could arguably be called the hardest working woman in show business. Jessica Goodman, a columnist for Entertainment Weekly wrote the following about Beyoncé’s Grammy performance: | http://www.healthyblackwoman.com/beyonce-still-puts-on-another-signature-performance-at-grammys-despite-pregnancy/ |
Finder Asia Ltd. was established in 2006 as a subsidiary of Finder S.p.A to market and sell the Finder product line directly in Asia.
Situated ideally in the bustling city of Hong Kong, the location provides excellent infrastructure and logistics to better serve customers throughout Asia in a direct and timely manner. In June at 2011, Finder Asia purchased and renovated a 2115 sq ft office to reflect its commitment to establish a strong presence in the region.
This new office accommodates the Finder Customer Service, Technical Support, and Sales & Marketing Team. It includes space for the future expansion to guarantee an optimum level of service as volume most definitely increases.
A large fully stocked warehouse allows Finder Asia to provide efficient delivery of product to meet our customer’s most urgent needs and demands.
The Finder Brand and its Team has gained renown recognition with many of its Asian customers over the past years by providing a quality product, excellent customer service and support, and plans to continue doing so consistently into the future. | https://www.findernet.com/en/hongkong/node/4402 |
Business Law Group practices law on both the plaintiff and defendant sides of workplace-related matters. Serving Schaumburg and the nearby areas, the firm has experience representing employers and employees concerning workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, misconduct, wage law violations, information privacy, and whistleblower reprisal. It also assists employers in creating and developing workplace policies and procedures to foster a healthy working environment. Lawyer Ryan Van Osdol also practices in the area of business law and corporate law.
1100 E. Woodfield Rd. Suite 108, Schaumburg, IL 60173
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Cramer Law Group defends employees' rights in Schaumburg. The firm focuses on employment law, including employment discrimination, workplace harassment, retaliation or whistleblowing, and wrongful termination. It represents clients in litigation and transactions, taking on employers of different sizes to fight for workplace protections. The firm also reviews hiring contracts for individuals just beginning employment and severance contracts, and non-compete and restrictive covenant agreements for exiting employees. Amy and Thomas Cramer both come from an educational background before becoming lawyers.
180 N. LaSalle St Suite 3700, Chicago, IL 60601
Chicago, IL 60601
Hervas, Condon, & Bersani PC is a team of attorneys in the Schaumburg area that has been practicing for more than 30 years. This firm represents local governments, helping out in all matters of employment law. Services include drafting and reviewing non-competes, non-disclosure agreements, and employee contracts, as well as policies and handbooks. Additionally, litigation services are available for managers and supervisors who are being accused of unfair treatment of an employee.
333 West Pierce Road, Itasca, IL 60143
Itasca, IL 60143
The Law Offices of Mark J. Baiocchi helps clients from Schaumburg and the nearby areas who need guidance on employment issues. The law office assists clients in employment and labor law mediation and arbitration sessions, as well as in courtroom litigation. The firm is well-versed in the Illinois and federal labor and employment laws. This is why the firm helps those involved in matters like discrimination claims, workplace safety issues, wage and hour disputes, and salary negotiations.
1717 N. Naper Blvd. Suite 200, Naperville, IL 60563
Naperville, IL 60563
Malkinson & Halpern P.C. Attorneys at Law is a firm established in 1997 that handles employment law cases. It has been providing legal representation throughout the area of Schaumburg and assists its clients with sexual harassment, wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblower claims. With more than 20 years of combined experience in the legal sector, its duo of attorneys, John R. Malkinson and Seth R. Halpern, also works on personal injury matters and litigates cases in court.
33 N Dearborn Street Suite 1540, Chicago, IL 60602
Chicago, IL 60602
Located near Schaumburg, North Suburban Legal Services is a team of tax and business lawyers that provided employment-related legal guidance and representation. Working directly with owners and managers of small and midsize businesses, this team of attorneys is dedicated to helping employers protect their business by providing legal defense against lawsuits and employee claims, as well as by assisting with the drafting and review of employee agreements and other documentation to prevent litigation.
321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654
Chicago, IL 60654
Osborne Employment Law is a legal firm that represents employees in various aspects of employment disputes. It serves individuals dealing with sexual harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, unpaid wages, and non-compete disputes throughout Chicago and the surrounding areas. The firm's founder, Quinton Osborne, graduated Magna Cum Laude and later on received an Academic Excellence Award. He holds membership in the National Employment Lawyers Association – Illinois Chapter and is the vice-chair of DuPage County Bar Association – Employment Section.
799 Roosevelt Road, Suite 3-201, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
The Coffey Law Office serves clients in Schaumburg and throughout its metropolitan area. This firm is exclusively focused on employment litigation and is dedicated to advocating on behalf of employees who've experienced unfair treatment from an employer. Its legal team primarily handles whistleblower, discrimination, harassment, and unlawful retaliation claims. Additionally, its attorneys are competent and experienced when it comes to disability and Family and Medical Leave Act violations. Timothy J. Coffey is admitted to practice throughout Illinois.
330 South Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL 60187
Wheaton, IL 60187
The Law Office of Lofgren & Wentworth, P.C., provides legal services to individuals and businesses in and around Schaumburg. Richard J. Lofgren, one of its founding attorneys, has over 33 years of legal experience working with businesses on the issues they face. As a trial advocate, he handles matters as both plaintiff and defense counsel relating to employment law, including employment discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower litigation, and wrongful termination. Other practice areas include real estate transactions and estate planning.
536 Crescent Blvd. Suite 200, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
The Law Offices Of Joshua D. McCann, Ltd, is a solo-practice firm that serves clients in the Schaumburg metro and the surrounding areas. It provides legal representation for employees who are victims of discrimination because of age, race, sex, gender, religion, and disability. It also assists clients in filing claims for wrongful termination and retaliation. In addition, clients may directly contact the firm's attorney, Joshua D. McCann, even during after hours and on the weekends.
111 West Washington St., Suite 1625, Chicago, IL 60602
Chicago, IL 60602
Townsel Law Firm represents small business owners in employment law issues in Schaumburg and the surrounding areas. It performs mediation and litigation involving severance agreements, employee hiring, discipline and terminations, and wage and hour claims. It also assists in staff training, personnel policy development and implementation, and grievance hearings. Lead attorney Andre Townsel brings over 20 years of experience handling employment-related claims. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and Missouri. He also volunteers for the Pacific Garden Mission. | https://www.expertise.com/il/schaumburg/employment-lawyers |
Following back to back wins for the Minstermen, over 2,500 supporters filled the stands on Saturday as York City took on Morpeth Town in a competitive FA Trophy fifth round match.
The first half was competitive from the whistle, with a Paddy McLaughlin strike dragged inches wide only 4 minutes in to the match.
A second early chance came quick when at 9 minutes McLaughlin broke through the centre of the defence and forced Morpeth keeper Lowson to get down and block his strike from the edge of the box.
York maintained the pressure on the semi-professional Morpeth with a Duckworth strike at 19 minutes and Hancox with a deflection in the 21st.
Morpeth took the lead at 26 minutes when Andrew Johnson cut inside the crowded York box and curved the ball into the far corner beyond the reach of Jamerson. York City 0 – 1 Morpeth Town.
York were arguably the better team in the first half; however, after a fairly uneventful half, City were behind 1-0.
In the 64th minute, Morpeth added to their lead when Ryan Donaldson headed in the ball from point-blank range. York City 0 – 2 Morpeth Town.
At 68 minutes in, York brought on their first substations, Willoughby for Jarvis, and Longdon for Greaves.
Only 1 minute later Willoughby hit a curling effort towards the keeper which sailed across the goal, and was finished by Hancox. York City 1 – 2 Morpeth Town.
At 72 minutes, City fans and players cried out for a handball in the penalty area, however, the referee played on.
Following the first goal, York seem confident and rejuvenated; at 75 minutes Willoughby crossed the ball across the box, but Dyson failed to control the ball and it went out for a Morpeth goal kick.
At 78 minutes, York’s newfound energy payed off and after a saved strike from Akil Wirght, Hancox taps the ball past the keeper, scoring his second of the game. York City 2 – 2 Morpeth Town.
Maintaining the pressure, at 79 minutes, York City came close when a 25 yard strike from Dyson rattled the Morpeth crossbar.
York came close once again in the 82nd minute, when a Matty Brown strike flew inches wide of the top corner.
During the 88th minute, Clayton Donaldson was taken to the ground by a reckless Morpeth tackle.
It could have easily been given as a penalty but the referee pointed outside of the box.
At 89 minutes, York take the lead when a free kick chipped into the box by Dyson is headed into the back of the net by Matty Brown.
The Minstermen fans were elated with the comeback, with some storming the pitch to celebrate with the equally excited players. York City 3 – 2 Morpeth Town.
After 5 minutes of uneventful but tense extra time, the final whistle was blown; York City continue their winning streak and will be progressing to the FA Trophy Quarter Finals.
Overall, today’s performance by the Minstermen was seemingly a tale of two teams; 70 minutes of low energy, no confidence, and silly mistakes, and 20 minutes of their best play of the season. | https://www.yorkvision.co.uk/sport/york-city-3-2-morpeth-town-a-late-comeback-in-the-fa-trophy/12/02/2022 |
Trying to live with an emphasis on our words is essential, for we often underestimate our words’ power in life. Words play a role in our psyche as well as the mentality of others. As a result, we must remain aware of how we use our terms, hopefully for good but likely for bad. Our primary goal should be to try and make the world better, and it is easy to achieve this through the power of using our voice.
Imagine if we didn’t have actions. Our words would mean everything. Consider how this would affect the world we live in, both personally and on a global scale. Without non-verbal gestures, we would be dragged down by negativity because of the sheer volume of negativity we express verbally. Often, our verbal negativity influences our physicality and body language, too, as a result.
Mindfulness can help us establish our words’ power and the internalisation of our words as thoughts. A helpful exercise is to note down the negative thing you say every time you say it – take time to analyse the negativity that escapes your mouth and consider how the words impact you. This may seem a difficult task, but it gets easier with practice. As a result of functions like this, we can establish with more significant effect how powerful our negative words are, how they can influence our actions and our mentality both individually and collectively.
Mean What you Say
This can be a hard one to grasp, but if we intend to live with accountability and responsibility for the effect we have on others and ourselves, we have to mean what we say. If we mean to live by what we say, we must carefully monitor how we speak and aim to create a positive atmosphere with the power of our words. This comes to us better with practice, and through the use of the tools mentioned above, but if we grasp and realise the negativity we are expressing, we can grow as individuals with less negativity, and learn to express the negativity we feel in more constructive ways, rather than retaining it or spreading it to others.
Guided Meditation
Guided meditation provides possibly the most effective tool for thought control, and therefore word control, that can aid us as individuals. Mindful activities, such as guided meditation, provide us with encouragement and support in creating a more positive world for the sake of ourselves and others. By learning tools such as controlling the breath, observing the thoughts from a clear distance and engaging with positivity through tools such as affirmation and visualisation, increasing the positivity of our speech and, therefore, our lives become more accessible. Guided meditation is suitable for all demographics and aids in providing a greater sense of universal positivity through such techniques. Everyone can learn to harness the power they have within them purely for the sake of good. | http://arholistictherapies.co.uk/words-over-actions/?doing_wp_cron=1632257770.9623889923095703125000 |
On the role of working memory in spatial contextual cueing.
The human visual system receives more information than can be consciously processed. To overcome this capacity limit, we employ attentional mechanisms to prioritize task-relevant (target) information over less relevant (distractor) information. Regularities in the environment can facilitate the allocation of attention, as demonstrated by the spatial contextual cueing paradigm. When observers are exposed repeatedly to a scene and invariant distractor information, learning from earlier exposures enhances the search for the target. Here, we investigated whether spatial contextual cueing draws on spatial working memory resources and, if so, at what level of processing working memory load has its effect. Participants performed 2 tasks concurrently: a visual search task, in which the spatial configuration of some search arrays occasionally repeated, and a spatial working memory task. Increases in working memory load significantly impaired contextual learning. These findings indicate that spatial contextual cueing utilizes working memory resources.
| |
Dr. Wing Yee (VerBon) Cheung, University of Southampton - Nostalgia and Optimism
In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Wing Yee (VerBon) Cheung of the University of Southampton explains why how we think about the past can influence attitudes about the future.
VerBon Cheung is a research fellow at the Centre for Research on Self and Identity at the University of Southampton. She is currently involved in research projects investigating topic related to Individual differences underlying nostalgia, nostalgia and the ideal self, and nostalgia and modes of thinking. She earned her Ph.D. at Cardiff University.
Dr. Wing Yee (VerBon) Cheung - Nostalgia and Optimism
Thinking about fond memories from our past often triggers nostalgia that fills us with the warm and fuzzy feelings. Ample amount of research has shown that nostalgia confers psychological benefits. For example, nostalgia makes us feel closer to other people and we also feel better about ourselves. This seemingly past-oriented emotion renders the present more positive. We take a step further and assess whether psychological scope of nostalgia may also extend into the future.
First, we found that the concept of optimism is naturally embedded in nostalgia narratives. We asked participants to recall and write about a nostalgic event or an ordinary event. Nostalgic narratives contained a significantly higher proportion of optimistic expressions than the ordinary stories. In three other studies, we induced nostalgia by having participants write about a nostalgic event, listen to a nostalgic or a control song, or read nostalgic or control song lyrics. Across these different methodologies, experimentally induced nostalgia consistently fosters optimism. We also assessed the underlying mechanism and we found that nostalgia first fostered social connectedness, which subsequently lifted self-esteem, which then heightened optimism. Put otherwise, people feel more optimistic because they experienced a lift in self-esteem, which was stemmed from an enhanced sense of social connectedness derived from nostalgic reverie.
So, nostalgia does have the capacity to facilitate perceptions of a more positive future. It implies that nostalgia is an important resource that we already have in us. Memories of the past can contribute to a brighter outlook on the future and help us cope with psychological adversity in a more engaged and healthier manner.
Production support for the Academic Minute comes from Newman’s Own, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, and from Mount Holyoke College. | https://www.wamc.org/academic-minute/2014-01-09/dr-wing-yee-verbon-cheung-university-of-southampton-nostalgia-and-optimism |
Thousands of trees are to be planted along riverbanks and watercourses in Cornwall as part of a national project to improve air and water quality and improve biodiversity and reduce the risk of flooding.
The England Trees Action Plan, supported by an intended £500m from the Nature for Climate Fund, will help see an unprecedented number of trees planted, protected and managed to deliver more for society, nature, the climate and the economy.
The ‘Woodlands for Water’ project will be operating nationally on the National Trust estate and in six catchment areas across the country including along the Tamar and Fowey rivers and their tributaries in Cornwall.
In total it is a more than 3,000 hectares of new woodlands which will be planted in England as part of the scheme announced by Forestry Minister Lord Goldsmith.
He said the aim of planting so many trees alongside riverbanks is to help improve water quality by blocking the runoff of pollutants into rivers, manage flood risks by slowing the flow of water, boost biodiversity by creating new habitat corridors and make our climate more resilient by providing shade and cooling water temperatures.
There are 242,262km of watercourses in England, and it is hoped that by planting trees in this way they will form a natural network of habitats across the country as part of our plans to expand, improve and connect these places across our towns, cities and countryside.
The project aims to create 3,150 hectares of trees in six river catchment areas from Cornwall to Cumbria by March 2025.
To support farmers and landowners to create these woodlands, they will be able to apply for funding through the ‘England Woodland Creation Offer’ grant which provides greater financial incentives for landowners and farmers to plant and manage trees, including along rivers and watercourses.
Lord Goldsmith said: “This is a hugely exciting and untapped area for woodland creation. The benefits of planting trees by rivers are vast - from helping biodiversity recover by creating more natural riverbanks, to slowing the flow of surface water to reduce the risk of flooding; and improving water quality by buffering rivers from harmful agricultural pollution.
“The Government is committed to trebling tree-planting rates by the end of this parliament, and in this vitally important year for tackling climate change with the Glasgow COP summit, this partnership marks an important next step in our plans to build back greener.”
Forestry Commission chairman Sir William Worsley added: “By putting the right trees in the right place, helped by our new England Woodland Creation Grant, the Woodlands for Water project can offer numerous benefits, from creating new woodland habitats; protecting existing habitats such as chalk streams; improving environments for fish by reducing water temperature, and helping rivers adapt to climate change.”
James Wallace, chief executive officer of the Cornwall-based Beaver Trust, one of the partners in the scheme, said: “As members of the Riverscapes partnership with Defra we are pleased to be a part of this first big first step towards paying farmers to create a nature recovery network of mosaic habitats along our rivers, working together to breathe life back into our land.
“We hope in time farmers will be incentivised not only to plant trees but to create wetlands, floodplain meadows and other spaces for natural processes and wildlife to regenerate in riparian buffer zones.
“Collaboration between Government, industry, landowners, communities, and the NGO sector is key if we are to help communities build resilience to the climate and the ecological emergency.”
Get all the latest news, updates, things to do and more from Cornwall's dedicated InYourArea feed. | https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/thousands-of-trees-to-be-planted-along-tamar-and-fowey-rivers-in-bid-to-improve-biodiversity-and-reduce-flood-risks/ |
Services and Amenities
The needs and preferences of each resident are listened to at White Oaks. We know that everyone is unique, and we offer a variety of services and amenities to meet the needs of our Lawton assisted living residents.
Amenities
- Private suites, each with a private bathroom
- Wall-to-wall carpet
- Comfortable community areas for all to enjoy
- Living rooms with conversation and media areas
- Casually elegant dining room
- General store
- Hair salon (additional fee)
- Courtyards for walks, relaxation and flower gardening opportunities
- Emergency call response system in all suites. | https://www.randallresidence.com/senior-living/mi/lawton/white-oaks/amenities |
The answer to this crossword puzzle is 13 letters long and begins with B.
Below you will find the correct answer to Zebra crossing indicator Crossword Clue, if you need more help finishing your crossword continue your navigation and try our search function.
Crossword Answers for "Zebra crossing indicator"
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- Beatles album with zebra crossing on cover
- Black and white beast turning up in zebra crossing
- Flashing beacon on either side of zebra crossing
- New zebra crossing on outskirts of goole for a time
- New zebra crossing good in capital
- Site of beatles music studio and zebra crossing
- Zebra crossing light
- What americans call a zebra crossing
- Sort of zebra crossing, good for capital city
- Pedestrian crossing indicator
- River crossing used by caryl phillips before crossing the river
- Act unscrupulously and go through red lights, zebra crossings, etc? | https://www.solutioncrossword.com/zebra-crossing-indicator |
CoR calls for FP9 to be backed by strong cohesion policy
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) calls for the next EU R&I Framework Programme to build on territorial connections and be backed by strong cohesion policy. This was stated at a conference organised by the CoR on 20 February 2018. Local and regional representatives called for research and innovation funds to be oriented towards connecting regional innovation ecosystems in close synergy with cohesion policy instruments.
CoR First Vice-President Markku Markkula said: "The R&I programmes of the EU are not only designed to promote scientific excellence and the global competitiveness of Europe, but are also instrumental for sustainable growth and rendering our regions and cities smarter and more liveable. Ecosystem thinking and partnering between different cities and regions must therefore be one of the major guiding principles for the new framework programme."
Christophe Clergeau (FR/PES), rapporteur of a recent CoR opinion on EU's R&I programmes, pointed out the crucial role of structural and investment funds in the field of research and innovation and called for improved synergies with different regional and European funding instruments, as well as for taking greater account of smart specialisation strategies. Mr. Clergeau also suggested that FP9 should include new "territorial connections" action to recognise and fund regional excellence along the lines of the Vanguard Initiative. In his view, this would promote the complementarity of regional innovation ecosystems by creating consortia between regions that share their smart specialisation strategies and want to advance together towards commonly agreed goals. Other speakers also highlighted the importance of more cohesion and convergence in the field of research and innovation, calling for "more regions of excellence in Europe" and stressing the importance of reversing the talent drain and bridging the innovation gaps between Member States and between regions, as well as of sharing research results between regions and opening research infrastructures to the needs of local actors. | https://www.era.gv.at/object/news/3840 |
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In 2020, the Australian Information Commissioner delivered the findings of the Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey. The report found that many people are not clear on how to protect their personal information. Therefore, for Privacy Awareness Week 2021, the Office of Australian Information Commissioner’s campaign focuses on sharing helpful and effective tips to help everyone create good privacy practices, at home and at work.
This is a great initiative! With UNIFY Solutions’ single security focus we have always been passionate about protecting our customers in a world of evolving and complex security threats, we have always been a champion of the privacy cause. UNIFY is a proud supporter of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s Privacy Awareness Week, and in 2021, we are reflecting on how we are making privacy a priority in both our professional and our personal lives.
UNIFY is reaching out to the community to help spread the message so that individuals and organisations can become clearer about what they can do to protect their personal information. Please visit the Tips for home site for individuals and the Tips for work for businesses. We encourage you to also sign up, join the events that are hosted during the week, and help make privacy a priority. | https://unifysolutions.net/news/privacy-awareness-week-2021/ |
This application claims priority under 35 USC § 119(e)(1) of provisional applications Nos. 60/315,489 filed Aug. 27, 2001.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the field of integrated circuits and more specifically to a method and system for mask pattern correction.
Masks such as photomasks are typically used in photolithographic systems to define patterns on objects such as integrated circuits. The shape of the mask, however, may sometimes differ from the pattern defined on the object. For example, optical diffraction may cause a resulting pattern defined on an integrated circuit to differ from the shapes on the mask. Consequently, masks are typically adjusted to account for these deviations.
In accordance with the present invention, a method and system for mask pattern correction are provided that substantially eliminate or reduce the disadvantages and problems associated with previously developed systems and methods.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for mask pattern correction is disclosed. A portion of a mask pattern is segmented into segments that include at least one base segment and at least one relational segment. Each relational segment is matched with a base segment. A proximity correction is determined for each base segment. A critical dimension correction is determined for each relational segment. The critical dimension correction is determined with respect to the proximity correction of the matching base segment. Each base segment is adjusted according to the proximity correction, and each relational segment is adjusted according to the critical dimension correction.
Embodiments of the invention may provide numerous technical advantages. A technical advantage of one embodiment may be that a segment of a mask pattern is corrected with respect to an already corrected segment of the mask pattern. By correcting one segment with respect to another segment, a critical dimension defined by the segments may be more readily achieved. Another technical advantage of one embodiment may be that segments that define a critical dimension may be matched, and the matching may be recorded in a record associated with one of the segments. The record may be used to retrieve the corrected position of one segment in order to correct the position of the other segment. Another technical advantage of one embodiment may be that a number of provisional corrections may be used to simultaneously represent the positions of the segments. The correction bars of matched segments may be used to determine a correction for a segment.
Other technical advantages are readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and for further features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a diagram illustrating correction of a mask pattern;
FIG. 2
is a diagram illustrating an uncorrected pattern, a corrected pattern, segments, and correction bars;
FIG. 3
illustrates one embodiment of a system for correcting a mask pattern;
FIG. 4
is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method for correcting a mask pattern;
FIG. 5
is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a method for correcting a mask pattern; and
FIG. 6
is a diagram illustrating correction of a mask pattern that includes multiple polygons.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 through 6
Embodiments of the present invention and its advantages are best understood by referring to of the drawings, like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings.
FIG. 1
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is a diagram illustrating correction of a mask pattern. The mask pattern may comprise, for example, all or a portion of any suitable photomask such as a binary mask, an attenuated mask, an alternating phase mask, or any other photomask suitable for defining a pattern on an integrated circuit. Diagram includes a contour , an uncorrected pattern , and a corrected pattern . Uncorrected pattern may be corrected to yield corrected pattern that defines contour on an object.
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Contour represents a desired pattern that a mask may define on an object such as an integrated circuit. In the illustrated example, contour defines a transistor gate of an integrated circuit with an active, or diffusion, region and an inactive, or field, region . Contour may have critical dimensions. A critical dimension is a dimension that may be required to be defined with a high degree of accuracy. For example, a contour that defines a transistor gate may have the width of the gate as a critical dimension. The width may be required to be defined with an accuracy of, for example, approximately one nanometer.
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Uncorrected pattern represents a mask pattern for contour that has not been corrected. Uncorrected pattern may be corrected for deviations that may occur during the manufacturing process of an integrated circuit. For example, deviations may result from optical diffraction, etch effects, mask making errors, resist effects, or other effects occurring during the manufacturing process. To compensate for these deviations, uncorrected pattern may be adjusted to yield corrected pattern .
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Diagram includes an abstract grid that may define the possible positions of corrected pattern . Corrected pattern may be placed on abstract grid . Abstract grid may be defined by intervals of, for example, approximately two to five nanometers. The requirement that corrected pattern fall on abstract grid may result in a loss of accuracy, which may affect the formation of contour , particularly at the critical dimensions of contour .
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In the illustrated example, uncorrected pattern may be divided into segments designated as segments A, A′, B, B′, c, d, e, f, and g. A correction for each segment may be computed individually, and each segment may be adjusted individually from uncorrected pattern to corrected pattern . “Each” as used in this document means each member of a set or each member of a subset of the set. Corrections may be computed in a sequential manner around uncorrected pattern . For example, the following sequence may be used, segments c, A, B, d, e, f, B′, A′, and g.
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In the illustrated example, capital letters represent segments that define a critical dimension. The distance between segment A and segment A′ and the distance between segment B and segment B′ define the width of a gate over diffusion region , which is a critical dimension. Segments that define a critical dimension may be matched. For example, segments A and A′ may be matched. The matching of the segments may be recorded. For example, the matching of segments A and A′ may be recorded in a record such as a table associated with segment A′.
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Segments that define a critical dimension may be corrected by first correcting a base segment according to a proximity correction, and then correcting a relational segment according to a critical dimension correction. A proximity correction is performed to compensate for deviations that may occur during a manufacturing process. A proximity correction may be performed using, for example, optical proximity correction software such as TAURUS-OPC software by AVANT! Corporation. A critical dimension correction is performed to adjust the position of relational segment with respect to base segment . The critical dimension correction of relational segment is calculated with respect to the position of base segment after the proximity correction. For example, base segment A may be corrected according to a proximity correction. Relational segment A′ may then be corrected according to a critical dimension correction, which is calculated using the position of base segment A after the proximity correction. The critical dimension may be recorded in a record associated with segments that define the critical dimension.
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A center line may be used to control the correction of segments . Center line may be defined substantially along an axis of symmetry of contour . During the correction process, some segments may be moved towards one side and other segments may be moved towards another side, resulting in a jagged pattern. For example, segments A and A′ may be moved towards the left, while segments B and B′ may be moved towards the right. To control this movement, a center point between matched segments may be determined, and segments may be corrected such that center point remains approximately at or near center line .
FIG. 2
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is a diagram illustrating uncorrected pattern , corrected pattern , segments , and correction bars . A provisional correction is a region that may be added or subtracted from an uncorrected pattern in order to determine a correction of the uncorrected pattern. In one embodiment, a strip of effectively infinite extent may be used to represent a provisional correction. For example, a PROTOBAR of the TAURUS-OPC software of AVANT! CORPORATION may be used to represent a provisional correction strip. Any suitable method for provisional correction, however, may be used In the illustrated example, provisional corrections are represented by correction bars . A correction bar that represents a provisional correction of base segment may be used to determine a critical dimension correction of relational segment , which may also be represented by a correction bar . For example, correction bar , which represents a provisional correction of base segment A, may be used to determine a critical dimension correction of relational segment A′, which may be represented by correction bar
FIG. 3
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illustrates a system for correcting a mask pattern. System includes an input device and an output device coupled to a computer , which is in turn coupled to a database . Input device may comprise, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, or any other device suitable for transmitting data to computer . Output device may comprise, for example, a display, a printer, or any other device suitable for outputting data received from computer .
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Computer may comprise a personal computer, workstation, network computer, wireless computer, or one or more microprocessors within these or other devices, or any other suitable processing device. Computer may include a processor and a correction module . Processor controls the flow of data between input device , output device , database , and correction module . Correction module may receive descriptions of contour and uncorrected pattern , and compute corrected pattern that maybe used to define contour .
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Database may comprise any suitable system for storing data. Database may store records that include data associated with contour , uncorrected pattern , and corrected pattern . A record may be associated with a segment , and may describe a matching segment or critical dimension corresponding to the segment . Record may describe correction bar that represents of the position of segment .
FIG. 4
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is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method for correcting a mask pattern. During each iteration of the illustrated method, a proximity correction for base segment is computed, the correction is recorded, and a critical dimension correction with respect to corrected base segment is computed for relational segment . The segments are adjusted from their uncorrected positions to their corrected positions at the end of each iteration.
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The method begins at step , where pattern is divided into segments . Segments include segments A, A′, B, B′, c, d, e, f, and g. Segments that define critical dimensions are matched at step . Segment A is matched with segment A′, and segment B is matched with segment B′. The matchings of segments A and A′ and segments B and B′ may be recorded in records associated with segments A′ and B′, respectively.
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An iteration is started at step , and a segment is selected at step . At step , the method determines whether the selected segment is a relational segment . Relational segment may be identified by a matching with base segment recorded in record associated with relational segment . A non-relational segment may comprise a base segment or other segment . Base segment may be identified by a base segment identifier in record associated with base segment , or may be identified by the absence of a matching recorded in record . Other segment may comprise a segment associated with field region .
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If the selected segment is not a relational segment , the method proceeds to step to determine a proximity correction for selected segment . In the illustrated example, the selected segment comprises base segment A. Base segment A is corrected according to a proximity correction process. The proximity correction may be computed as a correction bar , and is recorded at step .
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If at step , the method determines that the selected segment is a relational segment , the method proceeds to step to determine a critical dimension correction with respect to the proximity correction of matching base segment . A critical dimension correction may be computed by calculating correction bar of relational segment with respect to correction bar of base segment such that a critical dimension requirement may be approximated. For example, correction bar represents a corrected position of segment A. Correction bar , which represents a position of segment A′, may be calculated such that segments A and A′ form contour that approximates a critical dimension requirement for the width of a transistor gate. In one embodiment, correction bar may be retrieved using a matching recorded in record associated with relational segment
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At step , the location of center point between matched segments is determined. If at step the location is acceptable, the correction is accepted at step . If the location is not acceptable at step , the correction is adjusted at step .
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At step , the method determines whether there is a next segment . If there is a next segment the method returns to step to select the next segment . If there is no next segment , the method proceeds to step to adjust segments from their uncorrected positions to their corrected positions. At step , the method determines whether there is a next iteration. If there is a next iteration, the method returns to step to start the next iteration. If there is no next iteration, the method proceeds to step to output corrected pattern . After outputting corrected pattern , the method terminates.
FIG. 5
FIG. 4
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illustrates another embodiment of a method for correcting a mask pattern. For simplicity, only the equivalents of steps through of are shown. That is, only one full pattern iteration is shown. During an iteration of the illustrated method, corrections for non-relational segments including base segments are computed and non-relational segments are adjusted according to the corrections. During a next iteration, corrections for relational segments are computed with respect to adjusted base segments
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The method begins at step , where uncorrected pattern is divided into segments . Segments are matched at step , and a non-relational segment is selected at step . A proximity correction for non-relational segment is determined at step . At step , the method determines whether there is a next non-relational segment . If there is a next non-relational segment , the method returns to step to select the next non-relational segment . If there is no next non-relational segment , the method proceeds to step to adjust corrected non-relational segments including base segments . A record associated with each non-relational segment may be used to store the adjusted position of non-relational segment .
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At step , a relational segment is selected. In one embodiment, record associated with relational segment records the matching with base segment . A critical dimension correction with respect to the proximity correction of matched base segment is determined at step . The critical dimension correction may be determined in a manner substantially similar to that described at step of FIG. .
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At step , the method determines whether there is a next relational segment . If there is a next relational segment , the method returns to step to select the next relational segment . If there is no next relational segment , the method proceeds to step to adjust the relational segments . At step , the adjusted segments are outputted. After outputting segments , the method terminates or proceeds to determine correction of relational and non-relational segments.
FIG. 6
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is a diagram illustrating correction of a mask pattern that includes one or more polygons and . The mask pattern may comprise, for example, an alternating phase mask, which may also be referred to as a strong phase shift mask, or any other suitable photomask. A mask pattern may include polygons and that are used to define the width of a transistor gate over diffusion region . Polygons and may represent phase blocks. For example, polygon may represent a phase block with a phase shift of approximately zero, and polygon may represent a phase block with a phase shift of approximately pi. Polygons and may include base segments , labeled A, B, C, and D, and relational segments labeled A′, B′, C′, and D′. Base segments may be matched with relational segments , for example, segments A and A′ may be matched.
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A critical dimension correction may be performed for polygons and by adjusting base segments and then adjusting relational segments with respect to adjusted base segments for proper critical dimension correction.
While the examples given have been with respect to patterning transistor gates over diffusion regions, the methods and systems described herein may also be used to correct patterns of other layers of integrated circuits. For example, the interconnect parts of a metal pattern may be divided into base and relational segments for improved critical dimension correction, leaving the corners and contact/via pads to be corrected as traditional placement-correction segments.
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A technical advantage of one embodiment may be that relational segment is corrected with respect to a corrected base segment . By correcting relational segment with respect to base segment , a critical dimension defined by segments may be more readily achieved. Another technical advantage of one embodiment may be that base segment and relational segment that define a critical dimension may be matched, and the matching may be recorded in record associated with relational segment . Record may be used to retrieve the corrected position of base segment in order to correct the position of relational segment . Another technical advantage of one embodiment may be that a number of correction bars may be used to simultaneously represent the positions of the segments . Correction bars of matched segments may be used to determine a correction for a relational segment
Although an embodiment of the invention and its advantages are described in detail, a person skilled in the art could make various alterations, additions, and omissions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. | |
Publishing your dissertation
The doctoral degree regulations offer several options to publish your dissertation. We will inform you about these options‘ advantages and disadvantages, describe the process of publication and explain the peculiarities of a cumulative dissertation.
Contents
Online publication or publishing house? What do I have to consider when publishing the dissertation? This course highlights the advantages and disadvantages of different publication models and forms of publishing, addresses specifics of cumulative dissertations, and addresses copyright and contractual issues. The platform for publishing dissertations online is institutional repository of the University of Bamberg integrated in the Research Information System (FIS). Using the University of Bamberg Press (UBP) as an example, the advantages of so-called hybrid publishing will also be discussed. You are welcome to find out more about this topic in advance here.
Audience
Doctoral candidates, post graduate programs
Duration
60 minutes
Dates, location, registration
Dates will be sheduled with a minimum number of participants of five people. The course is also offered in irregular intervals as part of the TRAc academy for doctoral candidates.
Contact
Should you have any question, please contact Barabara Ziegler, Tel. 863-1595. | https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/library/courses-tutorials/publishing-your-dissertation/ |
Traffic congestion is an annoying issue in Delhi, the capital of India. Every morning thousands of people drivea residential area to the International Technology Park (ITPL). There are various routes one can take to reach ITPL and each route takes its own time making some routes faster than the others. People obviously take faster routes which causes congestion on those roads too. Congestion results into increased travel time, air pollution and wastage of fuel. As a Traffic commissioner of Delhi, you are asked to optimize the traffic by putting toll to various roads so that resultant cost of every route (driving time cost and toll cost) ends up the same. This has to be done in such a way that any driver pays toll only once no matter which route he/she takes.roads have one-way traffic and there is no cycle in any of the routes. You need to create a toll plan for a given road layout.
1. Toll should be levied in such a way that perceived cost (base road cost and toll cost) remains same forroads.
2. The tolls should be levied such that the total cost for each route is minimized.
3. A route cannot have more than one toll.
4. In case of multiple solutions for a route, add toll to a road that is closer to destination.
In some use cases, it might be impossible to impose tolls that satisfy the above conditions.
Jacob and Peter have their favorite number X and Y. We have given an array with positive interger number and we need to find the longest prefix index which contain equal number of X and Y. return -1 if there is no prefix with equal number of X and Y.
Output should be 9 as prefix will be index from 0 to 9 with equal number of X and Y.
I wrote below code but this has some bug which I could not find.
Write a function to print Tree which can have any number of nodes, in level order each level in new line.
String encoding-decoding question. Given a digit sequence, return no. of ways it can be decoded.
What is REST? Can you explain it by giving examples.
number of closest flavor matches in terms of flavor.
and you need to find the title and then show a description of the movie. How would you implement it. Describe the data structures used. If you were going to host this service on a single machine with 250 MB of RAM while you need to handle, say 10 GB of data, how would you do this?
Cards needs to be placed in a circle. Start from a position and for every K moves remove that card And repeat the process until all the cards are eliminated.
Question: Position the cards such that the red cards are completely eliminated before the blacks cards are selected for elimination.
Find the most common "3 page path" on a website given a large data log.
Find pairs of nums that add upto given number.
You are given a file (and you do not know how big the file is, nor how big the lines in the file are). Write an algorithm that will generate a random number (which will be used to index into the file) such that the output of lines will be roughly proportional? That is if the file contained 4 lines, and if I ran the program 1 million times I should get each line printed approximately 250K times.
Given a string, find the longest possible even palindrome (length of palindrome is even) from it.
This question was asked in a telephonic interview for my friend. I will be posting his solution in a day.
Write inorder traversal without using recursion. | https://www.careercup.com/page?pid=groupon-interview-questions |
3 Tips to Help You Keep Your Fireplace Clean
Having a wood burning fireplace adds character and functionality to just about any space. However, in order to maintain these benefits, it does take some effort on your part, particularly when it comes to keeping the entire unit clean. From the floor of the firebox to your chimney flue, it's up to you to keep every part of your system clean.
Wood Type
When it comes to determining how frequently you need to clean your fireplace, the type, or species, of wood you burn should be your first consideration. The species of the wood, such as hardwood or softwood, will affect how much ash it produces. One would naturally think that hardwoods, like beech and oak, would produce a greater amount of ash because of their weight, but the opposite is actually true.
Softwoods, such as those from pine, fir and spruce might weight less than hardwoods, but surprisingly, they produce a greater amount of ash. If you frequently burn softwoods in your fireplace, you will likely have a larger amount of ash buildup than hardwood.
Have the Right Amount of Ash
Believe it or not, this increase in ash can actually be used to your benefit. You might discover that you don't need to clean your fireplace as often as you had originally thought. Having a small amount of ash on the firebox floor is an especially good idea during periods of active use because it will allow you to start your fires faster and they will last longer.
The hot coals produced fall into the middle of the ash, adding heat. The glare generated from the hot coals burning in the ashes reflects the heat back into the fire, allowing it to last longer. However, moderation is the key. You can have too much ash. Never let your ash reach the bottom of your grate, whether you're burning soft or hardwood. Once this happens you know it's time to clean your fireplace.
Your Chimney
It's important to understand that your chimney doesn't necessarily operate by the same standard. You need to clean your chimney regularly. Failing to do won't just make it harder for you to generate a fire, but a dirty and clogged chimney can actually force harmful toxic gas back into your home, putting you and your entire family at risk for inhalation. As a general rule of thumb, have it inspected at least once every year by professionals such as Early Times Home Solutions. | http://tunnelwoodstudios.com/2015/01/23/3-tips-to-help-you-keep-your-fireplace-clean/ |
Working as a lifeguard gave me the opportunity to spend hours every day carefully observing the ways that people orient their bodies in the space of the public pool. After years of such watching, I had come to understand public pools as a unique site where the private body and its movements become public. The body becomes particularly important as the locus of this mediation. The clothing that usually covers the body in public spaces and marks what is public from what is private is necessarily removed along with the ability to control one’s appearance through particular applications of cosmetics or the grooming of the hair. In addition, the particular abilities a body possesses become public as we call on our bodies to support and orient us within the water. As noted by performance scholar Bree Hadley’s reflections on the influential public sphere theories of Jurgen Habermas, “social performers, spectators, and scripts in day-to-day life thus constitute performative conversations in which people try to create common understandings about the state, status, and meaning of bodies” (Hadley 2). From these conversations, people negotiate what beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes are accepted publically and these understandings are mapped back onto our institutions.
The requirements of the public pool force a hyperconsideration of self presentation that can either be stifling or liberating for a body. If that body happens to be female, it is subject to an even more intense form of spectatorship. In this context, I notice the emergence of tensions between the body presented as an object to be viewed and the body as an instrument for phenomenological exploration and physical survival in the speech and motions of the swimmers I observe. These tensions become especially acute on the aging women, whose bodies have lost their place within the Western patriarchy that values youth at the cost of old age. This preference is emphasized further for the youth of women, whose youth is culturally valued through sexual objectification and biologically important through participation in the reproductive cycle (Woodward 12-13).
One of the locations where I would work most frequently as a lifeguard was a small pool at a Senior Recreation Center publically open to people over the age of 60. The pool was very small, not full sized. A single lifeguard would sit in a regular chair by the pools’ edge for the day’s entire opening hours. The intimate architecture coupled with the low intensity floating favored by older bodies made it common for swimmers to carry on conversations with whoever was present, lifeguards included, for the duration of their time in the water. During these conversations, the apologetic rhetoric older women used when speaking about their bodies struck me, as did their attentiveness to the visual appearance of their bodies on aesthetic terms. My own youth and beauty often became a topic of conversation. Inquiries into my personal life often centered around my relationship status and consequently, my position towards the next phase of my life- motherhood. The three primary stages of the female archetype-maiden, mother, and crone- are indeed determined by a woman’s position within the reproductive cycle. The maiden is most visible within the capitalist Western culture that values youth at the expense of old age, while the aged female is understood on largely negative terms, “characterized by an obsession with appearance that signifies nostalgia for earlier stages of life in an attempt to remain valuable and visible” (Woodward 5). The women’s concern over their physical appearance in the aquatic space can be understood as an attempt to salvage the aged body that has suddenly become unusually visible via the self-exposure required by swimming. At the same time, these behaviors could also be understood as socially required mediations with the stigma of the body in decline that were often channeled through self-deprecating humor shared between women in a social space they shared.
Whether in painful sincerity or in affable humor, the ubiquity of self-deprecating attitudes and the reservations older female swimmers exhibited towards their bodies is perhaps what made Carol’s understated independence and unapologetic command of aquatic space so striking.
This woman would come in and walk straight to the deep end of the pool. Her smiles and greetings were gentle and sincere, but she wouldn’t fully engage with other swimmers. While other swimmers would hover in the shallow end and chat, Carol would undertake an elaborate and structured set of movements that were at once unrestrained in their focus and intensity as well as being calmly self-possessed in terms of their specific formal execution. Most striking of all was the look that remained on Carol’s face for the duration of her exercises. With eyes ever-closed and lips returning to a slight smile between breaths, her saint like expression of peace was so complete that at times it verged upon ecstasy. I wanted to know more about this woman and her evidently deep relationship to the water.
“My son shot himself and people say, ‘I just can’t imagine that.’ But you know what? When you’re in it, there’s just nothing else. You either take yourself out of here, *motions with hands to the indefinite space before her* or you go on, you know? Whichever way it is, you’re sort of hurtling through life.
*breathes deeply* And that gets me exactly, by accident, maybe kind of on purpose, to water. That’s what it makes me think about when I’m in water.
I’ve hurled myself through life. Maybe kind of helter skelter sometimes. Maybe not always carefully, or diligently, or through the, the carefulness of my parents, my mom, or my aunts and uncles, or anyone who really cared about me…that is, carefully and really looking and weighing everything that I’ve done- but I’ve gotten through. I’ve gotten through to a good place. And uh, it may not be that much further down the line that I will be faced with another challenge. But I will say that I am now at a place emotionally, spiritually, and actually physically healthy.
The trauma of this incident instilled an intense fear of water within Carol that kept her from swimming for over fifty years of her life. She made many attempts to overcome her fear of the water, but she was never able to overcome the memory of her near drowning- until she began to drown upon land. After the tragic suicide of her son, which followed her husband’s earlier suicide, Carol sank into a deep depression. Her therapist recommended over and over again that she begin to learn how to swim. One day Carol took her advice and went to the pool. She was determined to overcome her fear of water, and she did it- all by herself.
Having found this wonderful rhythm in the water gave Carol the momentum to find a rhythm outside of the water. The confidence she gained by conquering her fears gave her a sense of agency that helped her manage and overcome the depression of her losses and the physical pain of medical conditions that had caused her physical health to in tandem, decline.
In water, we find a physical and psychological space to challenge ourselves to overcome what defines and limits on dry land. The ability to overcome a fear that had been limiting to Carol gave her the confidence to begin the transformation she needed to survive the dual traumas of her husband and son’s suicides. At this phase of her life, Carol needed a way to redefine herself for herself only. Within the water, we are bound up in and by ourselves. It is particularly important that Carol taught herself how to swim. Within the water Carol’s self definition continues. She developed her own system of aquatic exercise based on her body’s individual needs. Carol makes a clear distinction between swimming and other established ‘exercise’. She insists on the importance of senior swimmers having the free space to develop their own spaces within the water.
“I think its wonderful that they give us a free swim time. That is, without an instructor. And the reason that being is that if you have your own, and quite a few ladies that come up here and I’m sure some of the gentlemen but actually more ladies have come, I’ve noticed, we all seem to have our own sense of what our bodies need.
Instead of an established form of self-disciplining, her swimming exercises are creative meditations that engage the mind, body, and spirit in unison. Each exercise is based on the movements of some other object or animal that she channels with her whole being. Carol designs repetitive gestures based on the movements or attributes of a specific underwater animal while targeting specific parts her body to accomplish the physical benefits that she needs. Each of these movement sequences involves total mediation upon the underwater creature from which it is derived. One of Carol’s favorite exercises is called ‘the manatee’.
“I love the manatee for it’s great gentleness anyway. Also because of it’s girth, it’s size…if it were on land, it would feel how I used to feel when I was overweight. In my efforts to release that weight, I channeled the darling manatee….There is a certain exercise I do in the water. I will go up and down- and if it looks like anything like a manatee to anyone else I don’t care- to me, I feel like a manatee that is surfacing and breaking and then going back under… or maybe even a whale… but the manatee is so gentle. And it doesn’t hurt anybody. And it eats plants. And since I’m a gardener… that worked. And yeah, I would actually channel the manatee and that would help me release any fear I still had of anybody looking or whatever. And imagining the clear waters in Florida, which is not that hard when you see the colors of the water… to imagine the sunlight filtering through the water.
The language Carol uses to describe her transformations pose her weight loss as a generative practice rather than an attempt to reduce her body down to a form that society finds more acceptable. Rather than shrinking her body to take up less space, Carol is expanding her borders beyond herself, and engaging in a generative creative practice over which she has total agency. She understands her body, even her overweight body, as one essential part of herself rather than as a package that defines her. There is specific and evocative language Carol uses to describe the transformation of her body that took place when she taught herself to swim. Carol uses the same language when describing the transformation that took place inside as she grew confident in the water. There is a particularity to her choice to phrase her transformations as a “release”. Carol chooses to “release” the extra weight she gained during her depression, to “release” her fear of water. It is as if she is able, finally, to decisively let go of these burdens, borne away by the gentle carriage of the water. That the water itself provides Carol the space for transformation is no accident. The particular phenomenological qualities of the aquatic space align with Carol’s advanced perceptual sensitivities and imaginative powers to create an ideal space for generation and transformation.
Before I ever spoke to Carol, I felt as though Carol carried some heightened sense towards the subtleties of the sensory world. Although she was always dressed in the same simple utilitarian bodysuit, I was puzzled by not only the grace of her movement, but by the aesthetic harmony of her appearance. There was no sense of showiness to her appearance, yet I remember the acute feeling of visual harmony I felt whenever Carol appeared from the locker rooms. Her apparent lack of vanity and self-consciousness obscured the fact that this sense of visual harmony was a result of Carol’s own doing. I still remember the initial hint of intention I noticed.
One afternoon, as Carol floated upon her back, she laid her hands across her stomach. In that instant I was surprised to notice a pink polish on her folded fingers that perfectly matched the color I had not yet noticed upon her smiling lips. This pink shade was perfectly complementary not only to the royal blues of her suit, but also to the turquoise of the pool water. After speaking with Carol, I was unsurprised to find that she has always felt a special appreciation to color. Throughout our following conversations, she continued intonations of the colors, feelings and sounds of the water. Her very method of teaching herself to swim involved a form of acute sensory focus on only the water washing across her face. By closing her eyes and allowing herself into this sensory experience she was able to find a way to understand the subtle tendencies of the water’s movement and her own natural reactions. Her vivid descriptions of this memory are one example of a generally heightened attention to the sonic, visual, or even gravitational details of experience. These details illustrate a highly sensitive phenomenological understanding and engagement with the world that meshes in profound ways with the proven benefitsof aquatic submersion. The use of sensory deprivation and floatation for improvement of fibromyalgia, depression (conditions Carol suffers from) have been scientifically proven. In addition, the experience of aquatic immersion aids in meditation and can even bring on natural hallucinations.
The water’s color is but one of my sensory elements that Carol finds appealing. The altered sense of gravity and sound creates an otherworldly space where the tensions of this world fall away. Isolated within this space Carol builds her own worlds where her body’s experience supports the fantastic transformations she desires. The creation of these fantasy spaces involves a degree of sensory deprivation and even isolation.
Although she is aware of the social benefits that public pools provide to many of her peers, Carol prefers to isolate herself from the conversations and relationships of other regular pool attendees. Carol is socially capable and well-liked, but her routines rely on a sort of suspension of reality that doesn’t permit for others. Carol is unashamed of her independence and eccentricity.
Although Carol’s existence within the realm of the supernatural or new age is certainly interesting and central to her self concept, I chose to avoid focusing my questions on Carol’s unorthodox beliefs for several reasons. Her beliefs were expansively eclectic to a degree that felt personal beyond what is communicable on terms that others could understand. Although I personally give credence to phenomena many may find supernatural, I am aware of the difficulty of qualifying and communicating one’s beliefs as well as the alienating effect of feeling misunderstood. I chose instead to focus on the heightened powers of perception that actually enable Carol see what others don’t.
A specific moment during one of our conversations illustrates the way a focal shift towards Carol’s perceptual strength contributes to an understanding of beliefs that some may find difficult to understand. During this interview, Carol was showered and fully dressed in a casual yet aesthetically unified manner. She wore a pendant with a beautiful stone and uncut stone around her neck. Towards the end of the interview, I asked her what kind of stone it was that hung on the pendant around her neck. She explained that the stone was Drusy quartz. I was hesitant to ask the question that followed, because although I understand how belief in crystal powers can aid in manifesting them, I am highly skeptical of the belief that certain rocks have the wide range of effects ascribed to them by those who wish to sell them for money. However, I asked Carol if the stone had particular meaning or power for her. Carol explained that the stone gave her insight into things that go unsaid, aiding in perception. Carol maintained that when people see a stone they are drawn to, it is usually the case that when one researches the properties of the stone their initial indications to the stone’s powers are correct. Yet Carol’s following statements indicate that stone’s meanings are not, in fact, “set in stone”, but indeed have phenomenological basis in the same manner as do the meanings of colors.
By evoking the symbolic power of birth, Carol universalizes a subjective experience while simultaneously recognizing its subjectivity. Her example provides a framework for understanding how she may frame her own subjective experiences, which is especially useful given the special value she gives to what is “between the lines of what people say and do”. Carol’s womb signification becomes especially salient when contextualized amongst the myriad references to birthing and maternity she recounts during our conversations. In finishing, I wish to examine Carol’s relationship to motherhood in a final investigation of her identification as a “crone”.
As an archetype of an old woman, the “crone” has a complicated legacy. Negative associations are as old as the word itself, which was derived from an old Anglo-French word for a disagreeable old woman, carogne, literally meaning ‘carrion’ (Online Etymology Dictionary). Over the centuries, the word began to take on some positive meanings as well. The crone is also seen a wise woman whose proximity to death gives her occult wisdom. In certain wiccan or pagan circles, the crone represents the last of the three stages of a woman’s life. The crone stage is associated with greater freedom, wisdom, and personal power than the previous two stages, which are maidenhood and motherhood. In spite of, or perhaps because of her power, the crone is always a marginalized figure who does not fit in with society but uses her powers to subvert it. Through this lens, the crone provides contemporary women with a strong and storied model for aging when few such icons exist.
Carol’s personal identification with the crone archetype represents a transition into an age of creativity, wisdom and solitude. By taking on the name“Wisest of Crones,” Carol identifies positively with her late stage of life, actively resisting the narrative of decline. Although no longer sexually reproductive, the crone insists on remaining productive through craft and culture. Carol’s transition into this crone phase of life aligns with and is onset when she teaches herself how to swim. In this act, Carol transforms water from a realm of fear and exclusion into a world where she is able to create her own personal ideal spaces for the healing and regeneration of her body, mind, and spirit. The importance of transition from mother to crone is underscored by the trauma of her son’s suicide. Her identification as mother remains within Carol. Carol’s stories almost all involve either her time as a mother or the influence of her own mother upon Carol. She explains events of her life through frequent references to her maternity. For example, her understanding of the innate comfort of aquatic immersion draws upon recollections of the womb.
Carol’s active self- identification as “crone” is evidence of a radical self-acceptance based in a conscious recognition of the qualities she shares with this archetype. The freedom and yielding nature of the water unleashes Carol’s innate creativity and sensitivity to phenomena at the limits of perception. She engages in transformative practices of meditational channeling that reperform echoes of the initial transformation that took place when she taught herself to swim. Carol develops her confidence and prospective powers of growth every time she visits the pool. | https://www.fielddressing.net/wisestofcrones |
Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of thinkers. +more But there are some ideas that are common to it. For example, the monistic idea that all of reality can be derived from a single principle, "the One".
Neoplatonism began with Ammonius Saccas and his student Plotinus (c. 204/5 - 271 AD) and stretched to the 6th century AD. +more After Plotinus there were three distinct periods in the history of neoplatonism: the work of his student Porphyry (3rd to early 4th century); that of Iamblichus (3rd to 4th century); and the period in the 5th and 6th centuries, when the Academies in Alexandria and Athens flourished.
Neoplatonism had an enduring influence on the subsequent history of philosophy. In the Middle Ages, neoplatonic ideas were studied and discussed by Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thinkers. +more In the Islamic cultural sphere, neoplatonic texts were available in Arabic and Persian translations, and notable philosophers such as al-Farabi, Solomon ibn Gabirol (Avicebron), Avicenna, and Maimonides incorporated neoplatonic elements into their own thinking. Thomas Aquinas had direct access to works by Proclus, Simplicius and Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, and he knew about other neoplatonists, such as Plotinus and Porphyry, through secondhand sources. The mystic Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 - c. 1328) was also influenced by neoplatonism, propagating a contemplative way of life which points to the Godhead beyond the nameable God.
Neoplatonism also had a strong influence on the perennial philosophy of the Italian Renaissance thinkers Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, and continues through nineteenth-century Universalism and modern-day spirituality and nondualism.
Origins of the term
Neoplatonism is a modern term. The term neoplatonism has a double function as a historical category. +more On the one hand, it differentiates the philosophical doctrines of Plotinus and his successors from those of the historical Plato. On the other, the term makes an assumption about the novelty of Plotinus's interpretation of Plato. In the nearly six centuries from Plato's time to Plotinus', there had been an uninterrupted tradition of interpreting Plato which had begun with Aristotle and with the immediate successors of Plato's Academy and continued on through a period of Platonism which is now referred to as middle Platonism. The term neoplatonism implies that Plotinus' interpretation of Plato was so distinct from those of his predecessors that it should be thought to introduce a new period in the history of Platonism. Some contemporary scholars, however, have taken issue with this assumption and have doubted that neoplatonism constitutes a useful label. They claim that merely marginal differences separate Plotinus' teachings from those of his immediate predecessors. As a pupil of philosopher Ammonius Saccas, Plotinus used the knowledge of his teacher and predecessors in order to inspire the next generation.
Whether neoplatonism is a meaningful or useful historical category is itself a central question concerning the history of the interpretation of Plato. For much of the history of Platonism, it was commonly accepted that the doctrines of the neoplatonists were essentially the same as those of Plato. +more The Renaissance Platonist Marsilio Ficino, for instance, thought that the neoplatonic interpretation of Plato was an authentic and accurate representation of Plato's philosophy. Although it is unclear precisely when scholars began to disassociate the philosophy of the historical Plato from the philosophy of his neoplatonic interpreters, they had clearly begun to do so at least as early as the first decade of the nineteenth century. Contemporary scholars often identify the German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher as an early thinker who took Plato's philosophy to be separate from that of his neoplatonic interpreters. However, others have argued that the differentiation of Plato from neoplatonism was the result of a protracted historical development that preceded Schleiermacher's scholarly work on Plato.
Origins and history of classical neoplatonism
Neoplatonism started with Plotinus in the third century. Three distinct phases in classical neoplatonism after Plotinus can be distinguished: the work of his student Porphyry; that of Iamblichus and his school in Syria; and the period in the fifth and sixth centuries, when the Academies in Alexandria and Athens flourished.
Hellenism
Neoplatonism synthesized ideas from various philosophical and religious cultural spheres. The most important forerunners from Greek philosophy were the Middle Platonists, such as Plutarch, and the neopythagoreans, especially Numenius of Apamea. +more Philo, a Hellenized Jew, translated Judaism into terms of Stoic, Platonic and neopythagorean elements, and held that God is "supra rational" and can be reached only through "ecstasy". Philo also held that the oracles of God supply the material of moral and religious knowledge. The earliest Christian philosophers, such as Justin Martyr and Athenagoras, who attempted to connect Christianity with Platonism, and the Christian Gnostics of Alexandria, especially Valentinus and the followers of Basilides, also mirrored elements of neoplatonism, albeit without its rigorous self-consistency.
Saccas
Ammonius Saccas (died ) was a teacher of Plotinus. Through Ammonius Saccas, Plotinus may have been influenced by Indian thought. +more The similarities between neoplatonism and Indian philosophy, particularly Samkhya, have led several authors to suggest an Indian influence in its founding, particularly on Ammonius Saccas.
Both Christians (see Eusebius, Jerome, and Origen) and pagans (see Porphyry and Plotinus) claimed him a teacher and founder of the neoplatonic system. Porphyry stated in On the One School of Plato and Aristotle, that Ammonius' view was that the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle were in harmony. +more Eusebius and Jerome claimed him as a Christian until his death, whereas Porphyry claimed he had renounced Christianity and embraced pagan philosophy.
Plotinus
Plotinus ( - ) is widely considered the father of neoplatonism. Much of our biographical information about him comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' Enneads. +more While he was himself influenced by the teachings of classical Greek, Persian and Indian philosophy and Egyptian theology, his metaphysical writings later inspired numerous Christian, Jewish, Islamic and Gnostic metaphysicians and mystics over the centuries.
Plotinus taught that there is a supreme, totally transcendent "One", containing no division, multiplicity, nor distinction; likewise, it is beyond all categories of being and non-being. The concept of "being" is derived by us from the objects of human experience and is an attribute of such objects, but the infinite, transcendent One is beyond all such objects and, therefore, is beyond the concepts which we can derive from them. +more The One "cannot be any existing thing" and cannot be merely the sum of all such things (compare the Stoic doctrine of disbelief in non-material existence) but "is prior to all existents".
Porphyry
Porphyry (c. 233 - c. +more 309) wrote widely on astrology, religion, philosophy, and musical theory. He produced a biography of his teacher, Plotinus. He is important in the history of mathematics because of his Life of Pythagoras and his commentary on Euclid's Elements, which Pappus used when he wrote his own commentary. Porphyry is also known as an opponent of Christianity and as a defender of paganism; of his Adversus Christianos (Against the Christians) in 15 books, only fragments remain. He famously said, "The gods have proclaimed Christ to have been most pious, but the Christians are a confused and vicious sect. ".
Iamblichus
Iamblichus ( - ) influenced the direction taken by later neoplatonic philosophy. He is perhaps best known for his compendium on Pythagorean philosophy. +more In Iamblichus' system, the realm of divinities stretched from the original One down to material nature itself, where soul, in fact, descended into matter and became "embodied" as human beings. The world is thus peopled by a crowd of superhuman beings influencing natural events and possessing and communicating knowledge of the future, and who are all accessible to prayers and offerings. Iamblichus had salvation as his final goal (see henosis). The embodied soul was to return to divinity by performing certain rites, or theurgy, literally, 'divine-working'.
Academies
After Plotinus' (around 205-270) and his student Porphyry (around 232-309) Aristotle's (non-biological) works entered the curriculum of Platonic thought. Porphyry's introduction (Isagoge) to Aristotle's Categoria was important as an introduction to logic, and the study of Aristotle became an introduction to the study of Plato in the late Platonism of Athens and Alexandria. +more The commentaries of this group seek to harmonise Plato, Aristotle, and, often, the Stoics. Some works of neoplatonism were attributed to Plato or Aristotle. De Mundo, for instance, is thought not to be the work of a 'pseudo-Aristotle' though this remains debatable.
Hypatia ( - 415) was a Greek philosopher and mathematician who served as head of the Platonist school in Alexandria, Egypt, where she taught philosophy, mathematics and astronomy prior to her murder by a fanatical mob of Coptic Parabalani monks because she had been advising the Christian prefect of Egypt Orestes during his feud with Cyril, Alexandria's dynastic archbishop. The extent of Cyril's personal involvement in her murder remains a matter of scholarly debate.
Proclus Lycaeus (February 8, 412 - April 17, 485) was a Greek neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major Greek philosophers (see Damascius). He set forth one of the most elaborate, complex, and fully developed neoplatonic systems, providing also an allegorical way of reading the dialogues of Plato. +more The particular characteristic of Proclus' system is his insertion of a level of individual ones, called henads, between the One itself and the divine Intellect, which is the second principle. The henads are beyond being, like the One itself, but they stand at the head of chains of causation (seirai or taxeis) and in some manner give to these chains their particular character. They are also identified with the traditional Greek gods, so one henad might be Apollo and be the cause of all things apollonian, while another might be Helios and be the cause of all sunny things. The henads serve both to protect the One itself from any hint of multiplicity and to draw up the rest of the universe towards the One, by being a connecting, intermediate stage between absolute unity and determinate multiplicity.
Ideas
The Enneads of Plotinus are the primary and classical document of neoplatonism. As a form of mysticism, it contains theoretical and practical parts. +more The theoretical parts deal with the high origin of the human soul, showing how it has departed from its first estate. The practical parts show the way by which the soul may again return to the Eternal and Supreme. The system can be divided between the invisible world and the phenomenal world, the former containing the transcendent, absolute One from which emanates an eternal, perfect, essence (nous, or intellect), which, in turn, produces the world-soul.
The One
For Plotinus, the first principle of reality is "the One", an utterly simple, ineffable, unknowable subsistence which is both the creative source of the Universe and the teleological end of all existing things. Although, properly speaking, there is no name appropriate for the first principle, the most adequate names are "the One" or "the Good". +more The One is so simple that it cannot even be said to exist or to be a being. Rather, the creative principle of all things is beyond being, a notion which is derived from Book VI of the Republic, when, in the course of his famous analogy of the sun, Plato says that the Good is beyond being (ἐπέκεινα τῆς οὐσίας) in power and dignity. In Plotinus' model of reality, the One is the cause of the rest of reality, which takes the form of two subsequent "hypostases" or substances: Nous and Soul (psyché). Although neoplatonists after Plotinus adhered to his cosmological scheme in its most general outline, later developments in the tradition also departed substantively from Plotinus' teachings in regards to significant philosophical issues, such as the nature of evil.
Emanations
From the One emanated the rest of the universe as a sequence of lesser beings.
Demiurge or nous
The original Being initially emanates, or throws out, the nous, which is a perfect image of the One and the archetype of all existing things. It is simultaneously both being and thought, idea and ideal world. +more As image, the nous corresponds perfectly to the One, but as derivative, it is entirely different. What Plotinus understands by the nous is the highest sphere accessible to the human mind, while also being pure intellect itself. Nous is the most critical component of idealism, Neoplatonism being a pure form of idealism. The demiurge (the nous) is the energy, or ergon (does the work), which manifests or organises the material world into perceivability.
World-soul
The image and product of the motionless nous is the world-soul, which, according to Plotinus, is immaterial like the nous. Its relation to the nous is the same as that of the nous to the One. +more It stands between the nous and the phenomenal world, and it is permeated and illuminated by the former, but it is also in contact with the latter. The nous/spirit is indivisible; the world-soul may preserve its unity and remain in the nous, but, at the same time, it has the power of uniting with the corporeal world and thus being disintegrated. It therefore occupies an intermediate position. As a single world-soul, it belongs in essence and destination to the intelligible world; but it also embraces innumerable individual souls; and these can either allow themselves to be informed by the nous, or turn aside from the nous and choose the phenomenal world and lose themselves in the realm of the senses and the finite.
Phenomenal world
The soul, as a moving essence, generates the corporeal or phenomenal world. This world ought to be so pervaded by the soul that its various parts should remain in perfect harmony. +more Plotinus is no dualist in the same sense as sects like the Gnostics; in contrast, he admires the beauty and splendour of the world. So long as idea governs matter, or the soul governs the body, the world is fair and good. It is an image - though a shadowy image - of the upper world, and the degrees of better and worse in it are essential to the harmony of the whole. But, in the actual phenomenal world, unity and harmony are replaced by strife or discord; the result is a conflict, a becoming and vanishing, an illusive existence. And the reason for this state of things is that bodies rest on a substratum of matter. Matter is the indeterminate: that with no qualities. If destitute of form and idea, it is evil; as capable of form, it is neutral. Evil here is understood as a parasite, having no-existence of its own (parahypostasis), an unavoidable outcome of the Universe, having an "other" necessity, as a harmonizing factor.
Celestial hierarchy
Later neoplatonic philosophers, especially Iamblichus, added hundreds of intermediate beings such as gods, angels, demons, and other beings as mediators between the One and humanity. The neoplatonist gods are omni-perfect beings and do not display the usual amoral behaviour associated with their representations in the myths. +more * The One: God, The Good. Transcendent and ineffable. * The Hypercosmic Gods: those that make Essence, Life, and Soul * The Demiurge: the Creator * The Cosmic Gods: those who make Being, Nature, and Matter-including the gods known to us from classical religion.
Evil
Neoplatonists did not believe in an independent existence of evil. They compared it to darkness, which does not exist in itself but only as the absence of light. +more So, too, evil is simply the absence of good. Things are good insofar as they exist; they are evil only insofar as they are imperfect, lacking some good which they should have.
Return to the One
Neoplatonists believed human perfection and happiness were attainable in this world, without awaiting an afterlife. Perfection and happiness-seen as synonymous-could be achieved through philosophical contemplation.
All people return to the One, from which they emanated.
The neoplatonists believed in the pre-existence, and immortality of the soul. The human soul consists of a lower irrational soul and a higher rational soul (mind), both of which can be regarded as different powers of the one soul. +more It was widely held that the soul possesses a "vehicle" , accounting for the human soul's immortality and allowing for its return to the One after death. After bodily death, the soul takes up a level in the afterlife corresponding with the level at which it lived during its earthly life. The neoplatonists believed in the principle of reincarnation. Although the most pure and holy souls would dwell in the highest regions, the impure soul would undergo a purification, before descending again, to be reincarnated into a new body, perhaps into animal form. Plotinus believed that a soul may be reincarnated into another human or even a different sort of animal. However, Porphyry maintained, instead, that human souls were only reincarnated into other humans. A soul which has returned to the One achieves union with the cosmic universal soul and does not descend again; at least, not in this world period.
Influence
Early Christianity
Augustine
Certain central tenets of neoplatonism served as a philosophical interim for the Christian theologian Augustine of Hippo on his journey from dualistic Manichaeism to Christianity. As a Manichee hearer, Augustine had held that evil has substantial being and that God is made of matter; when he became a neoplatonist, he changed his views on these things. +more As a neoplatonist, and later a Christian, Augustine believed that evil is a privation of good and that God is not material. When writing his treatise 'On True Religion' several years after his 387 baptism, Augustine's Christianity was still tempered by neoplatonism.
The term logos was interpreted variously in neoplatonism. Plotinus refers to Thales in interpreting logos as the principle of meditation, the interrelationship between the hypostases (Soul, Spirit (nous) and the 'One'). +more St. John introduces a relation between Logos and the Son, Christ, whereas Paul calls it 'Son', 'Image', and 'Form'. Victorinus subsequently differentiated the Logos interior to God from the Logos related to the world by creation and salvation.
For Augustine, the Logos "took on flesh" in Christ, in whom the Logos was present as in no other man. He strongly influenced early medieval Christian philosophy. +more Perhaps the key subject in this was Logos.
Origen and Pseudo-Dionysius
Some early Christians, influenced by neoplatonism, identified the neoplatonic One, or God, with Yahweh. The most influential of these would be Origen, the pupil of Ammonius Saccas; and the sixth-century author known as Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, whose works were translated by John Scotus in the ninth century for the West. +more Both authors had a lasting influence on Eastern Orthodox and Western Christianity, and the development of contemplative and mystical practices and theology.
Gnosticism
Neoplatonism also had links with Gnosticism, which Plotinus rebuked in his ninth tractate of the second Enneads: "Against Those That Affirm The Creator of The Cosmos and The Cosmos Itself to Be Evil" (generally known as "Against The Gnostics").
Due to their belief being grounded in Platonic thought, the neoplatonists rejected Gnosticism's vilification of Plato's demiurge, the creator of the material world or cosmos discussed in the Timaeus. Neoplatonism has been referred to as orthodox Platonic philosophy by scholars like +more_Turner'>John D. Turner; this reference may be due, in part, to Plotinus' attempt to refute certain interpretations of Platonic philosophy, through his Enneads. Plotinus believed the followers of Gnosticism had corrupted the original teachings of Plato and often argued against likes of Valentinus who, according to Plotinus, had given rise to doctrines of dogmatic theology with ideas such as that the Spirit of Christ was brought forth by a conscious god after the fall from Pleroma. According to Plotinus, The One is not a conscious god with intent, nor a godhead, nor a conditioned existing entity of any kind, rather a requisite principle of totality which is also the source of ultimate wisdom.
Byzantine education
After the Platonic Academy was destroyed in the first century BC, philosophers continued to teach Platonism, but it was not until the early 5th century (c. 410) that a revived academy (which had no connection with the original Academy) was established in Athens by some leading neoplatonists. +more It persisted until 529 AD when it was finally closed by Justinian I because of active paganism of its professors. Other schools continued in Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria which were the centers of Justinian's empire.
After the closure of the neoplatonic academy, neoplatonic and/or secular philosophical studies continued in publicly funded schools in Alexandria. In the early seventh century, the neoplatonist Stephanus of Alexandria brought this Alexandrian tradition to Constantinople, where it would remain influential, albeit as a form of secular education. +more The university maintained an active philosophical tradition of Platonism and Aristotelianism, with the former being the longest unbroken Platonic school, running for close to two millennia until the fifteenth century.
Michael Psellos (1018-1078), a Byzantine monk, writer, philosopher, politician and historian, wrote many philosophical treatises, such as De omnifaria doctrina. He wrote most of his philosophy during his time as a court politician at Constantinople in the 1030s and 1040s.
Gemistos Plethon ( - 1452; Greek: Πλήθων Γεμιστός) remained the preeminent scholar of neoplatonic philosophy in the late Byzantine Empire. He introduced his understanding and insight into the works of neoplatonism during the failed attempt to reconcile the East-West Schism at the Council of Florence. +more At Florence, Plethon met Cosimo de' Medici and influenced the latter's decision to found a new Platonic Academy there. Cosimo subsequently appointed as head Marsilio Ficino, who proceeded to translate all Plato's works, the Enneads of Plotinus, and various other neoplatonist works into Latin.
Islamic neoplatonism
The major reason for the prominence of neoplatonic influences in the historical Muslim world was availability of neoplatonic texts: Arabic translations and paraphrases of neoplatonic works were readily available to Islamic scholars greatly due to the availability of the Greek copies, in part, because Muslims conquered some of the more important centres of the Byzantine Christian civilization in Egypt and Syria.
Various Persian and Arabic scholars, including Avicenna (Ibn Sina), Ibn Arabi, al-Kindi, al-Farabi, and al-Himsi, adapted neoplatonism to conform to the monotheistic constraints of Islam. The translations of the works which extrapolate the tenets of God in neoplatonism present no major modification from their original Greek sources, showing the doctrinal shift towards monotheism. +more Islamic neoplatonism adapted the concepts of the One and the First Principle to Islamic theology, attributing the First Principle to God. God is a transcendent being, omnipresent and inalterable to the effects of creation. Islamic philosophers used the framework of Islamic mysticism in their interpretation of Neoplatonic writings and concepts.
Jewish thought
In the Middle Ages, neoplatonist ideas influenced Jewish thinkers, such as the Kabbalist Isaac the Blind, and the Jewish neoplatonic philosopher Solomon ibn Gabirol (Avicebron), who modified it in the light of their own monotheism.
Western mysticism
The works of Pseudo-Dionysius were instrumental in the flowering of western medieval mysticism, most notably Meister Eckhart.
Western Renaissance
Neoplatonism ostensibly survived in the Eastern Christian Church as an independent tradition and was reintroduced to the West by Pletho ( - 1452/1454), an avowed pagan and opponent of the Byzantine Church, inasmuch as the latter, under Western scholastic influence, relied heavily upon Aristotelian methodology. Pletho's Platonic revival, following the Council of Florence (1438-1439), largely accounts for the renewed interest in Platonic philosophy which accompanied the Renaissance.
"Of all the students of Greek in Renaissance Italy, the best-known are the neoplatonists who studied in and around Florence" (Hole). Neoplatonism was not just a revival of Plato's ideas, it is all based on Plotinus' created synthesis, which incorporated the works and teachings of Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and other Greek philosophers. +more The Renaissance in Italy was the revival of classic antiquity, and this started at the fall of the Byzantine empire, who were considered the "librarians of the world", because of their great collection of classical manuscripts and the number of humanist scholars that resided in Constantinople (Hole).
Neoplatonism in the Renaissance combined the ideas of Christianity and a new awareness of the writings of Plato.
Marsilio Ficino (1433-99) was "chiefly responsible for packaging and presenting Plato to the Renaissance" (Hole). In 1462, Cosimo I de' Medici, patron of arts, who had an interest in humanism and Platonism, provided Ficino with all 36 of Plato's dialogues in Greek for him to translate. +more Between 1462 and 1469, Ficino translated these works into Latin, making them widely accessible, as only a minority of people could read Greek. And, between 1484 and 1492, he translated the works of Plotinus, making them available for the first time to the West.
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-94) was another neoplatonist during the Italian Renaissance. He could speak and write Latin and Greek, and had knowledge on Hebrew and Arabic. +more The pope banned his works because they were viewed as heretical - unlike Ficino, who managed to stay on the right side of the church.
The efforts of Ficino and Pico to introduce neoplatonic and Hermetic doctrines into the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church has recently been evaluated in terms of an attempted "Hermetic Reformation".
Cambridge Platonists (17th century)
In the seventeenth century in England, neoplatonism was fundamental to the school of the Cambridge Platonists, whose luminaries included Henry More, Ralph Cudworth, Benjamin Whichcote and John Smith, all graduates of the University of Cambridge. Coleridge claimed that they were not really Platonists, but "more truly Plotinists": "divine Plotinus", as More called him.
Later, Thomas Taylor (not a Cambridge Platonist) was the first to translate Plotinus' works into English.
Transcendentalism and perennial philosophy
Modern neoplatonism
Notable modern neoplatonists include Thomas Taylor, "the English Platonist", who wrote extensively on Platonism and translated almost the entire Platonic and Plotinian corpora into English, and the Belgian writer Suzanne Lilar.
The science fiction writer Philip K. +more Dick identified as a neoplatonist and explores related mystical experiences and religious concepts in his theoretical work, compiled in The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick.
Notes
Further reading
Addey, Crystal. 2014. +more Divination and Theurgy in Neoplatonism: Oracles of the Gods. Farnham; Burlington : Ashgate. * Blumenthal, Henry J. , and E. G. Clark, eds. 1993. The Divine Iamblichus: Philosopher and Man of Gods. Proceedings of a Conference held at the University of Liverpool on 23-26 September 1990. Bristol, UK: Bristol Classical Press. * Catana, Leo 2013. "The Origin of the Division between Middle Platonism and Neoplatonism. " Apeiron: A Journal for Ancient Philosophy and Science 46: 2: 166-200. * Chiaradonna, Riccardo and Franco Trabattoni eds. 2009. Physics and Philosophy of Nature in Greek Neoplatonism: Proceedings of the European Science Foundation Exploratory Workshop, Il Ciocco, Castelvecchio Pascoli, 22-24 June 2006. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. * Chlup, Radek. 2012. Proclus: An Introduction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press. * Dillon, John M. and Lloyd P. Gerson eds. 2004. Neoplatonic Philosophy. Introductory Readings. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co. * Gersh, Stephen. 2012. "The First Principles of Latin Neoplatonism: Augustine, Macrobius, Boethius. " Vivarium 50. 2: 113-138. * Gerson, Lloyd P. ed. 1996. The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Gertz, Sebastian R. P. 2011. Death and Immortality in Late Neoplatonism: Studies on the Ancient Commentaries on Plato's Phaedo. Leiden: Brill. * Hadot, Ilsetraut. 2015. "Athenian and Alexandrian Neoplatonism and the Harmonization of Aristotle and Plato. " Translated by Michael Chase. Leiden; Boston: Brill. * O’Meara, Dominic J. 1993. Plotinus: An Introduction to the Enneads. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. * Rangos, Spyridon. 2000. "Proclus and Artemis: On the Relevance of Neoplatonism to the Modern Study of Ancient Religion. " Kernos 13: 47-84. * Remes, P. 2008. Neoplatonism. Stocksfield, UK: Acumen. * Remes, Pauliina and Slaveva-Griffin, Svetla eds. 2014. The Routledge Handbook of Neoplatonism, New York: Routledge. * Smith, Andrew. 1974. Porphyry's Place in the Neoplatonic Tradition: A Study in Post-Plotinian Neoplatonism. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. * Whittaker, Thomas. 1901. The Neo-Platonists: A Study in the History of Hellenism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. | https://eduo.org/Neoplatonism |
References in:
Internalism and the Nature of Justification
Dissertation, Stockholm University (2020)
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This paper objects to internalist theories of justification from testimony on the grounds that they can’t accommodate intuitions about a pair of cases. The pair of cases involved is a testimonial version of the cases involved in the New Evil Demon Argument. The role of New Evil Demon cases in motivating contemporary internalist theories of knowledge and justification notwithstanding, it is argued here that testimonial cases make an intuitive case against internalist theories of justification from testimony.
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According to internalist theories of testimony, beliefs based on what others say are justified by the reasons a listener uses in forming her belief. I identify a distinctive type of testimonial situation, which I call circular testimony and argue that a certain type of circular testimony establishes the incompleteness of internalist theories of testimony.
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Knowledge and its Limits presents a systematic new conception of knowledge as a kind of mental stage sensitive to the knower's environment. It makes a major contribution to the debate between externalist and internalist philosophies of mind, and breaks radically with the epistemological tradition of analyzing knowledge in terms of true belief. The theory casts new light on such philosophical problems as scepticism, evidence, probability and assertion, realism and anti-realism, and the limits of what can be known. The arguments are (...)
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According to epistemological internalism, the rationality of a belief supervenes purely on "internal facts" about the thinker's mind. But what are "internal facts"? Why does the rationality of a belief supervene on them? The standard answers are unacceptable. This paper proposes new answers. "Internal facts" are facts about the thinker's nonfactive mental states. The rationality of a belief supervenes on such internal facts because we need rules of belief revision that we can follow directly, not by means of following any (...)
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Two successes of old quantum theory are particularly notable: Bohr’s prediction of the spectral lines of ionised helium, and Sommerfeld’s prediction of the fine-structure of the hydrogen spectral lines. Many scientific realists would like to be able to explain these successes in terms of the truth or approximate truth of the assumptions which fuelled the relevant derivations. In this paper I argue that this will be difficult for the ionised helium success, and is almost certainly impossible for the fine-structure success. (...)
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In these challenging pages, Unger argues for the extreme skeptical view that, not only can nothing ever be known, but no one can ever have any reason at all for anything. A consequence of this is that we cannot ever have any emotions about anything: no one can ever be happy or sad about anything. Finally, in this reduction to absurdity of virtually all our supposed thought, he argues that no one can ever believe, or even say, that anything is (...)
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Many philosophers claim that interesting forms of epistemic evaluation are insensitive to truth in a very specific way. Suppose that two possible agents believe the same proposition based on the same evidence. Either both are justified or neither is; either both have good evidence for holding the belief or neither does. This does not change if, on this particular occasion, it turns out that only one of the two agents has a true belief. Epitomizing this line of thought are thought (...)
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Epistemic reasons are mental states. They are not propositions or non-mental facts. The discussion proceeds as follows. Section 1 introduces the topic. Section 2 gives two concrete examples of how our topic directly affects the internalism/externalism debate in normative epistemology. Section 3 responds to an argument against the view that reasons are mental states. Section 4 presents two problems for the view that reasons are propositions. Section 5 presents two problems for the view that reasons are non-mental facts. Section 6 (...)
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I argue against the orthodox view of the relationship between propositional and doxastic justification. The view under criticism is: if p is propositionally justified for S in virtue of S's having reason R, and S believes p on the basis of R, then S's belief that p is doxastically justified. I then propose and evaluate alternative accounts of the relationship between propositional and doxastic justification, and conclude that we should explain propositional justification in terms of doxastic justification. If correct, this (...)
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According to factive accounts of the norm of belief and decision-making, you should not believe or base decisions on a falsehood. Even when the evidence misleadingly suggests that a false proposition is true, you should not believe it or base decisions on it. Critics claim that factive accounts are counterintuitive and badly mischaracterize our ordinary practice of evaluating beliefs and decisions. This paper reports four experiments that rigorously test the critic’s accusations and the viability of factive accounts. The results undermine (...)
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Richard Swinburne offers an original treatment of a question at the heart of epistemology: what makes a belief rational, or justified in holding? He maps the rival accounts of philosophers on epistemic justification ("internalist" and "externalist"), arguing that they are really accounts of different concepts. He distinguishes between synchronic justification (justification at a time) and diachronic justification (synchronic justification resulting from adequate investigation)--both internalist and externalist. He also argues that most kinds of justification are worth having because they are indicative (...)
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Jason Stanley's "Knowledge and Practical Interests" is a brilliant book, combining insights about knowledge with a careful examination of how recent views in epistemology fit with the best of recent linguistic semantics. Although I am largely convinced by Stanley's objections to epistemic contextualism, I will try in what follows to formulate a version that might have some prospect of escaping his powerful critique.
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In this book, Ernest Sosa explains the nature of knowledge through an approach originated by him years ago, known as virtue epistemology. Here he provides the first comprehensive account of his views on epistemic normativity as a form of performance normativity on two levels. On a first level is found the normativity of the apt performance, whose success manifests the performer's competence. On a higher level is found the normativity of the meta-apt performance, which manifests not necessarily first-order skill or (...)
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What modal relation must a fact bear to a belief in order for this belief to constitute knowledge of that fact? Externalists have proposed various answers, including some that combine externalism with contextualism. We shall find that various forms of externalism share a modal conception of “sensitivity” open to serious objections. Fortunately, the undeniable intuitive attractiveness of this conception can be explained through an easily confused but far preferable notion of “safety.” The denouement of our reflections, finally, will be to (...)
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Paul Snowdon; XI*—Perception, Vision and Causation, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Volume 81, Issue 1, 1 June 1981, Pages 175–192, https://doi.org/10.
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What is the normative role of knowledge? I argue that knowledge plays an important role as a norm of assertion and action, which is explained and unified by its more fundamental role as a norm of belief. Moreover, I propose a distinctive account of what this normative role consists in. I argue that knowledge is the aim of belief, which sets a normative standard of correctness and a corresponding normative standard of justification. According to my proposal, it is correct to (...)
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This paper argues that justification is accessible in the sense that one has justification to believe a proposition if and only if one has higher-order justification to believe that one has justification to believe that proposition. I argue that the accessibility of justification is required for explaining what is wrong with believing Moorean conjunctions of the form, ‘p and I do not have justification to believe that p.’.
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Questions about the transparency of evidence are central to debates between factive and non-factive versions of mentalism about evidence. If all evidence is transparent, then factive mentalism is false, since no factive mental states are transparent. However, Timothy Williamson has argued that transparency is a myth and that no conditions are transparent except trivial ones. This paper responds by drawing a distinction between doxastic and epistemic notions of transparency. Williamson's argument may show that no conditions are doxastically transparent, but it (...)
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Does rationality require logical omniscience? Our best formal theories of rationality imply that it does, but our ordinary evaluations of rationality seem to suggest otherwise. This paper aims to resolve the tension by arguing that our ordinary evaluations of rationality are not only consistent with the thesis that rationality requires logical omniscience, but also provide a compelling rationale for accepting this thesis in the first place. This paper also defends an account of apriori justification for logical beliefs that is designed (...)
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This paper examines how new evil demon problems could arise for our access to the internal world of our own minds. I start by arguing that the internalist/externalist debate in epistemology has been widely misconstrued---we need to reconfigure the debate in order to see how it can arise about our access to the internal world. I then argue for the coherence of scenarios of radical deception about our own minds, and I use them to defend a properly formulated internalist view (...)
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This paper defends reductionism about testimonial justification of beliefs against two influential arguments. One is the empirical argument to the effect that the reductionist justification of our trust in testimony is either circular since it relies on testimonial evidence or else there is scarce evidence in support of our trust in testimony. The other is the transcendental argument to the effect that trust in testimony is a prerequisite for the very existence of testimonial evidence since without the presumption of people’s (...)
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In this paper I argue that internalistic foundationalist theories of the justification of memory belief are inadequate. Taking a discussion of John Pollock as a starting point, I argue against any theory that requires a memory belief to be based on a phenomenal state in order to be justified. I then consider another version of internalistic foundationalism and claim that it, too, is open to important objections. Finally, I note that both varieties of foundationalism fail to account for the epistemic (...)
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Cognitive science typically postulates unconscious mental phenomena, computational or otherwise, to explain cognitive capacities. The mental phenomena in question are supposed to be inaccessible in principle to consciousness. I try to show that this is a mistake, because all unconscious intentionality must be accessible in principle to consciousness; we have no notion of intrinsic intentionality except in terms of its accessibility to consciousness. I call this claim the The argument for it proceeds in six steps. The essential point is that (...)
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Does what you know depend on what is at stake for you? That is, is the knowledge relation sensitive to the subject’s practical interests? Subject sensitive invariantists (Fantl and McGrath, 2002; Hawthorne, 2004, ch. 4; Stanley, forthcoming) say that the answer is yes. They claim to capture the contextualist data without the shifty semantics. I will argue that the answer is no. The knowledge relation is sensitive to what is in question for the attributor, rather than what is at stake (...)
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What knowledge is imperilled by sceptical doubt? That is, what range of beliefs may be called into doubt by sceptical nightmares like the Cartesian demon hypothesis? It is generally thought that demons have limited powers, perhaps only threatening a posteriori knowledge of the external world, but at any rate not threatening principles like the cogito. I will argue that there is a demon – the debasing demon – with unlimited powers, which threatens universal doubt. Rather than deceiving us with falsities, (...)
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Recently, the thesis that experience is fundamentally a matter of representing the world as being a certain way has been questioned by austere relationalists. I defend this thesis by developing a view of perceptual content that avoids their objections. I will argue that on a relational understanding of perceptual content, the fundamental insights of austere relationalism do not compete with perceptual experience being representational. As it will show that most objections to the thesis that experience has content apply only to (...)
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According to memory foundationalism, seeming to remember that P is prima facie justification for believing that P. There is a common objection to this theory: If I previously believed that P carelessly (i.e. without justification) and later seem to remember that P, then (according to memory foundationalism) I have somehow acquired justification for a previously unjustified belief. In this paper, I explore this objection. I begin by distinguishing between two versions of it: One where I seem to remember that P (...)
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Internalists face the following challenge: what is it about an agent's internal states that explains why only these states can play whatever role the internalist thinks these states are playing? Internalists have frequently appealed to a special kind of epistemic access that we have to these states. But such claims have been challenged on both empirical and philosophical grounds. I will argue that internalists needn't appeal to any kind of privileged access claims. Rather, internalist conditions are important because of the (...)
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Timothy Williamson has argued that a person S ’s total evidence is constituted solely by propositions that S knows. This theory of evidence entails that a false belief can not be a part of S ’s evidence base for a conclusion. I argue by counterexample that this thesis (E = K for now) forces an implausible separation between what it means for a belief to be justified and rational from one’s perspective and what it means to base one’s beliefs on (...)
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In this paper I argue against the stronger of the two views concerning the right and wrong kind of reasons for belief, i.e. the view that the only genuine normative reasons for belief are evidential. The project in this paper is primarily negative, but with an ultimately positive aim. That aim is to leave room for the possibility that there are genuine pragmatic reasons for belief. Work is required to make room for this view, because evidentialism of a strict variety (...)
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Hilary Putnam deals in this book with some of the most fundamental persistent problems in philosophy: the nature of truth, knowledge and rationality. His aim is to break down the fixed categories of thought which have always appeared to define and constrain the permissible solutions to these problems. | https://philarchive.org/references/EGEIAT |
A plague has brought death to the city. Two feuding crime families with blood on their hands need our hard-boiled hero, The Redeemer, to broker peace. Both his instincts and the vacant streets warn him to stay indoors, but The Redeemer ventures out into the city’s underbelly to arrange for the exchange of the bodies they hold hostage.
Positive
Based on
6
reviews
Rave
Positive
Mixed
Pan
What The Reviewers Say
Rave
John Powers
,
NPR
For all the book's noir trappings, Herrera is no pulp fictioneer. He writes short, poetic, elliptical books that conjure Mexico in all its brutality, heroism, and unexpected tenderness. He pulls you into mythic spaces that recall everyone from Dante and Dashiell Hammett to Juan Rulfo, who wrote the landmark Mexican novel,
Pedro Páramo
. If
Among Strange Victims
gives us a country whose characters are trapped in their own heads,
The Transmigration of Bodies
goes straight for the soul. Unsettling and deep, Herrera transmigrates us to a Mexico that feels like a metaphysical condition, a timeless kingdom in which the living are forever dancing with the dead.
Read Full Review >>
Mixed
Tim Martin
,
Bookforum
At times, the deliberately cartoonish lines of Herrera's narrative seem to strangle its ambition. The Redeemer and his cohorts are less characters than archetypes...And despite the tension produced by the intersection of Herrera's baroque style and his evasive approach to narrative, the book never quite achieves the fusional dazzle of its predecessor. Yet there's plenty to admire about this allegorical vision of a country under lockdown, where everyone has 'readily...accepted enclosure," and where violence and death have ceased to be motors for fiction, instead becoming the backdrop of everyday life.
Read Full Review >>
Positive
Jonathon Sturgeon
,
Flavorwire
Like a
True Detective
that doesn’t suck,
Transmigration
is a hard-boiled fiction that wades in literary and philosophical allusion...Dark, entertaining, the world of The Transmigration of Bodies is nonetheless one without dignity, a domain where there is nothing for the Redeemer to redeem. Here a body becomes a unit of exchange, a thing that changes hands yet never transmigrates. Somehow, Herrera’s fiction has crossed over and avoided this fate. Maybe this is because his lesson is portable, like a soul without a body, and undeniable, like a corpse in an empty room.
Read Full Review >>
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Positive
Mixed
Pan
Savage Kiss
Roberto Saviano, tr. Antony Shugaar
Pan
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Positive
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The Disaster Tourist
Yun Ko-Eun, Trans. by Lizzie Buehler
Positive
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January 21, 2021
Talking to America
’
s new favorite
poet Amanda Gorman
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Claire Messud makes the case for Meghan Markle as
a present-day Undine Spragg
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Marina Benjamin on the codependence
of language and the body
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In the early 2010s, the avant-garde percussionist and composer Eli Keszler created a series of audiovisual installations involving lengths of piano wire hung from massive structures: gallery rafters, the Manhattan Bridge, a water tower in Louisiana. The wires, combined with a network of motorized beaters that strike them according to fluidly shifting patterns, create a quasi-autonomous musical instrument, generating huge masses of pointillistic sound. Sometimes, these installations perform solo; sometimes, they are joined by Keszler and other collaborators. The sounds of the wires are so complex as to be essentially unpredictable, making it difficult for performers to accompany them in conventionally musical ways. For Keszler, the machines’ indifference is part of the point. “There’s just the random information that the installation spits at the piece, which is one of the best parts: you get all these contradictions,” he told NPR Music in an interview about Archway, the Manhattan Bridge piece. “You try to do something, the installation doesn’t care.... It doesn’t respond to the way you’re feeling.”
My initial approaches to Icons, an album Keszler created during a year spent quarantined in Manhattan, put me in the mind of those installations. The music situates his marvelously intricate playing, on a drum set and an array of pitched percussion, within electroacoustic settings that can seem icily disengaged from his feats of expressive humanity. He has said the album was inspired in part by wandering through the sudden stillness of the city in 2020, the way it drew his attention to small sounds that might otherwise slip unnoticed into the chorus of a busy day. The music bears that out in ways that can almost feel literally representative. A drum fill clatters like change on a bodega countertop. A melody behind it loops quietly but insistently, just at the threshold of perception, like the tolling of a church bell newly audible from several blocks away. Uncanny field recordings arrive from nowhere. Monolithic harmonies loom at the edges, empty but illuminated. Like the city itself, this music will happily churn on without you if you fall behind.
Keszler's profile has been on the upswing in recent years. He’s appeared on several Daniel Lopatin projects, including the score for Uncut Gems. His 2018 album Stadium was excellent, and far more approachable than much of his previous work, draping his dizzying rhythms in silky jazz chords and arranging them into miniatures that sometimes resembled instrumental hip-hop. Icons arrives via the dancefloor-friendly UK label LuckyMe; two weeks before its release, the percussionist logged an unlikely collaboration with Skrillex. If Keszler faced any temptation to capitalize on this momentum, tweaking his approach for larger audiences, he resisted it. Icons is a considerably more challenging album than its predecessor. The microscopic funk breaks of Stadium appear occasionally, but more often, the tempo is slow and the atmosphere is eerie. Most of the tracks aren’t calibrated for individual listening, but the album as a whole also resists any linear narrative. Beginnings and endings are difficult to discern. A composition might lurch to what seems like its close, linger in silence for a second or two, then shake itself back to life. | https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eli-keszler-icons/ |
Countryside, The Future exhibition has "nothing to do with architecture" says Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas's exhibition exploring the countryside at New York's Guggenheim museum aims "to put the countryside on the agenda again".
Koolhaas developed the Countryside, The Future exhibition with his research studio AMO, its director Samir Bantal and a series of collaborators. The aim is to highlight advancements in rural areas through a series of case studies.
"This show has nothing to do with art, nothing to do with architecture," said the Dutch architect when presenting the exhibit this week.
"It's a show about sociality, anthropology and politics."
Koolhaas' talk took place in the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum's lecture theatre ahead of the exhibition's opening. The event marked 40 years since he launched his city-focused book Delirious New York in the same venue – and a drastic switch in topic.
Koolhaas said he chose to move his focus away from cities as the "massive neglect of the countryside" had made him "nervous" and "dissatisfied" in the past 10 years. The Guggenheim exhibition aims to rectify this.
"This show's explicit agenda is to put the countryside on the agenda again," he said.
Koolhaas had previously spoken about his concerns in a 2013 video interview with Dezeen, in which he said that the attention of his firm OMA had shifted away from "cliche" cities to non-urban areas.
He later argued in a 2017 interview with Dezeen that the neglect of rural areas contributed to the election of Donald Trump as US president.
Countryside, The Future aims to offer an overview of rural areas from its historical importance, its importance in the 20th century, to its current state and how it can be used in the future. "The museum is a wonderful tool for any author to present a narrative," Koolhaas said.
Visitors are first made aware of the exhibition by a huge Deutz-Fahr tractor parked outside. "We were happy to announce it with the brutal and rare presence in New York of a massive tractor," he said.
Inside, the showcase aims to make use of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed spiralling gallery. Each level is dedicated to a different theme and are covered in large images and texts that act like a continuous wallpaper – an idea that Koolhaas came to late in the process.
"Out of the blue, I get a phone call from work from Rem a year and a half ago and he says: 'I've had a brainwave. Trash everything, we're going to cover the whole museum in wallpaper'," Troy Conrad Therrien, Guggenheim's curator of architecture and digital initiatives, told Dezeen.
Journalist Niklas Maak and Harvard Graduate School of Design students have also wallpapered the large column that rises through the museum with images that address the theme in topics like fashion, women's land army, cars, country music and toys.
The first level of the exhibit is adorned with Koolhaas' essay titled ?, which poses many questions about rural areas.
Level two, called Leisure and Escapism, is lined with a decorated curtain that traces the history of the countryside from Roman and Chinese cultures up to the way that the contemporary wellness industry is capitalising on it.
The "political redesign" of the countryside is addressed in eight case studies on level three that include examples of change in rural areas in the Soviet Union and Qatar.
Therrien said that although the exhibit features large passages of text, the experience remains "fundamentally different" to reading a book. "It's closer to an opera or a film where you have an incredibly dense playbill, or a series of subtitles as you go," he added.
On the fourth level, the focus turns to examples of contemporary ways that the countryside is used in various areas in the world.
China is studied through an example of a high-rise occupied by farmers and the development of rural e-commerce villages known as Taobao. It provides an important example of the ways that the countryside can be used, according to Koolhaas.
"China is the only country that has an official policy on what to do with the countryside," said Koolhaas. "The state is seriously involved in maintaining the countryside but also creating new possibilities in the countryside."
Other countries explored include Kenya – which was developed through a partnership with the University of Nairobi – as well as Germany, France, Italy and the US.
The fifth level turns attention to the effects of the climate crisis, which Koolhaas said is much more prevalent than in cities. "Our concentration on cities is itself a handicap in understanding global warming," added the architect.
The key feature of this storey are two world maps called Half Earth and Shared Planet. They show the differing ways that greenery could be integrated in the earth in order to meet the carbon reduction targets of the Paris Agreement.
Called Nature/Preservation, this section also comprises studies exploring the current effects on rural areas due to climate change, such as thawing permafrost, and the impact of major preservation efforts to save gorillas.
The final floor, which is laid out to follow Wright's regular grid, showcases technologies that could be implemented, such as high-tech indoor farming and on-land fish farming.
Countryside, The Future opened 20 February and will be on show for six months until the 14 August. Koolhaas said the length of time is intended to give ample opportunity for it to be seen by both locals and tourists alike.
Koolhaas founded OMA, Office for Metropolitan Architecture, in 1975. The internationally recognised studio now has offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, Doha, Dubai and Perth.
The architect also heads the sister organisation AMO, which conducts research and gathers intelligence that feeds into the firm's project. The studio is known for more experimental projects like catwalks for fashion brands Prada and Miu Miu.
Photography is by Laurian Ghinitoiu, courtesy of AMO. | https://www.dezeen.com/2020/02/21/countryside-the-future-exhibit-rem-koolhaas-guggenheim-new-york/ |
20s Bikeway Project: Policy History and Framework
The purpose of this document is to provide a background on City policies and policy documents that are most likely to be relevant to the development of the NE/SE 20’s Bikeway Project.
The following three documents provide a history of how the route’s alignment has developed over time through a series of policy documents that have defined Portland’ bicycle network since 1973.
Bicycle Facilities for Portland: A Comprehensive Plan (1973)
Portland’s first bicycle plan was developed by a citizen task force in 1973. This followed closely on the heels of State legislation (HB 1700) in 1971, known as the ‘Bicycle Bill’. The law requires that in any given fiscal year, a minimum of 1% of the state highway fund received by the ODOT, a city or county is used to provide walkways and bikeways located within the right-of-way of public roads, streets or highways open to motor vehicle traffic.
Sections of the 20s Bikeway were originally identified in this plan to be part of Portland’s first improved bicycle network. North of the I-84 Freeway, the route (# ‘10’) generally followed the current proposed alignment along 28th Ave to Alameda Ridge. To the south of I-84, the route (#22) followed 28th Ave to SE Stark St, where it then shifted east to 30th Ave as it made it way south. At SE Grant St it shifted back west to connect to SE 26th Ave, continuing south to just past SE Powell Blvd where it jogged back to SE 28th Ave all the way to Bybee Blvd.
Arterial Streets Classification Policy (1977-1983)
Originally developed in 1977, the Arterial Streets Classification Policy was the beginning of Portland’s classification of streets by mode of transportation. The Arterial Streets Classification Policy eventually became what was known as the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan and after that, the Transportation System Plan.
The 20’s Bikeway route identified in the plan is very similar to the current alignment identified in the Bicycle Master Plan for 2030. North of NE Knott St, the route was generally a couple blocks east of the current alignment. To the south of NE Knott St the route followed the 1973 alignment along 28th and 30th Ave to SE Harrison St where it shifted to 26th Ave. South of SE Gladstone St, the route continued to use 26th Ave, instead of the current alignment along 28th to SE Reedway, where it connected 28th Ave adjacent to Reed College. The section south of Bybee Blvd to 45th Ave was also identified.
Bicycle Master Plan (1996)
Website: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/369990
By 1996 the City had developed a bicycle network of over 150 miles of bicycle facilities and had seen dramatic increase in interest in bicycle planning. The first bicycle master plan adopted by City Council was produced to provide more detailed policy guidance for the development of the bicycle network and guide updates to the City’s Transportation System Plan (TSP).
The 20’s Bikeway alignment was refined to its current version at this time. The most significant changes from the previous alignment being the continued use of 28th Ave south of SE Stark St to Hawthorne, and the use of 28th Ave between SE Gladstone and SE Reedway, instead of 26th Ave .
Bicycle Master Plan for 2030 (2010)
Website: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/44597
In 2010 the 1996 Bicycle Master Plan under went a major upgrade resulting in the Bicycle Master Plan for 2030. The new plan provides a more refined vision for the role of bicycling within the City’s transportation system that is intended to achieve a 25% mode share for bicycling. This is in response to a number of factors, including the dramatic increase in bicycling’s mode share of all trips over the past decade, direction from the City-County Climate Action Plan (2009), direction from The Portland Plan and direction from Metro in the form of the Regional Transportation Plan. All these documents call for a 25% mode share for bicycle transportation.
To help continue the growth in bicycling’s overall share of all trips the plan expanded the network of planned bikeways from 630 to 962 miles, based on the objective of creating a denser network where most residents would be no more than 3-4 blocks from a bicycle facility. This is based in part on the desire to place greater emphasis on the role of bicycling for shorter trips- trips 3 miles or less in length. This distance represents half of all trips made in Portland, regardless of mode, and corresponds to research which demonstrating that trips three miles and less can be readily and efficiently traveled by bicycle, making it an attractive alternative to the automobile.
The plan also created a new way of viewing how the system might serve existing and potential new bicycle riders. The plan categorized Portlanders into one of four types based on their relationship to bicycle transportation. It acknowledges that roughly a third of the City’s population for a variety of reasons are not going use bicycling as an option because they are either uninterested or unable to do so. Of the remaining 2/3rd , about 10-12% of the total, fall into one of two categories, the ‘strong and fearless’ and the ‘enthused and confident’. These are the people who comprise most of Portland’s current regular bicyclists. This leaves the final category, the ~50% known as the ‘interested but concerned’. These people would like to ride more, but often find existing roadway conditions too intimidating for their comfort. They therefore greatly value improvements which address safety and provide a low stress riding environment. These residents have become the target audience for bicycle planning because they represent a huge reservoir of potential bicyclists whose mode choice decision for short trips could be triggered by improvements to the system.
The Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 reconfirmed the alignment identified in the 1996 Bicycle Master Plan for the NE/SE 20’s Bikeway. What has changed though is that this version introduced a new classification for bicycles, in addition the City Bikeway, known as the Major City Bikeway. The 20’s Bikeway, between NE Broadway and SE Stark St is proposed to be upgraded from a City Bikeway to a Major City Bikeway.
Major City Bikeway:
Major City Bikeways are intended to form the mobility backbone of Portland’s bicycle transportation system and provide primary connections to major attractors throughout the city, such as downtown or regional centers. The classification of a Major City Bikeway is intended to set a new threshold for bikeway function. To achieve the width required to provide safe, comfortable facilities on streets developed as separated in-roadway bikeways it may be necessary to make tradeoffs such as removal of travel lanes and on-street parking. The purpose of the Major City Bikeway is to create a policy basis for emphasizing bicycle transportation on such streets, provided that the essential movement of other modes is addressed.
See page 28 of the Portland Bicycle Master Plan for 2030.
Though adopted by City Council, the new classification has not yet been incorporated into the TSP, which is currently being updated.
Transportation System Plan:
Website: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/52495
The Transportation System Plan (TSP) is the City’s primary transportation policy document. It is adopted as part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The TSP provides overall guidance on how Portland’s transportation system is supposed to function in coordination with its Comprehensive land use plan.
What follows is not a complete listing of relevant policies to the project, but rather a highlighting of several of the key policies.
Policy 6.7 Bicycle Classification Descriptions (page 2-12)
Maintain a system of bikeways to serve all bicycle users and all types of bicycle trips.
Objectives:
A. City Bikeways
City Bikeways are intended to establish direct and convenient bicycle access to significant destinations, to provide convenient access to Major City Bikeways and to provide coverage within three city blocks of any given point.
Land Use. City Bikeways should support 2040 land use types and residential neighborhoods.
Improvements: City Bikeways emphasize* the movement of bicycles. Motor vehicle lanes and on-street parking may be removed on City Bikeways to provide needed width for separated-in-roadway facilities where compatible with adjacent land uses and only after taking into consideration the essential movement of all modes.
NOTE: *The phrase ‘emphasize the movement of bicycles’ in the description of City Bikeways is intended to support a connected bikeway network and bicycle mobility and access on these streets in a manner that is appropriate for the adjacent land use setting and is consistent with other adopted modal street classifications.
The TSP also provides guidance on the goals and objectives for bikeway tools such as ‘Traffic Calming’ and its relationship to Emergency Response:
Policy 6.13 Traffic Calming (page 2-27)
6.13 G (Traffic Calming) [NEW]
Use traffic calming tools and other available tools and methods to create and maintain sufficiently low automotive volumes and speeds on bicycle boulevards to ensure a comfortable cycling environment on the street.
Policy 6.14 Emergency Response (page 2-27)
Provide a network of emergency response streets that facilitates prompt response to emergencies.
Objectives
A: Use the emergency response classification system to determine whether traffic calming devices can be employed.
Policy 6.10 Emergency Response Classification Descriptions (page 2-18)
Objectives:
A. Major Emergency Response Streets
Intended to provide a network of streets to serve primarily the longer, most direct legs of emergency response trips.
- Traffic Slowing. Major Emergency Response Route are not eligible for traffic slowing devices in the future.
This is assumed to refer to speed bumps.
Policy 6.26 On-Street Parking Management (page 2-33)
Manage the supply, operations, and demand for parking and loading in the public right-of-way to encourage economic vitality, safety for all modes, and livability of residential neighborhoods.
Objectives:
A. Support land uses in existing and emerging regional centers, town centers and main streets with an adequate supply of on-street parking.
B. Maintain existing on-street parking in older neighborhoods and commercial areas where off-street parking is inadequate, except where parking removal is necessary to accommodate alternatives to the automobile.
NE/SE 20s Bikeway TSP Street Classifications
|
|
Route
Section
|
|
Traffic
|
|
Bike
|
|
Freight
|
|
Transit
|
|
Pedestrian
|
|
Emergency
Response
|
|
NE 27th Ave
Lombard to Ainsworth
|
|
|
|
City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
Access
Street
|
|
City Walkway
|
|
|
|
NE 28th / 29th Ave
Ainsworth to
Broadway
|
|
|
|
City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NE/SE 28th Ave
Broadway to Ankeny
|
|
Neigh.
Collector
|
|
Major City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
|
|
City Walkway
|
|
Major
Response
|
|
NE/SE 28th Ave
Glisan to Stark
|
|
Neigh.
Collector
|
|
Major City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
Access
Street
|
|
|
|
Major
Response
|
|
SE 28th Ave
Ankeny to Stark
|
|
Neigh
Collector
|
|
City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
Access
Street
|
|
|
|
Major
Response
|
|
SE 28th / 26th Ave
Stark to Harrison
|
|
|
|
City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SE 26th Ave
Harrison to Division
|
|
Neigh
Collector
|
|
City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SE 26th Ave
Division to Gladstone
|
|
Neigh
Collector
|
|
City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
Access
Street
|
|
City Walkway
|
|
Major
Response
|
|
SE Gladstone
26th to 28th Ave
|
|
|
|
City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SE 28th Ave
Gladstone to Bybee
|
|
Neigh
Collector
|
|
City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
Access
Street
|
|
City Walkway
|
|
Major
Response
|
|
SE 27th / CrystalSprings
Bybee to 45th Ave
|
|
|
|
City Bikeway
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Major
Response
Note: Fields left blank indicates local access only.
Neighborhood Plans
Webpage: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/34248
The project route traverse a total of 12 official neighborhood association boundaries. The following is a list of those that have adopted neighborhood plans that may contain policies relevant to the design and function of the project.
- Concordia (1993)
- Sullivan’s Gulch (1987)
- Kerns (1987)
- Buckman (1991)
- Hosford-Abernathy (1988)
- Creston-Kenillworth (1998)
Grant History
In 2008 the City of Portland applied to Metro for a Regional Flexible Fund Grant for development of the 20s Bikeway. $2.5M in federal funds were awarded.
The 20s bikeway was prioritized for both the City of Portland and Metro for a number of reasons:
- It serves many land uses in an area of town where the potential for increased bicycle transportation is high because of the many short trips
- It will result in a north-south bikeway corridor in a part of town where north-south corridors are relatively few and far-between
- It will provide connections to east-west bikeways and provide proximate access (within one-half mile) to 19 schools, including 11 elementary, three middle, three high schools and two colleges, and
- It will connect to areas identified as strategic areas in the Regional 2040 Growth Concept, including main streets, corridors, station communities and industrial areas; specifically, it provides good access to commercial streets like NE Alberta, NE Broadway, SE Hawthorne and SE Division, industrial areas including the Brooklyn Yard and future station areas along the Portland Milwaukie light rail line. | https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/536272 |
Coated articles demonstrating anti-reflective properties are provided. Exemplary coated articles comprise a substrate and an anti-reflective coating layer applied to at least one surface of the substrate. The anti-reflective coating layer is formed from an acidic sol-gel composition comprising: (a) tetraalkoxysilane; (b) alkyl trialkoxysilane; (c) a silane-functional acrylic polymer; (d) inorganic oxide particles; (e) a mineral acid; (f) water; and (g) a solvent. The coated article optionally further comprises an outermost anti-fouling coating layer applied to at least one surface of the anti-reflective coating layer. | |
McHenry woman with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma files suit over chemical pollution
UNION, IL – A woman who developed Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after living near metal processing plants in the Village of Union, Illinois in McHenry County filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking damages against the plant owners for knowingly polluting the surrounding communities with cancer-causing chemicals for decades.
The victim, Dana Harper, a 44-year old woman, lived with wire and alloy manufacturing plants across the street for almost three decades. During that time, a plant managed by Central Wire, Inc./Techalloy Company Inc, and another factory managed by Phibro-Tech and Southern California Chemical Company, was emitting, and improperly disposing of, a blend of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including, but not limited to, the established carcinogens trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and ammonia into the surrounding air, soil and water. These plants were also located mere feet from Evergreen Academy, a magnet school for 6th-12th grade students. TCE is used for a number of industrial tasks, such as degreasing metal parts, but has been shown to have such dangerous effects that the Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed a ban on the use of the chemical as a degreaser, as well as in industrial drycleaning facilities.
“The toxic nature of these chemicals is no secret to anyone. To release them into the world is to cause someone’s death sentence,” said Antonio Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, one of the attorneys representing Ms. Harper. “These companies need to be held responsible for their actions.”
The four defendants are well aware of the consequences that years of improper disposal of TCE and other VOCs has had on the communities surrounding their facilities. As the lawsuit details, multiple tests throughout the 1990s found unsafe levels of contaminants in groundwater beneath the plant, in soil, and in groundwater wells of nearby residential homes. In addition, TCE was federally recognized as an air pollutant as early as 1970, and added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s hazardous substance list in 1976.
“Central Wire put me into the direct zone of danger through improper handling of ultrahazardous material. The company should have exercised reasonable care to protect my health and the health of my community,” said Ms. Harper. “They can never give me back my health, but these dangerous actors must clean up their mess and to operate with human compassion and respect going forward.”
Several companies are named as defendants in the lawsuit including Phibro-Tech, Southern California Chemical Company, Inc, Central Wire, Inc., and Techalloy Company, Inc., who collectively ran two factories which did metal production work at 17415 Jefferson Street and 6509 Olson Road in Union, both down the street from the residence where Ms. Harper lived for 26 years.
“The defendants in this case did nothing to prevent the spread of or treat the toxic TCE and PCE waste they emitted, and Ms. Harper has suffered serious harm because of continued exposure to these chemicals,” said Michael Grieco, the other attorney representing Ms. Harper for Romanucci & Blandin, LLC.
All of the companies named as defendants have faced scrutiny for negligent, reckless, and repeated violations of Illinois and United States Environmental Protection Agency regulations, as well as state and federal statutes. All defendants have faced investigation from the EPA for their conduct, including Southern California Chemical Company, Inc. who had a facility shut down by the EPA. Facilities operated by Techalloy and Central Wire, Inc. have also been placed under a consent decree due to reckless management of toxic chemicals.
About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC
Romanucci & Blandin has been rated as a leading civil trial practice law firm in Chicago concentering in catastrophic personal injury, medical malpractice, police misconduct, and abuse and sexual misconduct cases. The attorneys at the Chicago law firm represent individuals and their families in catastrophic personal injury matters, wrongful death and workers’ compensation cases. The cases that are referred to Romanucci & Blandin involve accidents or injuries which occurred due to negligence and carelessness on the part of individuals, governmental bodies and corporations of all sizes. Since its inception over 20 years ago, Romanucci & Blandin has secured more than $500 million in verdicts and settlements on behalf of their clients across the country. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit www.rblaw.net or call (312) 458-1000. | https://www.rblaw.net/pressrelease-mchenry-woman-with-non-hodgkins-lymphoma-files |
The Ethical Culture Society will be gathering at Sandy Hook National Seashore for a day of environmental action. The park is important for marine and avian life, and in preserving the history of the Cold War. Volunteers will be needed on a variety of projects, and lunch, safety gear, and tools will be provided. There will also be an opportunity to tour the park and some of its historical and natural wonders. (Plus there is a great view of Manhattan). There is also an opportunity to earn some holiday cash for this work–see details below.
This is an activity for all ages (as long as they can do the work). Bundle up against the cold!
The group will be meeting at the visitor center, which has a restroom. From there, we will organize into teams, working alongside other youth and adults from across the area.
Date: Saturday, Dec. 11
Time: 10 am to 2 pm — Please try to arrive a little early to collect gear.
What to bring: Water bottles, gloves, if you have them (if not, we have a supply), comfortable work clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, and cold-weather gear. Lunch will be provided.
Where: Please meet Interim Leader Curt Collier at the Sandy Hook Headquarters (just follow signs for the Sandy Hook Visitor Center by taking Hartshorne Road deep into the park until you see Magruder Road on your right. Take that road and head for the lighthouse straight ahead). Here are the directions: 85 Mercer Rd, Highlands, NJ 07732.
Need transportation? Contact Curt Collier, [email protected], and he will help arrange for carpooling. The map at left shows the meeting place, which is 56 miles one way from the Bergen Society. At the front gate simply tell them that you are there to participate in the work project organized by Pete McCarthy and Groundwork USA.
Note: Everyone 14 and older who submits a W9 form can opt to be paid $12.50 an hour.
RSVP to Curt Collier, Curt[email protected]. Call 914-648-0009 if you need additional information.
Can’t make the trip? Let us know and we will keep you on the list for future activities.
The photos below, by Jessie Glass, are from the Seeds Before Creeds environmental project in November at Phil Rizzuto Park in Elizabeth, NJ. | https://ethicalfocus.org/dec-11-seeds-before-creeds-at-sandy-hook/ |
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More than 150 years after it was removed from Bhutanese possession by British colonial forces, a statue of the revered 16th century Tibetan lama Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal Rinpoche, who is credited with having established Bhutan as a nation-state, is set to return to its native Bhutan, at least temporarily.
This year, Bhutan marks the 400th anniversary of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal Rinpoche’s eventful journey from Tibet to Bhutan in 1616. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal Rinpoche (1594–1651), who is also accorded the title Dharmaraja,* was a high-ranking lama of the Drukpa lineage of the Kagyu school of Vajrayana Buddhism from Ralung Monastery in Tibet, who became the first to unify the warring valley fiefdoms of the region under a single rule in the 1630s, creating the kingdom we now know as Bhutan. He also established a dual system of government under the Tsa Yig legal code based on Vajrayana Buddhist principals, through which the country was governed by a spiritual leader, the Je Khenpo, and an administrative leader, the Druk Desi. The system survives in a modified form to this day.
“The Indian government has taken a decision and the Asiatic Society has given its concurrence that the statue of Dhurm Raja [sic] will be given to Bhutan on loan for a year, where it will be part of a year-long festival,” said Asiatic Society secretary general Satyabrata Chakrabarti. “At the end of December 2017, [it] will come back again.” Chakrabarti added that a memorandum of understanding to this effect would soon be signed. (DNA)
Smiling benevolently from a cross-legged seated position, the brass statue, which measures some 1.8 meters high and is believed to be 252 years old, is one of The Asiatic Society’s most valuable artifacts. It is currently housed on a third-floor staircase landing at society’s premises in Kolkata. It was received as a gift in 1865 from Hidayat Ali, a captain in the British Army, who acquired the image in 1864, when the British Army wrested Buxa Fort, in modern-day West Bengal, from Bhutanese control. A wooden plaque at the base of the sculpture reads: “Brass Image of Dhurm Raja, found at the capture of Buxa Duar on 7 December 1864.”
Bhutan had earlier sought for the outright return of the statue in June, but The Asiatic Society turned down the request on the basis that its constitution does not allow the return of artifacts that it has received as gifts.
“We looked up our Asiatic Society Act and found that once a relic has been gifted, it cannot be given away without permission of the donor. In this case, the donor is no more,” Chakrabarti told The Times of India in June. “This is a very delicate issue since it is a matter of international relations and we have deep respect for Bhutan, which has always been a friend of our country. The external affairs ministry wrote to the ministry of culture to whom we report. We have replied to the ministry that giving the statue away or even loaning it for two months, as was suggested is next to impossible. Instead, we could create an enclosure in the likeness of a temple for the revered figure so that people of Bhutan can come and pay floral tributes here.” (The Times of India)
Almost 75 per cent of Bhutanese identify as Buddhists, according to data for 2010 from the Washington, DC-based Pew Research Center, with Hinduism accounting for the majority of the remainder. Most of Bhutan’s Buddhists follow either the Drukpa Kagyu or the Nyingma school of Vajrayana Buddhism.
* The original Sanskrit term for chogyal, a title conferred upon a special class of temporal and spiritual rulers in Bhutan. | https://www2.buddhistdoor.net/news/india-to-loan-250-year-old-statue-of-zhabdrung-ngawang-namgyal-rinpoche-to-bhutan |
Q:
Rule tables to avoiding nested ifelse statements
Idea is to have manageable approach to define rules from some table:
library(data.table)
a <- data.table(rule = c("rule1", "rule2", "rule3"),
bool = c(T,T,F))
a
# rule bool
# 1: rule1 TRUE
# 2: rule2 TRUE
# 3: rule3 FALSE
ifelse(a[rule == "rule1", bool] & a[rule == "rule2", bool] & a[rule == "rule3", bool], 1,
ifelse(a[rule == "rule1", bool] & a[rule == "rule2", bool], 2,
ifelse(a[rule == "rule2", bool] & a[rule == "rule3", bool], 3, 4)))
# [1] 2
Obviously this is not very sustainable or readable as I keep adding rules.
What would an alternative to ifelse here?
A:
This is a very interesting problem, in particular as the conditions do not always involve all rows of a, i.e., rule1, rule2, and rule3.
I have tried to find a general solution which can be expanded for an arbitrary number of conditions as well as for additional rows in a.
The main idea is to replace the conditions in the nested ifelse() or case_when() statements, resp., by a data.table which then can be joined with a somehow:
library(data.table)
b <- fread(
"rule1, rule2, rule3, result
TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, 1
TRUE, TRUE, NA, 2
NA, TRUE, TRUE, 3
NA, NA, NA, 4"
)
E.g., the condition in row 2 specifies to return 2 if rule1 and rule2 both are TRUE while the value of rule3 does not matter and can be ignored as a wildcard.
It is important to note that the order of conditions matters: First, the conditions without any wildcard must be checked. Then, the conditions with one wildcard, and so on. Finally, if no other match is found the default value is applied (all wildcards). The default value must always be given in the last row.
So, the most specialised conditions come first and the most general last.
The OP already has given the test data a in long format:
Therefore, also the conditions b are reshaped to long format:
lb <- melt(b[, id := .I], c("id", "result"), variable.name = "rule", value.name = "bool", na.rm = TRUE)[
, nr := .N, by = id][]
lb
id result rule bool nr
1: 1 1 rule1 TRUE 3
2: 2 2 rule1 TRUE 2
3: 1 1 rule2 TRUE 3
4: 2 2 rule2 TRUE 2
5: 3 3 rule2 TRUE 2
6: 1 1 rule3 TRUE 3
7: 3 3 rule3 TRUE 2
Before reshaping, a row id has been added which indicates the order of conditions. Wildcards are omitted from the long format as they are not needed for the joins. After reshaping, the number of remaining rows nr per id is appended, i.e., the number of non-wildcard entries.
Now, the conditions are tested:
answer <- lb[a, on = .(rule, bool), nomatch = 0L][
, result[nr == .N], by = .(nr, id)][
order(-nr, id), first(V1)]
if (length(answer) == 0L) answer <- b[id == max(id), result] # default
answer
This happens in four steps:
a and lb are joined (inner join) on rule and bool,
as the data to join are in long format, incomplete conditions are removed by checking the number of conditions for each id (nr is included in the by = clause just for convenience as it is required in the next step),
The remaining rows are ordered to pick the first result from the most specialised condition,
If above operation does not return an answer, the default value is returned.
For the given a, above code returns
answer
[1] 2
More test cases
To verify above code is working correctly, a more thorough test is required
test <- CJ(rule1 = c(TRUE, FALSE), rule2 = c(TRUE, FALSE), rule3 = c(TRUE, FALSE), sorted = FALSE)
test
rule1 rule2 rule3
1: TRUE TRUE TRUE
2: TRUE TRUE FALSE
3: TRUE FALSE TRUE
4: TRUE FALSE FALSE
5: FALSE TRUE TRUE
6: FALSE TRUE FALSE
7: FALSE FALSE TRUE
8: FALSE FALSE FALSE
Each row represents a version of a which is turned into OP's long format by
a <- melt(test[i], measure.vars = patterns("^rule"), variable.name = "rule", value.name = "bool")
By looping over i, all possible combinations of TRUE/FALSE values can be tested. In addition some intermediate results are printed which help to understand the workings:
library(magrittr) # piping used here to improve readability
test <- CJ(rule1 = c(TRUE, FALSE), rule2 = c(TRUE, FALSE), rule3 = c(TRUE, FALSE), sorted = FALSE)
for (i in seq(nrow(test))) {
cat("test case", i, "\n")
a <- melt(test[i], measure.vars = patterns("^rule"), variable.name = "rule", value.name = "bool") %T>%
print()
lb[a, on = .(rule, bool), nomatch = 0L][, result[nr == .N], keyby = .(nr, id)] %>%
unique() %>%
print() # intermediate result printed for illustration
answer <- lb[a, on = .(rule, bool), nomatch = 0L][
, result[nr == .N], by = .(nr, id)][
order(-nr, id), first(V1)]
if (length(answer) == 0L) answer <- b[id == max(id), result] # default from b
cat("answer = ", answer, "\n\n")
}
test case 1
rule bool
1: rule1 TRUE
2: rule2 TRUE
3: rule3 TRUE
nr id V1
1: 2 2 2
2: 2 3 3
3: 3 1 1
answer = 1
test case 2
nr id V1
1: 2 2 2
answer = 2
test case 3
rule bool
1: rule1 TRUE
2: rule2 FALSE
3: rule3 TRUE
Empty data.table (0 rows and 3 cols): nr,id,V1
answer = 4
test case 4
rule bool
1: rule1 TRUE
2: rule2 FALSE
3: rule3 FALSE
Empty data.table (0 rows and 3 cols): nr,id,V1
answer = 4
test case 5
rule bool
1: rule1 FALSE
2: rule2 TRUE
3: rule3 TRUE
nr id V1
1: 2 3 3
answer = 3
test case 6
rule bool
1: rule1 FALSE
2: rule2 TRUE
3: rule3 FALSE
Empty data.table (0 rows and 3 cols): nr,id,V1
answer = 4
test case 7
rule bool
1: rule1 FALSE
test case 8
rule bool
1: rule1 FALSE
As can be seen from the answers, the given conditions are all met.
Test case 1 is worth a closer look. Here, the conditions id 1, 2, and 3 may be applicable but condition 1 precedes the other ones as it is the most specialised.
Expanding
This is to show that the solution can be expanded for more rules in a as well as for more conditions in b.
Here is an example with 7 conditions and 4 rule columns.
b4 <- fread(
"rule1, rule2, rule3, rule4, result
TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, 1
TRUE, TRUE, NA, NA, 2
NA, TRUE, TRUE, NA, 3
NA, FALSE, NA, NA, 5
TRUE, FALSE, NA, NA, 6
FALSE, FALSE, NA, FALSE, 7
NA, NA, NA, NA, 4"
)
The test code has been simplified to allow for a more compact view of the 16 text cases:
lb <- melt(b4[, id := .I], c("id", "result"), variable.name = "rule", value.name = "bool", na.rm = TRUE)[, nr := .N, by = id][]
test <- CJ(rule1 = c(TRUE, FALSE), rule2 = c(TRUE, FALSE), rule3 = c(TRUE, FALSE), rule4 = c(TRUE, FALSE), sorted = FALSE)
sapply(
seq(nrow(test)),
function(i) {
a <- melt(test[i], measure.vars = patterns("^rule"), variable.name = "rule", value.name = "bool")
answer <- lb[a, on = .(rule, bool), nomatch = 0L][, result[nr == .N], by = .(nr, id)][order(-nr, id), first(V1)]
if (length(answer) == 0L) answer <- b4[id == max(id), result] # default from b
return(answer)
}
) %>%
cbind(test, .) %>%
setnames(".", "result") %>%
print()
It returns the table of test cases, i.e., different cases of a in wide format, with the result appended:
rule1 rule2 rule3 rule4 result
1: TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE 1
2: TRUE TRUE TRUE FALSE 2
3: TRUE TRUE FALSE TRUE 2
4: TRUE TRUE FALSE FALSE 2
5: TRUE FALSE TRUE TRUE 6
6: TRUE FALSE TRUE FALSE 6
7: TRUE FALSE FALSE TRUE 6
8: TRUE FALSE FALSE FALSE 6
9: FALSE TRUE TRUE TRUE 3
10: FALSE TRUE TRUE FALSE 3
11: FALSE TRUE FALSE TRUE 4
12: FALSE TRUE FALSE FALSE 4
13: FALSE FALSE TRUE TRUE 5
14: FALSE FALSE TRUE FALSE 7
15: FALSE FALSE FALSE TRUE 5
16: FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE 7
| |
Introduction {#S1}
============
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors originated from the cells of the endocrine part within the pancreas. Most PanNETs are benign, and once termed "islet cell tumors," while aggressive PanNETs had traditionally been termed "islet cell carcinoma." PanNETs are a relatively rare but clinically important form of pancreatic neoplasia, and quite distinct from the usual pancreatic neoplasia. Only 2--5% of clinically significant pancreas neoplasia are PanNETs ([@B2]). For the WHO classification of tumors of endocrine organs, in addition to the criterion of their mitotic count and the proliferation index with Ki-67 expression, morphological features have been added ([@B12]).
In recent years, the incidence of PanNETs has increased ([@B2]). Some PanNETs are functional and cause symptoms related to excessive secretion of hormones or active polypeptides. However, up to 60% of PanNETs are non-functional. There is no secretion, or the quantity or type of products does not cause a clinical symptom, although blood levels may be elevated ([@B8]). In total, about 85% of PanNETs have elevated blood hormone markers ([@B4]).
There are several markers found to be related to PanNETs, such as ATRX/DAXX and MEN1. A study screened the most commonly mutated genes in 68 PanNETs and found that 44% of the tumors had somatic inactivating mutations in MEN-1, which encodes menin, a component of a histone methyltransferase complex, and 43% had mutations in genes encoding either of the two subunits of a transcription/chromatin remodeling complex consisting of [@B9]. Clinically, mutations in the MEN1 and DAXX/ATRX genes were associated with better prognosis. Other researches have similar results ([@B16]; [@B20]). However, more related genes are needed to help us predict PanNET behavior and understand the potential mechanism.
In this study, we explored novel related genes and potential biomarkers for PanNETs through all databases attained online using a bioinformatic method and analyzed their expression, mutation, and effect on survival of PanNETs. Finally, we validated the novel selected genes in Chinese Pan NETs patients.
Materials and Methods {#S2}
=====================
Sample Collection {#S2.SS1}
-----------------
Our samples were collected from the ICGC database^[1](#footnote1){ref-type="fn"}^ and the NCBI GEO database.^[2](#footnote2){ref-type="fn"}^ There are four sources in these databases: GSE73338 and GSE117851 are from NCBI GEO database, and PanNETs-Italy (PAEN-IT) and PanNETs-Austria (PAEN-AU) are from ICGC database. GSE73338 contains 97 samples: normal pancreas, 5 samples; normal pancreas islet, 4 samples; PanNETs, 81 samples; Met-NETs, 7 samples. GSE117851 contains 47 samples: A--D--M (ATRX--DAXX--MEN1) Mutant PanNETs, 30 samples; A--D--M WT PanNETs, 17 samples (details of GSE73338 and GSE117851 in [Supplementary Material 1](#DS1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Pancreatic endocrine neoplasms coexpression genes (PAEN Cogene) contains 104 samples of Italian (PAEN-IT) and Austrian (PAEN-AU) patients. More details are shown in [Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}.
######
Sample details in PAEN Cogene in the ICGC database.
**Female** **Male** **Age** **Primary site** **Disease status**
--------- ------------ ---------- ------------- ------------------ -------------------- ----
PAEN-IT 13 24 55.1 ± 13.3 Pancreas 16 21
PAEN-AU 28 39 57.0 ± 14.9 Pancreas 52 15
Seventeen samples from fresh tumor tissues and eight samples from paired adjacent non-tumor tissues were collected from PanNET patients after surgical resection at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China. Histopathology of all tissues was evaluated on hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections by an experienced gastrointestinal-hepato-pancreatobiliary pathologist to ensure the nature of the tissue, greater than 80% tumor cellularity, and absence of necrosis. This study was carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the Ethics Committee of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, with written informed consent from all subjects. All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Differently Expressed Genes Identification {#S2.SS2}
------------------------------------------
The DEGs between different samples were analyzed using GEO2R.^[3](#footnote3){ref-type="fn"}^ For GSE73338, no mutations were identified in 33 samples, while mutations in ATRX, DAXX, MEN1, ATM, TSC2, and PTEN were identified in 64 samples. These gene mutant samples were compared with wild-type samples (2015 Mut vs. WT). On the other hand, differences in clinical symptoms are also used for comparison. Normal group contains normal pancreas samples (2011) and normal pancreas islet samples ([@B4]), and the PAEN group contains PanNET samples (81 primary and 7 metastatic, PAEN vs. Normal).
In GSE117851, A--D--M (ATRX--DAXX--MEN1) mutant samples were compared with A--D--M wild-type samples (2018 Mut vs. WT). In PAEN Cogene, samples from Italy patients were compared with that from Austrian patients (PAEN-IT vs. PAEN-AU). The number of DEGs was counted separately. The common DEGs among these PanNET sources were analyzed by venny 2.1^[4](#footnote4){ref-type="fn"}^ and jvenn.^[5](#footnote5){ref-type="fn"}^ These common DEGs were preliminarily analyzed in database. Perhaps racial differences have brought about many changes in genetic backgrounds that are not related to PanNETs.
Expression Patterns Analysis for Common DEGs {#S2.SS3}
--------------------------------------------
Expression patterns in different tissues and gene-mutation tissue may suggest the pathways that the target involved in PanNETs. GSE73338, GSE43797, GSE117851, and GSE118014 were used to analyze expression patterns for six common DEGs. In GSE73338, we compared the expression in normal tissue, PanNETs, and PCA. In GSE43797, the expression in normal tissue, PanNETs, and Met-NETs was compared. In GSE117851 and GSE118014, A--D--M mutant samples were compared with A--D--M wild-type samples for six common DEGs.
Prognostic Analysis for Common DEGs {#S2.SS4}
-----------------------------------
We analyzed the relationship between identified DEGs and the prognosis (overall survival and disease free survival) using ICGC databases. The donors with mutation gene and donors with wild-type gene were compared.
Gene Mutation Analysis in cBioPortal Database {#S2.SS5}
---------------------------------------------
cBioPortal database^[6](#footnote6){ref-type="fn"}^ was used to collect the data of PanNET cases. A study about whole-genome landscape sequencing of PanNETs was chosen ([@B17]). In this study, 98 primary PanNETs were collected. These clinically sporadic PanNETs contained higher-than-expected proportion of germline mutations, including previously unreported mutations. The mutation counts of the identified DEGs (including ARTX, DAXX, and MEN1 additionally) were statistically compared between function and non-function PanNET cases, different WHO grade groups, with and without vascular invasion group, and overall patient survival status.
Analysis of Gene Interaction Network {#S2.SS6}
------------------------------------
The co-occurrence/mutual exclusivity analysis of identified common DEGs with ATRX, DAXX, and MEN1 were performed in our study. The cases present neither, or one or two kinds of gene mutations were counted and used to evaluate the relevance, and we plotted the DEG interaction networks that contain the identified common DEGs and the 50 most frequently altered neighbor genes (out of a total of 334).
RNA Extraction and RT-qPCR {#S2.SS7}
--------------------------
Total RNA was extracted using the Trizol reagent (Invitrogen, United States) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The cDNA was synthesized by using the SuperScript III Reverse Transcriptase Kit (Invitrogen, United States). RT-qPCR was performed with Power SYBR Green PCR Master Mix (TransGen Biotech, China) on the ABI 7500 fast real-time PCR system. The amplification reaction procedure was as follows: 95°C for 10 min, followed by 95°C for 15 s and 60°C for 1 min for 40 cycles. GAPDH was applied as internal control for mRNA, and the relative expression level of mRNA was calculated by relative quantification (2^--ΔΔCT^) method. Primer sequences are listed in [Table 2](#T2){ref-type="table"}.
######
The primers used for RT-qPCR with their sequence.
**Gene** **Forward primer** **Reverse primer**
---------- --------------------------- ---------------------------
KLKB1 TGCGTTCTCAGATGTGGAT GTTG TGAGGAGTAGAGGAACTT GGTGTG
IL13RA2 AACCTGGCATAGGTGTACT TCTTG CACACTGTAATGCATGATC CAAGC
ABCC8 CAGGATGAGGAAGAGGAGG AAGAG GGCGGAGGACAGGTAC TTGG
PART1 CATCCAAGGCCGTGTCAGA ACTC GCTAAGTGATTGGCTGGCT CTGG
PCSK2 CACTGGCTCTGGAGGCT AACC ACTGATGGACCTCGTCGT GAAG
GAPDH GGCAGTGATGGCATGG ACTGT CCTTCATTGACCTCAAC TACA
Statistical Analysis {#S2.SS8}
--------------------
All data are presented as means ± standard deviation of three independent experiments. Two group comparisons were analyzed by the two-sided Student *t* test. Tukey's multiple comparison test was used to analyze the variance of the data and to estimate the level of significance. *P* \< 0.05 was considered significant.
Results {#S3}
=======
Five Novel Common DEGs Were Identified Among Four PanNET Sources {#S3.SS1}
----------------------------------------------------------------
Eighty-one DEGs were identified between 2015 Mut vs. WT. More DEGs (2145 genes) were identified between PAEN vs. Normal of GSE73338. This result suggests less different gene expression related to different gene mutation status than PanNET vs. Normal tissues. A total of 807 DEGs mutations were identified between the A--D--M mutant and the A--D--M wild-type group, while 12,109 DEG mutations were identified between Italian and Austrian patients.
We focused on the common DEGs among different sources. In this study, six of these genes were identified shown in a Venn diagram ([Figure 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). ABCC8, PCSK2, IL13RA2, ISL1, and KLKB1 are protein coding and PART1 is lincRNA. ISL1 was a previously reported PanNET-related gene, while the other five were newly found genes. Mutations of DEGs have been verified in all diseases ([Table 3](#T3){ref-type="table"}).
{#F1}
######
Details of six common DEGs.
**Symbol** **Name** **Location** **Type** **\#Donors affected** **\#Mutations**
------------ --------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- ---------------- ----------------------- ---------------------- ------
ABCC8 ATP-binding cassette, sub-family C (CFTR/MRP), member 8 Chr11:17414432-17498449 Protein coding 1319/15,110 (8.73%) 1319/15,285 (8.63%) 2681
PART1 Prostate androgen-regulated transcript 1 (non-protein coding) Chr5:59783540-59843484 LincRNA 751/15,153 (4.96%) 751/15,285 (4.91%) 1172
PCSK2 Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 2 Chr20:17206752-17465223 Protein coding 2137/15,110 (14.14%) 2137/15,285 (13.98%) 5792
IL13RA2 Interleukin 13 receptor, alpha 2 ChrX:114238538-114254540 Protein coding 487/14,927 (3.26%) 487/15,285 (3.19%) 630
ISL1 ISL LIM homeobox 1 Chr5:50678921-50690564 Protein coding 607/15,110 (4.02%) 607/15,285 (3.97%) 825
KLKB1 Kallikrein B, plasma (Fletcher factor) 1 Chr4:187130133-187179625 Protein coding 938/14,927 (6.28%) 938/15,285 (6.14%) 1517
The DEGs Expression in PanNETs Is Quite Different From PCA {#S3.SS2}
----------------------------------------------------------
In GSE43797, the DEG expression of PanNET samples is quite different from that of PCA (*P* \< 0.001) except the lincRNA-PART1 ([Figure 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). This result is consistent with previous studies that PanNETs are quite distinct from the usual pancreatic neoplasia. However, in GSE73338, there were no different expressions between primary and metastatic PanNETs, which suggests that these common DEGs are not involved in the metastasis of PanNETs. The expression mode between normal tissue and PanNET tissue varied in GSE73338 and GSE43797. ABCC8 and PCSK2 were found to be differentially expressed between normal tissue and PanNET tissue in GSE73338 and GSE43797, but the results of the other four genes were contradictory. It is possible that the difference arose from different ethnic, region, or detection methods. The GSE73338 database contains primary and metastatic PanNETs, while the GSE43797 database contains only the former. All the gene expression varied largely among PanNET samples compared to other samples, which suggested that PanNETs contain many subtypes with different expression patterns.
{#F2}
Gene Expression Is Probably Related to A--D--M Mutation {#S3.SS3}
-------------------------------------------------------
In GSE117851 and GSE118014, A--D--M mutant samples were compared with A--D--M wild-type samples for six common DEGs, but the results of comparison of some genes are different ([Figure 3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). In GSE117851, all the six gene expression changed in A--D--M mutant samples (*P* \< 0.0001). However, in GSE118014, expression changes were lighter than in GSE117851, and no significant expression changes are identified in PCSK2 and ISL1. For all DEGs, the expression in A--D--M mutant samples is up-regulated compared with WT samples. A--D--M mutation was observed in a large number of PanNET cases and involved in mTOR pathways. The six DEGs identified in our study may also be activated by the same pathway.
{#F3}
Patients With Gene Mutations Have a Low Survival Rate {#S3.SS4}
-----------------------------------------------------
In our study, the trend of overall survival and disease-free survival was similar ([Figure 4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}). The prognosis analysis is different with A--D--M mutation. Combined with the result in [Figure 3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}, A--D--M mutation related to up-regulation in six DEGs. Up-regulation of six DEGs is related to better prognosis, while the mutation of six DEGs may decrease the expression and may be involved in the poor survival of PanNETs. The above results suggested that these six genes may play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of PanNETs.
{#F4}
Gene Mutations of ABCC8, KLKB1, and IL13RA2 Are Rare in PanNET Cases {#S3.SS5}
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In a study on 98 primary PanNETs, mutations were found in one case for ABCC8, KLKB1, and IL13RA2 gene ([Figure 5A](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). MEN1 mutations were found in 37% of the cases; DAXX, 22%; and ATRX, 10%. For ABCC8, X1536 splice was identified ([Figure 5B](#F5){ref-type="fig"}), while for KLKB1, X20 splice was found ([Figure 5C](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). These two mutations are truncating mutation. In IL12RA2, there was a missense mutation (R248W) ([Figure 5D](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). For ARTX, eight cases are truncating mutations and two cases are other mutations. For DAXX, there were 13 truncating mutations, 5 other mutations, and 3 missense mutations. For MEN1, there were 17 truncating mutations, 6 other mutations, and 13 missense mutations. PCSK2, ISL1, and PART1 mutations were not found in this study. Gene mutations of six common genes that we identified were rare in 98 primary PanNET cases.
{#F5}
There were more mutations in non-functional PanNETs than in functional PanNETs ([Figure 5E](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). The mutation counts increased with the disease grade progressing from G1 to G3 ([Figure 5F](#F5){ref-type="fig"}), and PanNET patients present vascular invasion ([Figure 5G](#F5){ref-type="fig"}) or are deceased ([Figure 5H](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). These results were consistent with previous studies.
ABCC8-MEN1 and ATRX-KLKB1 Are Co-occurrence Gene Pairs {#S3.SS6}
------------------------------------------------------
In this co-occurrence/mutual exclusivity analysis, we identified three co-occurrence pairs among ABCC8, KLKB1, IL13RA2, ATRX, DAXX, and MEN1 ([Table 4](#T4){ref-type="table"}). DAXX--MEN1 had been confirmed in other studies. We first identified ABCC8--MEN1 and ATRX--KLKB1 as co-occurrence in PanNETs. This result suggests that ABCC8 and KLKB1 may be involved in PanNETs through the A--D--M axis because these two gene mutations occurred in the same case.
######
Co-occurrence/mutual exclusivity analysis among ABCC8, KLKB1, IL13RA2, and 3 PanNET-related genes.
**Gene A** **Gene B** **Neither** **A Not B** **B Not A** **Both** **Log odds ratio** ***P*-value** **Adjusted *P*-value** **Tendency**
------------ ------------ ------------- ------------- ------------- ---------- -------------------- --------------- ------------------------ --------------------
DAXX MEN1 55 7 21 15 1.725 \<0.001 0.001 Co-occurrence
ATRX DAXX 66 10 22 0 \<−3 0.068 1 Mutual exclusivity
ATRX KLKB1 88 9 0 1 \>3 0.102 1 Co-occurrence
ABCC8 MEN1 62 0 35 1 \>3 0.367 1 Co-occurrence
ATRX MEN1 55 7 33 3 −0.336 0.463 1 Mutual exclusivity
MEN1 KLKB1 61 36 1 0 \<−3 0.633 1 Mutual exclusivity
MEN1 IL13RA2 61 36 1 0 \<−3 0.633 1 Mutual exclusivity
ABCC8 DAXX 75 1 22 0 \<−3 0.776 1 Mutual exclusivity
DAXX KLKB1 75 22 1 0 \<−3 0.776 1 Mutual exclusivity
DAXX IL13RA2 75 22 1 0 \<−3 0.776 1 Mutual exclusivity
ABCC8 ATRX 87 1 10 0 \<−3 0.898 1 Mutual exclusivity
ATRX IL13RA2 87 10 1 0 \<−3 0.898 1 Mutual exclusivity
ABCC8 KLKB1 96 1 1 0 \<−3 0.99 1 Mutual exclusivity
ABCC8 IL13RA2 96 1 1 0 \<−3 0.99 1 Mutual exclusivity
KLKB1 IL13RA2 96 1 1 0 \<−3 0.99 1 Mutual exclusivity
The predicted interaction between 6 genes and the 50 most frequently altered neighbor genes are shown in [Figure 6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}. The transcription factor STAT6 was predicted to regulate the expression of IL13RA2, while IL13RA2 changes the state of IRS2, an insulin receptor substrate. ABCC8 was supposed to interact with many G-protein subunits and may be involved in signal transduction in PanNETs. KLKB1 interacts with A2M, a protease inhibitor and cytokine transporter. A2M inhibits a broad spectrum of proteases, including trypsin, thrombin, and collagenase. It can also inhibit inflammatory cytokines and thus disrupts inflammatory cascades. KLKB1 is involved in protease inhibition and inflammatory cascades, and play a role in cancer progression, while the underlying mechanism needs further research.
{#F6}
RT-qPCR Validation of Five DEGs in Chinese PanNETs {#S3.SS7}
--------------------------------------------------
To further verify the expression of the five novel DEGs in PanNET tissues, we detected their expression in 17 samples of tumor tissue from Chinese PanNETs and 8 samples of adjacent non-tumor tissues. The results showed that the expression of KLKB1 (*P* \< 0.01), IL13RA2 (*P* \< 0.01), ABCC8 (*P* \< 0.01), and PART1 (*P* \< 0.0001) was significantly up-regulated, while PCSK2 (*P* \< 0.01) was significantly down-regulated in PanNET tissues compared to the non-tumor tissues ([Figure 7](#F7){ref-type="fig"} and [Supplementary Material 2](#DS2){ref-type="supplementary-material"}).
{#F7}
Discussion {#S4}
==========
In our study, we collected 248 PanNET samples from four database sources: GSE73338, GSE117851, PAEN-IT, and PAEN-AU. Five novel PanNET-related genes and one previous reported gene were identified among four database sources. The gene expression patterns of PanNETs are quite different from PCA through analyzing the expression of the six DEGs in GSE73338 and GSE43797. Meanwhile, gene expression varied vastly in PanNET samples, which suggested that PanNETs may contain many subtypes with different gene phenotypes. Interestingly, the expressions of the six common DEGs in A--D--M mutant samples were all up-regulated compared with WT samples, indicating that the six common DEGs probably related to the three known PanNET genes. Further, cBioPortal analysis results supported this conclusion. The six up-regulated genes identified in our study may also be activated by the mTOR pathway. Patients with mutations of six common DEGs have a lower survival rate. Therefore, we predicted that the five new genes may play an important role in the progression and prognosis of PanNETs.
ABCC8 is a member of the superfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. ABC proteins transport various molecules across extra- and intra-cellular membranes. ABCC8 regulated K+ channel, and ABCC8/KIR6.2 channels found in insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells are the cause of monogenic forms of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia and neonatal diabetes ([@B3]). Many mutations in ABCC8 render the channel unable to traffic to the cell surface, thereby reducing channel function ([@B22]). In this study, we first identified ABCC8 to be related to PanNETs, but changes in K+ channel core-KIR6.2 protein was not observed in PanNETs. It is possible that ABCC8 is related to MEN1 and involved in PanNETs, because the two genes are co-occurrence in our study.
Kallikrein B1 encodes a glycoprotein that participates in the surface-dependent activation of blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, kinin generation, and inflammation. KLKB1 mRNA is significantly higher in CLL patients than in healthy blood donors and is associated with an increased risk for CLL and will serve as a novel biomarker (2015) ([@B1]). In our study, KLKB1 interacts with A2M. In 2015, researchers identified a novel A2M-ALK rearrangement in lung interstitial tumor ([@B15]). A2M mutations are also found in cBioPortal PanNET cases (data not displayed). It could be that KLKB1 is affected by its co-occurrence gene-ATRX. PanNETs frequently use the ALT pathway for telomere maintenance, which is strongly correlated with ATRX and DAXX ([@B20]).
IL13RA2 is a subunit of the interleukin 13 (IL-13) receptor complex. IL13RA2 is overexpressed in the majority of high-grade astrocytomas and other tumors, such as renal cell carcinoma, brain tumor, and ovarian cancer ([@B21]; [@B11]; [@B10]; [@B14]). It has been validated to be a target for therapeutic applications. IL-13 enhances the expression of EMT-promoting factor ZEB1, and STAT6 knockdown significantly reversed IL-13-induced EMT ([@B5]). IL13RA2 may be involved in the IL-13/STAT6 axis and regulates the EMT process in PanNETs. In pancreatic cancer cell lines, histone deacetylation inhibition increases IL13RA2 expression ([@B6]). Part of our finding is consistent with this study.
Islet 1 expression is a reliable marker for PanNETs and their metastases ([@B18]; [@B7]). It is a transcription factor and regulates CCNB1, CCNB2, and c-MYC genes ([@B19]). The single-nucleotide polymorphism at the PCSK2 gene and the genetic predisposition are related to the diagnosis of T2DM in Chinese ([@B23]). lncRNA-PART1 functions as a ceRNA and may serve as a therapeutic target for ESCC patients. STAT1 can bind to the promoter region of lncRNA PART1, resulting in its activation. Activated PART1 promoted gefitinib resistance by competitively binding to miR-129 to facilitate Bcl-2 expression in ESCC cells ([@B13]). Part of these six DEGs' mechanism in other tumors was researched, but their mechanism in PanNETs is still unknown.
We further validated the expression of the five novel DEGs in Chinese PanNETs. Our results indicated that the expression of KLKB1 (*P* \< 0.01), IL13RA2 (*P* \< 0.01), ABCC8 (*P* \< 0.01), and PART1 (*P* \< 0.0001) was consistent with our bioinformatics analysis, which was significantly up-regulated in PanNETs compared with the non-tumor tissues. However, the expression of PCSK2 (*P* \< 0.01) was contrary to our bioinformatics analysis, which was significantly down-regulated in PanNETs ([Figure 7](#F7){ref-type="fig"}). The results suggested that the expression trend of PCSK2 may be different among different races.
The limitations of this study are as follows: first, three common DEGs: PSCK2, ISL1, and lncRNA-PART1 mutations were not analyzed because of data limitations; second, the mechanism of these new identified genes was needed to be researched in further studies.
In summary, we identified four new PanNET-related genes and 1 lncRNA-PART1 using the ICGC database and the NCBI GEO database. The analysis results of the five new common DEGs in GSE73338 and GSE43797 show that gene expression patterns of PanNETs are quite different from PCA. With the increase of malignant grade of PanNETs, the mutation counts increased. Importantly, patients with mutations of these five novel common DEGs have a lower survival rate. Our results suggested that the five new genes may play an important role in the development and prognosis of PanNETs. Furthermore, in our study, we found that ABCC8--MEN1 and ATRX--KLKB1 were co-occurrence in PanNETs, while ABCC8, KLKB1, and IL13RA2 were mutually exclusive with ATRX, DAXX, and MEN1. These results will be helpful to further study the molecular mechanism of PanNETs.
Data Availability {#S5}
=================
Publicly available datasets were analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: <https://dcc.icgc.org/>.
Ethics Statement {#S6}
================
This study was carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the Ethics Committee of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, with written informed consent from all subjects. All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Author Contributions {#S7}
====================
YX and YY contributed to the preparation of the research, literature review, and writing of the manuscript. YW and XL collected the data. WW and YX provided ideas and recommendations, and reviewed the manuscript. All authors have seen and agreed with the contents of the manuscript.
Conflict of Interest Statement {#conf1}
==============================
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
**Funding.** This study was supported by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Initiative for Innovative Medicine, Grant/Award Number: (CAMS-I2M)2017-I2M-1-001.
<https://dcc.icgc.org/>
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/>
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/geo2r>
<http://bioinfogp.cnb.csic.es/tools/venny/index.html>
<http://jvenn.toulouse.inra.fr/app/example.html>
<http://www.cbioportal.org/>
Supplementary Material {#S9}
======================
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2019.00937/full#supplementary-material>
######
Click here for additional data file.
######
Click here for additional data file.
ABCC8
: ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 8
ALT
: alternative lengthening of telomeres
ATRX
: alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked
ATRX--DAXX--MEN1
: A--D--M
CLL
: chronic lymphocytic leukemia
DAXX
: death-domain associated protein
DEGs
: differentially expressed genes
ESCC
: esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
IL13RA2
: interleukin 13 receptor subunit alpha 2
ISL1
: Islet 1
KLKB1
: Kallikrein B1
Met-NETs
: metastases from pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
PanNETs
: pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
PCA
: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
T2DM
: type 2 diabetes
WHO
: World Health Organization.
[^1]: Edited by: Leo T. O. Lee, University of Macau, China
[^2]: Reviewed by: Feizhou Zhu, Central South University, China; Xianjun Yu, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, China
[^3]: ^†^These authors have contributed equally to this work and share first authorship
[^4]: This article was submitted to Neuroendocrine Science, a section of the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience
| |
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Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
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OSAC discourages partial or complete destruction of its specimens but realizes that in many cases it is necessary for research purposes (e.g., dissections, DNA extraction), see below for details.
**Any destructive sampling must be approved in writing and the appropriate terms agreed on beforehand.
**Type material is not available for destructive sampling except under exceptional circumstances, and only after written permission is obtained.
Complete destruction Like retentions, the complete destruction of specimens (e.g., for chemical analysis), is only permissible when duplicate material (i.e., conspecific specimens of similar sex and life history with identical label data) exists in the collection.
Dissections/Disarticulations Dissections and disarticulations are often necessary.
- Individuals should demonstrate that they have experience with techniques of specimen dissection, based on material other than ours. Every effort should be made to keep all anatomical parts in physical association with the specimen from which they were removed, for example, pointed or placed in genitalia vials on the same pin.
- If slide mounting is necessary, each slide is to bear a label that includes the text:
“ex. OSAC##########”
where “##...” is the 10 digit specimen number that will be present on a label attached to the specimen, for example: “ex OSAC 0011223344”
- All parts of a specimen, including any slides, are to be returned to the OSAC with the specimens at the completion of the project.
DNA extraction
- Whenever possible, DNA is to be extracted in a non-destructive method (e.g., by passively and enzymatically digesting the DNA from the entire specimen, leaving the exoskeleton intact).
- In many groups this is less practical than removing or macerating a small piece of tissue or body part. In these cases:
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- appendages selected for removal should be duplicated on the specimen being sampled (e.g., sample the left proleg only if the right proleg is present).
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