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As an S&OP Manager, you will prepare advanced reporting and critical analysis providing information for business planning and management reviews. This person must have a strong understanding of how to provide significant and actionable information using different types of data and process improvement.
The job is primarily focused on short & long-term planning and decision-making, being able to optimise customer service levels, operational costs and efficiencies, infrastructure optimization, budgeting, and revenue attainment for both Retail & Wholesale matter.
The Manager is responsible for interfacing with stakeholders, as well as for managing the global demand of forecasting process and the creation of materials for update meetings.
RESPONSIBILITIES
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This person will lead the process for supply-demand balancing, in-quarter execution, allocations, and forward-looking projections.
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Knowledge of Charly Group procedures and responsible for calendar management.
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Validation of Sales & Operations Budget with Finance, Country General Manager &
Mexico ?s Team.
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Create and translate forecasts into financial matter.
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Strategic project management of collaborators, material infrastructure, investments,
and technology for the achievement of profitability.
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Coordinate with supply chain to align supply with demand.
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Optimize shipping and other costs through effective S&OP
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Ensure global achievement of both revenue and inventory goals through successful
S&OP process
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Propose strategic alternatives in the operation of the key process to optimize
available resources.
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Prospect new areas of opportunity for product production and profitable business destinations.
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Lead cross-functional weekly & monthly S&OP cadence.
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Design, analyse, and share KPI’s to key stakeholders while helping them develop
plans to meet and exceed KPI targets.
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Aggregate large amounts of data.
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Margin analysis
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Inventory aging
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Analysis of Market Intelligence/Global Productive and Economic
Trends/International Productive Profitability Indicators, as well as a strategic supply
chain vision to follow according to internal constraints and market competition.
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Along with the respective team, the S&OP Manager must coordinate end of quarter activities including cut off times for order submission, shipping, inventory and other
activities to ensure successful fulfilment of orders.
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Be an inventory keeper: ability to pressure the business area for planning and carrying
out monitoring plans, which must be achieved within the given time.
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Able to respond quickly to challenges, demonstrating flexibility in their approaches.
QUALIFICATIONS
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5+ years’ experience in Demand, Supply or Sales & Operations Planning
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Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree a plus
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Advanced Excel Experience
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To assist with the goals of planning, forecasting, analyzing, and tracking, you will need
to have experience with: Microsoft Office, Systems applications and products software (SAP), Statistical analysis system software (SAS), Advanced planner and optimizer software (APO), Oracle/Demantra, Kinaxis Rapid Response, etc.
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Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
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This person must have experience leading a S&OP functional area (supply, demand
and/or Finance) capable of influencing and taking decisions on it.
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Excellent written, verbal and communication skills
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Experience creating executive friendly presentations on complex business and
supply chain topics for senior level audience.
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Experience in the creation of forecast models
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Leadership presence and the ability to lead a process in a high-pressure environment
• Experience with large-scale change management projects
EXPECTATIONS AND CULTURAL FIT
We expect that out next S&OP Manager will have the ability to think outside of the box by having creative solutions to the situations that may come. This person must incorporate both: current & accurate market information, allowing the company to predict & anticipate to customer demands, providing the supply chain with appropriate information to meet & fulfill that customer needs.
Strong interpersonal skills are also essential to effectively interact with the team and all levels of business that would affect/ interact with the forecast process.
This person must be committed to the sales process, values, and the company’s code of business ethics, as well as the ability to inspire others through professional image, words, and actions.
Must show key Charly Behaviors: focused on results, client, product, and people oriented focused. Promote an excellent brand and marketing image, think strategically, have a business vision, accountability, innovative, be able to collaborate with other areas, be dynamic, be adaptable, have a directive approach, holistic mindset, planer, communicator, leadership, ethical and promote the Charly Culture.
WORKING CONDITIONS
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You may be available to have communication with Directors, Suppliers and Customers during the weekend, as well as going on business trips if needed.
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Must have the ability to manage multiple projects while working with definite interruptions, as well as highly, detail oriented and accuracy driven to meet deadlines and set priorities
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Must have the ability to be flexible to simultaneously communicate and meet with multiple departments/diverse groups/vendors while maintaining confidentiality.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, listen, talk, and use hand/finger motions to handle office equipment. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.
RELATIONSHIP
Our S&OP Manager would be directly related with both, U.S & our team in Mexico, mainly with Accounting dept, Customer Service, Purchasing and Logistics, Distribution Centre, Product Development, Marketing, etc.
You ?ll be externally related with Company Key Clients and Company Producers, & with a group of external suppliers that strengthen the supply chain.
About Charly
Grupo Charly, is a one hundred percent Mexican company based in Leon, Guanajuato, that began as a family business in 1949. After the successful manufacture of children's footwear under the brand name 'Campanita', the group eventually expanded to the sports shoemarket. Focused on design, manufacture and distribution of footwear inspired by sport, Charly has become the leading brand in sales in Mexico for the last 25 years. | https://www.gamechangersus.com/jobs/id/5637 |
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abstract: 'Under a generalized skew normal distribution, we consider the problem of European option pricing. Existence of the martingale measure is proved. An explicit expression for a given European option price is presented in terms of the cumulative distribution function of the univariate skew normal and the bivariate standard normal distributions. Some special cases are investigated in a greater detail. To carry out the sensitivity of the option price to the skew parameters, numerical methods are applied. Some concluding remarks and further works are given. The results obtained are extension of the results provided by [@CS].'
author:
- |
[**Mahdi Doostparast**]{}[^1]\
\
\
title: '[**Explicit expressions for European option pricing under a generalized skew normal distribution**]{}'
---
[**Keywords and phrases:**]{} Bivariate normal distribution; Complete market; Generalized skew normal distribution; Martingale measure; Option price.
Introduction {#intro}
============
A call (put) option is the right to buy (sell) a particular asset for a strike price at a specified time in the future. There are various types of option. The most common one is European options (EOs) which can only be exercised on the maturity date. [@BlackScholes1973] assumed a geometric Brownian motion for the underlying asset and derived a closed form for fair price of a given European option (EO), known as [*Black-Scholes option pricing formula*]{}. It is one of the major successes of modern financial economics. But empirical evidences showed that there are systematic pricing errors when compared to observed option prices. For example, [@CorradoSu1997] present evidence of systematic mispricing of the Black-Scholes model when the log-returns of the underlying asset are skewed and leptokurtic, typically underpricing options that are deep in-the-money and overpricing options that are out-of-money. To resolve the mispricing problem, Black-Scholes option price has been extended along with several directions. For example, [@CS] assumed that the underlying stock price process $\{S(t),t\geq 0\}$ follows a geometric Azzalini skew Brownian motion. More precisely, let $$\label{model:CS}
S(t)=S(0)\exp\left\{\mu
t+\sigma\sqrt{t}Z_\lambda\right\},$$ where the random variable $Z_\lambda$ has a skew normal distribution, denoted by $SN(\lambda)$, with probability density function (pdf) $$\phi(x;\lambda)=2\phi(x)\Phi(\lambda x),\ \ \
-\infty<x<+\infty,$$ where $\phi(x)$ and $\Phi(x)$ are the pdf and the cumulative distribution function (cdf) of the standard normal distribution, respectively, i.e. $$\phi(x)=\frac{1}{2\pi}\exp\left\{-\frac{x^2}{2}\right\},\ \ \ \mbox{and}\ \ \ \Phi(x)=\int_{-\infty}^x\phi(y)dy.$$ EO pricing under the model was investigated by [@CS]. For a greater detail, see [@FanMancini2009]. In this paper, we extend the results of [@CS] by assuming a generalized SN distribution for the random variable $Z_\lambda$ in and call the [*generalized geometric skew Brownian motion*]{}.\
There are many extensions for the SN distribution. An extension of the SN distribution was proposed by [@Azzalini1985] and discussed by [@ArnoldBeaver2002] in a more detail. More specifically, the random variable $Z_{\lambda,\gamma}$ has a generalized SN distribution with parameters $\lambda,\gamma\in R$, denoted by $Z_{\lambda,\gamma}\sim
SN(\lambda,\gamma)$, if its pdf be $$\label{pdf:generalized:SN}
\phi(x;\lambda,\gamma)=\frac{\phi(x)\Phi(\lambda
x+\gamma)}{\Phi(\gamma/\sqrt{1+\lambda^2})},\ \ \
-\infty<x<+\infty,$$ In the sequel sections, we assume that the stock price $\{S(t),\ t\geq 0 \}$ follows the generalized Azzalini skew Brownian motion, i.e. $$\label{behavior:st:under:P}
S(t)=S(0)\exp\left\{\mu
t+\sigma\sqrt{t}Z_{\lambda,\gamma}\right\},$$ where $Z_{\lambda,\gamma}\sim SN(\lambda,\gamma)$. Notice that for $\gamma=0$, the random variable $Z_{\lambda,\gamma}$ with pdf is simplified to the Azzalini’s skew normal and thus the model is transformed to the model . Therefore, the results of this paper are extensions of the results provide by [@CS]. The rest of this article is organized as follow: In Section 2, the unique martingale measure is derived under the generalized geometric skew Brownian motion . An explicit expression for the EO price is presented in Section 3. Some special cases are considered in more details in Section 4. In Section 5, the EO price’s sensitivities to the skew parameters is considered. Section 6 concludes. The proofs are given in the appendix.
Martingale measure
==================
The first step for obtaining the EO price is to find an equivalent risk neutral probability measure, denoted by $Q$, under which the discounted stock price process $\{e^{-rt}S(t)
\}$ is a martingale, where $r$ is the riskless continuous rate of interest and $T$ is the expiry date of the option.\
Let $M_X(a):=E(\exp\{a X\})$ denote the moment generating function (MGF) of the random variable $X$. Under the model with the objective probability measure $P$, the MGF of the random variable $\ln S(t)$ is derived as $$\begin{aligned}
M_{\ln S(t)}(\beta)&=& E^{P}\left(e^{\beta\ln
S(t)}|\mathcal{F}_0\right)\nonumber\\
&=&\exp\{\beta\ln S(0)\} E^{P}\left(\exp\left\{\beta\left[\mu
t+\sigma\sqrt{t}Z_{\lambda,\gamma}\right]\right\}|\mathcal{F}_0\right)\nonumber\\
&=&\exp\{\beta\ln S(0)+\mu
t\} E^{P}\left(\exp\left\{\beta\sigma\sqrt{t}Z_{\lambda,\gamma}\right\}|\mathcal{F}_0\right)\nonumber\\
&=&\exp\{\beta\ln S(0)+\mu
t\}M_{Z_{\lambda,\gamma}}\left(\beta\sigma\sqrt{t}\right)\label{h1}\end{aligned}$$ where $M_{Z_{\lambda,\gamma}}$ is the MGF of the random variable $Z_{\lambda,\gamma}$ with pdf and $\mathcal{F}_0$ is the [*information available to investors at present time $t=0$*]{}. For more details, see [@KS]. [@ArnoldBeaver2002] showed that $$\label{MGF:generalized:SN}
M_{Z_{\lambda,\gamma}}(a)=\exp\left\{\frac{a^2}{2}\right\}\frac{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma+\lambda
a }{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}.$$ From and , we have $$\begin{aligned}
E^{P}\left(e^{-rt} S(t)|\mathcal{F}_0\right)&=& e^{-rt}
E^{P}\left( e^{\ln S(t)}|\mathcal{F}_0\right)\nonumber\\
&=& e^{-rt} M_{\ln S(t)}(1)\nonumber\\
&=& e^{-rt} \exp\{\ln S(0)+\mu
t\}M_{Z_{\lambda,\gamma}}\left(\sigma\sqrt{t}\right)\nonumber\\
&=& \exp\left\{\ln S(0)+\left(\mu-r+\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2\right)
t\right\}\frac{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma+\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\nonumber\\
&=& S(0)\exp\left\{\left(\mu-r+\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2\right) t+\ln
\left[{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma+\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\bigg/{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right]\right\}.\nonumber\\ \label{h2}\end{aligned}$$ From the identity $E^{Q}\left(e^{-rt}
S(t)|\mathcal{F}_0\right)=S(0)$ and , under the martingale measure $Q$, we have $$\label{behavior:st:under:Q}
S(t)=S(0)\exp\left\{\mu^\star
t+\sigma\sqrt{t}\tilde{Z}_{\lambda,\gamma}\right\},$$ where $$\mu^\star=r-\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2-\frac{1}{t}\ln
\left[{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma+\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\bigg/{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right],$$ and $\tilde{Z}_{\lambda,\gamma}$ has a generalized SN distribution under the martingale probability measure $Q$. Notice that $$\begin{aligned}
E^{Q}\left(e^{-rt} S(t)|\mathcal{F}_0\right)&=& e^{-rt}
E^{Q}\left( e^{\ln S(t)}|\mathcal{F}_0\right)\nonumber\\
&=& e^{-rt} M_{\ln S(t)}(1)\nonumber\\
&=& \exp\left\{\ln
S(0)+\left(\mu^\star-r+\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2\right)
t\right\}\frac{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma+\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\nonumber\\
&=& S(0)\exp\left\{\left(\mu^\star-r+\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2\right)
t+\ln \left[{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma+\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\bigg/{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right]\right\}\nonumber\\
&=&S(0).\end{aligned}$$
European call option price
==========================
Assuming a complete market, the equivalent martingale measure $Q$ will be unique (See, [@KS]). Therefore, the non-arbitrage (NA) EO price with the strike price $K$ and the expiration time $t$, denoted by $C(\mu,\sigma,\lambda,\gamma,r,t,K,S(0))$, is derived as $$\label{option:price:general}
C(\mu,\sigma,\lambda,\gamma,r,t,K,S(0))=e^{-rt}E^Q\left\{\left(S(t)-K\right)^{+}\bigg|\mathcal{F}_0\right\}.$$
\[proposition:EO:price:under:General:SN\] Let $S(t)=S(0)\exp\left\{\mu
t+\sigma\sqrt{t}Z_{\lambda,\gamma}\right\}$. Then $$\begin{aligned}
C(\sigma,\lambda,\gamma,r,t,K,S(0))&=&S(0)\left\{1-\frac{\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},-w;\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right\}\nonumber\\
&&-e^{-rt} K\bar{\Phi}\left(-w+\sigma\sqrt{t};\lambda,\gamma\right),\label{option:price:general:skew}\end{aligned}$$ where $$\label{w}
w=\frac{{\ln}(S(0)/K)+(r+\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2) t-\ln
\left[{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma+\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\bigg/{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right] }{\sigma\sqrt{t}}.$$
From Equations and , we immediately see that
1. $C$ is free of the drift parameter $\mu$.
2. $C$ is an increasing, convex function of $S(0)$.
3. $C$ is a decreasing, convex function of $K$.
4. Since the value of an European call option is the same as that of an American call option ([@KS]), we conclude that $C$ is increasing in $t$.
\[proposition:EO:price:under:General:SN:limit:on:t\] $C\to S(0)$ as $t\to +\infty$.
The non-arbitrage (NA) price of the European put option ($P$) is readily obtained from the well-known put-call parity formula ([@KS], p.50), i.e. $$P+C-S(0)=K e^{-rt},$$ where $C$ is given by .
Some special cases
==================
In what follows, we obtain simple expressions for $C(\sigma,\lambda,\gamma,r,t,K,S(0))$ given by in some special cases.
Case $\lambda=0$ {#case-lambda0 .unnumbered}
----------------
In this case, Equation is reduced to $$\label{w:lambda:0}
w_1=\frac{{\ln}(S(0)/K)+(r+\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2) t }{\sigma\sqrt{t}}.$$ Also, $$\label{h5}
\frac{\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},-w_1;\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}=\frac{\Phi_2(\gamma,-w_1;0)}{\Phi(\gamma)}=\frac{\Phi(\gamma)\Phi(-w_1)}{\Phi(\gamma)}
=\Phi(-w_1).$$ Upon substituting and into , we have $$\label{h6}
C=S(0)\Phi(w_1)-e^{-r t}K\bar{\Phi}(-w_1+\sigma\sqrt{t};0,\gamma),$$ where $w_1$ is given by . From , one can see that $\Phi(x;0,\gamma)=\Phi(x)$ for every $\gamma\in(-\infty,+\infty)$. Thus, in this case we conclude from that $$\label{option:black:scholes}
C=S(0)\Phi(w_1)-e^{-r t}K\Phi(w_1-\sigma\sqrt{t}),$$ which is the well known [*Black-Scholes option price*]{}, denoted by $C_{B-S}$.
Case $\gamma=0$ {#case-gamma0 .unnumbered}
---------------
In this case, we have from that $$\label{w:gamma:0}
w_2=\frac{{\ln}(S(0)/K)+(r+\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2) t-\ln
\left[2\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)\right] }{\sigma\sqrt{t}}.$$ This implies from that $$\begin{aligned}
C&=&S(0)\left\{1-\frac{\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},-w_2;\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right\}-e^{-rt} K\bar{\Phi}\left(-w_2+\sigma\sqrt{t};\lambda,0\right),\nonumber\\
&=&S(0)\left\{1-\frac{\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},-w_2;\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right\}-e^{-rt}
K\bar{\Phi}_{SN}\left(-w_2+\sigma\sqrt{t};\lambda\right),\nonumber\\
\label{option:price:skew:gamma=0}\end{aligned}$$ where $\Phi_{SN}(.;\lambda)$ stands for the cdf of the standard Azzalini’s skew normal distribution with parameter $\lambda$, i.e. $$\Phi_{SN}(x;\lambda)=\int_{-\infty}^x 2\phi(y)\Phi(\lambda y)dy.$$ The option price , denoted by $C_{C-S}$, was obtained by [@CS]. One may be noticed that they could not find an explicit expression for while we could presented EO price in in terms of the cdf of the univariate skew normal and the bivariate standard normal distributions. Numerical values of these functions are provided by some statistical softwares such as $R$ with package $mnorm$.
Empirical evidences
===================
In this section, we consider the option’s sensitiveness to the skew parameters $\lambda$ and $\gamma$ in via a numerical methods because the partial derivatives of the option $C$ given by have complicated forms. The corresponding plots are given in Figure \[fig:model\]. Following [@CS], the benchmark case was taken as $S(0)=100$, $K=100$, $r=0.1$, $\sigma^2=0.4$ and $t=0.25$. Also, we consider $\lambda\in \{-1,0,1\}$ and $\gamma\in\{-1,0,1\}$. Numerical values of $C$ for some selected values of the parameters are given in Table \[tab:C:some:values\].
---------- ---- ---------- ---------- ------------------ ---------- ----------
$\lambda$
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
-2 8.702112 10.69672 13.68113 10.75255 8.857459
-1 9.188333 10.99278 13.68113 11.08288 9.406439
$\gamma$ 0 9.805336 11.45179 [**13.68113**]{} 11.59007 10.09846
+1 10.55043 12.09882 13.68113 12.27943 10.91346
+2 11.37726 12.8264 13.68113 12.99414 11.7723
---------- ---- ---------- ---------- ------------------ ---------- ----------
: Numerical values of $C$ for some selected values of the skew parameters
\[tab:C:some:values\]
Empirical evidences from Table \[tab:C:some:values\] show that
- the EO price $C$ is very sensitive w.r.t. the skew parameters $\lambda$ and $\gamma$;
- the EO price $C$ is decreasing in $|\lambda|$;
- for $\lambda=0$, Black-Scholes EO price $C_{B-S}$ in Equation is obtained;
- for $\lambda\neq 0$, we have an over estimation by Black-Scholes pricing EO $(C<C_{BS})$, that is, overpricing by Black-Scholes EO pricing leads to out-of-money;
- for $\lambda=0$, the option price $C$ does not depend on the parameter $\gamma$ while for $\lambda\neq 0$, the option price $C$ is increasing in the parameter $\gamma$;
- for $\lambda\neq 0$ and $\gamma>(<)0$ we have $C>(<)C_{C-S}$, that is $C_{C-S}$ leads to in-the-money (out-of-money).
![Numerical values of C for the benchmark case and some selected values of the skew parameters $\lambda$ and $\gamma$.[]{data-label="fig:model"}](fig-C-benchmark-in-gamma=-1.eps "fig:"){width="1.5in" height="1.5in"} ![Numerical values of C for the benchmark case and some selected values of the skew parameters $\lambda$ and $\gamma$.[]{data-label="fig:model"}](fig-C-benchmark-in-gamma=0.eps "fig:"){width="1.5in" height="1.5in"} ![Numerical values of C for the benchmark case and some selected values of the skew parameters $\lambda$ and $\gamma$.[]{data-label="fig:model"}](fig-C-benchmark-in-gamma=+1.eps "fig:"){width="1.5in" height="1.5in"} ![Numerical values of C for the benchmark case and some selected values of the skew parameters $\lambda$ and $\gamma$.[]{data-label="fig:model"}](fig-C-benchmark-in-lambda=-1.eps "fig:"){width="1.5in" height="1.5in"} ![Numerical values of C for the benchmark case and some selected values of the skew parameters $\lambda$ and $\gamma$.[]{data-label="fig:model"}](fig-C-benchmark-in-lambda=0.eps "fig:"){width="1.5in" height="1.5in"} ![Numerical values of C for the benchmark case and some selected values of the skew parameters $\lambda$ and $\gamma$.[]{data-label="fig:model"}](fig-C-benchmark-in-lambda=+1.eps "fig:"){width="1.5in" height="1.5in"}
Conclusions
===========
Assuming a generalized SN model, the problem of European option pricing was investigated. Existence and uniqueness of the martingale measure was shown. The explicit expression for EO price was derived in terms of the cdfs of the univariate SN and the bivariate standard normal distributions. Empirically, it was shown that the EO price is sensitive to the skew parameters. The results obtained may be extended for other general SN models. See for example [@ShafieiDoostBala2012]. Another important topic is the problem of the estimating skew parameters on the basis of the observed EO prices [@CorradoSu1997]. Work in this direction is currently under progress and we hope to report findings in a future paper.
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Corns, T. R. A., and Satchell, S. E. (2007) Skew Brownian Motion and Pricing Europuean Options, [*The European Journal of Finance*]{}, [**13**]{}(6), 523–544.
Corrado, C. and Su, T. (1997) Implied volatility skews and stock index skewness and kurtosis implied by S&P 500 index option prices, [*The Journal of Derivatives*]{}, [**4**]{}(4), 8–19.
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Appendix {#appendix .unnumbered}
========
Proof of Proposition \[proposition:EO:price:under:General:SN\] {#proof-of-proposition-propositioneopriceundergeneralsn .unnumbered}
--------------------------------------------------------------
From and , we have $$\begin{aligned}
e^{rt}C(\mu,\sigma,\lambda,\gamma,r,t,K)&=&E^Q\left\{\left(S(t)-K\right)^{+}\bigg|\mathcal{F}_0\right\}\\
&=&E^Q\left\{\left(S(0)\exp\left\{\mu^\star t+\sigma\sqrt{t}\tilde{Z}_{\lambda,\gamma}\right\}-K\right)^{+}\bigg|\mathcal{F}_0\right\}\\
&=&\int_{-\infty}^{+\infty}\left(S(0)\exp\left\{\mu^\star
t+\sigma\sqrt{t}x\right\}-K\right)^{+}\phi(x;\lambda,\gamma) dx\\
&=&\int_{S(0)\exp\left\{\mu^\star
t+\sigma\sqrt{t}x\right\}>K}\left[S(0)\exp\left\{\mu^\star
t+\sigma\sqrt{t}x\right\}-K\right]\phi(x;\lambda,\gamma)
dx\\
&=&\int_{\frac{{\ln}(K/S(0))-\mu^\star t
}{\sigma\sqrt{t}}}^{+\infty}\left[S(0)\exp\left\{\mu^\star
t+\sigma\sqrt{t}x\right\}-K\right]\phi(x;\lambda,\gamma)
dx\\
&=&S(0)\exp\left\{\mu^\star t\right\}\int_{\frac{{\ln}(K/S(0))-\mu^\star t
}{\sigma\sqrt{t}}}^{+\infty}\exp\left\{\sigma\sqrt{t}x\right\}\phi(x;\lambda,\gamma)
dx\\
&&-K\bar{\Phi}\left(\frac{{\ln}(K/S(0))-\mu^\star t
}{\sigma\sqrt{t}};\lambda,\gamma\right),\end{aligned}$$ where $\bar{\Phi}(x;\lambda,\gamma)=P(Z_{\lambda,\gamma}>x)$. Thus, $$\label{option:price:1}
e^{rt}C(\mu,\sigma,\lambda,\gamma,r,t,K)=S(0)\exp\left\{\mu^\star
t\right\}B-K\bar{\Phi}\left(a;\lambda,\gamma\right),$$ where $\displaystyle B=\int_{-\infty}^{+\infty}
I_{[a,+\infty]}(x)\exp\left\{\sigma\sqrt{t}x\right\}\phi(x;\lambda,\gamma)
dx$ and $a=\frac{{\ln}(K/S(0))-\mu^\star t }{\sigma\sqrt{t}}$ and $I_A(x)$ is the indicator function for the set $A$, i.e. $$I_A(x)=\left\{
\begin{array}{ccc}
1,&\ \ & x\in A\\
0,&& o.w.
\end{array}
\right.$$ Therefore, $$\begin{aligned}
B&=&E^Q\left[I_{[a,+\infty]}(Z_{\lambda,\gamma})\exp\left\{\sigma\sqrt{t}Z_{\lambda,\gamma}\right\}\right]\nonumber\\
&=&\left[1-\Phi(a;\lambda,\gamma)\right]E^Q\left[I_{[a,+\infty]}(Z_{\lambda,\gamma})
\frac{\exp\left\{\sigma\sqrt{t}Z_{\lambda,\gamma}\right\}}
{1-\Phi(a;\lambda,\gamma)}\right]\nonumber\\
&=&\left[1-\Phi(a;\lambda,\gamma)\right]E^Q\left[\exp\left\{\sigma\sqrt{t}Z_{T(a,+\infty);\lambda,\gamma}\right\}\right]\nonumber\\
&=&\left[1-\Phi(a;\lambda,\gamma)\right]MGF(\sigma\sqrt{t};a,+\infty,\lambda,\gamma),\label{B:expression:1}\end{aligned}$$ where $Z_{T(a,b);\lambda,\gamma}$ is the truncated skew normal distribution to interval $[a,b]$, introduced by Jamalizadeh [*et al.*]{}(2009), and $MGF(s;a,b,\lambda,\gamma)$ is the corresponding MGF. Jamalizadeh [*et al.*]{}(2009) derived an explicit expression for $MGF(s;a,b,\lambda,\gamma)$ as $$\begin{aligned}
MGF(s;a,b,\lambda,\gamma)&=&u(\lambda,\gamma,a,b)e^{s^2/2}\left\{\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda
s+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},b-s;\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)\right.\nonumber\\
&&-\left.\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda s+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},a-s;\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)\right\},\label{mgf:TSN}\end{aligned}$$ where $$\label{mgf:TSN:constant}
\left[u(\lambda,\gamma,a,b)\right]^{-1}=\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)\left\{
\Phi_{SN}(b;\lambda,\gamma)-\Phi_{SN}(a;\lambda,\gamma)\right\},$$ and $\Phi_2(.,.;\delta)$ is the cdf of $N_2(0,0,1,1,\delta)$ (the standard bivariate normal distribution with correlation coefficient $\delta$). From , and , one can easily show that $$\begin{aligned}
B&=&\bar{\Phi}(a;\lambda,\gamma)MGF(\sigma\sqrt{t};a,+\infty,\lambda,\gamma)\nonumber\\
&=&\bar{\Phi}(a;\lambda,\gamma)u(\lambda,\gamma,a,+\infty)e^{(\sigma\sqrt{t})^2/2}\left\{\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},+\infty;\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)\right.\nonumber\\
&&-\left.\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},a-\sigma\sqrt{t};\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)\right\}\nonumber\\
&=&\frac{1}{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}e^{\sigma^2
t/2}\left\{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)-\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},a-\sigma\sqrt{t};\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)\right\}.\nonumber\\
&&\label{B:expression:2}\end{aligned}$$ Upon substituting into , we have $$\begin{aligned}
C(\mu,\sigma,\lambda,\gamma,r,t,K)&=&e^{-rt}\left[\frac{S(0)e^{\mu^\star
t+ \sigma^2
t/2}}{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\left\{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)\right.\right.\nonumber\\
&&\left.\left.-\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},\frac{{\ln}(K/S(0))-\mu^\star t }{\sigma\sqrt{t}}-\sigma\sqrt{t};\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)\right\}\right.\nonumber\\
&&\left.-K\bar{\Phi}\left(\frac{{\ln}(K/S(0))-\mu^\star t
}{\sigma\sqrt{t}};\lambda,\gamma\right)\right]\nonumber\\
&=&e^{-rt}\left[\frac{S(0)e^{rt}}{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\left\{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda
&=&S(0)\left\{1-\frac{\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},\frac{{\ln}(K/S(0))-\mu^\star t }{\sigma\sqrt{t}}-\sigma\sqrt{t};\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right\}\nonumber\\
&&-e^{-rt} K\bar{\Phi}\left(-w+\sigma\sqrt{t};\lambda,\gamma\right)\label{h4}\end{aligned}$$ where $$w=-\frac{{\ln}(K/S(0))-\mu^\star t }{\sigma\sqrt{t}}+\sigma\sqrt{t}.$$ After some algebraic manipulations, a simplified version for $w$ is derived as $$\begin{aligned}
w&=&-\frac{{\ln}(K/S(0))-\mu^\star t }{\sigma\sqrt{t}}+\sigma\sqrt{t}\nonumber\\
&=&\frac{{\ln}(S(0)/K)+(r-\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2) t-\ln
\left[{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma+\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\bigg/{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right] }{\sigma\sqrt{t}}+\sigma\sqrt{t}\nonumber\\
&=&\frac{{\ln}(S(0)/K)+(r+\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2) t-\ln
\left[{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma+\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\bigg/{\Phi\left(\frac{\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}\right] }{\sigma\sqrt{t}},\label{w:first:expression}\end{aligned}$$ and the desired result follows from and .
Proof of Proposition \[proposition:EO:price:under:General:SN:limit:on:t\] {#proof-of-proposition-propositioneopriceundergeneralsnlimitont .unnumbered}
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
From , we have $\displaystyle \lim_{t\to+\infty}w=+\infty$ and $$\lim_{t\to+\infty}e^{-rt} K\bar{\Phi}\left(-w+\sigma\sqrt{t};\lambda,\gamma\right)=0.$$ Also, $$\lim_{t\to+\infty}\frac{\Phi_2\left(\frac{\lambda \sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma
}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}},-w;\frac{-\lambda}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)}{\Phi\left(\frac{\lambda
\sigma\sqrt{t}+\gamma}{\sqrt{1+\lambda^2}}\right)},$$ and the desired result follows from .
[^1]:
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Q:
Prove that an integral is positive
For any positive integer $n$, consider
$$\int_{0}^\infty\frac{(r^2-1)r^{n+1}}{(r^2+1)^{n+3}}dr.$$
I would like to show that it is positive. I try to write it as
$$\int_{0}^\infty\frac{(r^2-1)r^{n+1}}{(r^2+1)^{n+3}}dr=\int_{0}^\infty\frac{r^{n+1}}{(r^2+1)^{n+2}}dr-2\int_{0}^\infty\frac{r^{n+1}}{(r^2+1)^{n+3}}dr,$$
but I am not sure that it helps.
EDIT: According to sjasonw, the integral may not be positive as I think. I would be happy to see a proof showing that it's not positive.
A:
Let $I$ denote the integral, then we have that
$$I = \int_{0}^\infty\frac{(r^2-1)r^{n+1}}{(r^2+1)^{n+3}}dr = \underbrace{\int_{0}^\infty\frac{r^{n+3}}{(r^2+1)^{n+3}}dr}_J - \underbrace{\int_{0}^\infty\frac{r^{n+1}}{(r^2+1)^{n+3}}dr}_K$$
Consider $J$. Let $r=1/t$, we then get that
$$J = \int_{\infty}^0 \dfrac{1/t^{n+3}}{(1/t^2+1)^{n+3}} \left(- \dfrac{dt}{t^2} \right) = \int_{0}^\infty\frac{t^{n+1}}{(t^2+1)^{n+3}}dt = K$$
Hence, $$I=0$$
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FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS of Hugh Everett's ground breaking work on the existence of multiple universes, a new theory addressing the flaws of the Copenhagen quantum mechanics interpretation.
“The Schrödinger equation delineates how a quantum system’s wave function will change through time, an evolution that it predicts will be smooth and deterministic (that is, with no randomness). But that elegant mathematics seems to contradict what happens when humans observe a quantum system, such as an electron, with a scientific instrument (which itself may be regarded as a quantum-mechanical system). For at the moment of measurement, the wave function describing the superposition of alternatives appears to collapse into one member of the superposition, thereby interrupting the smooth evolution of the wave function and introducing discontinuity...
"Many of the founders of quantum mechanics, notably Bohr, Werner Heisenberg and John von Neumann, agreed on an interpretation of quantum mechanics—known as the Copenhagen interpretation— to deal with the measurement problem. This model of reality postulates that the mechanics of the quantum world reduce to, and only find meaning in terms of, classically observable phenomena—not the reverse… Entire generations of physicists were taught that the equations of quantum mechanics work only in one part of reality, the microscopic, while ceasing to be relevant in another, the macroscopic…
"In stark contrast, Everett addressed the measurement problem by merging the microscopic and macroscopic worlds. He made the observer an integral part of the system observed, introducing a universal wave function that links observers and objects as parts of a single quantum system. He described the macroscopic world quantum mechanically and thought of large objects as existing in quantum superpositions as well. Breaking with Bohr and Heisenberg, he dispensed with the need for the discontinuity of a wave-function collapse...
"Everett was not the first physicist to criticize the Copenhagen collapse postulate as inadequate. But he broke new ground by deriving a mathematically consistent theory of a universal wave function from the equations of quantum mechanics itself. The existence of multiple universes emerged as a consequence of his theory, not a predicate” (Scientific American).
“Hugh Everett's relative-state formulation of quantum mechanics is an attempt to solve the quantum measurement problem by dropping the collapse dynamics from the standard von Neumann-Dirac formulation of quantum mechanics. Everett then wanted to recapture the predictions of the standard collapse theory by explaining why observers nevertheless get determinate measurement records that satisfy the standard quantum statistics” (Stanford Encyclopedia).
Everett’s theory has garnered much support from the scientific community recently and is credited as the source of inspiration for the modern field of quantum computing. He is described by David Deutsch as being “before his time. [Everett] represents the refusal to relinquish objective explanation. A great deal of harm was done to progress in both physics and philosophy by the abdication of the original purpose of those fields: to explain the world. We got irretrievably bogged down in formalisms, and things were regarded as progress which are not explanatory, and the vacuum was filled by mysticism and religion and every kind of rubbish...” (David Deutsch).
IN: Reviews of Modern Physics, Volume 29, Number 3 (July, 1957), pp 454-464. Lancaster, PA and New York, NY: American Institute of Physics. Quarto, original wrappers; custom silk box. A FINE COPY.
Check Availability: | https://einstein.manhattanrarebooks.com/pages/books/107/hugh-everett/relative-state-formulation-of-quantum-mechanics |
I've been having a pretty rough month. The day after thanksgiving,
I was diagnosed with shingles. Shingles is painful - very, very painful. Just the friction of clothing brushing over the shingles when I move caused so much pain that I spent weeks being as immobile as possible.
Needless to say, this has been extremely boring. When I wasn't fuzzed out on pain-killers, I've been doing some reading lately on something called p-adic numbers. p-adics are a very strange kind of number: They're strange-looking, strange-acting, and strangely useful.
P-adics are an alternative to the real numbers. In fact, in a way, they are the alternative to real numbers.
If you go back to number theory, there's a reason why the rational numbers aren't sufficient, and why we have to extend them to the reals by adding irrational numbers. If you take all of the possible rational numbers, you find that there are gaps - places where we know that there must be a number, and yet, if we limit ourselves to fractions, there isn't anything to fit. For example, we know that there must be some number where if we multiply it by itself, it's equal to 2. It's more than 1 4/10ths, by about 1/100th. But it's more than 141/100ths, but about 4/1,000ths. It's more that 1,414/1,000s, by about 2/10,000ths. No matter how far we go, there's no fraction that's exactly right. But we know that there's a number there! If we look at those gaps carefully, we'll find that most numbers are actually in those gaps! The real numbers and the p-adics are both ways of creating number systems that allow us to define the numbers that fit in to those gaps.
The easiest way to understand p-adic numbers is think about how we
represent real numbers in base-P. In real numbers, we represent them using the powers of the base. So, for example, we'd write 24.31 in base-5 to mean 2*51 + 4*50 + 3*5-1 + 1*5-2. Using our normal notation for real numbers, we fill in the gaps by writing numbers as an integer part, followed by a decimal point, followed by a fractional part. For real numbers that aren't rationals, we say that the fractional part goes on forever. So the square root of two starts 1.4142135624, and continues on and on, forever, without repeating. That gives us the real numbers. In that system, every number can be written using a finite number of digits to the left of the decimal point, and an infinite number of digits to the right.
P-adic numbers are exactly the opposite: every P-adic number has a finite number of digits to the right of the decimal, but it can have an infinite number to the left!
Defining p-adic numbers starts off being pretty similar to how we compute the representation of numbers in a standard numeric base. Take a number for your base, like 10. For a number n in base 10, take n modulo 10. That's the right-most digit of your number. Divide by ten, dropping the fractional part, and take the result modulo 10, and that's the second-rightmost digit. Continue this until there's nothing left.
For example, take the number 222 in base-10. If we wanted to represent that in base-7, we'd do:
- If we divide 222 by 7, we get 31 with a remainder of 5. So the rightmost digit is 5.
- We take 31, and divide it by 7, giving us 4, with a remainder of 3. So the second digit is 3.
- We're left with 4, so the last digit is 4.
So - 222 in base-7 is 435. It's the same in 7-adic. For a particular base B, all positive integers are written the same in both base-B and B-adic. Integer arithmetic that doesn't involve negative numbers is also the same.
There's one reallybig catch, and it's one that would make a lot of cranks (like E. E. Escultura) very happy: for real numbers, the decimal notation (for example) is a just a representation - 35 in base 10 is written differently from 43 in base 8 but they're the same actual number, just written differently. 35 in 10-adic is not the same number as 43 in 8-adic. As we'll see when we get to metrics, they're quite different. Each p-adic base produces a distinct system of p-adic numbers, and you can't convert between them as freely as you can in the conventional reals. Decimal notation and hexidecimal notation are writing numbers in the same number system; 2-adic and 3-adic are different number systems!
The first essential difference between p-adic numbers and the reals comes when you try to do arithmetic.
As I said above, for integers, if you don't
do anything with negative numbers, P-adic arithmetic is the same as real number integer arithmetic. In fact, if you're working with P-adic numbers, there are no negative numbers at all! In a P-adic number system, subtracting 1 from 0 doesn't give you -1. It "rolls over" like an infinite odometer. So for 7-adic, 0-1 = ...666666666! That means that arithmetic gets a bit different. Actually, it's really pretty easy: you just do arithmetic from the right to the left, exactly the way that you're used to.
For addition and subtraction, P-adic works almost like normal real-number arithmetic using decimals. Addition is basically what you know from decimal arithmetic. Just go right to left, adding digits, and carrying to the left.
So, for example, in 5-adic, if you have a number ...33333, and 24, to add them, you'd go through the following steps.
- 3 + 4 is 7, which is 12 in base-5. So the first digit of the sum is 2, and we carry 1.
- 3 + 2 is 6, plus the carried one is 6 - so again, 12 in base-5. So the second digit is also 2, and we carry 1.
- 3 + 0 is 3, plus the carried one is 4, se the third digit is 4.
- For all the rest of the infinite digits streaming off to the left, it's 3+0=3.
So the sum is ...3333422.
To do subtraction, it's still basically the same as what you're used to from decimal. There's just one simple change: infinite borrowing. In normal subtraction, you can borrow from the position to your left if there's anything to your left to borrow from. For example, in decimal, if you wanted to subtract 9 from 23, you'd borrow 10 from the 2, then subtract 9 from 13, giving you a result of 14. But if you wanted to substract 3-9, you couldn't borrow, because there's nothing to the left to borrow from. In p-adic, you can always borrow. If you're subtracting 3-9 in 10-adic, then you can borrow from the 0 to the left of the 3. Of course, there's nothing there - so it needs to borrow from its left. And so on - giving you an infinite string of 9s. So 3-9 in 10-adic gives you ....999999994.
Let's do a full example: ...33333 - 42 in 5-adic.
- As always, we start from the right. 3 - 2 = 1, so the first digit is 1.
- Since 3 is smaller than 4, we need to borrow 1 - so we have 13 base 5, which is 8. 8 - 4 = 4. So
the second digit is 4.
- For the third digit, we just subtract the borrowed 1, so it's 2.
So the result is ...3333241.
Multiplication and division get even stranger in P-adic. Because we can't have an infinite number of digits to the right of the decimal, p-adic ends up representing fractions using infinite numbers of digits on the right of the decimal. And that means that we get collisions between fractions and negative numbers. (This should start to give you a clue why each p-adic base is really a different number system: the correspondance between roll-over negatives and infinitely long fractions is different in each base.) It's easiest to see how this works by looking at a concrete example.
The fraction 1/3 can't be written as finite-length string in base-5. In 5-adic, that means we can't write it using digits to the right of the decimal point - we would need an infinite number of digits, and we're not allowed to do that. Instead, we need to write it with an infinite number of digits to the left! 1/3 in 5-adic is: ...1313132.
Looks crazy, but it does work: if you do a tabular multiplication, right to left, multiplying ...1313132 by 3 gives you one! Let's work it through:
- Start from the right: the rightmost digit is 2. 3*2 is 6, which is 11 in base 5; so the rightmost digit is 1, and you carry a one.
- The next digit is 3: 3 times 3 is - 9, plus the carried 1, gives 10 - which is 20 in base-5, so the next digit is a 0, and you carry 2.
- The next digit is 1: 3*1 is 3 plus the carried 2 = 5; so 0, carry 1.
And so on - ....13131313132 * 3 = 1, so ....131313132 == 1/3 in 5-adic.
How can we compute the value of 1/3? Just like decimal real numbers: division.
Division in p-adics is actually easy. The trick is that like all of the other arithmetic, it goes from right to left. Suppose we want to divide N by M. To make it easy, we'll talk about the digits of M and N using subscripts. The rightmost digit of a number X is X1; the second-rightmost is X2, etc. The multiplication algorithm is:
- Start at the rightmost digit of both numbers.
- Find the smallest number d which, multiplied by M, has as Ni as its rightmost digit.
- Subtract d*Mi from N.
- Drop the trailing last digits from N, giving N'.
- Now divide N' by M, and put d on the right.
Let's walk through 1/3 in 5-adic:
- The rightmost digit of 1 is 1.
- What, multiplied by 3 will have a trailing digit of 1 in base-5? 2*3=6, which is 11 in base-5. So d = 2.
- Now we subtract the "11" from 1 - which is really ...00001. So it becomes ...444440.
- We drop the trailing 0, and N' is ...4444.
- So now we divide ...4444 by 3. What's the smallest number which, multiplied by 3, ends in a 4 in base-5? 3*3=9, which is 14 in base-5. So the next digit of the result is 3.
- Now, we subtract 14 from ...4444. That gives us ...44430. Drop the zero, and it's ...4443
- Next digit is a 1, leaving ...444
Crazy, huh? There is one catch about division: it only really works if the p-base in your p-adic system is a prime number. Otherwise, you get trouble - your p-adic system of numbers isn't a field if p is non-prime.
If you think about it, arithmetic with the P-adics is actually simpler than it is with conventional real numbers. Everything goes right to left. It's all more uniform. In fact, p-adic has been seriously proposed as a number representation for computer hardware, because the hardware is much easier to build when everything can be done uniformly right to left!
There's a lot more wierdness in the p-adics. We haven't even started to talk about metrics and distances in p-adic numbers. That's both where the p-adics get even stranger, and where they actually get useful. That'll be the next post, hopefully within a day or two! | http://goodmath.scientopia.org/2012/12/12/p-adic-arithmetic/ |
Q:
Concatenating each string in a list to several other strings in Python
I have a loop script that makes a list of strings from a file using the line.split() function, although I want to tag each string with two other strings that form during the loop.
How can I concatenate each string formed from the line.split() function to two other strings?
This is the relevant part of my code
out = str()
for fileName in os.listdir(os.getcwd()):
if line.startswith('Group:'):
y = line.split()
t_group = y[]
group = t_group
if line.startswith("F:"):
y = line.split()
#this is where the list of strings is formed
t_out = group + " " + ___ # The underscores are a placeholder for each string in the list that I want to add
out.append(t_out)
A:
If you just want to concatenate all strings in a list, use join:
strs = ["hey", "what's", "up"]
concat = "".join(strs)
print(concat)
# output
heywhat'sup
To append one string at a time, you could do something like:
output_string = "prepended text"
for string in strs:
output_string += string
print(output_string)
printed output would be:
prepended text
prepended texthey
prepended textheywhat's
prepended textheywhat'sup
Of course, you could add a space into the string each time you append your string from the list too.
output_string += f" {string}"
which would print:
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Moving home is undoubtedly one of the most stressful experiences. From packing up your belongings to getting them safely transported, it’s a process that can bring on anxiety and plenty of potential troubles. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to ensure a smoother transition when moving home. By creating a checklist and following it carefully, you can save yourself from many of the potential worries associated with shifting homes. Here’s our comprehensive guide to help you make sure that your move goes smoothly, without any hiccups along the way.
Tips for a Smooth Home Relocation Process
If you’re planning on home and office shifting in India, congratulations! A new home is an exciting adventure. However, the process of actually moving can be stressful. There are a lot of things to think about and organize, from packing up all your belongings to arranging transportation.
To help make your move as smooth as possible, we’ve put together some tips. By following our checklist, you can help avoid potential problems down the road:
- Start early: The sooner you start packing, the better. This will give you plenty of time to sort through your belongings and figure out what you need to take with you and what can be left behind.
- Get organized: Create a packing list or inventory of everything that needs to be packed up and moved. This will help ensure that nothing gets left behind and will make it easier to keep track of your belongings during the move.
- Choose the right transportation: Depending on the distance you’re moving and the amount of stuff you have, you’ll need to choose the best way to get your belongings from point A to point B. If you’re moving locally, a rental truck may be all you need. But if you’re moving long distances, you may want to consider hiring professional movers.
- Pack properly: Carefully pack all your belongings using sturdy boxes and packing materials. Label each box with its contents and destination room in your new home to make unpacking easier later on.
Making Use of Storage Facilities
When it comes to moving, one of the most important things to consider is storage. With a little planning, you can make use of storage facilities to make your move much easier.
Here are a few tips for making use of storage facilities:
- Make a list of everything you need to store. This will help you determine what size storage unit you need and what items can be stored together.
- Pack items carefully. Use boxes that are the right size for the items you are storing and pack them securely to prevent damage.
- Label all boxes clearly. This will help you find items when you need them and make unpacking easier.
- Store items in an organized manner. Stack boxes in a way that makes sense so you can easily find what you need when you need it.
- Use protective coverings for furniture and other delicate items. This will help keep them clean and free from damage while in storage.
By following these tips, you can make use of storage facilities to make your move much easier and less stressful.
Using Labeled Boxes and Bags
If you’re moving home, there are a few things you can do to make the process go more smoothly. One of those things is using labeled boxes and bags.
When you’re packing up your belongings, it can be helpful to label each box or bag with its contents. That way, when you’re unpacking at your new home, you’ll know exactly what’s in each one. This can save you a lot of time and headaches trying to figure out what goes where.
Another benefit of labeling your boxes and bags is that it can help your packers and movers in Jaipur. If they know what’s in each one, they can be more careful with certain items. And if something gets lost in the move, it will be easier to track it down if it’s labeled.
So, when you’re packing for your move, be sure to label everything clearly. It will make your life a lot easier in the long run!
Unpacking Right Away
As soon as you get to your new place, start unpacking. It may seem like a daunting task, but it’s important to get it done as soon as possible. That way, you can start settling into your new home and begin enjoying your new life.
Plus, unpacking right away will help you avoid potential moving troubles. For example, if you leave all your boxes unpacked, they’ll just pile up and become a tripping hazard. And if you don’t unpack your clothes right away, they could end up getting wrinkled or damaged in the move.
So take some time to unpack as soon as you get to your new home. It may not be the most fun part of moving, but it’s necessary to get it done quickly and safely.
Handling Fragile Items
When it comes to moving, one of the most important things to keep in mind is how to handle fragile items. Whether it’s your grandmother’s china or your child’s favorite toy, there are a few simple steps you can take to make sure these items arrive at your new home safely.
- Pack them properly: When packing fragile items, be sure to use plenty of padding material such as bubble wrap or packing peanuts. For extra protection, you can even double-wrap items or place them in specially designed-boxes for added safety.
- Do a trial run: Before loading any fragile items into the moving truck, do a test run by gently shaking and bumping the box to see how well everything is secured. This will help you catch any potential problems so that you can fix them before it’s too late.
- Be careful when loading: When it comes time to load the moving truck, be extra careful with any boxes containing fragile items. Be sure to place them in a spot where they won’t be jostled around too much during the drive and consider using straps or tie-downs to keep them secure.
- Unpack with care: Once you arrive at your new home, take your time unpacking any delicate items. If possible, have someone else help you so that you can avoid accidentally dropping or damaging anything in the process.
Conclusion
Moving home can be a stressful period in life, so make sure you are prepared before taking the plunge. With this checklist in hand, you should have all your bases covered when it comes to potential moving troubles. It’s important to remember that if something does go wrong on the day of your move, don’t panic and take things one step at a time. Keep calm and follow our tips to ensure that your move will run smoothly without any major hiccups. Good luck. | https://allnewsm7.com/moving-home-heres-a-checklist-that-can-save-you-from-potential-moving-troubles/ |
Duplicity of events.
The basketball players from Weilheim also lost the home game against the Baskets Munich.
Curiously, the result was exactly like the week before against Wolnzach.
Weilheim - The Baskets Munich proved to be one size too big for the basketball players of TSV Weilheim.
Like a week before against Wolnzach, the TSV basketball players had to accept a significant defeat this time as well.
Curiously, the result was exactly the same as the week before, 68:88.
Compared to the Wolnzach game, when the TSV basketball players were already clearly behind at halftime (27:46), the gap against Munich was significantly lower at the break (36:42).
“Unfortunately, after a good first half, the boys lost the connection in the third quarter,” said Florian Willkomm, sporting director of the Weilheim team.
Weilheimer also with bad luck in the end
The home side struggled a few times with the conclusion. “A lot of our balls that just fell out went in on the other side,” said Willkomm, regretting the lack of luck in his team. “We also lacked the strength and intensity a bit,” added coach Darryl Millwood. A big handicap for the Weilheimers was that they had to do without Andy Brem, Philipp Brenner and Andreas Sedlmayr. "It will be difficult against a team of equal players and a very experienced Munich team," said Millwood.
Despite this weakness in personnel, his protégés designed the first quarter largely open, although they had problems with the rebounds and with the distance throws. Under the basket, the Munich team caught significantly more rebounding balls, and initially the distance throws of the Weilheimers did not find their way to the goal. The leadership initially changed several times. Ultimately, at the end of the quarter, the guests developed a small lead (20:15), which remained almost unchanged in the second round and only increased by a single point. What caught the eye: The "Baskets" showed a tremendous accuracy in their three-point throws. Within seven minutes they sank four of them. Alex and Andy Thumser kept the Weilheimer with their hits in the game.
After the break, however, the guests really stepped on the gas, and they were lucky enough with their throws. The TSV basket hunters, however, struggled with the conclusion. As a result, the gap grew to 20 points by the end of the third quarter (47:67). In the final quarter, the people of Munich cleverly managed their tour. The Weilheimer had to do without Johnny Millwood in the course of the game, who was troubled by a cold. At least the hosts tried hard. “But we didn't have the means to turn things around. But there are more important opponents than the baskets who have to be beaten, ”said Willkomm.
Statistics:
Statistics: | https://newsrnd.com/sports/2021-10-19-baskets-munich-a-size-too-big-for-tsv-weilheim.Bkpexk2SF.html |
Get ready for it.
We may be in the middle of February but I am giving you nothing but ice cream recipes this week. I already gave you an ice cream cake recipe on Monday. Friday will bring ice cream sandwich cookies. Today- ice cream AND my favorite topping.
I have become a bit ice cream obsessed as of late. I keep our ice cream churning base in our little chest freezer so I can make ice cream whenever I want. It is a bit of a problem if you ask me. Oh but homemade ice cream is so good! (Except the once it wasn’t. Speaking of which, I need to dig that stuff out of my freezer and pitch it)
Growing up one of my favorite treats was an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen dipped in chocolate. The chocolate would harden on the cold ice cream making the most delicious hard shell. God knows what was in the chocolate to make it do that. As an adult I have been known to make late night runs to the all too close Dairy Queen for a tiny dipped cone.
A few months ago I saw a recipe for “magic shell” topping and nearly fell out of my chair when I saw the ingredient list- chocolate and coconut oil. That’s it. I cannot tell you how many times I have made this recipe lately. In fact I am embarrased how often I make it. I simply keep it in the fridge then give it a quick spin in microwave when I want to use it. Oh my yum.
It is exactly like stuff from Dairy Queen except it comes with piece of mind of knowing what you are eating.
A popular late night snack around here is dipping slices banana in melted chocolate then freezing them. We slice and dip before starting Little’s bedtime routine. By the time he is finally out the bananas are deliciously frozen. So when I saw a recipe for roasted banana ice cream I knew I had to pair it up with the perfect chocolate topping.
And I was not disappointed.
Roasted Banana Ice Cream (makes about 1 quart)Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
3 medium overripe bananas, peeled and cut into large pieces
1/3 packed brown sugar
1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups whole milk (plus extra for thinning if needed)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a shallow baking dish toss together the banana, brown sugar and butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once caramelized and delicious, remove from the oven.
In a blender combine the banana mixture, milk sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and sea salt. Blend until smooth. Chill until very cold, preferable overnight. When you remove it from the fridge check the consistency. I needed to add about 1/2-2/3 cup milk to thin it enough to work in my ice cream maker. Mix in your ice cream maker according to the directions.
Chocolate Topping (“magic shell”) (makes about 1 cup)
Adapted from Skip to My Lou
3/4 cup chocolate (preferably really good dark chocolate chopped but chips will do)
1/4 cup coconut oil
Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave about 1 minute (depending on your microwave). Allow to sit a few minutes to allow the heat of the oil to melt the chocolate chips and then stir until smooth. It will be runny. Pour over ice cream. Wait a few moments for it to harden. Enjoy. | http://kimmysbakeshop.com/roasted-banana-ice-cream-hard-chocolate-topping/ |
Here is a mystery photo that Orrin Moen gave to cousin Lois at the recent Moen-Hovde reunion.
Orrin suggested to Lois that the house, at least, might be Ole Larson’s, and therefore, the people might also be Larsons. Orrin did not recognize any of them, and neither can Lois or I. It is certainly not Ole Larson’s family.
Although of the same general shape as both Ole’s house in Wisconsin *and* Isaac’s in ND, I’m pretty sure it is neither one. The main part of the house (on the right) appears larger. I don’t think there would be room for the two upstairs windows in either of the Larson houses.
As to the people, I don’t have a clue. The photo is very old; judging from the clothes, I would say before 1920, probably 1910 or earlier. But let us only assume it is sometime between 1900 and 1925.
To cast the widest net, let us assume only that the five boys are brothers, and the man is the father. (Let us *not* assume any of the other obvious likelihoods, i.e. the old woman is a grandmother, the father is a widower, and there are no sisters). Even disregarding the lack of any resemblance, they could not possibly be five of Ole Larson’s sons, as there is not enough age spread. Ole’s six sons were spread over 22 years; no combination of five could be spread less than 19. The spread between these boys is certainly less than 10 years.
The old woman does somewhat resemble Ole’s sister, Kari Larsdatter Nesseth.
But, I have info on Kari’s descendants from cousin Carmen, and none of Kari’s children had five sons.
I have searched thoroughly through “Larsons & Slettens,” and found no family with five boys spread by less than ten years. Even Isaac Larson’s five boys some 20 years later were spread by more.
Orrin Moen’s book on the Moens, Voldens, Fransens, and Hovdes is formatted differently, making it harder to scan for candidates. I found only one, a certain Jeremias Hovde (1870-1951) and his wife Laura Fransen (sister of Axel Larson’s wife, Mina). Six of their 8 children were boys, including five born between 1905 and 1913. However, it is extremely doubtful. The mother lived until 1952 and ought to be in the picture. Also the three other siblings (2 girls and 1 boy), although they were all older, and could possible be away from the home. But not the mother. On top of everything, there is a photo in Orrin’s book of Jeremias at age 50-60, and I can see no resemblance whatever.
It’s a long shot, but if *anyone* out there has any idea, do pipe up! | https://olelarsonsfolks.net/2009/08/mystery-family/ |
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Computer Science > Discrete Mathematics
Title: Very large-scale neighborhood search for drone routing with energy replenishment
(Submitted on 28 Jul 2022)
Abstract: The Drone Routing Problem with Energy replenishment (DRP-E) belongs to a general class of routing problems with intermediate stops and synchronization constraints. In DRP-E, the drone has to visit a set of nodes and routinely requires battery swaps from a (potentially) mobile replenishment station. Contrary to widespread restrictions in the drone routing literature, several destinations may be visited in between two consecutive battery swaps. In this paper, we propose a nontrivial very large-scale neighbourhood for DRP-E, which synergetically leverages two large-sized polynomially solvable DRP-E SubProblems (SP1 and SP2). The number of feasible solutions in the resulting neighborhood is a multiple of those in SP1 and SP2, and, thus, exponential in the input size of the problem, whereas the computational time to search it remains polynomial. The proposed polynomial two-stage dynamic programming algorithm VLSN to search this neighborhood can be flexibly adjusted to the desired trade-off between accuracy and computational time. For instance, the search procedure can be converted into an exact algorithm of competitive runtime for DRP-E. In computational tests, the developed solution methods outperform current state-of-the art heuristics for DRP-E by a significant margin. A case study based on a search for missing persons demonstrates that VLSN easily accommodates additional practice relevant features and outperforms the state-of-the-art solution in disaster relief by 20%.
Submission historyFrom: Alena Otto [view email]
[v1] Thu, 28 Jul 2022 08:04:51 GMT (5648kb,D)
Link back to: arXiv, form interface, contact. | http://export.arxiv.org/abs/2207.13940 |
If a student hands me a note about an absence, what should I do?If possible, have the student go directly to the office to hand the note in. In the AIP office we are receiving hundreds of calls from parents stating that they are sending notes with their children and are confused about why they are still receiving truancy letters. The AIP team is now encouraging parents to communicate with the school via telephone or in person instead.
What is ADA?
ADA = Average Daily Attendance. For each unit of ADA calculated, the district receives an apportionment amount from the State. Approximately 90 percent of our school district's general purpose revenue is derived from student attendance.ADA is computed by taking the number of days the student actually attended and dividing it by the number of school days for the P2 reporting period (approximately a 9 month period beginning the first day of school).
If the absences are excused, does the school still receive ADA?
The school district no longer receives funding when students miss school for an illness or doctor verified absence (excusable absence).
Excused absence or unexcused absence (truancy) = no funding.
If I provide homework packets for a student who will be missing several days of school, will the absence be excused?
No. If the student is missing school for a reason such as a vacation, it will still be coded as an unexcused absence even if you provide work for the family to take home. However, if the family knows two weeks in advance that they will miss 3 or more days, they may request to have a Short-term Independent Study (STIS) contract from the Vice Principal or Principal.If the STIS is granted and the student turns in all the homework packets for each day, all of the days will be coded as excused and the school days will contribute to ADA. ADA credit will not be given unless a signed and dated agreement is in effect on or before the days of absence.
Short-term Independent Study is approved at the discretion of the vice principal or principal.What is chronic absenteeism?
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year, regardless of whether absences are excused or unexcused.
For a 180 day school year that would equal 18 school days.
What can I do if a student isn’t coming to school?
A: Teachers should report any chronic absenteeism concerns with the V.P., Principal or Counselor, depending on who addresses the attendance issues at your school site. They will either hold a Truancy Conference at the school or refer to the Attendance Improvement Program.What happens if a family has been referred to SARB, and the student continues to be truant? If you are concerned about a violation of SARB directives please contact the AIP/SARB office.In the cases where none of the requirements apply, please continue to come up with creative ways to engage these students and provide incentive for positive attendance. The AIP/SARB office may be contacted to follow-up with the family in regards to the resources that the family was provided with.What is the policy for dropping a truant student?
After 10 school days, you may send the "15-day drop letter." On the 15th day, if there is no communication from the family and it is suspected they have moved out of the school boundaries, you may disenroll the student.When should I advise a family to obtain a Chronic Illness Form?
If you notice that the student is missing school at least 1-2 times per month because of a serious health condition, the Chronic Illness Form may be of support to the family.
What are TRU letters and when are they sent?
The school district is required by law to mail out written notification of truancies.
TRU 1: is sent with the student has 3 full or partial days of unexcused absences (codes C, X, Y), including tardies over 30 minutes (codes B).
TRU 2: is sent with the student has 6 full or partial days of unexcused absences (codes C, X, Y), including tardies over 30 minutes (codes B).
TRU 3: is sent with the student has 9 full or partial days of unexcused absences (codes C, X, Y), including tardies over 30 minutes (codes B).
Other attendance letters the parent may receive (these are not truancy letters):
Child Welfare and Attendance Letter (CWA) is a broad warning to the parent/guardian that their child has had many illnesses. The CWA letter is sent when parents have used all 10 illness parent verified (E) days.When can I refer a family to SARB?
After the student (ages 6-18) qualifies for a TRU 3 letter (received 9 or more truancies) within the current school year and 5 school-site interventions have occurred or been attempted. Ed Code 48262 requires a "conscientious effort" to hold a parent conference, either in person or by telephone. If a parent does not show up for a conference or has not responded to phone messages, the standard required by law has been met.
Are tardies considered truancy?There are three different kinds of tardies:
T-tardy: is coded when students are less than 30 mins late. T-tardys are not considered to be truancy.
B-tardy: is coded when students are more than 30 mins late. B-tardys are considered to be truancy
L-tardy: is coded when a student is late for an excusable reason determined by California State Law. It is an excusable tardy.Examples:
The student had a doctor’s appointment, students were sick but now feeling better, the bus was late etc.
L-tardys are not to be coded for unexcused reasons such as: the car broke down, family emergency, the parent was sick, etc. (whether the parent reported why they were tardy or not, it does not mean it is an excusable reason by law).
Will there still be SARB conferences?
Yes, the AIP/SARB Team will continue to support the schools with the highest level of intervention at the school district level.What kind of support can my school expect from AIP?
The Attendance Improvement Program’s school community workers and intervention specialist work directly with students and their families and collaborate with schools sites to increase daily attendance and encourage student engagement. In partnership with the student’s school, AIP provides information, resources, and referral to families, empowering them to achieve consistent school attendance, support their student’s academic success, and improve the family-school connection.Our program’s philosophy is Keeping Students Connected. •family support •home visits •parent education •attendance record reviews •advocacy •referrals to community resources •promotion of positive communication between school and home •assistance with health care concerns •school consults •truancy presentations
What is the head lice policy?
Three (3) consecutive school days may be granted as excused absences for a student with lice. Weekends are not factored into the count of days for coding excused absences. A one-time extension may be granted by an administrator for a first-time case and with regular communication between the parent and school. These absences will be coded as V for staff verified and will not count towards the student's 10 parent verified illness (E) days. Future absences due to lice for this student would be coded as unexcused.
Board Policy 5000/AR 5141.33: Excluded students may return to school when recommended treatment procedures have been used and when re-examination by the school designee shows that all pests and the majority of nits have been removed.What is a realistic attendance goal for my school?
An overall attendance percentage rate increase by 1 percent for the next three school years – which will ultimately align with the superintendent’s goal of 98 percent for each school.
Why is the AIP staff targeting their work with first-, sixth-, seventh- and ninth-graders at the beginning of the school year?
Specific universal focus will be given to first-grade, seventh-grade and ninth-grade students. All are considered significant transition years for students. First-graders are a focus because they are in their first year under the compulsory attendance laws. Seventh and ninth graders are a focus because these are significant transition years into new instructional settings and high risk students have a greater probability of success if they are connected to their school. These transitional students who received a Truancy Letter 3 in the previous school year will be identified for intervention by the AIP staff. | https://www.sanjuan.edu/Page/6833 |
Braden Manering, age 2, was referred to Early Invention at 6 months old because he was not meeting his developmental milestones. Early intervention is designed to help babies and toddlers meet their developmental milestones. Qualified professionals work with parents and children up to the age of three years old who are experiencing delays in their development.
Read More
Meet Anita
When Anita was born, she was diagnosed early on with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy and at age four, she was diagnosed with hearing loss. Anita’s mother contacted Easterseals when Anita was 16 months old for adaptive equipment to assist in her daily life.
Read More
Meet Ethan
Ethan was born with spina bifida, chari malformation 2 and congenital hearth problems. Doctors thought Ethan may never walk, may be blind and might be mentally handicapped. | http://www.easterseals.com/joliet/who-we-are/stories-of-hope/ |
Grilling or barbecuing meat at high temperatures leads to the production of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), compounds known as “mutagens” which damage DNA. HCAs are formed when amino acids and sugars present in meat react under high temperatures.
Additionally, liquid fat drips into the flame of a barbeque and creates smoke filled with PAHs, coating the surface of the meat. While the best solution is to use other cooking methods when possible, there are several simple ways to balance the effects of grilling your favorite foods.
Choose Meat Wisely
Emphasize leaner cuts of meat. Less fat drippings means less smoke and less exposure to PAHs. Further, removing the skin from poultry before cooking will reduce HCA formation.
Marinate
Not only does marinating meat impart more flavor, it can also be protective against carcinogenic compounds. Acid-containing marinades (e.g., those
containing vinegar or lemon/lime juice) are best to reduce formation of HCAs. It is also important to note that traditional barbeque sauces, which tend to have a high sugar content, can increase formation of HCAs. If using these sauces, they should be added to foods after they have been cooked.
Add Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices have been shown to reduce formation of HCAs when meats are grilled. Mint, onion, turmeric, garlic, rosemary, ginger, thyme, and red chili pepper are all great choices. These herbs can be used in marinades, mixed into ground meats, or used as a dry rub.
Avoid Over-cooking or Charring
The amount of time your meat contacts the grill makes a difference. Try quicker -cooking proteins like fish or shrimp, or cut your meats into smaller pieces to reduce cooking time (meat and vegetable kebabs are a great solution). Rotate meat frequently to allow the center to fully cook without overheating the surface. Blackened or charred areas of meat can be removed to reduce exposure to HCAs and PAHs.
Try Grilling Other Food Groups
Fruits and vegetables have been shown to inhibit activity of HCAs and reduce DNA damage caused by these compounds. Fortunately, antioxidant rich produce can also be delicious when grilled. Try zucchini, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, apples, peaches, pineapple, or even watermelon for a unique addition to your meal.
Who who considers themselves an 'expert griller' or someone that is comfortable grilling? I hope this information is helpful and for those that are new to it, let me know if you have any questions! | https://club.lovewellness.com/post/a-guide-to-grilling-food-60db2db34c037aeeddd88b09 |
In mathematics, a diffeomorphism is an isomorphism in the category of smooth manifolds. It is an invertible function that maps one differentiable manifold to another, such that both the function and its inverse are smooth.
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Contents
Given two manifolds M and N, a bijective map f from M to N is called a diffeomorphism if both
and its inverse
are differentiable (if these functions are r times continuously differentiable, f is called a -diffeomorphism).
Two manifolds M and N are diffeomorphic (symbol usually being ) if there is a smooth bijective map f from M to N with a smooth inverse. They are diffeomorphic if there is an r times continuously differentiable bijective map between them whose inverse is also r times continuously differentiable.
Given a subset X of a manifold M and a subset Y of a manifold N, a function f : X→ Y is said to be smooth if for all p in X there is a neighborhood of p and a smooth function g: U → N such that the restrictions agree (note that g is an extension of f). We say that f is a diffeomorphism if it is bijective, smooth, and if its inverse is smooth.
|This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.|
Model example: if U and V are two connected open subsets of Rn such that V is simply connected, a differentiable map f: U → V is a diffeomorphism if it is proper and if
Now, f: M → N is called a diffeomorphism if in coordinates charts it satisfies the definition above. More precisely, pick any cover of M by compatible coordinate charts, and do the same for N. Let φ and ψ be charts on M and N respectively, with U being the image of φ and V the image of ψ. Then the conditions says that the map ψ f φ−1: U → V is a diffeomorphism as in the definition above (whenever it makes sense). One has to check that for every couple of charts φ, ψ of two given atlases, but once checked, it will be true for any other compatible chart. Again we see that dimensions have to agree.
Since any manifold can be locally parametrised, we can consider some explicit maps from two-space into two-space.
The Jacobian matrix has zero determinant if, and only if xy = 0. We see that f is a diffeomorphism away from the x-axis and the y-axis.
We see that g is a local diffeomorphism at 0 if, and only if, , i.e. the linear terms in the components of g are linearly independent as polynomials.
The Jacobian matrix has zero determinant everywhere! In fact we see that the image of h is the unit circle.
Let M be a differentiable manifold that is second-countable and Hausdorff. The diffeomorphism group of M is the group of all Cr diffeomorphisms of M to itself, and is denoted by Diffr(M) or Diff(M) when r is understood. This is a 'large' group, in the sense that it is not locally compact (provided M is not zero-dimensional).
The diffeomorphism group has two natural topologies, called the weak and strong topology (Hirsch 1997). When the manifold is compact, these two topologies agree. The weak topology is always metrizable. When the manifold is not compact, the strong topology captures the behavior of functions "at infinity", and is not metrizable. It is, however, still Baire.
Fixing a Riemannian metric on M, the weak topology is the topology induced by the family of metrics
as K varies over compact subsets of M. Indeed, since M is σ-compact, there is a sequence of compact subsets Kn whose union is M. Then, define
The diffeomorphism group equipped with its weak topology is locally homeomorphic to the space of Cr vector fields (Leslie 1967). Over a compact subset of M, this follows by fixing a Riemannian metric on M and using the exponential map for that metric. If r is finite and the manifold is compact, the space of vector fields is a Banach space. Moreover, the transition maps from one chart of this atlas to another are smooth, making the diffeomorphism group into a Banach manifold. If r = ∞ or if the manifold is σ-compact, the space of vector fields is a Fréchet space. Moreover, the transition maps are smooth, making the diffeomorphism group into a Fréchet manifold.
In particular, the Lie algebra of the diffeomorphism group of M consists of all vector fields on M, equipped with the Lie bracket of vector fields. Somewhat formally, this is seen by making a small change to the coordinate x at each point in space:
so the infinitesimal generators are the vector fields
For a connected manifold M the diffeomorphism group acts transitively on M. More generally, the diffeomorphism group acts transitively on the configuration space CkM. If the dimension of M is at least two the diffeomorphism group acts transitively on the configuration space FkM: the action on M is multiply transitive (Banyaga 1997, p. 29).
In 1926, Tibor Radó asked whether the harmonic extension of any homeomorphism (or diffeomorphism) of the unit circle to the unit disc yields a diffeomorphism on the open disc. An elegant proof was provided shortly afterwards by Hellmuth Kneser and a completely different proof was discovered in 1945 by Gustave Choquet, apparently unaware that the theorem was already known.
The (orientation-preserving) diffeomorphism group of the circle is pathwise connected. This can be seen by noting that any such diffeomorphism can be lifted to a diffeomorphism f of the reals satisfying f(x+1) = f(x) +1; this space is convex and hence path connected. A smooth eventually constant path to the identity gives a second more elementary way of extending a diffeomorphism from the circle to the open unit disc (this is a special case of the Alexander trick). Moreover, the diffeomorphism group of the circle has the homotopy-type of the orthogonal group O(2).
The corresponding extension problem for diffeomorphisms of higher dimensional spheres Sn−1 was much studied in the 1950s and 1960s, with notable contributions from René Thom, John Milnor and Stephen Smale. An obstruction to such extensions is given by the finite Abelian group Γn, the "group of twisted spheres", defined as the quotient of the Abelian component group of the diffeomorphism group by the subgroup of classes extending to diffeomorphisms of the ball Bn.
For manifolds the diffeomorphism group is usually not connected. Its component group is called the mapping class group. In dimension 2, i.e. for surfaces, the mapping class group is a finitely presented group, generated by Dehn twists (Dehn, Lickorish, Hatcher). Max Dehn and Jakob Nielsen showed that it can be identified with the outer automorphism group of the fundamental group of the surface.
William Thurston refined this analysis by classifying elements of the mapping class group into three types: those equivalent to a periodic diffeomorphism; those equivalent to a diffeomorphism leaving a simple closed curve invariant; and those equivalent to pseudo-Anosov diffeomorphisms. In the case of the torus S1 x S1 = R2/Z2, the mapping class group is just the modular group SL(2,Z) and the classification reduces to the classical one in terms of elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic matrices. Thurston accomplished his classification by observing that the mapping class group acted naturally on a compactification of Teichmüller space; since this enlarged space was homeomorphic to a closed ball, the Brouwer fixed-point theorem became applicable.
If M is an oriented smooth closed manifold, it was conjectured by Smale that the identity component of the group of orientation-preserving diffeomorphisms is simple. This had first been proved for a product of circles by Michel Herman; it was proved in full generality by Thurston.
It is easy to find a homeomorphism that is not a diffeomorphism, but it is more difficult to find a pair of homeomorphic manifolds that are not diffeomorphic. In dimensions 1, 2, 3, any pair of homeomorphic smooth manifolds are diffeomorphic. In dimension 4 or greater, examples of homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic pairs have been found. The first such example was constructed by John Milnor in dimension 7. He constructed a smooth 7-dimensional manifold (called now Milnor's sphere) that is homeomorphic to the standard 7-sphere but not diffeomorphic to it. There are in fact 28 oriented diffeomorphism classes of manifolds homeomorphic to the 7-sphere (each of them is a total space of the fiber bundle over the 4-sphere with the 3-sphere as the fiber).
Much more extreme phenomena occur for 4-manifolds: in the early 1980s, a combination of results due to Simon Donaldson and Michael Freedman led to the discovery of exotic R4s: there are uncountably many pairwise non-diffeomorphic open subsets of R4 each of which is homeomorphic to R4, and also there are uncountably many pairwise non-diffeomorphic differentiable manifolds homeomorphic to R4 that do not embed smoothly in R4.
Chaudhuri, Shyamoli, Hakuru Kawai and S.-H Henry Tye. "Path-integral formulation of closed strings," Phys. Rev. D, 36: 1148, 1987.
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The accident took place at around 2.30 pm near Titwala station in Thane district at the train bound for Mumbai CST from Kasara (N-18).The mishap which occurred when the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus-bound local train derailed near Titwala also threw traffic on the Central line out of gear.
"Five coaches of N-18 (Kasara-CST) local derailed between Titwala and Ambivli stations (61km from CST) at 2.30 pm today, resulting in the death of one person and simple injuries to three others," a CR statement said.
Rail traffic on the up and down lines between Kalyan and Titwala has been suspended due to the accident, railways said.
The Kalyan-Kasara rail segment, on which the accident occurred, is a very busy route which connects the financial capital of Mumbai with the northern and eastern cities of the country.
A break-down train and medical van have reached the accident site along with senior officials as efforts were underway to restore traffic flow in the affected section, the statement added.
The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.
According to TOI report, the deceased has been identified as 38-yesr old Dhawal Lodha.
The six injured have been identified as Mohammed Imam Khan (38), Pooja Bhoir (50), Moin Khan (40), Karan Chand (25), Chaituddin Khan (50) and the guard injured in the incident is Aryan Dubey (46). | http://www.oneindia.com/mumbai/mumbai-local-train-derails-leaving-1-dead-12-injured-1415228.html |
Do you want to convert 6077000 kB to GB? If so, you have come to the right place. Here we tell you what 6077000 kB in GB is, along with some important explanations you must know. 6077000 kilobytes in gigabytes is 6.077 GB, but when the units kilobyte (kB) and kibibyte (KiB) are used interchangeably confusion may arise. In other words, how many GB is 6077000 kB depends on whether a kilobyte has 1000 or 1024 bytes:
6077000 KiB to GiB = 5.659647285938262939453125 GiB
In the next part of this article we elaborate on the difference between 6077000 kilobytes and 6077000 kibibytes. Keep reading to learn all about it, and check out our converter in the next section.
6077000 Kilobytes in Gigabytes
When it comes to 6077000 kilobytes, the base 10 notation with exponent 3 is recommended by most standardization organizations including SI and IEC, and regularly used to designate hard storage capacity: 6077000 kB = 6077000 kilobytes = 6077000 x 1000 bytes = 6077000 x 103 B.
In contrast, the base 2 notation with exponent 10 is frequently used to describe virtual storage such as RAM, in addition to Windows operating systems employing it for hard disk space: 6077000 KiB = 6077000 kibibytes = 6077000 x 1024 bytes = 6077000 x 210 B.
If 1 kB means 1024 bytes then 6077000 kB to GB in fact translates to 6077000 kibibytes to gibibytes, or 6077000 KiB to GiB using the correct symbols. More about the symbols under consideration as well as the standard and binary prefixes can be found on our homepage.
Now you can answer the question 6077000 kB is how many GB? If you want to obtain another amount of data or storage than 6077000 kB in GB make use of our kB to GB converter below. Insert your particular value, the conversion is conducted automatically.
Similar kB to GB conversions on our site include, for example:
How much is 6077000 kB?
You already know the answer to the question 6077000 kB equals how many GB, but you may also be interested in learning how much is 6077000 kB in other multiples of bytes:
Base 10:
6077000 kB to B = 6,077,000,000 bytes
6077000 kB to MB = 6,077 megabytes
6077000 kB to TB = 0.006077 terabytes
Base 2:
How much is 6077000 KiB in other multiples of bytes:
6077000 KiB to B = 6,222,848,000 bytes
6077000 KiB to MiB = 5,934.5703125 mebibytes
6077000 KiB to TiB = 0.005659647285938262939453125 tebibytes
Ahead is the wrap up of 6077000 kilobytes in gigabytes.
Summary
Bottom Line: By most standards, 6077000 kB to GB equals 6.077 GB.
6077000 kB in GB = 6.077 GB
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Enter, for instance, 6077000 KB to GB or how many GB in 6077000 kB? The result page contains all relevant posts; first and foremost this article.
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Where do fish go? Lessons from the De Hoop Marine Protected Area
Researchers from the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) have been studying the movement patterns of several of South Africa’s iconic fishery species for the past 15 years. This research has taken Dr Paul Cowley and his team on a journey that started out in a single Eastern Cape estuary tracking the movements of a spotted grunter to the development of an array of automated tracking stations (known as the Acoustic Tracking Array Platform) that spans most of the South African coast. Currently this network monitors the movement of over 1000 tagged sharks, rays and fishes. This tracking system uses acoustic technology, where animals are tagged with acoustic transmitters, each with a unique ID code, that ping on a regular basis and are recorded as they move past receiver stations moored on the sea floor.
A recent development in this tracking work is the expansion of the receiver array into the De Hoop Marine Protected Area (MPA). Late in 2018, with the help of CapeNature staff, six acoustic receivers were deployed inside the MPA.
Acoustic receivers ready for deployment from the CapeNature enforcement vessel
Away she goes! deploying acoustic receivers in the De Hoop MPA
These receivers will not only increase the power of the existing national network but also form a critical part of a local study on the fishes of the nearby Breede Estuary. Over the past three years Dr JD Filmalter, a SAIAB postdoc researcher, has been investigating the movement behaviour of fishes in the Breede, with emphasis on large adult dusky kob (Argyrosomus japonicus) for which the estuary is famous. During this study more than 60 fishes of various species have been tagged. This work forms part of a larger national project in collaboration with SAIAB and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research examining the coastal movements and connectivity of adult populations of species commonly found in estuaries.
A large dusky kob is measured and tagged in a water filled sling before being released
By expanding this work into the De Hoop MPA, and tagging fishes within its boundaries, this project is examining how fishes move between the MPA and the adjacent Breede Estuary and investigating exchange between the two areas. Ultimately this work will create a better understanding of the role that the De Hoop MPA plays in contributing to local fish stocks.
Dr JD Filmalter ready to tag a couple of dusky kob on the beach in De Hoop
To date 45 fishes and rays have been fitted with acoustic tags from the beaches of De Hoop. These include 24 dusky kob, 13 white steenbras, 5 blue stingrays and 3 duckbill rays. The tags used in this study will transmit for approximately eight years, so the movements of tagged animals will be monitored for many years to come.
An early morning dusky kob gets a quick glamour shot before being tagged
A volunteer angler, Kabous Vryenhoek, shows off a beautiful white steenbras before it was tagged and released
The receivers monitoring their movements are downloaded twice a year and are due for their first download in the next few weeks, which will shed the first light on the movements of the tagged animals. This work not only provides important information on how these fishes use their environment but also provides critical insight into how we can improve conservation and management strategies to ensure their survival for generations to come.
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I have a tricycle with a following data (see attachment):
- Distance (d) between center of front wheel (F) and center between rear wheels (C) = 325 mm
- Velocity of front wheel (VF) = 50 mm/s
- Angle of front wheel (α) = changing between -90;90
- Distance between point C and P = 129 mm
ω = (sin(α) * vF) / d
What I need, is the component velocity of a point between the front wheel and the center between rear wheels (P) in its local coordinate system. This local coordinate system is for sure turning with the vehicle.
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
To calculate the velocity in point P i used the angular velocity and the distance between C and P:
vP = ω * 129 mm
This is for sure right, if α = ±90. But If α = 0, my vP is also 0, which can't be.
So somehow the velocity connected with the front wheel angle α must have an influence as well.
Finally, I need to split the velocity of point P into its X- and Y-component.
Thanks for your help. | https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/finding-velocity-components-of-point-in-the-middle-of-a-tricycle.776758/ |
Ensuring secure and timely assessment delivery is a key challenge for examination bodies, recruiters, and corporates alike. MeritTrac’s Pariksha, a hybrid scientific assessment platform, helps simplify, secure, and accelerate assessment delivery through online access and smart features. The platform easily integrates with other tools and enables device agnostic test-taking experience and seamless information exchange to improve QTI compliance. The unified assessment platform helps test administrators seamlessly author, design, schedule and deliver tests, while its analytics and reporting feature enables rapid results tabulation and report generation. | https://www.merittrac.com/international/pariksha |
Many of their works have been highly acclaimed internationally,
including a four-star review at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a
five-star review at Avignon Festival OFF. They produce friendly
shows with authentic performing arts by trained artists, and deliver
superb Ryukyuan performing arts to a global audience. Multilingual
subtitles and commentary are available.
- Address
- 19 Tomori
- TEL
- 090-3071-4443
- Closed day
- Open Everyday
- Website
- View website
- Attraction Programs
- 【Program】Live performances of Ryukyuan performing arts (ancient dance, zouodori dance, eisa dance, kumiodori dance, creative dance, and folk songs, etc.)
【Details】A number of performances offered, including single songs, a la carte, stories, and collaborative works with animation and balloons, etc. | https://mice.okinawastory.jp/en/en-contents/contents-all/c-587/ |
You might well feel the last thing we all need at the moment is more psychological jargon telling us how miserable we all are. We already know how we feel. We know we are suffering from burnout and stress. We know over and over again: we are in a pandemic. And, moral fatigue! What even is that?!
QUICK ASIDE
Before we go on, let’s make one thing clear. These blogs are not randomly generated overseas. The words in our articles come from lived experiences. They are written from a place of exposure to life’s elements. There is no such thing as “we are all in the same boat” – we are not. We are all navigating rough waters, but not in the same vessel. Some of us are in fishing boats, some in catamarans, some in yachts, a lot of us are in dinghies, and many of us are trying to dog-paddle our way through. But what is the same, is that at some point, we are all struggling in our own ways. These articles are written from walking the wobbly path of life, they are from experience, and ultimately, from the heart.
BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND
It is imperative that as leaders we are informed about moral fatigue and its dangers. But equally as important is to stop being made to feel responsible for things that are beyond our control. We desperately need to retain our workforce by working in a system that lets us care for ourselves and for our people properly. No one goes into work to make the ‘least-worst decision’ and our clients and our industry deserve our best selves.
As leaders, we know now there is a way out of this uncertain time. But it is hard. Patience and empathy are easier said than done. We need an open conversation about responsibility without autonomy. About the dangers to staff retention from indecisive management. And about the disconnect between what we are experiencing and the expectations put upon us. All of these weigh heavily on us as leaders, and no one is immune to the heaviness of moral fatigue.
MORAL FATIGUE
Moral fatigue put simply, is the psychological impact of being made to act against your moral compass or being unable to do what you believe is right. Moral fatigue happens to us all, it is when the “right thing to do” becomes blurry.
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How can I care for myself and my team remotely?
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Is there a way to you cope with fear and anger because of insufficient resources and also focus on the task at hand?
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What if I have to physically go to work, how do I provide for my family and keep them safe at the same time?
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How do I keep business going and also follow along with protocols to keep everyone safe?
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With all this on your plate, how on earth do you take care of yourself while you also are taking care of others?
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Moral fatigue can hit anyone in many ways, but none more so than now. That is, during a time of a pandemic. A time where all our moral decisions are out in public view. A time when judgment is rife. A time when empathy and self-love are crucial more than ever before. Many businesses at the moment are suffering more than just financially.
Contact HBB Group today to book your team’s Virtual Empathy Workshop
Many of us are faced with:
- Senior Executives are making out-of-character decisions that reflect personal fears.
- Teams are frozen still from indecision as the ground continually shifts and changes beneath them.
- Days become punctuated with emotional meltdowns from people you have always relied upon in a crisis.
- Impatience and intolerance surround you at every dreaded petrol station or supermarket.
- Judgment is rife because you went to the said supermarket when you should have chosen home delivery, or at the very least, click and collect.
And back home, you might be disagreeing with loved ones about the right response to the vaccinations. That is, is the situation as serious as the media and politicians and health experts are claiming? Or are they all exaggerating the risks with a hidden agenda? What is the right amount of physical distancing seriously? Why should we all cop it for really a minority? Is this even a fair and just way to frame these types of questions?
These are some of the signs that the prolonged impact of covid-19 is causing moral fatigue in the people you work with as well as your loved ones.
WHAT TO DO
At any moment, some individuals in an organisation are acting kindly while others are not. Additionally, some are working together while others are competing. How do we know how to treat each other if we don’t understand each other?
Put simply, understanding other people’s emotions and behaviour is a crucial skill of a leader. It enables us to resolve conflicts, build more productive teams, and improve our relationships. Critically, now is the time to emphasise the importance of Effective Communication.
Contact HBB Group today to book your team’s Communication Workshop
There are 5 key components to addressing moral fatigue.
1. ACKNOWLEDGMENT | THE CLICHÉ IS REAL
You are not the only one going through this. We need to acknowledge the current situation and accept that everybody is feeling some type of angst during these times of instability. Crucially, we have to be more forgiving of others but also more forgiving of ourselves. And remember, it is okay to feel freaked out. Everybody is. The answer lies in how we respond to these feelings.
2. START OR INCREASE POSITIVE SELF TALK
The way that we talk to ourselves can either promote a healthy outlook or self-criticism and lower self-worth. After a negative event, we can either tell ourselves “You should have done it better/this way” or we can tell ourselves “You did the best you could under the circumstances you were in.”
Importantly – look for the lesson! When we experience a situation in which we go against our better judgment and our moral code, we are undoubtedly going to feel negative about it. The best thing that we can do is to accept what has happened, try not to judge ourselves, and think “how could I do this differently next time?” or “what has this taught me about my values?”
“Pain Plus Reflection Equals Progress.” – Ray Dalio
3. SLOW DOWN BUT ACTIVELY ADAPT
Thinking about ‘just getting beyond this’ assumes a future state where the problem no longer exists and everything is the same as before. It’s too simplistic to suggest we will all be ok – many of us won’t be unless we actively adapt.
A common result of moral fatigue is impatience. With ourselves and others. When we try to think through frameworks that no longer serve us well we can become increasingly impatient. And the more we do so, the more mistakes we make, Thus leading to even more frustration.
As the old adage goes, you can not fly the plane while you are building it.
4. MORAL MIRROR
When you are unsure if something is ethical, apply the reflection test: ask yourself if you could look yourself in the mirror after doing it.
Consider, would my self-image be helped or hindered by the action? Will I be able to sleep at night after doing what I’m setting out to do?
5. TALK, TALK, TALK
Even to strangers as you do your lap around the block. Start off with a nod. Next time a wave and hello. And before you know it, you are chatting! It is often only in conversations with others that we can hear a different, more helpful way to think about or make meaning from morally distressing situations.
It can be helpful to get support about feelings that come up when dealing with these complex moral situations. Leaders, particularly at the moment, may not feel that they have the time or energy to immediately engage in getting support, but it may be an important protection against the social withdrawal or negative coping that sometimes happens as a result of moral injury.
Can You Learn Empathy?
Short answer – yes! Empathy is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets. But first, your empathy muscle needs to be trained in the right way! Otherwise, it will not function at its optimum level. There are 7 Best Ways to Strengthen Your Empathy Muscle
1. Question Everything: how else do we begin to understand what we don’t know.
2. Understand Behaviour: to know how to communicate with the four different behaviour styles in certain ways to increase empathy.
3. Actively Listen: very different from hearing what people are saying to you.
4. Life for a Day: if someone bothers you, think why? Spend one day in their shoes to find out.
5. Interact with Different People: to empathise with others we need to be exposed to their ways.
6. Teach: pass on your Empathy Training to others to create an empathetic workplace.
7. Yes More: be more open to acceptance – less of No, but and more of Yes, and in your day-to-day interactions.
BE AWARE and BE INFORMED
Look out for symptoms of moral fatigue in yourself, as well as in others. Have open conversations with anyone and everyone, but never judge or criticise. Remember the importance of empathy and communication, and above all, self-love.
Contact HBB Group today to book your team’s Communication and Empathy Workshop
All your training is tailored to your team and can be delivered virtually during the lockdown period.
Gather your team online and we will take care of the rest – learning and laughs included.
Contact Us anytime or via email [email protected]
or call 1300 833 574 for a confidential chat. | https://healthybusinessbuilder.com.au/this-is-why-you-are-tired-moral-fatigue-and-5-ways-to-handle-it/ |
First of all, the algorithm is the mathematical formula that Google uses to decide which website goes first. Knowing this formula would be of great value, as it would make our web positioning job easier, but it is a very well kept technical secret.
I have been collecting clues on the algorithm for a while, and running some quiet experiments. The latest non-official disclosure of the algorithm is from Rand Fish, in his seomoz.org site, obviously very well positioned under the SEO keyword. The article’s name is “A little piece of the Google algorithm revealed”.
And the formula is:
GoogScore = (KW Usage Score * 0.3) + (Domain Strength * 0.25) + (Inbound Link Score * 0.25) + (User Data * 0.1) + (Content Quality Score * 0.1) + (Manual Boosts) – (Automated & Manual Penalties)
The different factors are calculated as follows:
KW Usage Score
• KW in Title
• KW in headers H1, H2, H3…
• KW in document text
• KW in internal links pointing to the page
• KW in domain and/or URL
Domain Strength
• Registration history
• Domain age
• Strength of links pointing to the domain
• Topical neighbourhood of domain based on inlinks and outlinks
• Historical use and links pattern to domain
Inbound Link Score
• Age of links
• Quality of domains sending links
• Quality of pages sending links
• Anchor text of links
• Link quantity/weight metric (Pagerank or a variation)
• Subject matter of linking pages/sites
User Data
• Historical CTR to page in SERPs
• Time users spend on page
• Search requests for URL/domain
• Historical visits/use of URL/domain by users GG can monitor (toolbar, wifi, analytics, etc.)
Content Quality store
• Potentially given by hand for popular queries/pages
• Provided by Google raters
• Machine-algos for rating text quality/readability/etc
Automated & Manual Penalties are a mystery, but it seems they lower the ranking by 30 entries or more.
The mentioned factors are generally known in the experts’ forums, but the relative value that Rand gives them is useful. Rand’s conclusion is that little we can do to apply this algorithm, but to improve the content quality.
Some factors are too basic for Rand to mention, and relate to selecting a good domain, writing with a reasonable density of keywords, intelligently programming links, good code, sensible writing, etc.
Surprisingly, there are very few companies publishing results on the Google algorithm. However, competing search engines do very well their research, because they were able to copy almost the same ranking features as Google. Most of the times when I get a good ranking result in Google, Yahoo follows. A clear difference between both algos lies in the penalties, being Yahoo more lenient.
Most algo crackers show only a small sample of their knowledge, to prevent their competition to take advantage of their findings, and to avoid identification and possible penalizations. However, some of us are a bit more open, trying to use distributed thinking in order to achieve our algo cracking goals. | http://domaingrower.com/category/algo-cracking/page/2/ |
Research lectures, seminars and events
The events listed in this area are research seminars, workshops and lectures hosted by Durham University departments and research institutes. If you are not a member of the University, but wish to enquire about attending one of the events please contact the organiser or host department.
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Events for 27 November 2019
Research Seminar: The distribution and mobility of teachers in Sweden's marketised school system
Contact [email protected] for more information about this event.
Jonathan Owen: A Bayesian statistical approach to decision support for petroleum reservoir well control optimisation
Complex mathematical computer models are used across many scientific disciplines and industry to improve the understanding of the behaviour of physical systems and increasingly to aid decision makers. Major limitations to the use of computer simulators include their complex structure; high-dimensional parameter spaces and large number of unknown model parameters; which is further compounded by their long evaluation times. Decision support, commonly misrepresented as an optimisation task, often requires a large number of model evaluations rendering traditional optimisation methods intractable whilst simultaneously failing to incorporate uncertainty. Consequently, they may yield non-robust decisions.
I will present an iterative decision support strategy which imitates the history matching procedure aiming to identify a robust class of decisions. Bayes linear emulators provide fast, statistical approximations to computer models, yielding predictions for as yet unevaluated parameter settings, along with a corresponding quantification of uncertainty. Appropriate structured uncertainties are accurately quantified and incorporated to link the sophisticated computer model and the actual system in order to obtain robust decisions for the real world problem.
In the petroleum industry, TNO devised a field development optimisation challenge under uncertainty providing an ensemble of 50 fictitious oil reservoir models generated using a stochastic geology model. This challenge exhibits many of the common issues associated with computer experimentation. I will demonstrate the robust decision support strategy applied to the TNO challenge for a greatly reduced computational cost versus ensemble optimisers. This includes the construction of a targeted Bayesian design as well as methods of identifying subsets of models as representatives for the entire ensemble.
Contact [email protected], [email protected] for more information about this event.
Nigel Aston: ‘Thomas Townson and high church continuities and connections in eighteenth century England’
Contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] for more information about this event.
: Postgraduate Seminar *
* These postgraduate seminars are hosted by CdT, but welcome presentations and attendance from all members of the postgraduate community.
Contact [email protected] for more information about this event.
Long Chen: Topological evolution and the equivalent unstirring problem in resistive magnetic relaxation
Complex magnetic fields in plasmas may eventually relax to a simple state even if the resistivity is small. Nevertheless, what predicts the end state remains unclear. Using 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models, we find that there are two stages of topological evolution. The first is a fast reconnection phase constrained by the topological degree. The next is a slow phase dominated by diffusion and shows rearrangement and reconnection of discrete flux tubes. The end state always has two flux tubes with opposite twists, just as predicted by E. N. Parker.
Meanwhile, we find the topological change can also be studied in 2D effective models at a low computational cost. Interestingly, the structural change in the reduced model during the first stage is similar to the reverse process of fluid mixing. The overall reduction in complexity is consistent with an optimal unstirred state.
Contact Christopher Prior for more information about this event.
Prof. Melinda J. Duer: Heavy mice and light things: using solid-state NMR spectroscopy to understand biological tissues in health and disease
Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones LVO OBE: Anglican Communion Office Seminar. An Anglican praxis for public engagement in troubling times- with lessons from Desmond Tutu
Contact [email protected] for more information about this event.
IAS Fellow's Public Lecture - Transitions to vaping in the land of the long white cloud
Contact [email protected] for more information about this event. | https://www.dur.ac.uk/research/events/?day=2019-11-27 |
The chasquis were the messengers of the Inca empire, the fittest and most highly trained individuals; the best of the best. This co-op blend is a collection of lots from several farmers around Peru that—like the coffee's namesake—are the best of the best.
The co-ops are located within three regions of Peru: Region Cajamarca, Junin, and San Martin. Once harvested, the coffee cherries are machine cleaned and processed. After being dried, the they are sorted by color and density to ensure that only the best beans remain. | https://chibeanscene.com/products/sandhill-chasqui |
President Donald Trump’s new Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, is pretty carefree. Like most Trump voters, Mnuchin said he’s “not worried at all” about robots and automated systems taking away the jobs his boss has promised to bring back to the United States — but he should be.
Mnuchin, like many Americans, is either still in denial that the robot uprising is happening, or he just doesn’t care if one-third of his boss’s constituents lose their jobs in the next 12 years. He isn’t alone — most of us still don’t believe a robot will take our job — but as Treasury secretary, Mnuchin is responsible for making policy recommendations based on the future of the economy. Saying that losing jobs to automation is not on his radar is frankly irresponsible.
In March a report from the UK found that we could lose one-third of all jobs by 2030. A report from the White House last year found a high chance that all workers who make less than $20 an hour will be replaced by robots. A United Nations policy briefing from November found that within two years, there will be 300,000 manufacturing robots in North America.
Robots are coming for all industries across the world. So it’s not like we can just bring jobs back from China or Mexico to save blue-collar workers in the United States — the robots are already here.
The frustrating thing is, it doesn’t have to be this way. Automation will replace traditional blue collar jobs, but if the federal government invests in programs that re-train workers we know will be affected, like truckers and assembly line workers, robots could actually end up creating jobs. We’ll still need people with solid, blue-collar backgrounds, they will just be doing things like programming and repairing robots instead of building machines and driving trucks. The trick is training them to do these jobs now, instead of waiting for everyone to get laid off and then start trying to learn new skills. This kind of economic restructuring is squarely on people like Mnuchin denying that automation is happening and don’t give blue-collar workers the support they need to survive as the world changes.
The robots are already here and coming for all of us, so we have to stop pretending it’s not happening and start getting ready for the future. | https://www.inverse.com/article/29523-robot-jobs-trump-economy-steve-mnuchin-treasure-secretary |
Dear Hoya Friends – I was wrong.
For the past 30 or more years I have been telling people that the name Hoya cystiantha was not validly published and, therefore, there was no such hoya as Hoya cystiantha. I even quoted the late Hon. Douglas H. Kent and David Goyder.
Recently, I read that the name is valid because the Code, at the time that Schlechter wrote the one partial sentence where he mentioned that name, was considered valid.
What’s wrong with Fraterna 23(4): (2010) ?
What isn’t wrong with it?
Hoya apoensis var. sagittarius Kloppenb. Siar et Ferreras in Fraterna 23(4):5-8 (2010).
I don’t know if there is a law against it but I think it abominable that a varietas of a species is published before the type of the species. The species type is rumored to appear in Asklepios in 2011.
Gimme a break! Mathematics was never my best subject (I think I inherited a math deficiency from my Hornsby ancestors) but it doesn’t take a degree in mathematics to figure out that if the top calyx picture shows a calyx 11 times larger than life that the calyx in the bottom picture is 22 times larger than life. I say that because I measured and compared sizes of every part of each calyx. I found every part of the bottom calyx was almost exactly 2 times larger than those in the top picture. The only case I know of where one adds one and one and doesn’t get two for an answer is when one and one say vows, before God and man, just before escaping in a car with a “just married” sign and a collection of rusty tin cans trailing from the bumper. That’s when one plus one, adds up to ONE!
Not having any flowers of my own to compare with those pictured, I can’t say anymore about the accuracy of the rest except to say that Kloppenburg’s description of the flower colour is that the flowers are “rose red.” A picture found on page 7 shows an umbel of 19 very pale pink flowers with white coronas. In a medical journal that I found on the coffee table in my doctor’s waiting room, I read and article that said, “All men are colour blind to some degree. I suspect that Mr. Kloppenburg suffers from more than “some degree.” I think suspect he may be colour blind to a large degree--- either that or I am!
Above left: Outline of a leaf of the size and shape described by Kloppenburg. That sketch doesn’t look that size on my screen but it is the size my figures indicate.
Above right: The largest of the leaves in the cover picture of Fraterna 23(4): (2010).
The thing that makes me believe that the leaf on the right measures approximately 4 cm. is because Kloppenburg said that the corolla measures 0.43 cm. from apex to center. Multiply that by 2 and you’ll find that the corolla measures 8. 6 mm. in diameter. It is next to impossible to measure flower parts in a picture without a scale in the picture but the cover picture of the species in question shows flowers of approximately the size cited, or slightly smaller. This tells me that if the flower size is close to accurate in that photograph, then the leaves in the same photograph are the approximate size of leaves on a living plant. In addition to that, a greatly reduced picture of the holotype specimen was included with this publication. Having examined specimens in a dozen herbaria, I know that dried species are mounted on Bristol Board or other similar acid free paper that measures 11 X 14 inches, give or take and inch or two in each direction. A rough guess is that the picture of this specimen is ¼ life size. The largest leaves in the picture measure 1 cm. long. Multiply that by 4 and you get 4 cm. long leaves.
Fraterna 22(4) contains an attempt to publish a new hoya name. That name is Hoya paulshirleyi T. Green & D. Kloppenburg. There are two problems with that publication, which, I’m sure scores of people were quick to point out. The publication wasn’t valid because it didn’t contain a Latin diagnosis. As a matter of fact, it didn’t have a single Latin word in it. The cited holotype specimen is a Paul Shirley number, which is 8844. Either the authors, or the prone to error editor, left the IPPS/GPS-prefix off of that number. It should have read IPPS-8844 or GPS-8844 (GPS & IPPS, plus numbers represent the same species).
IPPS/GPS-8844 is Hoya dolichosparte Schltr. It was acknowledged as that in Blumea 46: 472 & 473. The authors of that publication are D. Kleijn and R. van Donkelaar. Their illustration shows flowers that exactly match those on R. Schlechter’s holotype specimen of Hoya dolichosparte.
Above: Schlechter’s sketches of the various Hoya dolichosparte flower parts.
Above right (& below the Green & Kloppenburg calyx): Schlechter’s Hoya dolichosparte calyx. You can see some wart-like hairs on the outside of that single sepal but their isn’t a cilia to be found on any of the sepals.
Above left: Green and Kloppenburg’s corona lobe in profile.
Above right: Schlechter’s Hoya dolichosparte corona lobe in profile.
I could continue and show you several additional flower parts for comparison but I think this is enough to prove the point I’m trying to make, which is that the hoya in volume 22, #4 of Fraterna was not what the authors’ claimed.
So, where does Fraterna 23(1) figure in this puzzle? The answer is that someone woke up and realized that the vol. 22 publication wasn’t valid and they thought it lacked only the required Latin diagnosis. They wrote one.
IHA dues payers have now had to pay for 10 pages of print (unless they were reimbursed by whomever is responsible for those errors, which would be the honorable thing to do)or will they again have to anti-up for another 5 pages? For heaven sake, IHA members, demand that your leaders SAVE OUR TREES!!!!!!!!!!
They say that data found on computers are only as reliable as what someone puts in them. I suspect that Wayman is much like the computer and that what she types is only as true as what Kloppenburg and others give her.
What Hoya is Hoya plicata King & Gamble?
Maybe I’m just “runingdum” (pun intended) but I think a variety of a subspecies should look a whole lot like the species type. The hoya recently published by Ted Green with flower part illustrations by Torrill Nyhuus and pollinaria by D.K. Kloppenburg don’t appear to me to fit King & Gamble’s type nor their description.
Above: Gamble’s sketch’s of the flower parts of Scortechini’s specimen #323, which is King and Gamble’s designated Hoya plicata holotype. Gamble drew this sketch using the flower parts attached to this sheet.
Let us do some comparing.
Above left: Calyx & carpels of the Rundum species, which Mr. Green says is a subspecies of Hoya plicata.
Above right: Sketch of calyx and carpels by James Sykes Gamble, found on the Hoya plicata holotype (Scortechini’s #323).
Note the short triangular shape of the sepals on the Rundum species and their obtuse tips. Compare those with the acuminate and acute sepal tips in Gamble’s sketch.
Note also that King and Gamble, in the Hoya plicata name publication, described the calyx lobes as being acuminate. The Rundum species’ calyx does not fit.
Above left: A single flower of the Rundum species, showing the corona and its various parts.
Above right: Gamble’s sketch of the Hoya plicata corona that he found on Scortechini’s specimen 323.
Note the very narrow anther wings between the corona lobes in the picture on the left. They are practically invisible.
Note the large, very fat anther wings between the corona lobes in Gamble’s sketch. Gamble had an actual corona to use as a model.
Note, also that Gamble’s sketch shows the inner apexes of the corona lobes meeting in the center of the flower, completely covering the anther appendages. That agrees with King’s and Gamble’s text, which said that the upper lobe was “as long as the anthers.” The inner (or upper) corona apexes of the Rundum species do not meet in the middle, leaving a lot of the anther appendages exposed.
Note also the elongated central part of each corona lobe, how the elongated parts are almost equal length with the upper, broader part and the outer apex is acute.
There is also a line extending the entire length (right down the center) of each lobe, marking what King and Gamble described as “a broad fold on the upper surface.” This fold, no doubt, was the authors’ inspiration for the name plicata, which means, “pleated.” In his manuscript on the three species, micrantha, revoluta and plicata, David Liddle expresses the belief that the name came from folds found on some mature leaves, however, I doubt that because King and Gamble did not mention folded leaves. They described the leaves as “smooth and glabrous on both surfaces; margins slightly recurved; 3 inches long, 1 inch broad; midrib very faint and then only when dry; remaining nerves invisible.” My Rundum species’ leaves are glabrous but not smooth.
The most unusual feature described by King and Gamble in their Hoya plicata name publication is the corolla. They said that the corolla is “puberulous on both surfaces.” I may have missed or forgotten something I read about other hoyas but I don’t recall any other hoya description noting a corolla that was puberulous on both surfaces. Most are puberulous inside and glabrous outside.
Above: The one on the left, so the caption says, is a pollinarium of the Rundum species and the other two are said to be pollinaria of Hoya plicata.
Note the upper tips of the pollinia in all three pictures. Compare them with the upper tips of the pollinarium shown below. Do they match? Heck no! The two pollinaria on the right are good matches to those of Hoya revoluta. None of the pollinia are truncate at their tips as they should be if they were Hoya plicata pollinaria.
Above: Gamble’s sketch of the pollinarium he found on the Hoya plicata type.
Some time ago, David Liddle sent me a copy of a manuscript of his which, when published, will (with a few minor changes) straighten out the colossal Hoya revoluta/Hoya micrantha/Hoya plicata identification muddle! He knew that I’d been claiming that the hoya sold to me in US trade as Hoya revoluta was not that species. He knew also that I was totally convinced that the hoya sold by Mr. Kloppenburg as Hoya plicata was not that species. He also knew that, I still bought the old timers’ opinion that Hoya plicata was just a synonym for Hoya micrantha. I was wrong on that, as were a lot of more qualified hoya researchers before me.
I have confirmed, with David Liddle’s help, that IML-1455 is correct for Hoya revoluta but I have not had flowers of the other IML numbers to study.
Please don’t get too comfortable with the name Hoya plicata subsp. rundumensis because the plant you were sold with that label is something else. Retain the number that was on it when you got it. I got it as Dischidia-93039 (from Ted Green) and, later as IML-557 (from David Liddle). | http://www.psthehoyan.com/psthehoyan11_2.html |
Ed Sills - Pleasant Grove, CA
When Ed Sills started farming with his father Tom in 1976, organic and sustainable farming practices were in their infancy. But Ed recognized early on that adopting a new approach to growing food was the way forward.
“It appeared to me that a lot of the tools that we had to use, the chemicals and fertilizers, weren’t working to my satisfaction and yields weren’t necessarily good enough to make a profit. Sustainable agriculture fits in with my vision of farming and with my forestry background because it takes a long-term view of things.” Today, Sills’ main focus is to enhance the natural resources on his farm, especially the soil. “We think of everything in terms of our soil resource and how we can maintain and improve it,” he says. Sills is continually experimenting with crop rotation, planting cover crops and leaving crop residues in place—all in an effort to build richer organic matter. Ed and his team are dedicated to bringing the best possible product to market. That’s why he has invested in cutting-edge equipment like a high-tech color sorter that recognizes damaged kernels and foreign materials—a must for enhancing quality and food safety. | https://www.trueoriginfoods.com/farmer/0003 |
Italian Consolata Sister Eugenia Bonetti, 80, a longtime leader of the crusade against human trafficking and modern-day slavery, is preparing the pope’s Lenten meditations this year.
As many as 1 in 800 Americans is currently a victim of human trafficking, according to a new global report which found much higher rates of modern-day slavery in developed nations than previously believed.
As the Department of State released its 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report this week, an apostolate which helps trafficking victims said that the practice remains a problem around the world, including in the U.S.
Blessing Okoedion, sex trafficking victim turned activist, received the TIP Hero in the fight against human trafficking award, dedicating it to all women who have suffered and continue to endure this modern day slavery.
When fighting the multi-billion dollar business of human trafficking, money is the issue and awareness the answer, religious sisters say. | https://cruxnow.com/tag/modern-day-slavery/ |
Thank you for visiting today. If this is your first visit, take your time and look around. I have plenty of information and resources available to you. If you are a return visitor, thank you. I would love to hear from you and tell you how I can serve all your real estate needs.
Bernadette SoBanko
Bernadette is an accomplished and tenured real estate professional with over 25 years of experience in the industry. In addition to being a Licensed Real Estate Associate in Florida and New Jersey, as well as being a member of the Broward County Realtor’s Association, Bernadette also holds a Real Estate Broker’s License in New York State. In 2013, Bernadette relocated to South Florida and has since been an active Realtor in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
Being a resident of Davie, Bernadette appreciates the convenience and active location of the desirable Central Broward region, focusing on Davie, Cooper City, Weston and Southwest Ranches. As a real estate professional she has developed a reputation of integrity, honesty and reliability with an unparalleled focus on customer service. Beyond her real estate career, Bernadette enjoys her role as a member of numerous women’s organizations, as well as partaking in toast master sessions and physical fitness. Bernadette is a proud mother of 3 adult children and an adoring grandmother of three young grandsons.
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The Department of Tourism, Government of Goa along with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation will organize the Goa Heritage Festival at Saligao from April 18-21, 2013 that will showcase and promote the state’s rich and unique heritage. The festival coincides with World Heritage Day, which also falls on April 18.
The venue of the festival is near Mae de Deus Church, Saligao – a 125-year-old heritage structure in Saligao. Shri. Dilip Parulekar, Minister for Tourism for Goa, said that the Government of Goa wants to promote heritage tourism and showcase Goa’s rich heritage. “Through this festival, domestic as well as international tourists will get an opportunity to witness our heritage and even interact with local artisans. We invite everyone to come and experience this authentic Goan festival,” he added.
Visitors will be able to witness artisans displaying their crafts with live demonstrations. There will also be stalls exhibiting Goan crafts like pottery, woodcraft, crochet, marco, handicrafts, and coconut craft. A Goan food court will tickle the taste buds of visitors with exotic traditional cuisine along with Goan desserts.
A special gallery will be set up to exhibit ancient Goan photographs titled ‘Great Goans in History’ that will showcase the traditional way of life for Goans. There will be a section for heritage items used by the Goans along with Konkani books. Visitors will also be able to participate in workshops for traditional Goan dramas, dances and other forms of art. Konkani films will also be screened during the festival.
The entertainment programme will include performances of Goan dances like Dhalo, Mando, Fugdi, Ghode Modni, Goff, Divli dance, Kunbi dance, Kalshi dance, and fisherfolk dance along with a special exhibition on extinct Goan traditional items like Jagor, Morulo, Khel Tiatr, brass band, etc.
There will be a fashion show on traditional Goan wear by well-known Goan designer Verma D’Mello, Konkani songs by Sonia Shirsat, and classical performance by Praveen Gaonkar among others. | https://executivetraveller.in/travel/travel-buzz/goa-tourism-to-organize-heritage-festival/ |
Q:
What do commas mean in CSS selectors?
What does it mean when I have
#A .B,
#A .C { some styles }
Does it mean that class B has no style definitions?
A:
It means both #A .B and #A .C share the same declaration block.
The comma says to apply the declarations in that block to both of those selectors, while the line break after the comma doesn't mean anything special; it's just pure whitespace used to improve readability of the stylesheet.
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Some say adrenal fatigue is a list of symptoms that are caused by an adrenal gland that is not working effectively in people under stress. The adrenal glands produce a variety of essential hormones, including cortisol, which helps your body deal with stress. Adrenal fatigue may develop if someone is going through intense or long periods of stress. Your adrenal glands can become overstimulated, leaving them unable to function properly.
Adrenal fatigue is controversial to some, as it not a proven medical condition. Discovering the cause of the fatigue people suffer is tricky, as fatigue is a factor in many medical conditions.
Some doctors think the causes of the symptoms attributed to adrenal fatigue are poor sleep habits, depression, poor diet and stress at work or home, rather than the adrenal glands. For those suffering from extreme fatigue, it is frustrating to not be able to get definitive answers or a treatment that helps.
Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean meat.
Consider supplements if you continue to have fatigue, but no medical cause can be found.
Have tests completed to check your hormone levels. | https://www.masterholisticformulations.com/learn-about-adrenal-fatigue |
Cancer is no laughing matter — or is it?
Tig Notaro, subject of a new documentary, famously shared her breast cancer diagnosis with her comedy club audience at Largo in Los Angeles just hours after she heard the news. "It's weird because with humor the equation is tragedy plus time equals comedy," she said. "I am just at tragedy right now."
One of my mom’s best friends was in a horrible car accident when she was in her 60s.
“I’m sorry to tell you this,” the doctor gravely informed Thelma after they stabilized her in the ER, “but you may never walk again.”
Without skipping a beat, the lifelong practical joker quipped, “Can I dance?”
That’s sort of how things went after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I didn’t have Thelma’s quicksilver recovery time. Like a lot of people who’ve just heard those three little words, “You have cancer,” I was a confused, angry, sobbing mess. But then my favorite coping mechanism kicked in and I started cracking wise at cancer’s expense.
The radiologist who told me the bad news became Dr. Debbie Downer. When people asked what stage I was, I’d tell them “Exit Stage Right.” Before my first CT scan, I asked the lab techs if they would serve me the contrast drink in a martini glass and, at chemo, suggested the nurses post signs reading “Free Brazilian with every infusion!”
I was terrified, of course, just as I’m sure Thelma was there in the ER, but the jokes helped me process the horrible thing that was happening to me. Humor helped me diminish it, take away some of its terrible power. It was a way to keep my fear, and that of my friends and family, in check – for a moment, at least.
Four years out from diagnosis and treatment, I’m still cracking jokes and taking potshots at this crappy disease. And I’ve found many a kindred spirit.
Comedian Tig Notaro, the subject of a new documentary, has famously milked her breast cancer for material, claiming she badmouthed her small boobs so much they finally got sick of it and decided to kill her. Others, like cancer besties Kristen Howard and New York Times columnist Suleika Jaouad have produced darkly funny parody videos, like Real Housewives of Chemotherapy, as a way to cope.
But cancer humor is complicated – not everybody finds it funny, or useful. And there are times when it can backfire. So is tumor humor truly healthy? Is confronting cancer – and even death – with bad jokes and black comedy good for us, as patients?
“It just makes things less awful,” the mother of two added. “As someone who will live with disease for the rest of my life, to never laugh again would be horrific. The jokes make me feel better. To some extent, I get to decide how I’m going to cope and I tell jokes.”
Not everyone uses humor to cope, said Dr. Bonnie McGregor, a psychologist and public health researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who works with cancer patients.
“Not everybody finds it helpful," she said. "It can be hurtful if the timing isn’t right or the situation isn’t right. So you have to be careful with it.”
Too true. A year out from my diagnosis, it was still hard to hear others make jokes about my bald head or "killer boobs," even if I had made similar cracks myself. Tragedy plus time equals comedy, the old saying goes. The farther you get away, the easier it is to laugh. And there are some things that are never funny.
Overall, though, laughter is very good medicine, said McGregor. And studies back that up.
Laughter is fast-acting, too. A randomized controlled trial of a “therapeutic laughter program” found that breast cancer patients’ anxiety, depression and stress were reduced after just one session of laughing in various ways including “laughing together with dance routines.”
Oh, science. You never disappoint.
Not-so-funny business
Caldwell said when she once joked to her oncologist that she was going to start a life of crime because “by the time they catch me, I’ll be dead,” he got very upset. People will react as if you’ve “stabbed them in the gut,” she said. “They’re horrified that this is happening and you’re laughing about it.”
Others respond to jokes about cancer and death with stony silence or the occasional stink eye.
Rita Stein, who died of lung cancer in 2013, leaned heavily on black humor to leaven her last days, said daughter Deana Hendrickson, who acted as her mom’s caregiver. Hendrickson once pretended to smother her mother with a pillow in her hospital bed while a conspiratorial nurse snapped a photo because her mom found it so hilarious.
Deana Hendrickson (inset top) and her late mother Rita Stein (inset bottom) used gallows humor like this staged "mercy killing" as a way to deal with Rita's stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. "It lightened her last days," Hendrickson said.
Photos courtesy of Deana Hendrickson
The pair also got in trouble for cracking up in the waiting room before her mom’s first radiation treatment.
“She turned to me and said, ‘What’s the worst that can happen? I’ll get cancer?’ and we couldn’t stop laughing,” said Hendrickson, who now advocates for lung cancer patients. “People were shooting daggers at us but one woman came up and said, ‘Don’t pay any attention. You just made my year.’”
Cancer, Hendrickson said, somehow “freed” her mom.
“There were plenty of times when she was really sick and wasn’t in any shape to be funny, but if she was feeling just a little bit better, she would absolutely joke around,” she said. “My mom had a terrible childhood and I think she just learned to look at the world that way. She was always a character and became more of a character after her diagnosis.”
I suppose the same could be said for many of us.
Cancer is the gift that keeps on giving whether you’re talking physical or emotional pain, debilitating side effects, abject grief – or, great new material to entertain your family and friends. And as we all know, there’s much to mock, from those brutal, open-backed patient gowns to the tragically flawed health care system to cancer drugs that all sound like characters out of Game of Thrones (“One day, Taxotere, you will be king!”).
But yucking it up can also go too far. I’ve come home from get-togethers with non-cancer friends drained from trying to make everybody comfortable by turning my cancer into a stand-up comedy routine.
Apparently, I’m not the only one who falls into this trap.
“I think humor is a great coping mechanism, but it can also be a way to push away the serious,” said Leslie Heron, a nurse practitioner with the Fred Hutch Survivorship Program at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. “Some people are so jovial that others don’t know they need support. I don’t have any problem with people using humor as long as they’re able to accept help or support as they need it.”
Using humor to heal
Wisecracking through cancer is loaded territory, to be sure. But for me, it helps. It helps to see Facebook posts of women going off to chemo wearing Viking outfits. It helps to watch parody videos like #BaldSoHard and see a grown man in a pink tutu dancing across the U.S. and the Internet on behalf of women and men with breast cancer. For me, it’s healthy – it’s healing – to be irreverent and snotty and silly and, at times, joyfully absurd.
Because I know one day I may be in Thelma’s shoes and find myself lying on a hospital bed with a doctor in a white coat hovering over me, solemnly delivering some very big, bad news.
Cancer’s funny that way.
So like my mom’s friend, I’m going to continue to crack wise. And take potshots. And dream of dancing even when I can’t walk. I’m going to keep asking cancer, in the immortal words of Thelma, to kindly pull my finger.
Do you use humor as a way to cope with cancer? Tell us about it on Facebook.
Diane Mapes is a staff writer at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She has written extensively about health issues for NBC News, TODAY, CNN, MSN, Seattle Magazine and other publications. A breast cancer survivor, she also writes the breast cancer blog doublewhammied.com. Reach her at [email protected].
Are you interested in reprinting or republishing this story? Be our guest! We want to help connect people with the information they need. We just ask that you link back to the original article, preserve the author’s byline and refrain from making edits that alter the original context. Questions? Email us at [email protected]
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Fall 2019 CoutureSchiaparelli
This was the scene of Daniel Roseberry’s debut outing as the creative director of Schiaparelli: in the center of the blacked-out room, an artist’s drafting table with a thicket of half-smoked cigarettes wafting smoky incense, and on it the most frightening and exciting thing an artist and designer can be faced with—a blank page.
Soundtrack? The rackety sound of the Manhattan subway train as it emerges into the sunlight to cross the bridge to Brooklyn. In a sign of his fearlessness, the preternaturally calm Roseberry himself emerged to take his seat at his drafting table. Just as he did last winter when he was working on his Schiaparelli presentation, he put on his headset to block out the sound of that train (as heard from his own Chinatown apartment) and the room broke into the eclectic sounds on his playlist (Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Up Where We Belong, Chic’s Good Times, Aretha Franklin’s Freeway of Love), as he began sketching the clothes in his elegant, sweeping hand, and they started to materialize before the audience—“getting off the page and getting 3D,” as he expressed it, “with volume and freedom and this celebration of the body.”
In one carefully orchestrated gesture, Roseberry was showing the world what this relatively unknown designer—a behind-the-scenes force at Thom Browne for a decade or so—looks like, as well as what he can do with the courage of his convictions (which include marking the 1930s Schiaparelli “signature” label with his thumbprint in just the same way that Schiap’s contemporary, Madeleine Vionnet, guaranteed her own original clothes). | https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2019-couture/schiaparelli |
Wireless communication-enabled devices such as blood pressure, pulse oximetry and continuous glucose monitors allow for home-based monitoring of patients for research data collection and real-time adverse event detection.
This project focusses on addressing 2 key barriers to the uptake of these techniologies:
- Easier communication of data from multiple proprietary devices and information platforms through a secure, open-sourced, standards-compliant data sharing gateway.
- Remote patient support for device and data system usage to facilitate remote clinical trials and health service delivery.
Our approach is designed to deliver clincially useful outcomes, while committing to accessibility, patient privacy and data security.
Research Group
School Research Themes
Key Contact
For further information about this research, please contact the research group leader.
Department / Centre
MDHS Research library
Explore by researcher, school, project or topic. | https://medicine.unimelb.edu.au/research-groups/medicine-and-radiology-research/st-vincents-hospital/digital-health/remote-monitoring |
Health and well-being in school-age children following persistent crying in infancy.
To examine the physical and mental health outcomes at school-age of a cohort of children who participated in a randomised clinical trial of treatments for persistent crying in infancy. Participants and parents attended for a standard physical examination and clinical mental health assessment of the children. Parents completed the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ), Forsyth Child Vulnerability Scale, Recent Life Events Questionnaire, RAND-36 Health Status Inventory and a study questionnaire about medical and socio-demographic characteristics. Seventy-five of 127 (59%) traced infant-parent dyads participated. There were no significant differences in baseline demographic characteristics, infant crying or maternal stress between those who participated and those who declined. Mothers who participated had higher Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores. The study group had poorer mental health, as measured on the SDQ, than a community sample (26.3% vs. 9.9% abnormal cases, risk ratio 2.56 (confidence interval 1.72, 3.80)). Fifteen of 61 (24.6%) children who attended for the clinical mental health assessment met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, criteria for a mental disorder. In the 4 weeks preceding the assessment, the child's health limited family activities more than in a community sample (CHQ-Family Activities; P < 0.001). Parents had less time for personal needs compared with community norms (CHQ-Parent Time; P < 0.001) and were more likely to worry about their child's health (CHQ-Parent E; P < 0.001). At school-age, children with a history of hospitalisation for persistent crying in infancy had a significantly higher prevalence of mental health problems and mental disorders, as compared with community samples.
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HSRI uses statistical tools (principal component analysis and the Logit model) to estimate the risk indexes. The indexes range from 0 to 1, where 0 is no risk and 1 is maximum risk. The team behind the project clearly state that the tool does not indicate the current situation in each municipality given that the data is not collected in real-time. Nor does the tool quantify the precise number of persons at risk.
The data used to estimate the Humanitarian Situation Risk Index “mostly comes from official sources, due to the fact that the vast majority of data collected and processed are from State entities, and in the remaining cases the data is from non-governmental or multilateral institutions.” The following table depicts the data collected.
I’d be interested to know whether the project will move towards doing any temporal analysis of the data over time. This would enable trends analysis which could more directly inform decision-making than a static map representing static data. One other thought might be to complement this “baseline” type data with event-data by using mobile phones and a “bounded crowdsourcing” approach a la Ushahidi.
This entry was posted in Crisis Mapping and tagged Colombia, Crisis Mapping, Humanitarian, Index, OCHA, Risk, Ushahidi, Visualization. Bookmark the permalink. | https://irevolutions.org/2009/06/11/humanitarian-situation-risk-index-hsri/ |
Do you think about how long to steep your tea when you’re enjoying your favorite afternoon drink? Most people do not, and instead rely on visual cues or overall “feeling” when it comes to brewing hot tea. Teaware is another essential kitchen must-have.
To greatly improve the quality and consistency of tea, steeping time is a critical element of the process. If you’re a chamomile lover, you might be thinking how long to steep chamomile tea–in this article, we’ll learn all about the intricate details of chamomile and how to make the best cup of tea.
Generally, steeping chamomile tea is relatively simple and we recommend a short steep time of 5-8 minutes. However, different people may have different preferences, so let’s dive a little bit deeper.
What is Chamomile Tea?Chamomile is a type of plant that has daisy-like flowers that are white and small in appearance. Unlike more traditional teas, chamomile tea is considered more herbal and behaves slightly differently than traditional teas derived from black or green tea leaves, for example.
Just like traditional teas, chamomile tea can come in loose leaf, or in pre-bagged forms. Curious about how steep time affects flavor? Read further as we have all the chamomile tea tips for you.
How Long to Steep Chamomile Tea?
Depending on your preference, the steep time for chamomile tea can vary. For a more standard and mild taste, we recommend steeping chamomile tea for 5 minutes. For a heavier or stronger flavor profile, some may recommend steeping chamomile tea for as long as 10 minutes. Note that with a longer steep time, tea can become more bitter. As a result, many people prefer a lighter and shorter steep time. If you’ve oversteeped your tea, you can always re-brew to find the flavor profile that best suits your preferences.
How Does Steep Time Affect Flavor?
Just like with traditional teas, typically a longer steep time translates to heavier flavor. At the same time, for more traditional teas like black or green tea, a longer steep time can also mean more bitterness. This bitterness comes from a naturally occurring substance called tannin in teas, which is more prevalent in traditional teas.
Since chamomile tea is more herbal and mild, it does not contain as much tannin and it won’t get that much more bitter or heavier tasting than traditional teas. For some, this means that they can steep chamomile tea for much longer than they normally might with a traditional tea. Feel free to experiment with it as chamomile tea from different regions may have slightly different steep times.
How to Prepare Chamomile Tea? Bagged vs Loose Leaf
To prepare chamomile tea, you need only a few things:
- Chamomile tea in loose leaf, or bagged
- Hot/boiling water
- A cup/mug
Optional:
- Strainer/infuser
Steeping bagged chamomile tea:
For bagged chamomile tea, you can place it directly at the bottom of your cup, and pour hot/boiling water right in your container. Let the tea bag sit for 5-8 minutes (depending on taste preference), remove tea bad and enjoy!
Steeping loose leaf chamomile tea:
If you have chamomile tea in loose leaf format, and you don’t have a strainer or infuser, that’s perfectly OK! If you don’t mind loose leaf or debris in your tea, you can simply pour hot water on the loose leaf in your cup and enjoy after 5-8 minutes of steeping.
For those that mind, consider getting a cute tea strainer, or tea bags.
The Strainer Method:
- Use a cute teapot or set, plus a cup. Or, just use 2 cups if you don’t have a teapot.
- Place loose leaf in container #1 (teapot, or another cup)
- Pour hot water on loose leaf, and allow to steep for 5-8 minutes
- Place strainer over or into container #2. (An affordable three-pack of strainers here)
- Pour your tea with loose leaf over or into the strainer, filtering out any loose leaf and debris
- Enjoy!
The Infuser Method:
- Fill infuser with loose leaf (our favorite tea infuser!)
- Set infuser inside your container of choice
- Pour hot water into your container
- Allow infuser with loose leaf to steep for 5-8 minutes
- Remove the infuser and enjoy!
What Temperature is Right for Chamomile?
Good news–chamomile is a very popular tea because it can be served hot or cold! On cold winter days, chamomile is often enjoyed as a relaxing hot tea. Simply follow our instructions above and how long to steep chamomile tea.
For a cold chamomile tea, follow our instructions above to make a hot cup of tea, wait for it to cool, and then pour the tea over ice. Chamomile is enjoyed around the world as a cold drink for its soothing and refreshing taste profile.
What Can I Add to Chamomile?
Since chamomile is relatively mild, it can pair well with many additions. Here are some of our recommendations for spicing up your chamomile tea:
- Milk/creamer, or non-dairy creamers.
- Nectar, honey and other sweeteners
- Mixed with other types of tea for a blended taste profile
- Some other herbs like lavender
Conclusion
How long to steep chamomile tea can be up to your flavor profile preferences. Five minutes is how long we recommend youto steep your chamomile tea as this will give you the lightest flavor. If you prefer a stronger flavor, you can steep it a few minutes longer. The best thing about steeping tea is that there are no mistakes to be made!
FAQs:
- Can you steep chamomile tea for too long?
Yes–you can steep any tea too long. When the tea has been steeping for too long, it releases extra tannin and can cause a bitter taste, or produce a taste profile that is too strong to enjoy. We recommend steeping chamomile tea for 5-8 minutes
- Do you use boiling water for chamomile tea?
It is recommended to use very hot, or boiling, water to steep teas. For chamomile tea, boiling water is not absolutely necessary and you can get away with very hot water instead.
- Is it OK to drink chamomile tea everyday?
Chamomile has many health benefits like improving sleep, heart health, and digestive health. You should consume everything in moderation, but generally you cannot over-consume chamomile tea to the point of health risks. | https://shop-chopsticks.com/blogs/tips/how-long-to-steep-chamomile-tea |
Author: Paul, Michael T.Y.
Author: Gates, Byron D.
Abstract
Surfaces with rose petal like properties, simultaneously exhibiting a high degree of hydrophobicity and a high adhesion to water, were prepared by spray coating of progressively smaller hydrophilic silica particles along with hydrophobic nanofibers onto surfaces of interest. Various polymer structures were achieved by tuning the spray coating flow rates during deposition of the polymer nanofibers and silica particles. At a reduced flow rate, polystyrene fibers were formed with diameters of less than 100 nm. Water contact angles (WCAs) of coatings prepared from the hierarchical assemblies of silica particles blended with polystyrene nanofibers were greater than 110°. Coatings prepared from the hierarchical assemblies either with or without incorporation of the polymer nanofibers pinned water droplets to their surfaces even after inverting the substrates, similar to the properties of a rose petal. Hierarchical coatings of silica particles without the polystyrene nanofibers also exhibited a high adhesion to water, pinning at least 30% more water on its surfaces. Conversely, hierarchical coatings containing the polystyrene nanofibers exhibited an increased water mobility across their surfaces. Further water retention experiments were performed to determine the ability of the different coatings to efficiently condense water vapor, as well as their efficiency to remove this condensed liquid from their surfaces. Both types of hierarchical coatings exhibited an excellent ability to retain water at a low humidity, while establishing a self-limiting condition for retaining water at a high humidity. These coatings could be prepared on a relatively large-scale and with a relatively low cost on the surfaces of a variety of materials to enhance their water resistance, water retention and/or ability to condense water vapor.
Document
Published as
"Hierarchical Surface Coatings of Polystyrene Nanofibers and Silica Microparticles with Rose Petal Wetting Properties," Paul, M.T.Y.; Gates, B.D., Colloids Surf., A, 2016, 498, 42-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2016.03.033.
Copyright statement
Copyright is held by the author(s).
Scholarly level
Peer reviewed? | https://summit.sfu.ca/item/19500 |
A ballet by Pierre Rigal for le Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris.
For the ballerina or ballet dancer the “salute” performed during or at the end of a ballet is a codified sequence which enables to partially or progressively come out of the fiction of the show. Its ceremonious choreography is nearly unalterable and positions itself as a transition from the in- to the out-side, between imagination and reality, an effort and a confort. Emotions, tributes, gestures of respect, gratitude have space to be exchanged between the public and the dancers.
The ballet Salute focuses on this gesture to bring forward the feelings entangled in this ritual. And these feelings are of various shapes, miniature versions of the different definitions of the word “salute”. Thus, the dramaturgy of the play tends to balance the notions of danger, escape, anguish with those of calm, enjoyment or happiness. For the dancer, a show is always an exposure that the salute ends somewhat like a liberation. In this play, the exposure expresses itself literally in a metaphor during which the archetype of the classical salute is broken up progressively before dying as if the end of a cycle. But at this point, the salute is maybe a deliverance, a resurrection, life after death, life without end… We can ask ourselves if, after having faded like the sunlight, the dance of the salute will rise again, will grow again and step once more into the spiral of perpetual dance…
Pierre Rigal.
Preparatory text
For the dancer, the “salute” at the end of a ballet is a particular sequence during which emotions, tributes, and respect circulate between him or her and the audience in a nearly unchangeable choreographic ceremony. Though familiar this ancestral ritual is still a singular moment filled with emotions. As a starting point the ballet Salute focuses on the importance of this sequence and on the polysemy of the word in order to develop a choreographic dramaturgy. The study of the “salute” sequence leads the narration and physical research towards the notions of danger, escape and anguish on the one hand, and on the other hand towards notions of appeasement, enjoyment and happiness. Moreover, the ideas of finiteness and eternity, close to the notion of salute, brings the imagination to cycles or sine curves of collective or individual movement. Finally, a narration shaped by convolutions of “one way” then “reverse way” movements reminds us of the cycle of eternal existence. Following this cycle, the lighting and scenography evoke the idea of a visual apocalypse, a revolution (in the physical sense of the therm), a visual renaissance…
Pierre Rigal
Salute : definition ( source : Wiktionary )
Noun. from the Latin salutare (“to greet ; to wish health to”), from salutis, genitive of salus (“greeting, good health”), related to salvus (“safe”).
1. A formal gesture made in honour of someone or something, usually with the hand or hands in one of various particular positions.
Ex : The soldiers greeted the dignitaries with a crisp salute.
2. Any action performed for the purpose of honor or tribute.
Ex : The orchestra performed the concert as a salute to Gershwin.
3. (Religion). Means of escape from damnation, to obtain eternal felicity.
Ex : The salute of souls ; grants eternal life after death.
4. Action of saluting.
A piece for 16 dancers
35 minutes
conception Pierre Rigal
music Joan Cambon
costumes Roy Genty & Adélaïde Le Gras
artistic collaborator Mélanie Chartreux
Created on the 3rd February 2015 at the Opera de Paris – Palais Garnier. | https://pierrerigal.net/spip.php?page=mot_en&id_mot=66 |
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Fill out the form below with some info about your project and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Please allow a couple days for us to respond. | http://rovotic.com/contact-us/ |
4 Statistical Process Control Rules That Detect Anomalies in Systems
This post was featured in our July 2015 anthology of most popular VividCortex blog posts of all time. To see more of our top content, check out that list here.
Statistical Process Control (SPC), or using numbers or data to study the characteristics of our process in order to make it behave the way we want it to behave, has been around since 1924 and was invented by Walter Shewhart. It has been widely adopted in manufacturing, logistics and other operationally focused parts of the business world; but seems less well known in the world of systems administration and web operations. It’s part of the core-curriculum in every business school in the world. Not that it really matters for IT folks, but it strikes me as strange that it’s not more common in the monitoring world.
Etsy’s release of Skyline uses algorithms common to SPC and is a huge win for filtering out noise from metrics and threshold based systems. In computer systems, improbable things happen more than you’d predict, and SPC methods aren’t good enough at preventing false positives. They are useful for filtering out the noise, but many users will experience many false positives even with SPC. The reason is that many of the SPC formulas are written for a process with a stable mean, meaning they measure the output of an end product (e.g. a drill hole size, or a defect rate), not dynamically changing metrics. The choice of metrics becomes particularly important when you apply SPC to IT monitoring because there isn’t a good analogy that translates to the computer world.
Nonetheless, Western Electric published a book in 1956 called the “Statistical Process Control Handbook” which has some very useful rules for detecting anomalies and might be helpful to those implementing SPC in IT Systems.
The rules attempt to distinguish unnatural patterns from natural patterns based on several criteria:
- The absence of points near the centerline
- The absence of points near the control limits
- The presence of points outside the control limits
- Other unnatural patterns (systematic (autocorrelative), repetition, trend patterns)
To achieve this, the rules divide the chart into zones, measured in units of standard deviation (σ) between the centerline and control limits, as 1, 2 and 3 standard deviations from the mean. In the following examples, the red line is 3 standard deviations, the blue line is 2 standard deviations, and the green line is 1 standard deviation, although these can vary based on business needs.
The Western Electric rules are as follows (image credits to Wikipedia):
As you can probably see, these ideas are not so different from many of the things Baron spoke about at Velocity last week. Another similar set of rules is the Nelson rules.
Although the rules aren’t perfect, with adaptations such as the exponential moving averages Baron described, it’s a significant improvement over static thresholds, and can be implemented cheaply. The results can be very useful — again, see skyline and oculus.
John Allspaw has repeatedly demonstrated that the DevOps world has a lot to learn from other fields, such as mechanical engineering and flight control systems. How are you using statistical methods, operations research, process control, queueing theory, stock-trading algorithms, or other things borrowed from non-IT disciplines to improve your IT operations? Please share in the comments! | https://www.vividcortex.com/blog/2013/06/26/4-statistical-process-control-rules-that-can-detect-anomalies-in-your-system/ |
The utility model discloses a low-temperature circulation evaporative crystallization device for heavy salt water. The low-temperature circulation evaporative crystallization device comprises a circulating water pump, an evaporating chamber, an evaporating filler, a water distributor, an air blower, a condensing tube, a condensing chamber, a hot air outlet, a condensing water tank, a cold-heat dual-purpose hot pump unit, an evaporator cold water outlet, an evaporator water return hole, a hot air inlet, a water supplementing pump and a wastewater tank. A heat exchange process of the low-temperature circulation evaporative crystallization device disclosed by the utility model does not adopt a salt water heat exchanger, so that an equipment scaling and corroding problem caused by heat exchange of salt water is solved radically, and therefore, concentration range of the heavy salt water can be greatly improved. The constructed circulation evaporative device can recycle condensing heat, is low in production energy consumption and obtains pure condensed water and a dry salt product while realizing zero release of the heavy salt water. | |
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This study was designed to characterize the initial and secondary changes of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water with high temporal resolution measurements of ADC values and to correlate ADC changes with functional outcomes. Fourteen rats underwent 30 minutes of temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Diffusion-, perfusion-, and T2-weighted imaging was performed during MCAO and every 30 minutes for a total of 12 hours after reperfusion (n = 6). Neurological outcomes were evaluated during MCAO, every 30 minutes for a total of 6 hours and at 24 hours after reperfusion (n = 8). The decreased cerebral blood flow during MCAO returned to normal after reperfusion and remained unchanged thereafter. The decreased ADC values during occlusion completely recovered at 1 hour after reperfusion. The renormalized ADC values started to decrease secondarily at 2.5 hours, accompanied by a delayed increase in T2 values. The ADC-defined secondary lesion grew over time and was 52% of the ADC-defined initial lesion at 12 hours. Histological evaluation demonstrated neuronal damage in the regions of secondary ADC decline. Complete resolution of neurological deficits was seen in 1 rat at 1 hour and in 6 rats between 2.5 and 6 hours after reperfusion; no secondary neurological deficits were observed at 24 hours. These data suggest that (1) a secondary ADC reduction occurs as early as 2.5 hours after reperfusion, evolves in a slow fashion, and is associated with neuronal injury; and (2) renormalization and secondary decline in ADC are not associated with neurological recovery and worsening, respectively.
National Center for
Biotechnology Information, | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10939575?dopt=Abstract |
What is disposed asset?
What is disposed asset?
Asset disposal is the act of selling an asset usually a long term asset that has been depreciated over its useful life like production equipment.
What is a disposed property?
BIM60835 – Definitions: Disposal A disposal is any case where the property is effectively disposed of either in whole or in part by one or more transactions or arrangements. In a straightforward sale this will be the date of completion. When the properties are finished they sell 40% of their shares to the third party.
What is the definition meaning of disposal?
1 : the power or authority to make use of as one chooses : the power or authority to dispose of something The car was at my disposal. 2 : the act or process of disposing: such as. a : orderly placement or distribution the disposal of troops along the ridge.
What is the dictionary definition of asset?
assets, items of ownership convertible into cash; total resources of a person or business, as cash, notes and accounts receivable, securities, inventories, goodwill, fixtures, machinery, or real estate (opposed to liabilities).
What happens when you dispose of an asset?
The disposal of assets involves eliminating assets from the accounting records. This is needed to completely remove all traces of an asset from the balance sheet (known as derecognition). An asset disposal may require the recording of a gain or loss on the transaction in the reporting period when the disposal occurs.
When an asset is sold or disposed?
When an asset set for disposal is sold, depreciation expense must be computed up to the sale date to adjust the asset to its current book value. Compare the cash proceeds received from the sale with the asset’s book value to determine if a gain or loss on disposal has been realized.
What does disposed mean legally?
When a case has been disposed, this means it has been closed. Specific reasons for a case being closed can include dismissal, conviction, admission of guilt, among other reasons. As a legal term, disposed cases can include any type of case ranging from small claims to more felony charges.
What’s the difference between disposed and dismissed?
If your case status says that your case has been disposed, it means that the proceedings of your case have been completed, a final order is issued, and the trial has ended. Another way of saying this is if a case has been “junked” or “dismissed.”
What is the meaning of disposal in one word?
Disposal means getting rid of something, or throwing it away. When you go on a picnic, be sure to have a bag for the disposal of your trash afterward, or you will be a terrible litterbug.
What does at your disposal mean?
: available for someone to use : available for whatever one needs We had plenty of money at our disposal.
How do you define asset in your own words?
An asset is something containing economic value and/or future benefit. An asset can often generate cash flows in the future, such as a piece of machinery, a financial security, or a patent. Personal assets may include a house, car, investments, artwork, or home goods.
What does disposed of assets mean?
Disposition of Assets. The disposition of assets is the process of getting rid of assets either by selling them or otherwise transferring them to another person. For example, a disposition of assets can refer to the sale of a house and some of its contents (like furniture) from one person to another.
Can we dispose of an asset?
An asset is fully depreciated and must be disposed of. An asset is sold because it is no longer useful or needed. An asset must be removed from the books due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., theft).
How can small businesses dispose assets?
Sale. The basic formula for determining a gain or loss on a sale is to subtract your cost (basis) and your selling expenses from the selling price and pay capital
What are proceeds from disposal of assets?
The forced disposal of the asset may result in cash proceeds from the filing and payment of an insurance claim on the asset or the receipt of a casualty award . A gain or loss on disposal can result. Involuntary conversion of assets can involve an asset exchange for monetary or non-monetary assets. | https://newsbasis.com/what-is-disposed-asset/ |
The course of Crohn's disease (CD) varies considerably between patients, but reliable prognostic markers are not available in clinical practice. Even though several parameters have been associated with prognosis in CD—including clinical features, serology and genetic variants—none are sufficient to guide therapy in clinical practice. Trying to find out the mechanisms influencing the effectiveness of treatments and develop a personalized therapy is an urgent problem in the era of biologics as the investigators now have a growing armamentarium of IBD therapies. Several scientists found that the levels of T cells subsets ratio and inflammation cytokines were significantly increased in the intestinal mucosa and serum in active IBD patients, whereas mucosal innate lymph cells had specific effects in inflammation. However the studies about the differences of lymph cell levels between subgroups of IBD patients and their relationships with effectiveness of treatments are relatively rare. Based on above, the investigators plan to recruit patients newly diagnosed and suspicious of Crohn's disease, keep track of their therapy and response, collect their blood sample at specific points of time, to investigate the mechanisms of heterogeneity of therapy effectiveness.
Crohn Disease
no interventions
2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine
Hangzhou
Zhejiang
China
310000
Recruiting
Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University
Published on BioPortfolio: 2019-10-28T13:57:21-0400
Ovarian Reserve in Crohn's Disease
Crohn's disease reduces fertility by inducing inflammation both directly and in the fallopian tubes and ovaries and indirectly through surgical interventions and tubal adhesions associated...
Use of PET-CT in the Management of Crohn's Disease
Crohn's disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder which affects over 700,000 people in the U.S. The disease can vary in severity and multiple drug classes are available to the disease depend...
Use of FDG PET/CT to Evaluate Crohn Disease
The purpose of this study will permit to determine the role of FDG PET/CT to diagnose Crohn Disease and recurrence of Crohn disease after having compared results of PET/CT's with results o...
CP-461 for the Treatment of Crohn's Disease
Patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease will be treated with oral CP-461 200 mg (2 x 100 mg capsules) twice-daily for 8 weeks. The purpose of this study is to see if C...
Treatment of Crohn's Disease With an Antibiotic Regimen Directed Against Mycobacterium Avium Paratuberculosis
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. The origin of Crohn's disease remains unknown and there is no curative therapy, either medical or surgica...
Interventions for maintenance of surgically induced remission in Crohn's disease: a network meta-analysis.
Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic disease of the gut. About 75% of people with CD undergo surgery at least once in their lifetime to induce remission. However, as there is no known cure for the diseas...
Should we resect the mesentery in ileocolic Crohn's disease ? - A response to "A warning about the role of extended mesenteric resection in Crohn's disease recurrence".
High-Risk Ileocolic Anastomoses for Crohn's Disease: When Is Diversion Indicated?
Patients with Crohn's disease undergoing ileocolectomy and primary anastomosis are often at increased risk of anastomotic leak. We aimed to determine whether diverting ileostomy was protective against...
Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma: Is there a difference in survival for Crohn's versus Sporadic cases?
It is well known that Crohn's disease is a risk factor for the development of small bowel adenocarcinoma. However, the association between Crohn's disease-associated small bowel adenocarcinoma and sur...
MicroRNA23a Overexpression in Crohn's Disease Targets Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha Inhibitor Protein 3, Increasing Sensitivity to TNF and Modifying the Epithelial Barrier.
Mucosal healing is important in Crohn's disease therapies. Epithelial homeostasis becomes dysregulated in Crohn's, with increased permeability, inflammation, and diarrhoea. MicroRNAs are small non-cod...
Crohn Disease
A chronic transmural inflammation that may involve any part of the DIGESTIVE TRACT from MOUTH to ANUS, mostly found in the ILEUM, the CECUM, and the COLON. In Crohn disease, the inflammation, extending through the intestinal wall from the MUCOSA to the serosa, is characteristically asymmetric and segmental. Epithelioid GRANULOMAS may be seen in some patients.
Granulomatosis, Orofacial
A condition characterized by persistent or recurrent labial enlargement, ORAL ULCER, and other orofacial manifestations in the absence of identifiable CROHN DISEASE; or SARCOIDOSIS. There is no consensus on whether orofacial granulomatosis is a distinct clinical disorder or an initial presentation of Crohn disease.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Chronic, non-specific inflammation of the GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT. Etiology may be genetic or environmental. This term includes CROHN DISEASE and ULCERATIVE COLITIS.
Infliximab
A chimeric monoclonal antibody to TNF ALPHA that is used in the treatment of RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS; ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS; PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS and CROHN'S DISEASE.
Biomedical Enhancement
The use of technology-based interventions to improve functional capacities rather than to treat disease.
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Crohn's Disease (CD)
Crohn’s disease (CD) is a long-term condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system. Inflammation can affect any part of the digestive system, from the mouth to the back passage, but most commonly occurs in the last s...
Biotherapeutics
The field encompassing therapeutic materials produced using biological means, including recombinant DNA technology. Biotherapeutics, also known as biotech drugs or biologics, are therapies derived from living organisms. By harnessing these living cells... | https://www.bioportfolio.com/resources/trial/253731/Study-of-Factors-and-Mechanisms-Influencing-the-Effects-of-Treatments-in-Crohns.html |
Arogya’s Liver Cleanse Herbal Tea is an energizing formula based on Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine, that is specifically designed to cleanse and detoxify the liver. Anatomically, the liver is the largest internal organ and is responsible for filtering and cleansing all of the substances that enter our body, as well as managing blood sugar, fat storage, and hormone levels.
Camellia sinensis, also known as tea, contains about a quarter to one-half of the caffeine in coffee, depending on the variety. Tea is also host to naturally occurring phyto-chemicals that prolong the release of caffeine in the body, while at the same time providing a sense of relaxation. These properties make tea an ideal beverage for prolonged focus and well-being. | https://blog.arogya.net/page/4/ |
Key Points:
- Study looks at short-term EACA use in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage treated ACA Before Coiling of Ruptured Saccular Aneurysm with coiling
- EACA had no impact on ischemic or rebleeding
In patients with ruptured saccular aneurysms, short-term use of ε- aminocaproic acid (EACA) before endovascular therapy does not appear to affect the likelihood either preinterventional hemorrhage or thromboembolic events but may increase the need for shunt, according to findings published online June 17, 2016, ahead of print in the Journal of Neurosurgery. However, EACA use also has a protective effect against cardiac complications and respiratory insufficiency.
“Randomized clinical trials are required to provide robust clinical recommendations” on this issue, Aaron A. Cohen-Gadol, MD of Indiana University (Indianapolis, IN), and colleagues advise.
The researchers identified 341 consecutive patients who underwent endovascular coiling of ruptured saccular aneurysms between 2000 and 2011 at their institution, examining outcomes based on preprocedural EACA use.
All patients underwent the procedure within 72 hours of admission. Overall, EACA was administered in 146 patients (43%) and withheld in 195 (57%).
Use of EACA did not affect the preinterventional risk of rebleeding or in-hospital thromboembolic events like clinical stroke and pulmonary embolism. It was linked to greater need for shunting but fewer cardiac complications and instances of respiratory insufficiency (table 1).
In addition, patients who received EACA had a longer duration of hospital stay than those who did not (median 19 vs 14 days; P < .001). There was no apparent impact of short-term EACA use on Glasgow Outcome Scale score at discharge, 6 months, or 1 year following discharge.
The Endovascular Setting
“To our knowledge,” the investigators write, “this is the first study that specifically assesses short-term EACA use in [aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage] patients undergoing endovascular treatment.”
They note that over the past 3 decades, “the trend for the care of ruptured aneurysms has centered on early intervention, alleviating the need for prolonged antifibrinolytic therapy. However, there still may be a significant time interval between the onset of hemorrhage and definitive intervention in certain situations, particularly when a patient is transferred to a tertiary care center. During this period, maximizing protection from rebleeding is desirable.”
This is where short-term EACA protection comes in, and its use is backed as a “reasonable option” by current American Heart Association and American Stroke Association guidelines “in the setting of an unavoidable delay in aneurysm obliteration during the interim between clinical presentation and definitive [surgical] aneurysm repair,” Dr. Cohen-Gadol and colleagues report.
But as they point out in their paper, thrombotic risk is a concern in the context of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, particularly in patients undergoing coiling. The condition itself “potentially creates a prothrombotic and proinflammatory state as indicated by serum markers, such as platelet count, leukocyte count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein levels,” they note. “In addition, thrombotic risks are reported to be higher with endovascular treatment compared with microsurgery.”
Source:
- Malekpour M, Kulwin C, Bohnstedt BN, et al. Effect of short-term ε-aminocaproic acid treatment on patients undergoing endovascular coil embolization following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. J Neurosurg. 2016;Epub ahead of print.
Disclosures:
- Dr. Cohen-Gadol reports no relevant conflicts of interest. | https://www.neurovascularexchange.com/news/aneurysm/135-role-of-eaca-before-coiling-of-ruptured-saccular-aneurysms-remains-unclear.html |
:
Revised, Superseded, Withdrawn
Published
:
November 2002
Replaced By
:
BS ISO 6487:2012
BS ISO 6487:2002+A1:2008 Road vehicles. Measurement techniques in impact tests. Instrumentation
BS ISO 6487 gives requirements and recommendations for measurement techniques involving the instrumentation used in impact tests carried out on road vehicles. It presents a series of performance requirements concerning the whole measurement sequence of impact shocks.
BS ISO 6487 facilitates comparisons between results obtained by different testing laboratories. It is applicable to instrumentation including that used in the impact testing of vehicle subassemblies.
BS ISO 6487 does not include optical methods, which are the subject of BS AU 228-2:1989, ISO 8721:1987.
Contents of BS ISO 6487:
Foreword IntroductionScopeNormative referencesTerms and definitions Performance requirementsButterworth four-pole phaseless digital filter (including initial-condition treatment) algorithm Recommendations for enabling requirements to be metBibliographyTemperature measurement systems
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Last year the Washington Post covered a proposed rule change from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
…that would remake this system, adjusting the maximum value of vouchers in many major markets to account for the wide variation in what it costs to live in different neighborhoods. Instead of setting “fair market rent” standards at the metropolitan level, in about 30 major metros including Washington, New York and Chicago, HUD will set them by ZIP code instead. That shift will mean significant change for a program that serves 2.2 million households, more than live in public housing projects.
The policy is designed to enable low-income families to use their housing aid to move to neighborhoods with less poverty, lower crime and better schools — an opportunity that research has shown can boost prospects for poor kids. Until now, the voucher program that was supposed to give families a chance to move out of deeply poor housing projects has largely concentrated them instead in deeply poor neighborhoods. In cities such as the District, a voucher just isn’t worth enough to afford entry into truly “high opportunity” places.
Social theorists have long tried to figure out whether or not lower-income families can be boosted, not by more money in their pockets, but by their proximity to people that do have it. That’s essentially the logic behind school vouchers and it’s also the case here. Is there truly more opportunity simply by living in wealthier areas? If an adult wants to work close to home, the available jobs for those without a college education or specialized training are mostly going to be in the service industry. Where the true benefits apply are with better schools and lower crime rates. So ultimately, it’s about the children of these families and improving the environment in which they are raised.
As for the potential of this proposal to work, the article ends on a positive note
HUD is clear about what all of this will mean. The government will start paying more in low-poverty neighborhoods, and less in high-poverty ones. And the people who stand to lose out will no doubt object. Critics warn that poor renters will be evicted when landlords realize their vouchers are suddenly less profitable. But Collinson and Ganong didn’t see much evidence that this happened in Dallas. And in the long run, if some landlords decide the voucher program is no longer worth it to them, that may not be such a bad thing.
My question for readers is this: Can this work? What is your perspective on the effectiveness of housing policy in your location? What cultural factors, if any, play a role in the debate? | https://ordinary-times.com/2017/06/22/housing-policy/ |
A Visit to The Leaning Tower of Pisa
This is a guest post authored by Mr. Roland Millward. He is well travelled and host a travel blog. I would love one day to travel to Pisa, but until then…Roland gives us a descriptive visual of this beautiful place and amazing structure. Love always, Chrissy
Italy is famous for its beautiful countryside, lakes, history and architecture including the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In 2016 I was privileged to go on a tour of Italy which included a stop in Pisa with a visit, of course, to the famous Leaning Tower.
The history of this tower is intriguing and I would like to tell you about my visit.
Work started on building the tower in August 1173 and it was completed in 1399. At completion, it was originally 60m high but today it is 56.67m on the highest side and 55.86m on the lowest side, with getting close to 300 steps to get to the top. It was quite early during the build that the tower began to lean.
The tower is for the bell to summon the worshippers to the Basilica. There is also a Baptistery forming a row of buildings, the Baptistery first, then the Basilica and headed up by the Tower of Pisa. Unbaptised Catholics were not allowed into the Basilica and hence the Baptistery is a separate building.
As the tower was built there were attempts to correct the leaning by adding structures at another angle. This means that if the leaning tower today was stood upright it would still be wonky as a result. If you look carefully at the tower you can see the change of angles as the tower was built. The reason for the lean of course is the soft ground and it has also affected the Baptistery and Basilica but due to the width of these buildings, this is not really noticeable.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is now Stable
There have been many attempts to prevent the Tower of Pisa from falling down. There is a good reason not to straighten it – the tourists would not come in the same numbers! The most recent work has finally stabilised the tower and it now sits leaning at about 17 feet (5.18m) off the perpendicular. This final work was completed in 2001 and the tower is no longer moving towards disaster. You can pay to climb the steps to the top of the tower but make sure that you are fairly fit and be prepared for a strange feeling due to the lean. If you wish to climb the tower and it is advisable to book tickets in advance to avoid disappointment on the day. Numbers are limited.
Standing at the base of the leaning tower and looking upwards made me feel quite dizzy and others standing next to me felt the same way. It must be our brains trying to straighten the tower coupled with the fact that beautiful white cumulus clouds were moving across the sky. It was a weird feeling!
Interestingly, the word Pisa comes from an ancient Greek word meaning ‘marshy land’, which perhaps in hindsight, should have given the early engineers and architects a clue about how good and deep the foundations should have been.
The City of Pisa – More than the Leaning Tower
Pisa has more to offer than the leaning tower. It is a famed also for its university, which is the 19th oldest in the existence in the world, founded in 1343. The students form a large part of the population of the City of Pisa. The University of Pisa is a public research university and has students of the highest calibre. (see the photo below)
There are some beautiful buildings in Pisa and it’s well worth exploring away from the area that the leaning tower is located. Many of the tourists turn up on coaches, look at the tower and leave so even a few hundred yards away it can be much quieter to explore and take in the everyday Pisa. If you ever do get the opportunity to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa make sure you allow enough time to take in much more of this interesting and beautiful Italian city.
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Published by Roland Millward
I like to write about Finance, Life, People and Travel. I have a background in many businesses including financial services, the National Health Service, Social Media and retailing giving me a broad range of experience to call upon in my writing.
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73 comments
[…] next day was a trip to Pisa and of course, it’s a must to stand next to the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. It can be quite disorienting to stand next to that tower looking upwards as it seems my brain kept […]
I visited Pisa myself two years back and we found the Field of Miracles to be spectacular inspite of the heaving crowds. Although I did read up about it, I never knew that Pisa meant marshy land which makes so much sense.. Informative post !
My husband is half Italian and he and I would love to go to Italy!! When I lived in England I wanted to go so bad – so this is a future trip the husband and I would love to do! So many amazing things to see there and the Leaning Tower of Pisa is amazing!
It would be amazing to visit Pisa some day. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has always been a place I have always wanted to see since I was a young child. I find the history of the tower very interesting and something I didn’t know about. Thanks for sharing this awesome information.
I would love to see this in person! I would love it even more if we waited to travel there until our daughters could enjoy the experience too. They are now two and eight years old so we are getting closer to that dream vacation!
I can imagine that Pisa would have many other great things to recommend it. It would just be eclipsed by that incredible piece of architecture. It’s great that some of the issues have been fixed now though.
I never knew the history of the Leaning Tower Of Pisa. Just that it was leaning. So this is super informative. I would be tempted to climb up if I were there, but it sounds like an adventure. I imagine the feeling of leaning is really strange as you get high up.
[…] happened in her life. I have recently been privileged to write a guest post for Chrissy, ‘A Visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa’ Likewise Chrissy has written for my blog, ‘Galveston Island – not just brown […]
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Political parties and other groups are not permitted to stage campaigns, protests, or other events on footpaths by obstructing pedestrians’ freedom of movement in any way: Kerala High Court
Political parties and other groups are not permitted to stage campaigns, protests, or other events on footpaths by obstructing pedestrians’ freedom of movement in any way is upheld by the Kerala High Court in the case of Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry V. State of Kerala (W.P.(C) No.11886 of 2021) through a Division Bench of Justice Anil K. Narendran and Ziyad Rahman A.A, JJ.
FACTS OF THE CASE
The Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry filed the current petition in an effort to obtain a writ of mandamus ordering the respondents and law enforcement organisations, including the Police, to create and issue regulations designating specific public spaces in the State of Kerala for the purpose of holding mass assemblies, including protests, campaigns, demonstrations, etc.
The petitioners had argued that it is illegal and unconstitutional to have gatherings near the Government Secretariat and Raj Bhavan, as well as on the nearby pathways. Notably, numerous organisations and political parties held rallies, marches, etc. on public areas including sidewalks and pavements, seriously creating disruption to nearby residents as well as businesses and other enterprises.
Campaigns or protests on footpaths, which at first were only temporary, have now taken on a permanent nature, along with sheds and other structures that give shelter to the campaigners or protestors and prevent the general public from utilising the footpath for the intended purpose.
JUDGMENT
The Bench held that it is only by considering all pertinent factors, such as the size of the road, the volume of traffic, and the type of additional use one wishes to make of the public streets, that it is possible to determine what would constitute a public nuisance and what could be included in the legitimate user. It should be noted that the Indian Roads Congress had developed Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities, which states in Paragraph 4.2 that efforts should be made to create conditions so that pedestrians are not forced to walk in unsafe circumstances and that drivers respect the position of pedestrians.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways gave its assent to the Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities (MoRTH). Therefore, in accordance with these recommendations, every local authority within the State is required to offer pedestrian facilities on public routes.
In Sivaprasad v. State of Kerala and others 2020, it was ruled that the primary goal of pavement design is to provide pedestrians with a reasonable level of safety and security while they go about their everyday lives. By allowing encroachments to be made on the pavements, that convenience, which has developed into a right of pedestrians, cannot be rendered meaningless.
No person shall cause any hindrance by conducting any business, meeting, assembly, procession, or demonstration on any public way or part thereof, according to sub-section (1) of Section 4 of the Kerala Public Ways (Restriction of Assemblies and Processions) Act, 2011. No gathering or meeting may be held in violation of Section 4’s sub-section (2) by obstructing any part of the sidewalk or street. No procession or demonstration may be held in violation of Section 4’s subsection (3) by completely blocking the road or the free flow of traffic.
Therefore, the Bench determined that the footpaths are not meant for use by political parties and other organizations to undertake campaigns, protests, etc. since doing so would in any way hinder the right of way of walkers. No political party or organisation may obstruct the right-of-way or the pathway on public roadways as part of protests, demonstrations, or the like by placing any temporary structures there, putting pedestrians including those with disabilities and limited mobility in danger as they cross the road.
In order to prevent encroachment of any kind, in any way, whether temporary or permanent, on the right of way or pedestrian facilities on public roads, the state was instructed to explain the measures taken to ensure strict enforcement of the Supreme Court’s orders and the relevant statutory provisions, including the Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities developed by the Indian Roads Congress.
PRIME LEGAL is a full-service law firm that has won a National Award and has more than 20 years of experience in an array of sectors and practice areas. Prime legal fall into the category of Best law firm, best lawyer, best family lawyer, best divorce lawyer, best divorce law firm, best criminal lawyer, best criminal law firm, best consumer lawyer, best civil lawyer. | https://primelegal.in/2022/08/22/political-parties-and-other-groups-are-not-permitted-to-stage-campaigns-protests-or-other-events-on-footpaths-by-obstructing-pedestrians-freedom-of-movement-in-any-way-kerala-high-court/ |
Looking for a candidate with BS Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical or Computer Electro Mech or Software Engineering. You will be required to maintain security clearance army regulation 50-6. This chemical surety project will last through 2023 will be onsite immediately.
Automation Engineers
Our growing company needs two experienced and resourceful Automation Engineers.
The AE position will report to the Automation Supervisor/Lead. The purpose of the position is to provide automation support needed for safe, compliant operations of control systems. The AE is to be proficient with the Siemens control system, PLCs, associated HMI, and associated code. The AE is to address emergent issues, compliant with required processes and standards.
As a condition of employment, candidates must favorably complete a series of screenings included but not limited to a personnel security investigation, urinalysis testing, respiratory screening and must meet and maintain personnel suitability and reliability requirements established by Regulations. Also requires the ability to wear an air purifying respirator for escape purposes.
Responsibilities:
- Performs/Supports DCS Programming Automation tasks.
- Troubleshoots automation issues to support operations.
- Prepares automation engineering deliverables with oversight from supervisor (eg, temporary modifications, design change documentation).
- Interface with other disciplines, new and retrofit engineering design, submittals, attend meetings, coordination with suppliers, operations and maintenance support.
- Properly interprets and applies codes & standards and contract requirements, for the preparation of Automation engineering design documents, specifications, and system descriptions related to automation team tasks.
- Reviews, prepares, and/or checks engineering drawings and calculations, including field and design documents relating to the discipline.
Qualifications:
- DCS/PLC configurations experience along with experience integrating PLCs into a DCS system.
- Must be able to obtain a DODI 8570.01-M IAT I, II, or Ill certification within 6 months of employment.
- Specialized Knowledge:
- Field experience in supporting an industrial plant.
- Knowledge of typical industry electrical, instrumentation, and mechanical equipment.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings/documents (eg P&IDs, single lines, logics)
- Equipment/system troubleshooting skills.
- Working knowledge with industry wide Microsoft development tools, such as Visual Basic, C++, VB.NET, ASP.NET and database systems, such as Access, Oracle and SOL Server.
- Knowledge of industry and regulatory guides, codes, and standards.
- Excellent listening, oral and written communication, planning and organizational skills.
- Must be physically fit and able to work safely at a construction/operating site.
- Experience with Microsoft office programs, VISIO, and other common computer programs.
Preferred Qualifications
- BS degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Computer, Electro-Mech, or Software engineering from an accredited institution with 3 years of related experience.
- In lieu of a degree, minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience in relevant types of automation work (eg systems startup, field engineering, plant operations)
- Candidate must be able to acquire and maintain a security clearance required for this position according to Army Regulation 50-6 (Chemical Surety).
Reference: 946032101
Set up alerts to get notified of new vacancies. | https://jobs.careeraddict.com/post/17809104 |
Abstract: An important problem in the breeding of livestock, crops, and forest trees is the optimum of selection of genotypes that maximizes genetic gain. The key constraint in the optimal selection is a convex quadratic constraint that ensures genetic diversity, therefore, the optimal selection can be cast as a second-order cone programming (SOCP) problem. Yamashita et al. (2015) exploits the structural sparsity of the quadratic constraints and reduces the computation time drastically while attaining the same optimal solution. This paper is concerned with the special case of equal deployment (ED), in which we solve the optimal selection problem with the constraint that contribution of genotypes must either be a fixed size or zero. This involves a nature of combinatorial optimization, and the ED problem can be described as a mixed-integer SOCP problem. In this paper, we discuss conic relaxation approaches for the ED problem based on LP (linear programming), SOCP, and SDP (semidefinite programming). We analyze theoretical bounds derived from the SDP relaxation approaches using the work of Tseng (2003) and show that the theoretical bounds are not quite sharp for tree breeding problems. We propose a steepest-ascent method that combines the solution obtained from the conic relaxation problems with a concept from discrete convex optimization in order to acquire an approximate solution for the ED problem in a practical time. From numerical tests, we observed that among the LP, SOCP, and SDP relaxation problems, SOCP gave a suitable solution from the viewpoints of the optimal values and the computation time. The steepest-ascent method starting from the SOCP solution provides high-quality solutions much faster than an existing method that has been widely used for the optimal selection problems and a branch-and-bound method. | http://www.optimization-online.org/DB_HTML/2017/03/5892.html |
We reformulate a (indefinite) quadratic program (QP) as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem by first reformulating a QP as a linear complementary problem, and then using binary variables and big-M constraints to model its complementary constraints. To obtain such reformulation, we use fundamental results on the solution of perturbed linear systems to impose bounds on the QP’s dual variables without eliminating any of its (globally) optimal primal solutions. Reformulating a nonconvex QP as a MILP problem allows the use of current state-of-the-art MILP solvers to find its global optimal solution. To illustrate this, we compare the performance of this MILP-based solution approach, labeled quadprogIP, with quadprogBB, BARON, and CPLEX. In practice, quadprogIP is shown to typically outperform by orders of magnitude quadprogBB, BARON, and CPLEX on standard QPs. Also, unlike quadprogBB, quadprogIP is able to solve QP instances in which the dual feasible set is unbounded. The MATLAB code quadprogIP and the instances used to perform the reported numerical experiments are publicly available at https://github.com/xiawei918/quadprogIP. | https://research.tilburguniversity.edu/en/publications/globally-solving-non-convex-quadratic-programs-via-linear-integer |
A wildfire is burning about 7 – 8 miles northeast of Davenport, Washington that started on August 2, 2018 @ 1500 hours PDT by equipment.
8/11/2018 – 2130 PDT
5,046 acres. 90% contained. Minimal fire behavior. 351 personnel. 6 crews. 43 engines. 3 helos. 14 structures lost. 170 structures threatened. Some crews released today. $4.6M CTD.
8/10/2018 – 1945 PDT
5,081 acres. 60% contained. 14 structures burned. 180 threatened. 564 personnel. 13 crews. 3 helicopters. 68 engines.
8/9/2018 2000 PDT
5.081 acres. 60% contained. IC IMT Goldman. Minimal Fire behavior. 564 personnel. 13 crews, 68 engines and 3 helicopters. 14 structures have been lost. $3.3M.
8/8/2018 – 2100 PDT
5,043 acres. 35% contained with continued moderate fire behavior with uphill runs, observed isolated torching and backing. Cause is still unknown and under investigation.
There are 549 personnel along with 12 crews, 3 helos and 72 engines. Fire resources are pouring from the National Guard, Canada and Australia.
170 homes are threatened with 4 already destroyed along with 10 other structures which totals to 14 buildings. Fire suppression and containment costs-to-date have reached $2,200,000.
8/6/2018 – 2145 PDT
Spokane County Fire District 8 Firefighters worked throughout the night on August 5th on the fire line and conducting burn out operations on the day of the 6th. Additional resources from Lincoln County Fire Districts 4 and 5, WA DNR, Federal, State and local agencies have come together collectively through fire suppression and containment efforts. Local farmers have gathered together to help build fire lines across their fields, as well as mineral soil to aid firefighters to stop the spread of the fire.
Per fire sources this morning, here is what we know so far (please be patient, things change so rapidly): 4,500 ares of timber, grass and brush. 15% contained. 2 structures lost. 170 threatened. 1 minor structure burned and one other threatened. 272 personnel with 8 crews, 3 helicopters and 45 engines.
On August 5th: Fire on NE portion was very active with visible fire and smoke throughout the day and night. Efforts focused in this area with crews, engines and dozers. Crews used air resources to their advantage including super scoopers dipping out of the Spokane River arm of Lake Roosevelt.
8/5/2018 – 1145 PDT
Started 8/2/2018. Cause unknown. 4,500 acres. 0% contained. 60 homes threatened, 1 destroyed. Other minor structures threatened, 1 destroyed. 160 personnel. 3 crews, 25 engines. Fire located in steep canyons w/rugged terrain.
8/4/2018 – 2030 PDT
Level 2 and 3 evacuations have been issued and assistance through Washington State Fire mobe have arrived on the fire line. The Northeast WA Interagency IMT with IC Eddie Lewis, a Type 3 has assumed command of the fire yesterday around 0600 hours. Cause is still unknown and under investigation.
4,700 acres scorched. 0% contained.
8/4/2018 – 0121 PDT
Initial call fire info – Angel Springs Rd, Lincoln County. Grass, brush, reproduction, timber. AR IC as of 8/2 1642 PDT. Resources dispatched BC 51 FP 13 FP 18 HI 35 NC 40+Crew NC 41+Crew NE 06 NE 12 at 1448 PDT. TYPE 3 TEAM IN PLACE – IC LEWIS / LOVE. TYPE 2 TEAM ORDERED.
8/3/2018 – 2300 PDT
160 firefighters. 4,500 ac. 0% containment. Dayshifters (FFs) are home (local Fire District) getting much needed rest and sleep, will be back out on the fire line on Day 3. Night operations in effect with structure protection. Active Fire behavior with running, spotting and group torching. 2 structures destroyed (1 home and 1 outbuilding).
8/3/2018 – 0956 PDT
Aircraft and other resources dispatched from Roberts Field -Redmond Municipal Airport. Angel Springs Aerial Support. Lat/Lon 47 44.898, -118 4.500 dispatched through the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center.
8/2/2018 – 2030 PDT
Resources were dispatched around 1557 hours PDT today to a wildfire producing a large smoke plume about five miles north of Reardan which included engines fire boss airplanes and hand crews. (Video as of 1800 hours PDT – Courtesy NE WA IMT)
170 acres. 60% containment achieved.
6 structures threatened. 1 lost.
Gusty wind conditions are making fire suppression efforts challenging. | https://thenwfireblog.com/2018/08/04/angel-springs-fire-washington-update/ |
LONDON - Ties between Britain, the U.S. and Pakistan could be jeopardized if a judge grants a request for a court inquiry into the possible role of U.K. spy agencies in aiding covert CIA drone strikes in Pakistan's northwest tribal region, a government lawyer told Britain's High Court on Thursday.
James Eadie, lawyer for Britain's Foreign Office, insisted that intelligence sharing between Britain and the U.S. - already under strain by previous disclosures made in London courtrooms - and links between Washington and Pakistan would all potentially be cast into doubt.
Noor Khan, a 27-year-old whose father was killed by a drone strike in northwest Pakistan in March 2011, has asked Britain's High Court to examine whether U.K. intelligence officials assisted the action and may be liable for prosecution.
His legal advisers want a judge to determine whether Britain's secret eavesdropping agency, the Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, has passed location data to guide CIA drones, and whether the U.K. has agreed to a secret policy of assistance to the program of targeting militants.
"Adjudicating on the claim plainly would have significant impact on the conduct of the United Kingdom's relations with both the United States and Pakistan," Eadie told a three-day hearing at the High Court. "It would also be likely to have such an impact on relations between the United States and Pakistan. That impact would be felt in an acutely controversial, sensitive and important context."
Since 2004, CIA drones have targeted suspected militants with missile strikes in the Pakistani tribal regions, killing hundreds of people. The program is controversial because of questions about its legality, the number of civilians it has killed and its impact on Pakistan's sovereignty.
Khan's father, Malik Daud Khan, was attending a meeting of local elders in Datta Khel, in North Waziristan, when it was hit by a missile fired from an unmanned drone, killing around 40 people.
British officials have not commented publicly on their policy toward CIA drone strikes. U.S. officials do not publicly acknowledge the covert program, but have said privately that the strikes harm very few innocents and are a key tool in weakening al-Qaida and other militant groups.
"He is calling for the veil of secrecy around Britain's drones policy to be lifted so that he can keep his community safe. We share his concerns about the lack of accountability, and the morality of the U.K. being dragged into an illegal attack on a country with whom we are not at war," she said.
Last year, British spy agencies were accused of sharing sensitive information with Moammar Gadhafi's regime in Libya, leading to the torture or rendition of two Libyan men and their families. The case is now the subject of an inquiry by British police.
Britain's Foreign Office said that a decision on whether to grant Khan a hearing is expected to be handed down by the High Court before the year's end. | https://www.military.com/daily-news/2012/10/25/uk-hearing-into-cia-drones-would-dent-us-ties.html |
Search for information, find activities, or browse board meetings and agendas.
Join the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board as it listens, learns, acknowledges, educates and gathers public input on the desired level of park police service needed to serve the community.
After 18 months of community-based planning and design, a draft version of NSAMP is ready for public review and comment. NSAMP reflects community desires for all outdoor facilities in more than 30 North Minneapolis neighborhood parks and regional trails, and it will guide capital improvements over the next 20 to 30 years at these locations.
At their September 5 meeting, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) commissioners approved a second phase of construction that will expand the wetlands boardwalk in Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary (EWBG) in Theodore Wirth Regional Park.
Superintendent Merrill announces community Learning Sessions, provides Minnehaha incident update
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board presents the 12th Annual Minneapolis Bike Tour. Riders of all ages are invited to come experience the beautiful parkways that make Minneapolis the best place to bike in the country by participating in the 2018 Minneapolis Bike Tour on Sunday, September 16.
The 20-Year Neighborhood Park Plan (NPP20) is a long-term initiative that will transform the neighborhood park system in Minneapolis. Adopted by Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) commissioners in 2016, NPP20:
Read on for recent and current highlights on NPP20-funded work at parks throughout the city.
Summer's not (quite) over yet! If you're looking for a last splash, four MPRB wading pools across the city are still open from 10 am-9 pm daily, based on weather conditions (these pools will not open for the day if temperatures are forecast to stay below 65 degrees).
Join butterfly, music and art lovers from all over the Twin Cities on Saturday, September 8, from 10 am to 4 pm for the free 10th Annual 2018 Minneapolis Monarch Festival-Festival de la Monarca. Filled with music, art activities, games, food, plants that monarchs love and more, the day offers many fun ways for people of all ages to learn about the monarch butterfly and its amazing 2,300 mile migration from Minnesota to the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico.
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board continues to gather feedback from the community as applications for next Superintendent are considered
Festivities to celebrate the renovated beach now planned Monday, August 13, beginning at 4:30 pm. Bathroom building is now open!
Stay informed with news and updates at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
Lake Hiawatha and Lake Calhoun Beaches Temporarily Closing. | https://www.minneapolisparks.org/about_us/news/ |
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Another teacher-level factor is classroom management. It is mentioned in some form in virtually every major study of factors affecting student achievement. Classroom management received its strongest endorsement in a comprehensive study by Margaret Wang, Geneva Haertel, and Herbert Walberg (1993) in which they combined the results of three comprehensive studies. Their content analysis of 86 chapters from annual research reviews, 44 handbook chapters, 20 government and commissioned reports, and 11 journal articles produced a list of 228 variables affecting student achievement. They asked 134 education experts to rate the impact of each variable. The experts concluded from this massive review that classroom management was rated first. This makes intuitive sense—a classroom that is chaotic as a result of poor management not only doesn't enhance achievement, it might even inhibit it.
Although the importance of classroom management is widely recognized, its definition is elusive. Walter Doyle (1986) defines classroom management as “covering a wide range of teacher duties from distributing resources to students, accounting for student attendance and school property, enforcing compliance with rules and procedures to grouping students for instruction . . .” (p. 394). Daniel Duke (1979) defines classroom management as “the provisions and procedures necessary to establish and maintain an environment in which instruction and learning can occur” (p. xii). Jere Brophy (1996) defines classroom management as “. . . actions taken to create and maintain a learning environment conducive to successful instruction (arranging the physical environment of the classroom, establishing rules and procedures, maintaining attention to lessons and engagement in academic activities” (p. 5).
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ASCD respects intellectual property rights and adheres to the laws governing them. Learn more about our permissions policy and submit your request online. | http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/102271/chapters/Classroom-Management.aspx |
Every year around this time, I get inundated with emails telling me about the latest fall trends and what I should buy and what I should toss.
Having been down this wardrobe rabbit hole before, I didn’t want to make a fall fashion faux-pas, such as I did last year, when one trendsetting site told me that the “it” shoe was a pointed witchy boot that was so tight it nearly made my pinky toes fall off.
So, this year I cross-referenced all the fashion sources to see what everyone agreed on.
And the consensus was… pistachio.
The big fall color was pistachio.
As photos of pretty clothes in hideous shades of pistachio swam before my eyes, I wondered, who decides these things and, for goodness sake, why pistachio? Pistachio is not even a good color for a nut much less a woman over fifty with a fading summer tan. | http://lostinsuburbia.com/my-latest-column-the-devil-wears-pistachio/ |
decomposed vegetable matter. Organic soils are generally undesirable in the highway subgrade and are most often excavated and wasted. See Table 2-1.1 for classification of organic materials. 3-2.01.02 LABORATORY TESTING In order to properly classify a soil, its …
Most highway pavements have subbases and were built ... subgrade and do not cause high subgrade pressures. Fig. 2 gives test conditions and subgrade pressures for a 12,000-1b load. The applied pressure of 106 psi was ... Unified Soil Classification System, soils classified as CH, MH, and OH are considered expansive.
Aug 03, 2009· California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test was developed by the California Division of Highway as a method of classifying and evaluating soil-sub grade and base course materials for flexible pavements. CBR test, an empirical test, has been used to determine the material properties for pavement design.
Bases and Subbases for Concrete Pavements (AASHTO) classification A-6 or A-7 soil groups or the Unified Soil Classification System CH, MH, and OH soils. o Degree of moisture change within the soil. Other factors responsible for non -uniform foundation include variability due to a number of reasons including, natural causes, excavation and
Dec 11, 2016· Fig-1: Textural Classification of U.S. Public Roads Administration (iii) AASHTO classification system: AASHTO classification, (table-2) is otherwise known as PRA classification system. It was originally developed in 1920 by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads for the classification of soil for highway subgrade use.
Even though the subgrade has been previously accepted, the condition of the subgrade at the time paving material is placed is required to be in accordance with Section 105.03 and Section 207.04. Prior to placing the base course on the subgrade, proofrolling in accordance with Section 203.26 is completed. Undue distortion of the subgrade is avoided.
Oct 28, 2016· AASHTO Classification System Group Index ( GI ) To evaluate the quality of a soil as a highway subgrade material, one must also incorporate a number called the group index (GI) with the groups and subgroups of the soil. Group index of a soil depends on amount of material passing 75 micron IS sieve, liquid limit, and plastic limit. Dr.
Question: Table 5.1 Classification Of Highway Subgrade Materials General Classification Granular Materials (35% Or Less Of Total Sample Passing No. 200) A-1 A-2 A-1-b A-3 A-2-4 A-2-5 A-2-6 A-2-7 Group Classification A-1-a Sieve Analysis (percentage Passing) ...
However, a soil that may be "good" for use as a highway subgrade might be "very poor" for other purposes, and vice versa. The system itself requires only that a portion of soil to pass through a 3-inch sieve. If any material does not pass the 3-inch sieve, its percentage by weight should be recorded and noted with the classification.
Types of soil tests for road construction project requires the site investigation to be carried out to understand the soil profile. For road construction works, the properties of soil at subgrade level are required. The common soil test for road construction includes classification of soil, particle ...
classification of highway subgrade materials. a useful classification is presented of subgrade materials that may be made from the results of the least possible number of simple, routine tests performed by practically all highway departments.
2-2 The following references are required to be reviewed in detail: AASHTO 1) M 145--Classification of Soils and Soil-Aggregate Mixtures for Highway Construction Purposes 2) M 146--Terms Relating to Subgrade, Soil-Aggregate, and Fill Materials INDOT Standard Specifications
Refer to the table below to answer the following questions. Table 5.1 Classification of Highway Subgrade Materials Granular materials (35% or less of total Nanple Paving No. 200) A-2 Group classification A-1-a A-1-b A-3 AJA A-3-5 A-2-6 A-2.7 Sieve analysis (percentage passing) No. 10 No.40 No.200 50 max. 30 max. 15max.
report of committee on classification of materials for subgrades and granular type roads. three methods for the classification of subgrade materials for highways and airfields are covered. the classification is based on the sieve analysis, the liquid limit and the plasticity index.
This report includes the results of a study titled, "Subgrade Characterization for Highway Pavement Design", conducted by the Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Mississippi, in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.
In transport engineering, subgrade is the native material underneath a constructed road, pavement or railway track (US: railroad track). It is also called formation level.. The term can also refer to imported material that has been used to build an embankment.. Construction. Subgrades are commonly compacted before the construction of a road, pavement or railway track, and are sometimes ...
The AASHTO Soil Classification System was developed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and is used as a guide for the classification of soils and soil-aggregate mixtures for highway construction purposes. The classification system was first developed by Hogentogler and Terzaghi in 1929, but has been revised several times since.
depth for estimate, triaxial class of subgrade soil, and pavement wheel load estimate. The depth for estimate is considered as the .. thickness of surfacing and base material, plus an allowance of . 1~"-for future maintenance. Triaxial classification of the subgrade soils has been substantially simplified by the results of this re..
Mar 06, 2019· Road consist of basically 4 layers: 1. Sub-grade: The sub-grade material should be clean and free from organic matter and should be able to be compacted by roller, to form stable sub-base. The material should have the following characteristics: * ...
Dec 13, 2016· 6.1 Introduction and Classification of Highway Materials. Highway Materials can be classified into the following three groups: Mineral Materials: Mineral materials are used for embankment construction, pavement construction and as filler materials. Subgrade soil, sand, gravels, pebbles, blast furnace slag fall into this type of materials.
Guidelines for the Stabilization of Subgrade Soils In California Authors: D. Jones, A. Rahim, S. Saadeh, and J.T. Harvey Partnered Pavement Research Center (PPRC) Contract Strategic Plan Element 3.14: Subgrade Soil Stabilization Guide
AASHTO stands for American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.AASHTO proposed soil classification in 1929 and had undergone several revisions till now. It is widely used to classify soil for construction of roads, highways, and airfield (runways, taxiways) especially for subgrade material.
Apr 04, 2009· Engineering problems with expansive soils in subgrades complicate highway construction in expansive soil areas of China. To research and solve the engineering problems, a Chinese research group carried out extensive research as part of the construction of a highway in Ningming Basin, a typical expansive soil area in China.
Volume 1 Series 600 Seciication or Highay Wors Earthors Amendment – February 2016 3 EARTHWORKS #601 (02/16) Classification, Definitions and Uses of Earthworks Materials (02/16) General 0 (02/16) This Series is part of the Specification for Highway Works. Whilst this Series is particularly relevant to
Aug 04, 2015· 9 AASHTO Soil Classification System • Classification of Highway Subgrade Materials: 10. 10 AASHTO Soil Classification System DESCRIPTION OF GROUPS & SUBGROUPS: • Group A-1: The typical material of this group is a well-graded mixture of stone fragments or gravels, coarse sand, fine sand, and a non-plastic or slightly plastic soil binder.
Classification of roads based on factors such as materials, locations, traffic are discussed. ... Home / Transportation / Roads/Highways / Classification of Roads and Their Details. ... They are flexible and thickness of bituminous roads depends upon the subgrade soil conditions.
AASHTO is used as a guide for the classification of soils and soil-aggregate mixtures for highway construction purposes, hence its output mainly focuses on the soil as subgrade material, it also uses both the particle size distribution of the soil and its Atterberg limits.
Oct 04, 2015· Although a pavement's wearing course in a highway/ road is most prominent, the success or failure of a pavement is more often dependent upon the underlying subgrade - the material …
Treated Subgrade and Base Courses ... Section 4: Treated Subgrade and Base Courses Anchor: #i1048902 4.1 General. Frequently, local base and subgrade materials do not meet the material and engineering properties required for good pavement foundation performance. A large portion of pavement construction performed today consists of rehabilitating ...
Sep 07, 2017· ub grade layer for road. ub grade layer for road. ... technical specification road work sub grade layer for road ... Pavement Materials | Highway Engineering ... | https://www.abbaziapertutti.it/35822-classification_of_highway_subgrade_materials/ |
The Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS) is the focal point for research and training on the demography and economics of aging at Syracuse University (SU). The overarching objective of the Center is to improve the health, well-being, and independence of older adults through research, training, and dissemination
The Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS) is the focal point for research and training on the demography and economics of aging at Syracuse University (SU). CAPS research is characterized by two signature themes and three cross-cutting themes that directly address the goals and priority areas of NIA. The two signature themes are health and well-being and family and intergenerational supports; the three cross-cutting themes are the role of policy, the importance of place, and the distinctive circumstances of specific populations, including populations defined by historical experiences (e.g., military veterans), geography (e.g., rural residents), health conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease), or shared vulnerabilities (e.g., low socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minority adults).
SYRACUSE, NY, Aug. 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A consortium of three upstate New York universities has received a 5-year, $1.5-million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to fund the Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS), headquartered at Syracuse University. The NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health, issues such grants to support centers of innovative research on the demography and economics of aging.
“We are delighted to receive this NIA grant, as it recognizes CAPS as one of the leading research centers on the demography and economics of aging in the country,” says Jennifer Karas Montez, who serves as director of the Center and PI for the grant. Montez, a sociologist, is Gerald B. Cramer Faculty Scholar in Aging Studies in the Maxwell School and a faculty associate in Syracuse University’s Aging Studies Institute (ASI). “The cross-site consortium provides exciting opportunities for new collaborations that can improve the health and independence of older adults.”
The CAPS consortium includes Syracuse, Cornell University, and the University at Albany. In addition to Montez, the CAPS cross-site leadership team includes, also at Syracuse, Janet Wilmoth, sociologist and director of ASI, and Douglas Wolf, demographer and Gerald B. Cramer Professor of Aging Studies. The leadership team is completed by Kelly Musick, demographer and chair of Policy Analysis and Management in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell, and Benjamin Shaw, associate dean for research at the School of Public Health at UAlbany.
The overarching goal of CAPS is to improve the health, well-being, and independence of older adults by addressing issues facing middle-age and older adults and the families that care for them. In its first year, the center will bring together 39 scholars from across the three sites whose research focuses on the demography and economics of aging, organized by the themes of (A) health and well-being and (B) family and intergenerational supports. It will fund innovative pilot projects and will offer a colloquia series, visiting scholars program, grant mentoring program, state-of-the-art methods training, and a research incubator to foster collaborations among CAPS affiliates.
This is the third time that CAPS has received funding from the NIA. Previous grants were awarded in 1994-99 and 2009-14 when CAPS was single institution center at Syracuse. For more information, please go to asi.syr.edu/caps/
The Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS) is the focal point for research and training on the demography and economics of aging at Syracuse University (SU). CAPS research is characterized by two signature themes and three cross-cutting themes that directly address the goals and priority areas of NIA. The two signature themes are health and well-being and family and intergenerational supports; the three cross-cutting themes are the role of policy, the importance of place, and the distinctive circumstances of specific populations, including populations defined by historical experiences (e.g., military veterans), geography (e.g., rural residents), health conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease), or shared vulnerabilities (e.g., low socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minority adults).
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Despite the high prevalence of voice‐hearing in childhood, research with adolescents aged under 16 years is scarce. Theoretical connections between clinical and developmental conceptualizations of voice‐hearing are limited, resulting in missed opportunities to explore unusual sensory experiences with young people.
Methods
Demographic, contextual and qualitative data were collected through a web‐based survey with 68 adolescents (M = 14.91; SD = 2.77) from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom and United States of America. A Foucauldian‐informed narrative analysis captured phenomenologically meaningful individual accounts and systemically informed narratives. Analytic layers attended specifically to the form and function of voices, including relational, protective, distressing and nuanced experiences, offering new insights into individual, systemic and cultural interpretative narratives surrounding voice‐hearing to inform research, policy and tailored support.
Results
The average self‐reported age of onset of voices was 9 years, 5 months. Reciprocal relationships with pleasant voices were evidenced through the narratives and characterization of voices, while distressing voices were described without reciprocity and the voices held greater power over the young person. Positive aspects of negative voices were discussed and are illustrated with a continuum matrix reflecting interpretation and related affect.
Conclusions
Voice‐hearing is a heterogeneous and often complex relational experience for young people, with structural inequalities, relational traumas and social isolation attributed causes of voice‐hearing. Developing personal meaning‐making mitigated voice‐related distress through contextualizing the origin of the voices in past experiences, without attribution to mental illness. Recommendations are proposed for assessment, formulation and relational interventions that recognize the potential impact of the voice–child–other relationship upon psychosocial functioning and wellbeing. | https://ifp.nyu.edu/2020/journal-article-abstracts/camh-12403/ |
How do you write an essay based on a question?
Answer the question according to general rules of academic writing. Use indentations; begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; support the topic sentence(s) with reasons and/or examples; use transition words to show logical organization; write a conclusion. Use correct punctuation throughout.
What causes low Haemoglobin?
If you don’t get enough iron, your body cannot make hemoglobin. Factors that can lower your body’s stores of iron include the following: Blood loss (caused by ulcers, trauma, some cancers, and other conditions; and, in women, during monthly periods) An iron-poor diet.
How can I raise my hemoglobin fast?
How to increase hemoglobin
- meat and fish.
- soy products, including tofu and edamame.
- eggs.
- dried fruits, such as dates and figs.
- broccoli.
- green leafy vegetables, such as kale and spinach.
- green beans.
- nuts and seeds.
Which food gives more blood?
5 nutrients that increase red blood cell counts
- red meat, such as beef.
- organ meat, such as kidney and liver.
- dark, leafy, green vegetables, such as spinach and kale.
- dried fruits, such as prunes and raisins.
- beans.
- legumes.
- egg yolks.
What is called healthy food?
“Healthy Food” Defined Healthy foods are those that provide you with the nutrients you need to sustain your body’s well-being and retain energy. Water, carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals are the key nutrients that make up a healthy, balanced diet.
Is it bad to start an essay with a question?
Rhetorical questions are also a bad choice for a first sentence. You are writing an essay, not a blog entry. Using the terminology of the question helps to keep the statement focussed and ensures that you have not misinterpreted or misrepresented it. But never quote the question itself—the marker knows what it is.
Which fruit is best for blood?
Citrus Fruits Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruit are packed with antioxidants, including flavonoids. Consuming flavonoid-rich citrus fruits may decrease inflammation in your body, which can reduce blood pressure and stiffness in your arteries while improving blood flow and nitric oxide production ( 26 ).
What foods to avoid if you have low hemoglobin?
Foods to avoid
- tea and coffee.
- milk and some dairy products.
- whole-grain cereals.
- foods that contain tannins, such as grapes, corn, and sorghum.
- foods rich in gluten, such as pasta and other products made with wheat, barley, rye, or oats. | https://www.joialife.com/different-papers/how-do-you-write-an-essay-based-on-a-question/ |
PURPOSE: To describe the applied anatomy of a minimally invasive muscle-splitting approach used to reach the posterior aspect of the C1-C2 complex. Atlantoaxial fusion using a midline posterior approach and polyaxial screw and rod system is widely used. Although minimally invasive variations of this technique have been recently reported, the complex applied anatomy of these approaches has not been described. The C1-C2 complex represents an unique challenge because of its bony and vascular anatomy. In this study, the applied anatomy and feasibility of this technique are examined on cadavers.
METHODS: The microsurgical anatomy of the upper cervical spine is examined on a formalin-fixed and on a fresh cadaver. The muscle-splitting approach is performed on 12 fresh cadavers using this technique.
RESULTS: The minimally invasive muscle-splitting approach is described in detail. Relevant anatomy and bony landmarks that aid screw placement in C1 and C2 could be well visualized. Using this approach, we were able to reach the lateral mass of the atlas and the inferior articular process and pars interarticularis of the axis in all of the nine cadavers. We placed mini polyaxial screws in C1 lateral mass and C2 pars interarticularis in four cadavers according to the technique described by Harms and Melcher.
CONCLUSIONS: Using this approach, it was possible to reach the posterior aspect of C1 and C2; the relevant anatomy needed to perform a C1-C2 fusion could be well visualized.
PreviousPrevious post:[New therapy approaches for giant cell tumors].NextNext post:Isolated Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Bone Lesion in Pediatric Patients: Systematic Review and Treatment Algorithm.
[Case-control study of pedicle screw fixation combined with vertebroplasty and injured vertebra pedicle fixation in treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fractures].
Surgical discectomy for lumbar disc herniation: Surgical techniques. | https://www.londonspine.com/applied-anatomy-of-a-minimally-invasive-muscle-splitting-approach-to-posterior-c1-c2-fusion-an-anatomical-feasibility-study/ |
These are my links for November 5th through November 9th:
- InternetNews Realtime IT News – Better Social Networking From… Intel? – In his demo, Otellini showed a prototype social networking system that could help a new employee get oriented in their new position. For instance, the display could show a diagram of connections between the user — represented by their image — to their colleagues images and profiles. It would also present links to wikis for finding expertise relevant to the team she'll be working with.
- CoP Benchmarking – In Phase I, the Knowledge and Innovation Network at Warwick Business School collaborated with some of the world’s leading organisations to benchmark their networks and communities of practice against other organisation and sectors.
The results of the Phase I benchmarking excercise are published in a series of reports entitled
'Communities of Practice (CoP) Benchmarking Report: Using CoPs to improve Individual and organisational performance':
• Summary Findings (PDF Document)
• Full Report (available on request)
• Guidelines for Good Practice (available on request)
- Are we really collaborating? :: Blog :: Headshift – Collaboration' is being used pretty loosely these days and often in the same breath as enterprise 2.0. But, simply because people work together to meet objectives and reach goals, doesn't mean they are collaborating. Other 'c' words like communicating, co-operating or co-ordinating may be more appropriate descriptions of what is actually taking place.
- BarcampUKGovweb – Sustainable Community Action – Event wiki for the BarcampUKGoveweb event that was held 26th January 2008
- Gartner Says Citizen Social Networks Will Complement, and May Replace, Some Government Functions – By 2011, 70 per cent of social computing deployments in government that achieve business benefits will do so in unplanned or unexpected ways, according to Gartner.
Gartner points out that the benefits of social computing — when accrued — will rarely occur in the context of government-driven initiatives. For example, governments’ desire to retain ownership and control of the network, through restrictive participation policies, will be detriment to magnetism. | https://collabor8now.com/social-media/social-networking-tools/links/bookmarks-for-november-5th-through-november-9th/ |
Peggy has been involved in the creative arts all of her life. She was surrounded by very talented people in her own family.
They explored many different mediums throughout her childhood, creating a great foundation for her talent to grow and develop. While there were multiple exposures to some clays during the early years, it wasn’t until twenty years ago that Peggy was introduced to stoneware clay and the pottery wheel. The connection was immediate and hasn’t stopped since. Whether throwing or handbuilding, Peggy loves the challenges and the opportunity for creativity and individuality as she makes her pieces. She has a flair for unique and creative pieces that tend to grow and mature with experience. Textured pieces that just beg to be touched are evident in most of her work. Color is very thought provoking and speaks to Peggy, begging to be explored and exploited. | http://artontheplaza.com/artist/peggycornick/ |
Until recently, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were treated with monotherapy using conventional drugs such as sulfasalazine, antimalarials, intramuscular gold and methotrexate, which often leads to persistent arthritis, loss of functional capacity and decreased quality of life. The use of high-dose glucocorticoids (GCs) and active RA are both associated with generalised bone loss and fractures, while GCs have a strong immunosuppressive effect. With the introduction of very effective tumour-necrosis factor-blockers and other biologics, clinical remission is a realistic target in around half of the early patients with RA; the same appears true for the use of methotrexate with chronic low dose or initially high-dose GCs. With the use of a treat-to-target strategy focusing on clinical remission or low disease activity in early patients with RA, the negative effects of systemic inflammation on bone can be inhibited and local bone loss (in the joints), and generalised bone loss at the spine and hips, can be limited or prevented. Whether this also leads to a reduction in vertebral and non-vertebral fractures remains to be demonstrated. Another issue is, in other systemic rheumatic diseases in which treatment options are smaller and less effective than in RA, local and systemic bone loss may still occur.
- Osteoporosis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Corticosteroids
This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
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Active rheumatoid arthritis and bone loss
In the past, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were treated with conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD)-monotherapy, resulting in joint erosion and cartilage loss in many patients, and, as a consequence, loss of functional capacity and quality of life.1 Apart from local bone loss around the joints, generalised bone loss was also observed: a twofold increase in the prevalence of osteoporosis, defined as a T-score<−2.5, was found in a large, cross-sectional study in Norway in female patients with RA versus healthy controls, matched for age and gender.2 In 1994, before the introduction of biologics and combination therapy of conventional DMARDs, an observational study in early RA was published in which high-bone loss was observed after 2 years: −2.4% at the spine and −4.3% at the hip.3 In a subgroup analysis, bone loss in the spine as well as in the hips was, after 1 year, much greater in those patients with high C reactive protein (CRP)-levels (>20 mg/dL) than in those patients with low CRP-levels (<20 mg/dL), for example, in the spine: −2.1% vs 0.2%, respectively. The same was found in the lumbar spine for patients with low functional capacity (HAQ-score >1) compared to patients with a better HAQ-score (<1): −1.9% vs −0.2%, respectively. In a cross-sectional study in 2003 in three European countries (Norway, UK and the Netherlands), it was shown that chronic joint inflammation in chronic patients with RA, estimated by the Larsen radiological joint damage score, is associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) as well as with vertebral deformities.4
However, generalised bone loss is usually asymptomatic; the clinical relevance of elevated bone loss is that it is associated with a higher fracture risk. In line with that, the risk of a having a vertebral fracture was doubled in chronic patients with RA versus healthy controls, matched for age, gender and social background.5 In addition, the risk of the so-called peripheral or non-vertebral fractures was also elevated (roughly double), in chronic patients with RA.6
Thus, data from 10 to 20 years ago show that chronic, suboptimally treated RA is associated with both local and generalised bone loss, leading to joint deformations, and vertebral and non-vertebral fractures. Osteoporosis-related fragility fractures represent one of the most important extra-articular complications that may occur in patients with RA; obviously, these fractures may contribute to an important decrease in quality of life. High-disease activity (inflammation), immobility and treatment with glucocorticoids (GCs) are the main factors that increase the risk of osteoporotic fractures, on top of the background fracture risk based on, among others, high age, low body mass and female gender.7
Recent data in the field of osteoimmunology have documented two phases in the pathogenesis of RA: an early, autoimmune phase, in which environmental factors such as smoking play a role in susceptible patients, as well as rheumatoid factor and anticitrullinated proteins (ACPA), of which the latter may have an independent (stimulating) effect on osteoclasts.8 In the second period, the inflammatory phase, it has been elucidated that by the crosstalk between cytokines and bone, activated inflammatory cells at sites of inflammation produce a wide spectrum of cytokines that stimulate local and generalised bone resorption, modulated by changes in receptor activator for nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), and also interfere with the Wnt-signalling pathway, resulting in inhibited bone formation in patients with RA;9 ,10 the combination of upregulated bone resorption with depressed bone formation might be hazardous to bone strength.
Glucocorticoids and bone
Early studies on the pathogenesis of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) were performed in patients treated with high-dose GCs. In these histomorphometric studies, reduced bone formation, characterised by a low mineral apposition rate (which is related to a reduction in the number of osteoblasts) was found, while bone resorption was unchanged or even elevated.11 During the past few years, several studies have provided more insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of GIOP. These mechanisms include GC-induced increased apoptosis of mature osteoblasts and osteocytes, impaired differentiation of osteoblasts, which results in reduced bone formation and an increase in the life span of osteoclasts. In addition, the loss of osteocytes is supposed to induce a disrupted osteocyte-canalicular network and failure to respond to bone damage,12 which may lead to reduced bone strength. GCs have been demonstrated to suppress the Wnt-pathway by stimulating the production of Wnt pathway inhibitors, such as dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) and sclerostin.13 ,14 In addition, GCs stimulate bone marrow stromal cells to differentiate toward adipocytes instead of osteoblasts. GCs induce an increased life span of osteoclasts as a consequence of an upregulation of RANKL and suppression of (OPG).15
The increased risk for fractures during GC treatment appears to be dose-dependent.16 ,17 Van Staa demonstrated that hip fracture risk in patients taking a standardised daily dose of less than 2.5 mg prednisolone was 0.99 (0.82–1.20), rising to 1.77 (1.55–2.02) at daily doses of 2.5–7.5 mg and 2.27 (1.94–2.66) at doses of 7.5 mg or greater.17 The relative risk of vertebral fractures is particularly elevated during GC treatment and ranges from 1.55 (1.20–2.01) in patients using less than 2.5 mg prednisolone daily up to 5.18 (4.25–6.31) in patients treated with more than 7.5 mg of prednisone per day.17 After discontinuation of GC treatment, the fracture risk gradually returns to baseline and is therefore supposed to be partially reversible.18 Besides GC dose, age, female gender, fall history, previous fractures, low body mass index, smoking, immobility and the activity of the underlying disease, also influence fracture risk.19
Despite the apparent effect of GC use on bone density, GC-induced changes in BMD do not fully account for the increased fracture risk in GC-treated patients. An adverse effect of GCs on bone quality is supposed to further increase the risk of fractures, which leads to a so-called ‘reduced bone density threshold for vertebral fractures’.20 Data from two randomised controlled trials demonstrated a significantly increased incidence of vertebral fractures after a follow-up of 1 year in patients treated with GCs compared to non-users, despite higher BMD values in the GC-treated patients.21 This phenomenon might be explained by an increased risk of falling due to steroid-induced muscle weakness and frailty, and by changes in the bone architecture that were not captured by (two-dimensional) BMD measurements with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.22
Modern treatment of RA
The pathogenesis of RA is still incompletely understood, but thought to be multifactorial, involving multiple genes, environmental triggers and chance.23 The disease is currently classified on the basis of the clinical phenotype; maybe it is possible in the near future to define different disease subgroups with different prognosis.23
With the use of biologics, preferably in combination with methotrexate (MTX), it is possible to induce clinical remission in around 50% of early patients with RA. The number of biologics has been gradually increasing over the years, and currently consists of five TNF-blocking agents, rituximab (a B-cell blocker), T-cell-interaction blockade (abatacept) and interluekin 6 (IL-6) blockade (tocilizumab). Without any doubt, the introduction of these biologics has brought an enormous step forward in the treatment of RA.24–26 However, the cost price of these drugs is high, and infection risk is elevated.
One of the possibilities to get more insight into the complex pathogenesis of local and generalised bone loss in RA, the so-called osteoimmunology,27 is to investigate the powerful effects of modern treatment of RA with tumour-necrosis factor (TNF)-blocking agents and other biologics, on local and generalised bone loss in RA.
Although bone loss was substantial in earlier studies in patients with RA, we have recently shown that treatment with anti-TNF arrests BMD loss at the hip and the spine. In an open cohort study of 102 patients with RA from Norway and the Netherlands, all of whom were treated with infliximab and MTX, there was no bone loss at the spine and hip after 1 year, while BMD in patients with a good European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response showed a favourable change in BMD compared to patients not achieving such a response, indicating that adequately suppressing systemic inflammation in RA is beneficial for the prevention of generalised bone loss.28 Prevention of bone loss was also observed during 1 year of treatment with adalimumab,29 ,30 and also during chronic (on average 3 years) treatment with infliximab and MTX.31 In patients with RA treated with rituximab, bone resorption markers decreased, while bone formation markers increased.32
During treatment with tocilizumab, more or less the same pattern was observed: no significant changes in BMD at the lumbar spine and hips, a decrease in serum DKK-1 and an increase in serum P1NP.33 However, no changes in serum CTX-1, a marker of collagen degradation, were observed, which is somewhat more difficult to interpret.33
GCs in RA: effects on bone
One of the most intriguing questions within the field of rheumatology is the effect of the use of GCs in patients with RA on bone. As described, the use of GCs, and also active RA, might have a devastating effect on bone, but it is well-known that GCs have strong anti-inflammatory effects. In other words, is it possible to counteract the negative effects on bone by adequate suppression of systemic inflammation?34 ,35
This has been investigated in the BeSt study, a novel study design comparing four different treatment strategies in which treatment adjustments were made continuously when low disease activity, defined as disease activity score (DAS) <2.4, was not reached in patients with recent-onset RA.36 The treatment strategies were: group 1, sequential monotherapy starting with MTX; group 2, step-up combination therapy starting also with MTX; group 3, initial combination therapy with MTX, sulphasalazine and a quickly tapered high dose of prednisone (more or less the same as the conventional COBRA-scheme);37 and group 4, initial combination therapy with MTX and the TNF α (TNF-α) inhibitor infliximab. After 2 years of DAS-steered treat-to-target therapy, BMD decreased at the hips by −1.1% (group 1), −0.2% (group 2), −0.2% (group 3) and −0.6% (group 4). At the lumbar spine, the bone loss was −0.4%, −1.6%, −0.5% and −1%, respectively.38 We concluded that generalised bone loss was limited in all four groups of patients and that the generalised bone loss was not higher in patients initially treated with high-dose prednisone. In addition, radiological joint damage was low in all four groups. This clearly suggests that the negative effect of GC on bone in early RA should be outweighed against the strong anti-inflammatory effects of GCs on bone.9
The BeSt study was among the first modern treat-to-target studies to show that the use of GCs may not be harmful to the bone in early RA. It is important to realise that the BeSt study was a DAS-steered treat-to-target study in which several predefined treatment options were prescribed to patients who do not have low disease activity; it was not a randomised controlled trial comparing the effects of prednisone versus placebo. Another issue is that no treat-to-target studies in chronic RA are available that demonstrate the arrest of local and generalised bone loss. Earlier, it was demonstrated that the use of 7.5 mg prednisone per day versus placebo in addition to conventional DMARD-therapy, usually monotherapy at that time, prevents hand bone loss.39
However, it has recently been demonstrated that prednisone 10 mg per day versus placebo in early patients with RA treated with MTX, following a treat-to-target strategy, has a positive effect not only on disease activity, but also on local bone loss (as measured by the Sharp van der Heijden radiological joint score40). This raises the question of whether generalised bone loss at the spine and hips could be prevented in these patients. Since the authors thought it was unethical not to prescribe antiosteoporotic drugs in high-risk patients, they prescribed calcium and vitamin D to all patients and, additionally, bisphosphonates to patients at high risk for fractures.41 Following that regimen, no bone loss was found at the lumbar spine and at the hips and no difference between the groups.
Nevertheless, bone mineral density is not the same as bone quality: some aspects of bone quality, for example, connectivity of trabeculae, are not captured in BMD measurements. In four large administrative databases, it was found that the risk of fractures did not differ between around 13 500 patients treated with biologics and patients treated with non-biologics.42 In another study, a comparison was made between nearly 6000 patients with RA treated with anti-TNF, 12 500 MTX users and 7500 patients with RA treated with other antirheumatic drugs: no difference in fracture rate was found between the groups.43 Since biologics are usually prescribed in patients with high levels of inflammation, and thus with a higher baseline fracture risk, the absence of a difference or an increase in fracture risk can be regarded as in line with the concept that biologics have bone protecting effects in patients with systemic inflammation.
Summary
Earlier data have shown that active RA, and also the use of high-dose GCs, are associated with bone loss, and vertebral and non-vertebral (including hip) fractures. At that time, local bone destruction was associated with decreased functional capacity in many patients with RA, and the increased fracture rate was regarded as a clinically relevant comorbidity.
However, with the combined use of biologics and MTX or with low-dose GCs or initial high-dose GCs combined with MTX, it is possible to induce clinical remission or low disease activity in around 50% of patients. As a consequence, it appears that local and generalised bone loss in RA can be prevented.
Whether this also has an effect on bone strength and leads to a reduction in vertebral and non-vertebral fractures in RA remains to be demonstrated. Another issue is that in other systemic rheumatic diseases in which treatment options are smaller and less effective than in RA, local and systemic bone loss may still occur.
References
Footnotes
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data sharing statement No additional data are available.
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CryptoParties are decentralized global events that are organised to answer questions and instruct people on technology & privacy.
Although any number of topics might be covered from e-mail, text message encryption, full disk encryption and anonymous web browsing, the focus of this party will be the technical infrastructure that deals with tracking of individuals and connecting their data trails. After having a rough understanding, we'll look at what technology can help us circumvent this.
Bring your laptops! We'll be installing free software (in the open source sense).
Bring questions! Anything related to computer security will be attempted to be answered here.
Taking on what we've learned from day 1, we'll be talking about the role of identity on the Internet and how it has changed over the course of the last two decades. The primary goal is for participants to have a better understanding of what being anonymous entails in a contemporary setting, in which disclosure of identity is often seen as a requirement for participation, and failure to comply supposedly implies suspicious behaviour.
What are reasons to be anonymous or pseudonymous, why is it of value, how come we have shunned the practice in recent years, and what are strategies for individuals to reverse this trend for one's own purposes? | https://newmediakassel.com/identity-in-human-networked-io |
Take your doctor's advice on whether you need antibiotics or not.
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if you have an infection that is unlikely to go away without an antibiotic.
When to take antibiotics
Antibiotics are valuable in treating serious bacterial infections. They can treat bacterial infections that:
- are unlikely to clear up without antibiotics
- could infect others if untreated
- last a long time if not treated with antibiotics
- carry a risk of complications
In some cases, doctors will prescribe antibiotics if they think you're at risk of getting a bacterial infection. This is called prophylaxis.
When to avoid antibiotics
Antibiotics don't work for viral infections. For example, colds and flu, and most coughs and sore throats.
Side effects
Like any medicine, antibiotics can cause side effects. If you take antibiotics you don't need, you risk getting side effects for no reason. It's safer for you to avoid antibiotics if you don't need them.
Read more about the side effects
Antibiotic resistance
If you take antibiotics when you don't need them, they can become less effective in the future. This is because strains of bacteria resistant to antibiotics have emerged. We know them as 'superbugs'.
Antibiotics don't fight infections such as colds, flu, most coughs and sore throats. | https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/medication/antibiotics/uses.html |
Fuji, Konica, Agfa, and 3M. From a technical viewpoint, there was little difference in the quality of color film produced by these firms, yet Kodak's market share was 67 percent. The own price elasticity of demand for Kodak film was -2.0and the market elasticity of demand was -1.75. Suppose that in the 1990's, the average retail price of a roll of Kodak film was $6.95 and that Kodak's marginal cost was $3.475 per roll. Based on this information, discuss industry concentration, demand and market conditions and the pricing behavior of Kodak in the 1990's. Do you think the industry environment is significantly different today? describe.
Microeconomics, Economics
Microeconomics Watch this 30 mins. YouTube link on 'How The Economic Machine Works' You will enjoy it! https://youtu.be/PHe0bXAIuk0 Write down your understanding of 'How The Economic Machine Works' and make sure to suppo ...
Assignment Questions: Que.1 Why validation of the software requirement is necessary? List some conditions that should be checked in the validation phase of software requirement. Que.2 Six Sigma is used to reduce the defe ...
Short Answer & Essay Questions You must complete two Short answer questions and one Essay question All answers must be in the form of a paragraph (minimum of 5 sentences per paragraph). Please select from below: Short An ...
Samsung (smartphone manufacturer) Vs. Google Inc. (search engine) - economic and financial analysis Objectives: • Assess and compare the market types of Google Inc.(as a search engine) and Samsung • Determine the various ...
Assignment 1. Laura just opened a coffee shop in NYC named Squirrel Coffee. Hoping to cater to the hipsters, she sells a special kind of cold brew infused with nitrogen, which she dubs ‘nitro coffee'. Assume for the purp ...
Assignment We often have difficulty understanding how our own customs and traditions could be viewed any way other than as right. In that regard, cultural relativism (viewing a custom from the other culture's perspective ...
Microeconomics Paper- Project Paper The paper is to be a properly formatted (APA) paper that I expect will take at least 5 pages to do properly. It is to take the material discussed in the course and apply it to some iss ...
Article Analysis Please choose an article from the Wall Street Joumal, The Economist, Bureau of Labor/Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis etc... or any peer reviewed article for the UOP library. Select one subjects f ...
Assignment Bliss v. Attorney General of Canada was a Canadian Bill of Rights case. Stella Bliss' claim for maternity benefits (under the former Unemployment Insurance Act) as a form of "equality before the law" was rejec ...
Application: Evaluation of Research Results No research project or study is perfect. Studies that contain errors can produce unreliable or misleading results. As a consumer of research, you must be able to determine the ...
Start excelling in your Courses,
Get help with Assignment
Write us your full requirement for evaluation and you will receive response within 20 minutes turnaround time. | http://www.mywordsolution.com/question/demand-and-market-conditions-and-the-pricing/940243 |
The signature image of the Diversity is Beauty project. The image illustrates the beauty of nine women representing a range of ethnicities, a kaleidoscope of skin tones and physical features, while equally demonstrating the profound beauty and power of their unity.
This poster has a partly glossy, partly matte finish and it will add a meaningful and timely message and sophistication to any room. | https://diversityisbeauty.com/product/poster-the-circle-of-diversity |
Description:
The UX Intern works with the College of Arts & Letters’ Marketing Director and Web Developer to support a wide variety of projects that contribute to various web properties for our units and departments. These projects include, but are not limited to: content updates, architecture & navigation planning, content migration & site building, page layout design, and other general needs. Other responsibilities include providing support to property administrators, writing and updating documentation, and training students, faculty, and staff on various web platforms. This is a paid internship with a flexible weekly schedule commitment of 12-40 hours during Summer 2022. The candidate will have the choice of working in-person, fully remote, or a hybrid schedule this summer. This internship position has the potential to continue in Fall 2022.
Responsibilities:
- Assist to design pages for web properties representing projects, units, programs and faculty members.
- Create and update architecture and navigation for existing and new web properties.
- Write documentation and training guides on new web functions and features.
- Analyze user flows to improve navigability of college department properties.
- Audit analytics to understand and research user behavior.
- Train other interns, graduate students, faculty and staff on various web platforms used throughout the College.
- Provide support and assistance to those working on web projects.
- Other duties as assigned.
Requirements:
- Required 3.0 GPA or higher.
- Strong interest or work experience in web development/design/architecture and project management.
- Excellent communication and writing skills.
- Strong interest in digital and web as a tool for connection and building an online community.
- Strong interest in promoting the liberal arts and our unit/departmental programs.
- Experience with various kinds of technology and/or interest in learning about technology.
- Basic understanding of HTML/CSS is a plus, but not necessary.
- Must work well with a team, demonstrate attention to details and be deadline-oriented.
About the MSU Content Studio
The MSU Content Studio is an experiential learning opportunity for undergraduate students interested in gaining real-world hands-on experience in graphic design, journalism, PR, marketing, web development, video/film, and social media prior to graduation. Fueled by student lead innovation and insight, MSU Content Studio interns work across disciplines and majors to create MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES (digital and print) that drive audience engagement for clients on campus such as academic programs, admissions, alumni relations, and community outreach. This gives students the opportunity to put into action the writing, research, design, and technology skills that students gain in the classroom to develop creative solutions for real world projects such as multimedia, writing, social media, story development, web design, and public relations. To learn more, visit the MSU Content studio website at contentstudio.cal.msu.edu.
To apply for the position please visit Handshake: https://msu.joinhandshake.com/edu/jobs/6375887
OR submit your application with resume and cover letter (and portfolio link, if applicable) to Marketing Director Ryan Kilcoyne ([email protected]) by May 6, 2022. | https://cal.msu.edu/news/ux-design-internship-opening-paid-position/ |
We are dedicated to help patients achieve and maintain optimal heart health and offer a range of comprehensive services in the diagnosis and management of various types of heart diseases. This includes nuclear and interventional procedures to ensure a hassle free experience for our patients.
Our multidisciplinary team of medical specialists, nurses and medical technologists carry out procedures and assessments in the well-equipped cardiac investigative laboratories situated in the Cardiovascular Centre and specialist outpatient clinics.
Our Cardiology team cares for inpatients in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU), Cardiac High Dependency (CHD) Unit and general wards. In addition, we provide round the clock emergency coronary angioplasty services for heart attack cases.
Our specialists employ the latest technology and techniques to investigate and assess our patients’ heart conditions. We work closely with other specialist teams to develop a holistic approach for the treatment of heart issues, which comprises physiotherapy, rehabilitation and prevention programmes.
Our cardiologists consult with patients to assess their conditions and work closely with surgeons from the National Heart Centre and National University Hospital to determine the most appropriate treatment and management programme.
The programme aims to identify and reduce the risks that lead to heart disease.
Rehabilitation is designed for patients who have had: | https://www.ktph.com.sg/services/medical-specialties/cardiology |
Thursday, 07 January 2010 21:28
Eritreans for Democratic Governance (EDG), now the Eritrean Movement for Democratic Governance (EMDG) takes this opportunity to salute the decision of the United Nations Security Council for imposing long overdue sanctions against the government of Eritrea. This totalitarian, illegitimate, government has imposed sanctions upon its own impoverished people for the past 18 years by severely limiting Eritrean citizens employment, movement, and trade activities.
It is gratifying that an inclusive international organization has finally begun addressing the need to curb its destabilization of regional governments and its increasing threats to world peace. As for the Eritrean people, the power to remove this autocratic regime lies is in their own hands. Given the dire conditions within Eritrea, it is time for her people to coordinate efforts to defend their very existence as people and nation.
The 53-member African Union deserves credit for its historic decision to raise awareness of the conditions within Eritrea in the United Nations Security Council and to insist upon the imposition of sanctions against the PFDJ ruling junta, siding firmly with the victimized people of Eritrea. Renowned human rights champion and Nobel Peace Prize winner Reverend Desmond Tutu once said that freedom is free. The logic that operating a nation under a lawful system of government that allows freedom for its people costs less in both financial and human terms than does a system designed to control and oppress citizens using police and armed security apparatus is sound. Spending a disproportionate percentage of national wealth on repression contributes nothing towards the growth and development of its people. Its time for all African leaders to assure that they themselves are not a primary cause of instability inside of their nations. Hanging on to power indefinitely, at the justification of being under passive attack by a shadowy array of useable external forces, cannot go unchallenged forever. History teaches us that, with or without the moral support of the international community, there is always an end to state sponsored oppression.
Eritreans in the Diaspora will play an important role by utilizing the sanctions as a peaceful tool in the struggle to identify and expose PFDJ tax collectors. These individuals prey upon Diaspora communities worldwide, conducting illegal multimillion dollar collection of monies destined to support nefarious activities. The international community and nations hosting Eritrean refugees must also pay special attention to the Young PFDJ movement organized by party members. Through the political education and training they receive at the SAWA military summer camps in Eritrea, the youth movement poses a serious security threat to countries hosting otherwise peaceful Eritrean Diaspora communities. Be aware that there is an especially significant summer camp big one planned for 2010! Eritrean parents must closely supervise their childrens activities and should not provide PFDJ representatives access to their communities for the recruitment of young children. You do not need your own offspring working for PFDJ in your own homes!
Eritreans for Democratic Governance (EDG), now the Eritrean Movement for Democratic Governance (EMDG) launches its anti-dictatorial mobilization campaign urging our citizens to defend the nation by all means to liberate themselves from unceasing oppression, unmatched even by occupation forces in its history of successive European or African invaders. After conducting extensive brain storming sessions, and pre-conference assemblies from October 2008 to May 2009, EMDG released a press note to the public on May 11, 2009. It declared its formation by outlining its clearly defined political objectives, goals, and initiating a program intended to coordinate its efforts with other opposition organizations. The EMDG exists to support those who are paying the ultimate price by carrying arms to defend the nation. The movement is comprised of former fighters from both major liberation organizations-the ELF and EPLF, as well as a younger generation of men and women from the Diaspora ready to challenge the status quo on all fronts. Under the tagline of Good Governance, the basis for peace, security, and prosperity, (الحكم الرشيد ، أساس للسلام والأمن والازدهار ጽቡቕ ምሕደራ፡ መሰረት ሰላምን፡ ጸጥታን፡ ብልጽግናን), EMDG advocates strengthening the institutions necessary to build a democratic and constitutional government in Eritrea.
Members of EMDG understand that the Eritrean people are reluctant to support newly borne organizations. Until proven otherwise, EMDG will also be tainted by the presumption of under-representation as the organization is formed by individuals of similar upbringing, culture, and socio-political experience. We believe that this concern is valid. Over the past forty years, primarily because the society was programmed to believe that only one organization can function better, broadly representative civil organizations have been slow to develop. This notion goes back to the 1970s when the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) attempted to scuttle the Peoples Liberation Front (PLF) by stating that the Eritrean field of struggle cannot tolerate/carry more than one organization (meda eritra kab hade widb nlaeli kisewr aykielenyu), which was later amended in its second National Congress of 1975 which concluded that two or more liberation organization can coexist and resolve their secondary contradictions through democratic dialogue. This thinking was expressed in current form by the now infamous vow by the president un-elect when he said from now on there will be no merry-go-round of organizations (kab hiji ninyew hashewyie nay widbat abkiuuyou). This was meant to exclude any viable political organization capable of surpassing PFDJ from developing.
We all remember the PLFs popular dance style named kuda–tewedeb (get organized), coined only to benefit one organization. The rest of society has no right to participate but to join and ask what task one can take within that organization. This belief was the foundation for the tagline one organization, one people and one heart! Hade widib, Hade hizbi, hade libi! The truth of the matter is that we are a multi-ethnic society enriched by diverse cultures. This reality is negatively exploited by the regime or other enemies to divide the people along regional, religious, and sectarian lines. After organizing every citizen under one widb, the regime intimidates citizens considering joining any other organization, and has become increasingly suspicious of any group critical of its policies-be they civic or religious. We should learn from our mistakes. Vowing allegiance to any one political organization for eternity, particularly when quitting that organization is considered a taboo, or even haram or sin, is unhealthy for the individual and society. Leaders will not change their behaviour unless they know that the loyalty of members is contingent upon their responsible stewardship.
EMDG believes that the organization has a unique role to play by implementing its vision of a united liberation army under one command- a beacon of hope for a national salvation. An army capable of reassuring members of the Eritrean Defence Forces that there is a national opposition army which is trustworthy, willing to receive and protect them if they join, and energize and rearm them if they plan to fight against a common enemy. Moving away from a political organization already intoxicated by negative propaganda and indoctrinated by hade libi/one heart sloganeering, one cannot expect that a member of the defence forces deserting its ranks will join a fighting force that represents a narrow ideology, sect, religion or ethnicity. For these Eritrean Defence Force soldiers of today to be compatriot fighters tomorrow they need to clearly understand our message that the opposition army represents common Eritrean national interests.
Following the formation of the current umbrella organization, the Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA) (formerly the Alliance of Democratic Forces in 1999), various supportersincluding global civic movementshave tried to address the importance of unity by demanding the formation of an army that is under one command. This fell upon deaf ears and was even mocked by certain leaders. Following the establishment of Eritreans for Democratic Governance (EDG) six months ago, we realized that the concept of movement adds value to our vision by reassuring our members and the general public that the organization pursues a very specific mission; the objective of the movement is to essentially put pressure on those organizations which have military wings to 1) assemble their military operations under one command and 2) lead the army as one liberation force fighting to fulfil the political aspirations of the Eritrean people. We respect each of these organizations political beliefs, and the demands will ultimately be addressed in the constitution of future democratic Eritrea. However, in order to reach that goal, and in order to achieve military victory over the current regime, the military wings have to come under one command. The situation is so dire that we cannot afford to have fragmented armed forces fighting on various fronts with uncoordinated military strategies.
The international community is aware that the downfall of the regime in Eritrea is inevitable, even imminent, but cannot throw its support behind opposition organizations because of their fragmented military organizations. A unified opposition army is necessary now to secure a stable Eritrea and to safeguard the future of its people. Based upon recent events, there are glimmers of hope from within the Eritrean Defence Forces. With a united opposition the people can rise up and express their opposition to tyranny through various means including civil disobedience or even simple expression of dissatisfaction about a regime that is increasingly isolated from its own people and the international community.
The Eritrean people are waiting for the moment when they can say yes! Now we can express our feelings in the streets of Asmara, Keren, Massawa or Aseb because there is a unified opposition army and polity that is beginning to coordinate the future security and stability of the nation. Unified opposition will have a positive influence on Eritreans in the Diaspora by tipping the balance of the momentum towards the opposition. Government support among the Diaspora communities is mainly driven by the untouchable appearance of the PFDJ crowd, mistreatment and constant harassment by their agents (tax collectors), and not merely from the fear that they would lose their property at home if they defy the regime and stand for justice and democracy. EMDG has a specific mission of mobilizing our people at home and abroad to rise up and defend themselves and their families.
We will campaign to discourage the youth from fleeing the country and support them in resisting, just like our former organizations did when fighting Ethiopian occupation. We are not going to dictate tactics to the young generation that wants to demonstrate its opposition against the current government, but we will openly tell them that fight and not flight is the key to destroying the regime. The great lyrics of Teklemichael Ghebrus 1974 song say it best: tokormika motye, asafihka motye, nanay nbahri nhade amet’ye. Loosely translated as whether you sit here (in the city) curled up in misery or laid back with indifference youre likely to be killed (by the Derg), so you might as well go to the bush (the battlefield) for a year. The youth cannot continue to flee and die crossing the desert and the Mediterranean Sea indefinitely, sooner or later they must take up their generational obligation to confront the PFDJ and defend the nation against enemiesforeign or domestic.
The movement hereby declares its firm commitment to and advocacy for:
-
Human Rights
-
Good Governance
-
Political Pluralism
-
The unconditional return of refugees to their homeland
-
Land to the Adi (village)
-
Return of power to its sole owners-the people.
We will closely work with other civic and political opposition organizations. We will serve in a supportive role to those organizations which show and prove full commitment to dislodge the current government militarily. This extremely authoritarian and doctrinaire regime does not understand peaceful means of transitioning Eritrea into a democratically governed state. It does not believe in peaceful means of engagement. The current government of Eritrea can survive years of diplomatic pressure and will continue to exploit the human and economic resources of the nation for an infinite length of time. We believe that in addition to military and diplomatic pressures, voicing full support for African Union and United Nations led economic sanctions is the correct path to follow in opposing this dictatorial regime.
During our liberation struggle for independence both ELF and EPLF practiced economic sanctions against the enemy dwelling in the major cities. Citizens in the rural areas were prevented from supplying food and energy sources to the enemy. Now we can apply the same rules against the new enemy in Eritrea, and declare economic sanctions with money transfers only focused on the elderly and the vulnerable. Financial transfers into Eritrea by the Diaspora should be limited to helping elderly parents. All investment and business ventures, luxurious vacations, 2% taxation, and scandalous “Mekete” exploitations must end.
In the following weeks and months EMDG will engage the public and media to spread its message. Paltalk sessions reaching all sectors of our society will clarify our mission and positions. We call for a summit of opposition political organizations currently operating militarily in Eritrea. We call for the formation of a central command of leadership to strike the enemy in its most strategically sensitive positions. We call upon all Eritreans to cut the chains and break the yoke from the shoulders of our people once and for all. | http://assimbablog.assimba.org/2010/01/12/emdg-launches-its-campaign-to-mobilize-the-eritrean-people-to-defend-the-nation/ |
Introduction {#S0001}
============
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a progressive immunomediated disorder characterized by inflammation and new bone formation, predominantly in the axial skeleton, although peripheral joint involvement, enthesitis, and extra-articular manifestations can also be observed to varying degrees. The spinal inflammation promotes formation of intervertebral syndesmophytes and osseous fusion, which can lead to both structural and functional impairments and decreased quality of life (QOL).[@CIT0001] There is a strong association of AS with HLA-B27 genetic background.[@CIT0002] The most common symptom is inflammatory back pain.[@CIT0003] Despite reported prevalence of AS between 0.2%--0.5% in the United States, AS accounts for only a minority of cases of chronic low-back pain.[@CIT0004] Delay in diagnosis of AS by many years is common, which may be in part due to failure of recognition by non-rheumatologists.[@CIT0005] Not initiating treatment in a timely manner in turn can result in worse long-term outcomes, due to irreversible new bone formation in the axial skeleton, pain, loss of spinal function, and diminished QOL.[@CIT0006] Although there is currently no cure for AS, treatment with TNF inhibitors (TNFis) has significantly improved symptoms, signs, and QOL in patients with AS.[@CIT0007] Biologic therapy is recommended when disease activity is high despite treatment with at least two NSAIDs and physiotherapy.[@CIT0008] Unfortunately, there are only limited data available regarding the efficacy of TNFis in patients with advanced AS, because most randomized clinical trials have excluded this subgroup.
Case report {#S0002}
===========
The patient was a 45-year-old male with past medical history significant for obesity and hypertension who presented to the clinic with chronic and progressive low-back pain and neck pain for over 10 years. Written informed consent was provided by the patient to have the case details and any accompanying images published. Institutional approval was not required to publish the case details. The pain was severe and constant, which he rated 8 out of 10 on a pain scale. The pain was worse during the second half of the night, and awakened him intermittently. It was also severe in the morning, with associated stiffness lasting approximately 2 hours. The pain was aggravated by prolonged rest and alleviated with activity. In recent years, he had also noticed substantial limitation of movement in the neck and lower back. He had undergone physical therapy and taken maximum doses of several NSAIDs, which were only minimally efficacious. He denied history of uveitis, psoriasis, peripheral joint pain, or gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive of active inflammatory bowel disease.
Physical examination revealed limited movement of the cervical spine, with occiput-to-wall distance of 5 cm. He also had reduced chest expansion of only 2 cm and strikingly reduced range of motion at the lumbar spine, with abnormal modified Schober's test of 12 cm from 10 cm upon forward flexion. He had tenderness over the bilateral sacroiliac joints and the lumbar spine. However, he did not exhibit any inflammatory-appearing rashes, abnormal nail changes, or active synovitis, enthesitis, or dactylitis in the peripheral joints. Blood work showed positive HLA-B27, elevated erythrocyte-sedimentation rate (ESR) of 50 and elevated CRP of 1.8 mg/dL (normal defined as \<0.8 mg/dL). Plain radiographic imaging studies were notable for the fusion at the sacroiliac iliac joint bilaterally ([Figure 1](#F0001){ref-type="fig"}), bamboo spine at the lumbar spine ([Figure 2](#F0002){ref-type="fig"}), and ankyloses of the cervical spine ([Figure 3](#F0003){ref-type="fig"}). Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) score was 5.7, patient global assessment of disease 8, total back pain 8, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) score 6.3, and inflammation (mean of BASDAI questions 5 and 6 for morning stiffness) score 7.Figure 1The sacroiliac joints are fused.Figure 2Bridging syndesmophytes at multiple levels of the lumbar spine along the anterior fibers, consistent with a bamboo spine.Figure 3Mature ankylosis of the cervical spine with straightening.
On the basis of the 1984 modified New York criteria,[@CIT0009] the patient was diagnosed with AS. Due to limited efficacy of prior treatments with NSAIDs and physiotherapy, the decision was made to start TNFis, specifically etanercept. Approximately 3 months into therapy, the patient reported marked improvement of his symptoms. His ESR and CRP had normalized to 10 and 0.4 mg/dL, respectively. In addition, BASDAI score also improved from 5.7 to 1.7, BASFI from 6.3 to 4.2, patient global assessment of disease from 8 to 2, total back pain from 8 to 2, and inflammation (mean of BASDAI questions 5 and 6 for morning stiffness) from 7 to 1. As such, he easily met the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society 40 improvement criteria. After 4 years of ongoing treatment with etanercept, he continues to do well clinically without experiencing any adverse effects. He is also able to work and perform all his activities of daily living without any issues or problems.
Discussion {#S0003}
==========
Compared to other types of spondyloarthritis, patients with AS are more likely to have symmetric sacroiliitis, stronger association with HLA-B27, and extensive spinal fusion.[@CIT0010] Needless to say, the functional disability, pain, and overall disease burden associated with AS are immense.[@CIT0011] To make matters worse, the delay between the onset of associated symptoms and diagnosis of AS frequently takes longer than 10 years.[@CIT0012] As such, it is not uncommon for patients to already have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. In AS, some patients may achieve low disease activity over time, due to reaching a "burnout" state; however, other patients may still retain high disease activity despite being in the most advanced radiographic grading-system stage, i.e.,stage V, as proposed by Braun et al.[@CIT0013] Unfortunately, there is a paucity of data available in patients with advanced AS, because they are frequently excluded from clinical trials.
To my knowledge, there have been only a handful of studies that have reported the efficacy of TNFis in patients with advanced AS: two were observational studies without a control group for infliximab[@CIT0014] and adalimumab,[@CIT0015] one was a post hoc analysis of adalimumab in a phase III study, where eleven patients with total spinal ankylosis were evaluated,[@CIT0016] and another was a 12-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multicenter study of 82 advanced AS patients with etanercept[@CIT0017] The results of these studies all suggested reduction of symptoms and signs of AS in patients with advanced but still active AS, similar to those in whom AS was not radiographically advanced. This was also the case for my patient, whose BASDAI score, BASFI score, severity of morning stiffness, ESR, and CRP all improved significantly upon treatment with etanercept. In addition, my patient is tolerating etanercept well without any unexpected adverse events, similarly to the patients in these studies who were treated with various TNFis.
To summarize, having advanced AS is not a contraindication to TNFi therapy as long as patients have active disease and have failed to respond adequately to at least two NSAIDs and physiotherapy. High baseline BASDAI score and CRP seem to be better predictors of clinical response to TNFis, since AS patients with varying degrees of ankylosis experience similar benefits from the treatment.[@CIT0014]--[@CIT0019] Several TNFis have been approved for AS, and their efficacy appears to be comparable, despite the lack of head-to-head comparisons.[@CIT0008] Etanercept was chosen for my patient due to his insurance company's preference, although monoclonal antibodies, i.e., infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab, and golimumab, would have been better choices had he had concomitant uveitis or inflammatory bowel disease.[@CIT0020],[@CIT0021] However, more studies need to be performed to determine if or when biologics should be tapered in a patient like mine, who achieved sustained remission on chronic TNFi therapy. Furthermore, the current guidelines are not clear on whether patients should be switched to another TNFi or changed to anti-IL17 therapy if the ongoing TNFi therapy fails.
Key points {#S0004}
==========
Having advanced AS and total spinal ankylosis is not a contraindication to TNFi if patients fail conventional treatment with NSAIDs and physiotherapy and disease is still active, i.e., elevated CRP, elevated BASDAI score, and active inflammation seen on magnetic resonance imaging. Improvement of symptoms, signs, and QOL of AS patients with advanced disease on TNFis are comparable to those in whom AS is not as radiographically advanced. Further studies need to be performed to determine whether switching to another TNFi or anti-IL17 therapy should be considered when ongoing TNFi therapy fails. Also, an ideal time to initiate a tapering regimen of biologics should be ascertained when patients achieve sustained remission on TNFis.
Disclosure {#S0005}
==========
The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work.
| |
A transformer is an electronics device that can convert electrical energy from one circuit to another without changing the frequency of electricity. It can determine the rate of increase or decrease in proportion to the current rating of the load.
Using magnetic induction, the transformer performs the primary function of its operation. This principle is known as Faraday’s “law of electromagnetic induction.”
There is always a need to maintain a specific voltage in the transmission line and the distribution line. Voltage transformers are used to measure these high voltages. This blog will discuss how a voltage transformer works and the basic principles of its operation.
Basic Construction of Voltage Transformer
A transformer consists of primary and secondary windings. The initial voltage of a step-down transformer is higher than the secondary voltage, and the number of turns of the primary winding is higher than that of the secondary winding.
The opposite is true of step-down transformers. The conductors used in the windings are more prominent in size to accurately measure the voltage, and the windings are capitalized to reduce the leakage response.
The design for the construction of the transformer should be the most efficient to achieve high accuracy of measurement. The windings of the high voltage rating (above 7kV) transformers are immersed in the oil-filled tank. The oil acts as a good insulator.
The magnetic core of the transformer is made of silicon lamination. The type of magnetic shell or core of a transformer is usually determined based on the type used. Cotton or paper is used as insulation in secondary windings. The oil-filled bushing connects to the source and loads to the tank.
Working Principle of a Voltage Transformer
Voltage must always be measured on the transmission line and the distribution line. A sudden increase or drop in voltage can lead to a significant accident. Electricity is transferred by magnetic induction from one winding to another winding in the transformer.
A transformer consists of two or more windings. Primary windings are connected with the source, and secondary windings are connected with the load.
There are three kinds of voltage transformers. Electromagnetic (a), Capacitor (b), and Optical (c). The basic working principle of these kinds of transformers information is given below:
We know the transformer has primary and secondary windings. The voltage is measured across the transmission line with the initial winding of the transformer. The transformer is connected in series with the current line. A range voltmeter can easily measure volts up to 0-110V. A portion of the transformer winding is grounded with the ground to ensure safety.
The voltage of a transmission or distribution line is usually determined by measuring the small voltage obtained in the transformer’s secondary. The output can be easily extracted using a formula. The formula is, Np /Ns = Vp /Vs=Is /Ip.
Where:
- Vp= Primary Voltage
- Vs= Secondary Voltage
- Np= Number of the primary winding
- Ns= Number of the secondary winding
- Ip= Primary Current
- Is= Secondary Current
If a potential transformer has a voltage ratio of 1000:10, the voltage measured at the primary Vs. is 100V. What is the secondary or high voltage line Vp is?
According to the question,
Np= 1000
Ns= 10
Vs= 100
Vp= ?
Solution: Np /Ns = Vp /Vs
Vp= (Np*Vs) /Ns= (1000*100) /10 =10,000= 10kV
The voltage transformer protects against significant losses by measuring the voltage and balancing the transmission and distribution lines. So voltage transformers are used in transmission and distribution lines. Sometimes it can give wrong readings.
So it is necessary to check the voltage transformer regularly. Due to the small size of the voltage transformer, its construction and operation costs are much lower than other transformers. | https://bdelectricity.com/voltage-transformer-working-principle/ |
Tanzanians visit to learn cybercrime defense
“In the field of digital forensics, I believe our center may be the only one in the world to manage all digital analyses in one place,” said a prosecutor at the Digital Forensic Center of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul to a group of law enforcement officials from Tanzania.
The 15 officials from the east African country participated in the 20-day training program on cybercrime prevention and corruption control, hosted by the Korea International Cooperation Agency.
They watched the screen in the digital analysis room, where data on phone calls of suspects, e-mails and bank account transactions could be screened and organized into colorful visual representations instead of manual inspection.
“How do inspectors find the integrity not to leak private information that they can access?” asked one prosecutor from Tanzania.
Kim Tae-eun, a Korean prosecutor, responded, “Everything we do on the system is logged. And we can only have access to the projects we are assigned to.”
According to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report published in July 2012, Korea’s high-speed Internet penetration rate topped 100 percent for the first time among the group’s 34 nations.
But now that Korea is an information technology leader, it also deals with a high volume of cybercrimes.
As the Tanzanian officials visited the newly opened International Cooperation Center of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho District on Nov. 15 to witness how Korean prosecutors investigate high-tech crime, they viewed the new Digital Forensic Center’s image, voice, DNA and cryptanalysis sections to see how all the departments worked together to crackdown on crime.
The forensic center supplied analysis in high-profile cases such as the DDoS attack on the National Election Commission last October in the midst of the Seoul mayoral by-election which shut down the election Web site.
In cybercrimes, part of the investigation involves recovering and analyzing evidence saved on cell phones and analyzing suspects’ relationships through phone call histories and bank account transaction records, stated Kim Tae-eun, prosecutor at the Digital Forensic Center.
The officials, in their 30s and 40s, were from Tanzania’s Ministry of Justice, Prosecutors’ Office and National Police Agency. Some were prosecutors specializing in cybercrime investigations.
“In Tanzania, we switch from division to division frequently,” said Tulibake Faidon Mkondya, 43, a senior weapons inspection official with Tanzania’s national police force and head of the delegation. “Because I might be placed in cybercrime investigation in my next transfer, the subject is one I am very interested in understanding better.”
The cybercrime prevention training program was held by the Legal Research and Training Institute (LRTI), which educates all public officials under the Ministry of Justice and was established in 1972, located in Yongin, Gyeonggi, where officials attended lectures and seminars hosted by prosecutors, police and other legal experts. The Tanzanian officials also visited legal and crime prevention facilities including the Hwaseong Detention Center and Suwon District Police Agency in Gyeonggi.
They also learned about the program Virtual Forum Against Cybercrime, a training program for network law-enforcement personnel to combat cybercrimes, which was developed in 2005 by state-run the think tank Korean Institute of Criminology, Korean portal site Naver and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Korea has hosted numerous cyber crime conferences and seminars over the years, including Interpol and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
When a U.S. Army computer at Spacecom was hacked, the case was solved with the help of the Korean National Police Agency’s Cyberterror Response Center.
The FBI deputy director visited Korea and praised the system.
In 1997, the Ministry of Justice commenced the International Workshops on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
“Every year, the Legal Research and Training Institute invites foreign legal officials engaged in criminal justice, and holds training workshops for the purpose of promoting better understanding and cooperation in the area of criminal justice and legal development among countries,” stated Roh Hwan-gyun, president of the Legal Research and Training Institute. “Since 1997, we have hosted 778 legal officials from 83 countries worldwide.”
“The most notable case last year was the DDoS attack on the National Election Commission,” stated Lee Hyung-taek, prosecutor investigation researcher at the LRTI, who manages international cooperation.
“The cybercrimes that Tanzania deals with currently are much like the problems that we dealt with in the 1980s and 1990s, such as spam.”
And 35-year-old cybercrime investigator with the Tanzanian police, Joshua William Mwangasa, expressed his frustrations.
“Back home, we have the DNA tests, we have the skills and motivation to track down cybercriminals. But because there is no legislation and no law on cybercrimes, the police cannot do anything.”
He added that there is also a lack of technology to crack down on cyber crimes.
“Rather than high-tech crimes, we deal more with common cybercrimes back home over mobile phones or e-mail.”
The National Police Agency of Korea generally divides cybercrimes into two categories: cyberterrorism and general cybercrime.
Cyberterrorism is an illegal act attacking computer systems or telecommunication networks by hacking or sending viruses, usually targeting the nation’s major infrastructure, while general crimes deal with illegal acts using cyber acts such as committing libel, fraud or sexual assault, or gambling and distributing illegal pornographic material.
Mwangasa stated, “If there is no law, you cannot prosecute.” He said he hopes legislation on cybercrimes comes to fruition in Tanzania soon.
Korea has corresponding legislation against cybercrimes covered under the Criminal Act of 1995, which includes infiltrating into information and communications networks and computer fraud.
For example, any person who has “defamed any other person by alleging openly false facts through information and communications networks with the purpose of slandering him” can be punished with up to seven years in prison with labor or a fine of up to 50 million won ($46,000).
Or in the case of any person who “disrupts, paralyzes or destroys critical information infrastructure,” they can be “punished by imprisonment with prison labor for up to 10 years or fined up to 100 million won.”
“The program had been for us a remarkable success as it provided us with a better understanding of Korea’s society and its criminal justice system, in particular cybercrimes and corruption control,” stated Mkondya, head of the delegation. | https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2012/11/25/socialAffairs/Tanzanians-visit-to-learn-cybercrime-defense/2962918.html |
Our representative will welcome you at Bangalore and drive to Sakleshpur, a beautiful hill station town lies in the Western Ghats and surrounded with lofty green hills full of coffee, cardamom, pepper and areca plantations. On arrival at Sakleshpur, check in to the resort. Freshen up, then have the sumptuous lunch and relax for some time. After a relaxed tea/coffee, free for activities in the resort. Evening, campfire and dinner in the resort and overnight stay at the resort.
Day 02 : Sakleshpur - Kalasa
In the morning, after breakfast, check out the hotel and drive to Kalasa, a small scenic town situated in the Western Ghats of Chikmagalur district and blessed by nature with beautiful hills, rivers, valleys, viewpoints, waterfalls, forests, coffee/tea estates, temples, etc. Kalasa is one of the important shooting destinations of Karnataka and many south Indian movies are shot at this beautiful heaven on the earth. On arrival at Kalasa, visit Kalaseshwara Temple is situated in Kalasa on the banks of Bhadra River. The Shiva linga present here has been installed by Sage Agasthya himself along with the silver dome. Get the blessings and check in to the hotel and relax. Evening, drive to Horanadu. Horanadu is a place of enchanting natural landscape in Chikmagalur district. First visit Horanadu View Point, where you have beautiful view of Horanadu and surrounding hills. Then visit ancient temple of the goddess Annapoorneshwari here has been restored and renamed the Adi – Shaktyatmaka Shree Annapoorneshwari. The main deity of Annapoorneshwari is made of gold. It is said that a person who seeks the blessings of Goddess would never have any scarcity for food in life. Get the divine blessings of Goddess Annapoorneshwari. Return to the hotel and overnight stay at hotel.
Day 03 : Kalasa - Kudremukh - Sringeri - Chikmagalur
In the morning, after breakfast, check out the hotel and drive to drive to beautiful Tea Estate at Samse. Samse is located at a distance of 10 Km from Kalasa. The tea estate is very beautiful and scenic where nature has spread a loving carpet of green. The Sri Sarva Siddhi Ganapathy temple in the middle of the tea estate adds more beauty to the place and one will feel that he is in the cradle of nature and God. This awesome place will take some time to enjoy the beauty of the nature. Then proceed to landscape drive to amazing Kudremukh National Park and if permitted visit Kadambi Waterfall and Hanumangundi Waterfall. Then drive to Sringeri - (Sringeri Sharada Peeta), the first mutt established by jagadguru Sri Adishankara (Shankracharya) and located on the banks of Tunga river. Sringeri is home to a number of historic temples. On arrival at Sringeri, visit to Sri Sharadamba temple and offer prayers to Goddess of Knowledge and get her blessings. Then visit nearest Sri Vidyashankara temple and other shrines in the temple premises. Then drive to Chikmagalur - famous for its hill stations and also popularly known as the coffee land of Karnataka. On arrival at Chikmagalur, check in to the hotel and overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 04 : Chikmagalur Sightseeing
Morning after breakfast, proceed to visit Seethalayanagiri and Mullayanagiri. Mullayanagiri is the highest peak of Karnataka state located in Bababudangiri range. The height of Mullayanagiri is 6330 ft (1,930 meters) and it is regarded as the highest peak between Himalayas and Nilgiris (Vehicles are allowed till Seethalayanagiri and you will need to do a small trek to Mullayanagiri). Then visit Kavikal Gandi Viewpoint located at the Kavikal Gandi checkpost in the Mullayangiri–Bababudangiri hill range. Then visit to Dabdabe Waterfalls (by Jeep on Direct Payment basis) this waterfall is also referred as Sagir Ahmed / Jhari / Butter Milk Waterfall, Honnamana halla (a small waterfall on road). Then drive to Baba Budan Giri, a range of mountains in Chikmagalur. Visit Sree Guru Dattatreya Baba Budan Swamy Durgah (temple and a durgah) at Baba Budangiri, a mountain in the Baba Budan or Dattagiri range of the Western Ghats. Enjoy the sip of hot Chikmagalur coffee at SIRI Coffee. Return to the hotel and overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 05 : Chikmagalur - Bangalore
After breakfast, checkout the hotel and drive to Yagachi Water Sports, a perfect spot Perfect spot for water games. Jet Ski, Speed Boat Ride, Banana Boat, Bumper Ride, Kayaking, Cruise Boat are available to explore the lake (on direct payment basis). Then proceed to Belur, a historic place known for Chennakesava temple, one of the finest examples of Hoysala workmanship. Then visit Chennakesava temple at Belur. Then proceed to Halebid, home to some of the best examples of Hoysala architecture. Most notable are the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples. Then drive to Bangalore. On arrival at Bangalore, you will be transferred to Bangalore and drop at a designated point in Bangalore. Trip ends with the delightful memories of Sakleshpur - Kalasa - Sringeri - Chikmagalur Tour Package.
Send Enquiry
Please send us your enquiry and we will respond as soon as possible. | http://www.kalasatourism.com/sakleshpur-kalasa-sringeri-chikmagalur-tour-package.php |
A blockchain project starts with a belief that business needs to be done in a different way. Here's what happens next, including the role CIOs play in a blockchain journey.
For starters, a blockchain project is driven by a shared conviction that there must be a better way to do a business process. That's according to Jerry Cuomo, vice president of blockchain technologies at IBM. The conviction must be shared by others, because blockchain is not a solo venture, but a collaboration among many organizations. Here, Cuomo discusses what CIOs and their organizations need to consider when embarking on a blockchain project. Below are his responses, edited for brevity and clarity.
Why is blockchain valuable to business?
Jerry Cuomo: At the highest level, blockchain is a team sport, meaning that it is really about how multiple organizations could achieve more than any single organization can by itself, particularly around executing a business process.
No business runs in isolation, and more and more CIOs are concerned about how to connect to value that others are offering so their value can be enhanced, whether it's for data or insights from business partners or other collaborators.
For example, we see value when we're looking for better ways to onboard customers. It can provide a better customer experience [and save] customers time. Another value is around the better security and protection that can be delivered by multiple organizations using blockchain to verify identity.
What's the starting point for enterprises?
Cuomo: Last year, there weren't a lot of enterprise blockchain networks. Now that some of them are starting to take shape and go live, the CIO has choices. One is to join an existing consortium or network, and the other is to explore creating one.
So, there are two on-ramps. One is an industry network, for example, a blockchain network that's for healthcare or financial services or government. And, two, I or one of my business partners has convened a blockchain network.
How do these consortiums form?
Cuomo: Consortium is a double-edged sword of a word. It's a group of companies working together. The key to executing on a blockchain project is having multiple companies collaborating. You can call it a consortium or a B2B relationship. There are thousands of those. It's just now how can we better exploit those [with blockchain].
Cuomo: SecureKey is one example. It's a small company in Toronto that has convened a network for doing identify verification. A CIO burning a lot of his or her IT budget doing KYC (know-your-customer activities) could look at that network for doing KYC. A lot of the major banks in Canada have joined the SecureKey network.
What should prompt a blockchain initiative?
Cuomo: Blockchain is completely business-driven. Not only that, it's not just driven by your business. It's more driven at an industry or at a business-to-business level. It's looking at those use cases where your business connects with other businesses and there's a desire across multiple businesses to do things differently. There has to be a motivation, such as costs have gotten out of hand or security is a major issue.
Do CIOs typically drive blockchain initiatives?
Cuomo: It's not always CIO to CIO, and it's not always initiated by the CIO.
We have a project that we're running that started with our chief procurement officer and a digital transformation that he was going through to onboard suppliers to IBM. He then pulled in the CIO to say: How do we digitize this? And they came up with the idea that if they're digitizing this and a supplier also wants to sign onto Cisco, then let's work with Cisco so if a partner signs up, they can sign up for either Cisco or IBM. It's completely enabled by blockchain because it provides a level of trust. If someone signs on with IBM, Cisco can trust that we vetted that supplier and vice versa.
So, what is the CIO's role in a blockchain project?
Cuomo: The CIO is going to want to be part of a steering committee or a governance group. The CIO has a very important seat at the table, but others have to sit there, too. You need a business leader there, and a minimal viable ecosystem. You need representatives from business, legal, the CIO group [from the different companies], but you need the smallest number of representatives in order to not impede progress.
I wouldn't sit down and start a project as a CIO unless I saw a reasonable committee to determine the minimal viable ecosystem and minimal viable project -- who can play this back, who can define the problem and who can define metrics. As CIO, I would want the committee to define the milestones for success, the milestones to prove that this idea has legs.
So, this steering committee comprises players from multiple companies?
Cuomo: Blockchain is a team sport, so the CIO has to be able to collaborate with other CIOs and other business folks. We typically see a small number of groups work together -- maybe two -- when an idea comes about. If you start with a consortium of seven or eight, good luck, you're never going to get agreement. But you can't start with one, either.
On the tech side, what does the CIO need to bring to the table to get a blockchain project started?
Cuomo: A wise CIO is going to spend some time evaluating the technologies out there: what are the core skills required for utilizing that technology, understanding the basics about permission blockchain vs. permissionless, understanding how to write and manage smart contracts.
Platform selection is a key part of this: picking a platform that is within the sweet spot of the CIO's investments for skills, and looking at the technology from the eyes of what that CIO's industry is all about. For example, if I'm in healthcare, is the technology complaint with HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), because a lot of the platforms are running in cloud with different levels of compliance.
How should CIOs determine milestones and metrics?
Cuomo: This is much more important here than with a project you would do internally. It's always important, but I would say that there are so many ways to get tripped up here, and the way to pull groups together is around shared metrics and defining success.
But it's best to do it in bite-size pieces, so keeping the milestones in two-week sprints with very clear outcomes, typically culminating in some sort of proof point where you're running a transaction across multiple organizations.
Looking at the blocks come onto the chain is something everyone wants to see, especially the CIOs who are thrilled to see how this block is verified by both companies and immutably placed on ledger.
Any final words to help ensure a successful blockchain pilot?
Cuomo: The best CIOs collaborate with business, they're able to dream big and set a north star that's very bold but work incrementally against that. Those are the ones who have the best success. They have a roadmap with incremental steps to get there.
Does your company believe there is value in embarking on a blockchain journey at this point?
Is there an established minimum cost point for a business to enter into a blockchain pilot? Due to cost, I expect that mid- to large-size firms would naturally be early innovators because entry would be cost prohibitive for small companies / entrepreneurs?
I commend Jerry Cuomo for the work he does at the helm of IBM's blockchain program. I'm involved with a very interesting blockchain project. The team behind this project will be conducting an ICO in the near future to fund the deployment of Hyperledger Fabric in and throughout the logistics industry and this team is currently seeking an advisor. Of course Jerry is at the top of our list for this position. We would like to contact Jerry and/or other interested parties. | https://searchcio.techtarget.com/tip/How-to-start-a-blockchain-project-Questions-for-IBMs-Jerry-Cuomo |
Last week; I tried out 2 simple dishes that you could easily try at home. I consider them as easy home cooked food. When I say easy…. I suppose its consider easy lar… LOL!
Chinese Five Spice Chicken Wings
(recipe by Ang Sarap) check out his blog for nice cooking recipes 🙂
Ingredients
1 kg chicken wings
1 tbsp five spice powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients except the water, set it aside and let chicken marinate for at least 6 hours.
The after marination wings. This were only half portion…the other half already into the wok ready to be cook.
As required; 1kg of chicken wings… the chicken wings that I bought from supermarket were quite big. So all together, I got around 6 pieces of whole wing.
2. Place everything in a wok together with the water. Turn heat to high then bring to a boil, while boiling turn chicken once in a while to make sure its cooked evenly, let the liquid thicken then set the heat to low. This might take around 8-10 minutes.
3. Once liquid is thick, turn heat to low so it does not burn, turn the chicken once in a while to coat it evenly. At this point a small amount of oil is extracted from the chicken wings, stir fry chicken for a minute (add oil if needed), remove from wok then serve.
Ta..dah…. the juice, succulent and tasty Chinese Five Spice Chicken Wings ready to serve. You too can try this at home 🙂
Passion Fruit Agar-Agar
I got this idea by someone who posted on the internet. I couldn’t remember the website. Too bad…couldn’t credit the creator 😦
Do you like passion fruit? I like passion fruit but those we got here are usually sour. I still remember the passion fruit I had in Indonesia was big, juicy and sweet! Not forgetting they are selling cheap too. Unlike here. I bought a pack from market cost RM7!
Ingredients
passion fruits
sugar
water
agar-agar powder
Method
1. Wash and cut the passion fruits into 1/2. Using a spoon, scrap the passion fruit flesh into a bowl. Scrap it clean like ‘photo below’.
Place these cleaned passion fruit on a tray. I am going to use them as the agar-agar mould.
2. Follow the instructions at the back of the agar-agar powder (you can easily buy from supermarket), dissolve the agar-agar powder with water & sugar in a boiling pot, bring to boil.
3. Since we are going to add passion fruit’s flesh+juice…therefore, I am using 2 glass of water + 1 glass of passion fruit flesh with juice. Add sugar accordingly, because the sweetness may varies depending on the passion fruit.
4. Bring the dissolved ingredients (step 3) to boil. Boil for few minutes over low heat. Then pour into moulds (the passion fruit shells). Allow it to cool for awhile before you chill or refrigerate them. | https://melissathegreat.com/2013/12/03/my-home-cooking-chinese-five-spice-chicken-wings-passion-fruit-agar-agar/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. — As Oregon braces for another hot and dry summer, one of its biggest utility companies has announced a new wildfire policy aimed at reducing wildfire risks across their service area.
“We want to make sure ... that we’re keeping communities safe during those high-wind and dry conditions,” said Scott Bolton, the senior vice president of external affairs and customer solutions at Pacific Power.
The new policies, announced last week, include clearing vegetation around power lines and poles, increasing inspections at facilities, training their field crews in wildfire suppression, and installing local weather stations to help identify high fire risk days. They also plan to implement “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” if dangerous weather is expected in high fire risk areas. If the power is cut before the wind blows down lines, there’s less risk of fire.
Electricity providers have been under increased scrutiny since a number of wildfires in California were linked to downed power lines during windstorms, improperly maintained power stations, and areas where brush had grown too close to electrical infrastructure.
Former residents of Paradise, Calif., sued their utility, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), for negligence following the Camp Fire, which burned the mountain community to the ground in the fall of 2018. At the time, the utility company reported malfunctioning stations and downed lines.
Previous California wildfires were also linked to PG&E, including the Wine Country fires of 2017. Cal Fire found the utility company had failed to maintain power lines or properly remove potentially flammable brush from the nearby area, which is required by California law. There is no such law in Oregon.
Following the lawsuits, PG&E recently started implementing power shut-off during high-wind, high-heat periods. They proactively cut power to over 20,000 residents in California’s Butte and Yuba counties June 10.
Bolton said that Pacific Power’s new policy is not directly in response to the lawsuits against PG&E or the actions they’ve taken, but are instead in keeping with best practices that the industry has been discussing for a while. But the recent increase in fires prompted them to act now.
“Some of the tragedies we’ve experienced, like the loss of the city of Paradise and other fires we’ve seen down in California, demonstrate that we need to take active measures to protect communities and Oregonians who could be in harm’s way,” Bolton said.
Pacific Power serves 587,365 Oregon customer in pockets across the state, including part of Portland, the Willamette Valley, the coast, and parts of Central, Southern and Eastern Oregon, including Umatilla County. It also serves a portion of Northern California, Central Washington, and parts of Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.
Bolton said it’s unlikely Pacific Power will ever need to de-electrify their power lines, and if it does, it would likely only be in high-risk areas like Josephine, Douglas and Hood River counties. The company is working with local emergency management groups to do outreach on the subject, and to figure out how to warn residents if a shutoff seems likely. | http://smokejumpers.com/index.php/news/getitem/news_id=702 |
When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
Hurt. Disappointment. Anger. Confusion. Fear. Mary was probably feeling all those emotions following the death of her brother Lazarus. She made her way to Jesus, fell at his feet, and let him know exactly what was on her mind. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32). Those words were spoken with tears running down her cheeks and between the loud sobs of emotion.
Jesus knows everything from start to finish. He knew that in a short time, Lazarus would be raised and Mary would be crying tears of joy! But Jesus always engages us right where we are. He was intensely moved and distressed by Mary’s pain.
Jesus knows that all things will end well for those who follow him. One day, we will pass from death to life and enjoy him forever. But that doesn’t keep him from engaging in your pain today. Jesus offers us a future, and he works in our present. He sympathizes with our weaknesses and is there to meet the crying need of our hearts.
Lord Jesus, thank you for the promise of eternity. And thank you for meeting us right where we are today. Thank you for walking through every challenge with us. In your name, we pray. Amen.
Today’s Journey Message:
See His Glory
If you have been encouraged, strengthened, or helped by The Journey Ministry, please consider partnering with us by sending a generous gift to The Journey. Your gift will help us continue to bring practical, spiritual insights to you and to thousands every day. | https://www.ronmoore.org/jesus-works-in-our-present/ |
LCD Motion Artifacts: Overdrive
This article is part of the LCD Motion Artifacts 101 series. This page illustrates overdrive artifacts (inverse ghosting) of different response time acceleration settings on a computer monitor. ASUS uses “Trace Free” terminology for their computer monitors, while BENQ uses “AMA” terminology for their computer monitors.
ASUS TraceFree 60: Ghosting is now gone. Faint corona at left edge of UFO base.
ASUS TraceFree 80: More visible corona at left edge of UFO base.
ASUS TraceFree 100: Very visible corona at left edge of UFO base.
Observation
It is observed there is a trade-off between ghosting and coronas: 1. Low overdrive settings can cause ghosting to appear. 2. High overdrive settings can cause coronas to appear. For ASUS computer monitors with the “Trace Free” adjustment, an excellent compromise setting is usually Trace Free 60, which balances ghosting visibility with corona visibility.
Another method of reducing the visiblity of ghosting and coronas is to use a faster LCD display (e.g. 120Hz, 144Hz, or 240Hz monitor) and/or to use an LCD display with a strobe backlight such as ULMB or LightBoost (see Motion Blur Reduction FAQ) which hides pixel transitions by turning off the backlight between refreshes, as well as reducing motion blur (60Hz vs 120Hz vs ULMB). Ghosting and coronas are the visible pixel transitions being seen by the human eye.
Tested monitor: ASUS VG278H, running at 120Hz, using the test at www.testufo.com/ghosting running at 960 pixels/second. Different monitors and refresh rates can have different overdrive strengths. Artifacts may show up at lower or higher overdrive settings on another monitor. The motion artifacts are otherwise very similar.
What is Overdrive For?
Without overdrive, LCD displays are prone to ghosting. Ghosting is typically caused by the asymmetric speeds of pixel transitions. LCD pixels often transition faster (or more completely) to a specific color, than back from a specific color. This creates the differences in motion artifacts on the leading edge versus the trailing edge of moving on-screen objects.
Overdrive speeds up the pixel transitions by using higher voltages on the pixels. This reduce ghosting. However, excess overdrive can create coronas. Coronas, also known as “overdrive artifacts”, or “inverse ghosting”, is caused by the pixel overshooting its final color value, and rippling (bouncing back) to its final color value.
The use of overdrive can also reduce motion blur very slightly, but only up to the limitations of the sample-and-hold effect. See www.testufo.com/eyetracking for an animation that demonstrates display motion blur unrelated to speed of pixel transitions.
How Were These Images Captured?
Stationary Camera: Capture of Pixel Transitions
A stationary camera is good for photographing pixel transitions statically. However, it is not a very accurate representation of perceived display motion blur and motion artifacts:
Example: Stationary camera photo of a moving object on a display.
Pursuit Camera: Accurate Capture of LCD Motion Artifacts
Pursuit camera are used by display manufacturers for testing (e.g. MPRT pursuit cameras). This is simply a camera that follows on-screen motion. These expensive cameras are extremely accurate at measuring motion blur and other artifacts, since they simulate the eye tracking motion of moving eyes.
However, Blur Busters has developed an inexpensive pursuit camera method which operates in conjunction with the Blur Busters UFO Motion Tests. It makes possible accurate photography of motion artifacts. The test at www.testufo.com/ghosting was used to take the pictures on this page. Blur Busters is the world’s first blog to utilize a pursuit camera for accurate capture of motion artifacts, in WYSIWYG format, as seen by the human eye.
Got my ASUS VS247H-P today and don’t understand why Trace Free exists at this point. I was seeing a lot of black lines around objects in a video game, and saw black lines even when scrolling around a page with text. Setting it to zero removed it and I’ll never turn it on again.
Wondering why anyone would use it if they saw the same thing.
Like0Vote Down
3 years 2 months ago
Member
BottleOpener
I even made a Blur Busters account just to tell you that.
Like0Vote Down
1 year 4 months ago
Member
BottleOpener
I love you.
I have been trying to get rid of the ghosting on my monitor because it was driving me crazy. I even got a new HDMI cable and it didn’t work. Then I found your comment and turned off overdrive and just like that, no more ghosting.
Thank you
Like0Vote Down
1 year 4 months ago
Member
Lostconfused
I guess this could vary depending on monitor and connection? On my ASUS MX239H over VGA I noticed corona artifacts around black text when scrolling a webpage with OD set to 40 or higher.
Yes, it varies greatly from monitor to monitor. A certain monitor/model can have stronger overdrive than another monitor/model. A different connection (VGA vs DVI vs DP) can use different overdrive adjustment settings or color settings, and can also indirectly affect overdrive that way.
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We will help you make the changes you want in just a few short sessions.
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It’s a long haul flight from the Southern to the Northern hemisphere, a journey that I have completed many, many times. Each time, I am reminded that “without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.” Frank Herbert
Arriving in Barcelona, for a short two full days stay and I am awakened by the colours of this vibrant city, before making my way to Roncevellas and begin walking the Camino de Santiago.
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid, with approx. 1.7 million people living in the Barcelona metropolitan area. This vibrant and colourful city is also ranked the sixth most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, the Ruhr, Madrid and Milan. It is also the largest metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea, located on the Mediterranean coast between the river mouths of Llobregat and Besòs.
Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona, after merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, becoming one of the most important cities of the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, the city has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. Renowned for its colourful architectural works by Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
My short stay in the L’Eixample district, meaning ‘expansion; or ‘Expansion District, was formed as the city’s population grew and the medieval walls where knocked down. By 1856, work began to merge the old city with several smaller towns and fill the country that lay between the old city and Gracia, with construction continuing into the early 20th century. The area is charaterised by wide avenues and square blocks intersected by long straight streets; a visionary and pioneering design that considered local traffic, along with sun filled streets creating natural ventilation.
Many of the eloquently dotted terraced housing, ground floor street level in the area are home to various shops, including delicatessens that were the original market stores selling local produce. A popular local product, Jamón serrano – dry cured ham, is readily available. Fresh hams are trimmed and cleaned, then stacked and covered with salt for approx. two weeks in order to draw off excess moisture and preserve the meat from spoiling. The salt is then washed off and the hams are hung to dry for about six months, before finally being hung in a cool, dry place for six to eighteen months.
The area was also influenced by modernista architects, the most well-known was Antoni Gaudí works, including Casa Milà located on Carrier de Provença and Casa Batlló, located along the wide avenue Passeg de Gracia. As well as Gaudí deigned landmark; the Basilíca i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família – Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family, known as La Sagrada Familia.
Gaudí‘s work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Following much controversy amongst locals, in November 2006, the building was consecrated as a minor basilica as distinct from a cathedral.
Construction of La Sagrada Familia began in 1882, with Gaudí taking on the role of chief architect in 1883, however wasn’t officially appointed to the role until 1884. The original design was based on Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular pilgrim site in the small Italian town of Loreto, in the province of Ancona. Gaudí transformed the project with his personal architectural and engineering style, combing Gothic and art nouveau. His contribution is described as “the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the middle ages”. Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize winning architectural critic.
Gaudí planned three grand façades: one dedicated to the Nativity (and largely completed in his lifetime); the Passion (finished in 1976) and the Glory, currently still under construction and due for completion by 2026. Each is to be crowned by four towers, representing the 12 Apostles.
The façade of the Nativity cave was completed in 1935, nine years after Gaudí‘s death and tells the story of Christ’s birth and represents the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.
The Passion façade was completed in 1976 and is characterised by bold, angular and highly controversial decorative work depicting the passion and death of Christ.
Spending a morning taking in the majesty and history of La Sagrada Familia, before finding myself passing by Carrier de Provença, 261-265 and the home of Casa Milà nicknamed La Pedrera – stone quarry, that was the last private residence designed by Gaudí. Built between 1906 – 1912 for the then newly married Per Milà and Roser Segimon. This building also presented controversy at the time, due to the undulating stone façade and twisting wrought iron balconies. Along with the innovative structural designs of a self-supporting stone façade, a free-plan floor, underground garage and an impressive roof top terrace.
Then turning into Passeig de Gràcia, one of the most famous and luxurious streets in the city where the elite of the Catalan bourgeoisie lived during the golden age of Art Nouveau. The 1.5 km long avenue is home to the city’s finest designed terrace homes with splendid and whimsical façades by three leading architects of that time who competed to see which of their buildings was the most beautiful, including more of Gaudí ‘s creative and colourful work.
The city block formed by Passeig de Gràcia between carrers Consell de Cent and Arago is known as “The Block of Discord”, a name that was given to the three different styles of architecture by three of Barcelona’s leading modernism architects; Gaudí, Puig i Cadafalch and Domenech i Monyaner. All three are regarded for their work, however, are also known and regarded for the very different styles. These buildings form the most important modernist group in the city.
Passeig de Gràcia, 75 Casa Enric Barlló – is the work of architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas, redesigned between 1904 – 1906 is now the Hotel Condes de Barcelona.
Passeig de Gràcia, 43 is considered to be Gaudí’s masterpiece. Casa Batlló is one of three important buildings that comprise the Iiia de la Discordia – Block of Discord The original building on the site of Casa Batlló was constructed in 1877. The premises was bought by Joseph Batlló, textile industrialist in 1900 and he and his wife wanted an architect that would design a house that was like no other and stood out as being audacious and creative. Commissioning Gaudí, they choose to be open to anything and deciding not to limit Gaudí’s creativeness resulting in the buildings redesign in 1904. Locally known as Casa dels ossos – House of Bones, and Casa delos dra – House of dragons, for its skeletal style qualities. There are few straight lines due to the irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work. Much of the façade is decorated with colorful mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles. The roof design is arched and was described as a dragon’s back. Leaving many with a common theory that the rounded feature to the left centre, terminating at the top in the form of a turret and cross, represents the lance of Saint George (the patron saint of Catalonia), plunging the back of the dragon.
Passeig de Gràcia, 41 Casa Àmatller by Josep Puig i Casafalch is one of the architects finest creations. The design was inspired by the 17th century Dutch townhouses, with a distinctive stepped Flemish classical architecture covered in shiny ceramics. The lower façade and doorway are decorated with lively sculptures of chocolatiers at work, almond trees and blossoms by Eusebi Arau, in reference to the Catalan chocolate maker Antonio Amatller who commissioned the building. Constructed between 1898 – 1900, the modernist style is considered a blend of Catalan and Flemism Gothic, and was declared an artistic historical monument in 1976 and the second of three important buildings that comprise the Block of Discord.
Passeig de Gràcia, 39 Casa Bonet by Marcel.lia Coquillat. The home was originally known as Torruella and was built in 1887 by Jaume Brossa. In 1915, Josefina Bonet commissioned a rebuild and reformed the façade.
Passeig de Gràcia, 37 Casa Mulleras by Enric Sagnier was built with an eclectic style. Commissioned in 1898 and completed in 1906 to redesign the former Ramon Comas House built in 1868. This architect is also known for designing several other buildings in Barcelona including, the Temple del Tibidabo and the headquarters of the Caia de Pensiones savings bank.
Passeig de Gràcia, 35 Casa Lleo Morera by Lluis Domènech i Montaner, was a refurbishment of the old 1864 Rocamora house. In 1902 Francesca Morera commissioned the rebuild and work was carried out between 1902 – 1906. Francesca died in 1904 leaving the building to be named after her son, Albery Lleó i Morera. This beautiful building is the first of three important buildings that comprise the Block of Discord, and is the first and only building in the Block of Discord to be awarded Barcelona’s Concurso anual de edificios artísticos – town council’s Arts Building Annual Award in 1906.
Walking down Passeig de Gràcia is a magical experience with many interesting, impressive and imaginative buildings. As are the lampposts. There are a total of 32 beautifully designed lampposts that are the work of architect Pere Falqués i Urpi designed in 1906.
The modernist buildings have been beautifully restored and the ground floors are home to an array of choice; choice of restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, jewellery stores and leading fashion houses including Louis Vuitton, Armani, Cartier, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Time for a late lunch.
Passeig de Gràcia, 27 Casa Malagrida by Joaquim Codina i Matalí, was commissioned for the tobacco industrialist Manuel Malagridia i Fontanet and is a beautiful modernist building redesigned between 1905 – 1908.
Passeig de Gràcia, 21 Unión y el Fénix building by architect Eusebi Bona Pu ig and sculptor Frederic Marés. The monumentalist style and French influence building was built between 1927 – 1931 to house the headquarters of the insurance company La Unión y el Fénix, founded in 1897. The building is distinguishable by its magnificent ornamental dome adorned with the figure of Ganimedes, who in Greek mythology was a young hero of the royal lineage of Troy, proudly sitting atop a phoenix on the domed top. Representing the hallmark of the company.
It’s been a colourful day admiring the beauty and creative works by Barcelona’s Art Nouveau architects and learning the history behind the impressive and elegant buildings.
Tomorrow brings the opportunity to experience and explore more of the colourful city landmarks and sights, both historic and modern. And, there is much to see. Given I am a lover of history, architecture, the sea and nature I sketched out a number of highlights and decided that my best option is to use the Barcelona ‘hop on hop off bus service‘ to stop at and enjoy some of the highlights and taking time out to be.
I am staying a short walk from Barcelona’s contemporary landmark; the spectacular cucumber shaped multi-coloured tower, Torre Glóries, formerly known as Torre Agbar. The building was designed by Jean Novel and completed in 2005, consisting of bio climatic architecture functionality and design, merging with environmentally friendly building materials and elements that achieve significant reduction in energy consumption. The design awarded the building the European Commission’s Green Building award in 2012 for its energy efficiency and low CO² emissions.
I catch a local bus service to Parc Güell that was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site started in 1900, as the dream of a Barcelona magnate, Eusebi Güell. Whom the park is named after, and was inspired by the English-style ‘garden city. Created for the upper class, however became an enchanting space for the public.
Güell gave up on the original project and commissioned his friend and protégé Antoni Gaudí with the development of the project. Gaudí worked on the garden village until 1914 when it was clear the project was a commercial failure.
At the main entrance on Carrer d’Olot, stands the two Hansel and Gretel style gingerbread houses of soft brown, topped by curvaceous creamy looking roofs decorated in trencadis – broken ceramics.
The focal point of the park is the main terrace, surrounded by a long bench in the form of a sea serpent, enabling the people sitting to converse in private. An interesting Gaudí design feature are the small bumps that allowed water to dry up quickly after it rains, preventing people from sitting on a wet bench. A delightful place to rest and appreciate the surroundings.
Gaudí purchased one of only two homes that were constructed on the park site in 1906 and he and his family lived there until 1926. In 1963 the home became the Casa Museu Gaudí – Gaudí House Museum, and was declared a historical artistic monument of interest in 1969.
Making my way back to the city centre and a visit to La Sue Cathedral – the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, also known as the Barcelona Cathedral. A majestic Gothic church located in front of Plaça de la Seu, in the charming Barri Gòtic – Gothic Quarter, in the heart of Barcelona.
Constructed in the 15th century on the former site of a Visigoth chapel that was constructed in the 11th century on the foundations of a basilica destroyed by the Moors in 985. The cathedral is dedicated to the city’s co-patron saint Eulalia of Barcelona; a young virgin who lost her life aged 13 during the Roman periods, after refusing to dismiss Jesus as the son of God. The crypt below the Capella Major – chancel, houses the tomb of Santa Eulalia and the enclosure for the church choir is decorated with reliefs that narrate her young life. Today, the church’s secluded cloister still keeps 13 white geese in her honour.
The cathedral’s interior also consists of 61, 15th century stained-glass window, that when captured by the natural light displays the intrinsic details of each piece.
I step outside and decide to eat in the first restaurant that catches my eye; the La Taverna de Barcelona. A warm welcome greets me along with a mid-twentieth century charming atmosphere. Lamb chops, chillis and potatoes, and a glass of tinto.
A stroll around Plaça de Catalunya – Catalonia Square, that is also known as Plaza de Cataluña, a central meeting place where the historic old city and the 19th century built L’Eixample meet.
Together with the starting point of the 1.2 km tree lined street, La Rambla connecting the old city centre heart with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell. There is much to see and time is escaping me. Back on the bus to travel to Montjuïc.
The hill known as Montjuïc provides a spectacular view across the city and the old harbour, Port Vell. Several thousand years earlier, the Iberian Celts settled on the 213 meter high hill, that was later used by the Romans as a ceremonial place.
The monumental cast iron column set on a stone pedestal and topped by the statue of Christoffel – Christopher Columbus, standing 60 meters / 197 ft high, also known as the Monument of Colom stands boldly facing and pointing out to sea. Constructed between 1882 – 1888, at the site where Columbus arrived in 493 after travelling and reaching America the year before.
Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, and first moved to Portugal and later settled in Spain. However, in the 19th century, he was considered a Catalan and therefore, honoured by the people of Barcelona for his journey’s across the seas.
From the Miramar viewpoint on Montjuïc, I can see the beautiful historic Old Customs House – Aduana Vieja building, constructed in 1902. This neo-classical building in the Plaça del Porta Square – Square of the Gate of Peace at Port Vell is decorated with ionic columns, detailed moldings’ and ornate windows.
Again time is escaping me…back on the bus to see the Olympic Village. Originally constructed in 1929, the site underwent significant renovations in 1989 to host the 1992 Olympics.
A brief stop at Plaça d’Espanya – Plaza de Espana, one of the city’s most important squares, at the foot of Montjuïc. For centuries the the square was used for public hangings until the gallows were moved following the construction of the now demolished Ciutadella fortress in 1715. Today the eloquently designed square is home to the former Palau National, a majestic National Palace built in neo-Baroque. The building is home to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya – National Art Museum of Catalonia.
The squares central feature is the monumental fountain, a 33 meter high neo-classical fountain designed by Jospe Maria Hujol and represents Spain’s three most important rivers; Ebro, Guadalquivir and Tajo.
The two 47 meter high red brink Venetian Towers, that were inspired by the bell-tower of St Marks’ Basilica in Venice, stand tall and connect with Plaça d’Espanya.
The Las Arenas, also known as Plaça de Torros de les Arenes, the old classic bull fighting ring built in neo-Mudejar (Moorish) style red brickwork also adjoins Plaça d’Espanya. Inaugurated in 1900, Las Arenas saw its last bullfight in 1977, with bullfighting being no longer legal in Catalunya and banned since 1 January, 2012. Today, the bullring has been converted into a shopping mall.
It’s been another full day and there is still much to see…I will need to return.
Tomorrow I take a three and a half hour fast train to Pomplona, then taxi to Roncevellas to began my journey walking the Camino de Santiago the following day. | https://asoulawakening.com.au/colours-of-barcelona/ |
The series 3 finale of Downton Abbey did a good job of tying up most loose ends while untying a couple more. It was a good episode, at least in that it was solid and somewhat satisfying, but it definitely wasn’t without its flaws. This is going to be a review of two parts, but I’ll focus on the good before I start complaining!
The good:
Almost everyone got what they wanted this week. Robert finally came around to Matthew and Branson’s ideas for running Downton, even if he had to be talked out of going into a scheme with Charles Ponzi partway through the episode. Mary fixed a small issue that now means she and Matthew can try for a child with some hope of success. Branson decided to live in Downton Abbey until baby Sybbie is a little older, allowing Cora more time with her granddaughter. Ethel got a job close to her son and was allowed to have contact with him. Even Thomas got a happy ending, not only keeping his job but getting a promotion, too. Read More... | http://www.sidereel.com/posts/230606-review-downton-abbey-series-3-episode-8-review-everyone-s-a-team-player- |
A picture speaks a thousand words.
Here is a picture of two massive volcanic fields on Australia’s Sapphire Coast, known in geological parlance as the Boyd Volcanic Complex, and the Yalwal Volcanic Complex.
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Geologists like to tell people these volcanoes were last active in the ‘Devonian Period’, i.e. 419 million years ago (sic).
Lucky thing, that, because otherwise a thoughtful onlooker might become a little perturbed by the huge amount of overlap between this picture above, of the volcanic complexes, and this picture, below, showing where the recent bush fires sprang up:
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This comes from THIS website on Australian volcanoes:
“Like the mountains, the volcanoes are all on the eastern side of Australia, in a series of chains running north to south, starting 500 km of the northeastern coast (the Maer islands) to Tasmania in the south. The total length is 4400 km. That is a sizable sequence! It closely follows the Great Dividing Range, the third longest continental mountain chain in the world. There are also two chains of submarine volcanoes further to the east, off the coast.”
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On December 17th 2019 (which happened to coincide with Chabad’s celebration of Kislev 19th this year, when the Alter Rebbe was amazingly released from the Czar’s prison after a 53 day there) – Australia registered it’s hottest day ‘ever’.
Apparently, the temperature hit 105.6 degrees.
That same day, there was a massive spike in seismic activity on December 17th, 2019:
And then, very shortly after that all the bushfires went up many levels of intensity.
As I’ve written about in many other places, when there is a lot of seismic activity in volcanic regions, that leads to natural methane being released in great quantities and rising up to the surface. Methane is highly flammable. All it takes is a spark – a strike of lightning, say – and whoosh! A massive fire can instantly get started that can race across the land at an unbelievable pace, because it’s burning methane.
That’s exactly what happened in volcanic California, too, last year, when the Paradise fire occurred.
No coincidence that one of the main Australian towns affected by these bushfires is called ‘Eden’.
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Hashem is definitely sending a message here.
Lucky, that those volcanoes in Australia are all 400 millions years old (sic). Even though here and there, there are hints that the official history of the area’s seismic and volcanic activity is a little ‘off’. Like the account of the Tathra tsunami, that hit the Sapphire Coast in the 1500s and totally wrecked the whole area.
Also, strange that a week before all that earthquake activity was recorded in Australia on December 17th, the White Island Volcano in New Zealand erupted, killing 18 people and badly burning many more.
Seismic pressure was clearly building all across that area.
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Just like in California, the white settlers of Australia pretty much eradicated the natives, and totally disparaged all their ‘tall stories’ that clearly indicated that recent and massive earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions were a regular feature of life. If they hadn’t committed genocide, maybe the settlers would have realised that:
There’s a very good reason that the native peoples of North America and the native peoples of Australia were nomadic, and lived a very basic life, with very few permanent buildings or institutions.
When you live life in the heart of a land that is being regularly convulsed by seismic and volcanic cataclysms, that is the safest way. And also, it’s pointless building permanent dwelling places, just to have them burn down, fall down or get washed away.
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It’s such a shame that the early white settlers didn’t show more respect to the indigenous peoples in North America and Australia. If they had, they may have understood much earlier on that life is far more fragile, and buildings far less permanent, than it first appears.
Of course, God wanted things this way.
He had His reasons for pausing the biggest, regular earthquakes and frequent volcanoes for 200 years, so that modern people would settle on America’s West Coast, and on Australia’s East Coast, and believe that they’d live there forever.
I wonder, do the people of Australia understand that the only reason their volcanoes are pegged as being so very old, and so very inactive, is because modern scientists didn’t date them to take into account of a how massive ‘bushfire event’, like we’re currently seeing, could totally skew any hint of a ‘normal’ comparison for carbon dating?
Take a look at this article, for more about that:
Climate Change Might Break Carbon Dating
Fossil fuel emissions mess with the ratio of carbon isotopes in the atmosphere
In short, when forest fires like this set up, they make anything carbon dated at the time they are taking place appear way, way older than they actually are.
And if you want to know more about why all the dating methods used by “science” are all totally flawed in different ways, but for similar reasons, read THIS.
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Long story short, the same natural phenomenon that has been causing the fires in California is causing the fires in Australia.
God is sending some good ol’ fashioned fire and brimstone to these areas, and the more interesting question is why? What does corrupt, Godless, hedonistic, California have in common with Eastern Australia?
I have some ideas.
But that’s a story for another time.
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You might also like this article: | https://rivkalevy.com/bushfires-and-volcanoes-in-australia/ |
The aim of this paper is to investigate the link between aesthetics and life nested in Carl Schmitt’s morphology. From one hand, Schmitt appear to be inept to solve the problem of the relationship between form and life. Indeed, in Decisionism, Form prevails over life and, in Institutionalism, life prevails over Form. The former is inflexible and conservative, the latter weak and changeable. On the other side, Walter Benjamin sets up a deeper perspective to overcame Schmittian limits along the line of his early studies on German Romanticism. My aim is to prove – through the aesthetical background of these two political philosophers – that nowadays it is possible to understand the multifarious nexus between form and life only from both a political and an aesthetical perspective.
Keywords
Morphology; Institutions; Carl Schmitt
Full Text:PDF (Italiano)
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Q:
Prove that there exists a nonempty subset $ I$ of $ \{1,2,...,n\}$ such that $ \sum_{i\in I}{\frac {1}{b_i}}$ is an integer
Let $ a_1,a_2,...,a_n$ and $ b_1,b_2,...,b_n$ be positive integers such that any integer $ x$ satisfies at least one congruence $ x\equiv a_i\pmod {b_i}$ for some $ i$. Prove that there exists a nonempty subset $ I$ of $ \{1,2,...,n\}$ such that $ \sum_{i\in I}{\frac {1}{b_i}}$ is an integer. - (Problems from the book, chapter 17)
This is a solution I have found on AoPS:
Solution a la Vess: Consider $ \prod_j(e^{2\pi i\frac{x-a_j}{b_j}}-1)=\sum_I\pm e^{2\pi i (A_I x+B_I)}$. Looking at the left hand side, we see that its average over $ \mathbb Z$ (understood as $ \lim_{N\to\infty}\frac1{2N+1}\sum_{-N}^N$) is $ 0$. Looking at the right hand side, we see that if no $ A_I$ with $ I\ne\varnothing$ is an integer, then it is $ (-1)^n$.
Is this answer correct? If so, how can I understand this solution ? What is $A_I$ and $B_I$ ? Are there any other solutions for this problem ?
A:
This is a result of Ming-Zhi Zhang in 1989 [J. Sichuan Univ. (Nat. Sci. Ed.) 26(1989), Special Issue 185-188]. For my simple proof and extensions of this result, one may consult my talk, the survey Problems and Results on Covering Systems and my 1995 paper in Acta Arith.
A:
Vess's solution is correct (as we could expect from him).
After expanding the brackets, we get an alternating sum of the exponents, for a set $I\subset \{1,2,\dots,n\}$ we have a summand $(-1)^{n-|I|} e^{2\pi i (A_Ix+B_I)}$,
where $A_I=\sum_{j\in I} \frac1{b_j}$, $B_I=-\sum_{j\in I} \frac{a_j}{b_j}$.
You may finish it by averaging not over large segments of integers and taking the limit, but over $x=0,1,\dots,lcm(b_1,\dots,b_n)-1$.
Essentially the same argument may be read as follows. Denote $N=lcm(b_1,\dots,b_n)$ and consider the polynomial $f(z)=\prod_{j=1}^n (z^{N/b_j}-e^{2\pi i a_j/b_j})$. You are given that any root of $z^N-1$ is a root of $f$, so $f$ is divisible by $z^N-1$. Expand the brackets in $f$ and reduce it modulo $z^N-1$. This is the same as reducing each exponent of $z$ modulo $N$. Since we get 0 after total reduction, $f$ should contain some exponent divisible by $N$ other than the constant term. This is what we need.
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Understanding equity through research dataResearch 4 Aug 2014 5 minute read
Large-scale assessments over several years reveal that reading achievement has improved in primary schools, while reading and maths achievement in middle secondary school has declined. John Ainley explains.
Understanding equity through research data
Large-scale assessments play an important role in education policy and planning in many countries. They typically use a common assessment tool administered to a large sample or whole population of students under uniform conditions. Most use methods that enable the measurement of change over time. Large-scale assessments also typically measure aspects of student background that enable analyses of the distribution of achievement.
Both the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for Years 3 and 5 students and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) usefully identify trends in student achievement. NAPLAN has assessed the population of Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 annually since 2008. PISA has assessed an international sample of 15-year-old students, including Australian students, every three years since 2000.
Primary reading interventions boost results
There has been steady improvement in reading achievement in Years 3 and 5 students from 2008 to 2013. The improvements have been greatest where there have been the strongest interventions. This gives cause for optimism in terms of the efforts that have been made in the preschool years, the early years of schooling and primary school in general.
The counterpoint is that there have been only isolated instances of improvement in other curriculum areas such as numeracy or writing.
This appears to be consistent with an emphasis on reading in reform initiatives in preschool, and the early and middle primary years. Improvements have occurred in the areas at which most reform initiatives have been targeted.
While there have been substantial initiatives in preschool and early primary school in most states and territories, in Queensland there have been structural changes with the introduction of Year K (or preparatory year) in schools prior to and at this time. This appears to have been associated with the improvement in Year 3 reading achievement in Queensland from 2008 to 2012 and in Year 5 reading achievement from 2011 to 2013. There were smaller improvements in numeracy at Years 3 and 5 in Queensland, suggesting that the impact of the structural change was not confined to reading.
In the Northern Territory, there were also improvements in reading achievement at Years 3 and 5. In the Northern Territory, there had been substantial reform initiatives focused on reading achievement, especially Indigenous student achievement. It is also notable that the improvements in reading achievement among Indigenous students in Years 3 and 5 reflect a number of reform initiatives at both the national, and state and territory levels.
Investigating declines in secondary reading and maths
Reading and mathematics achievement in the middle secondary years has seen declines over the past nine to 12 years. These declines vary among states and territories, and have been associated with increased differentiation among schools.
There were no significant changes from 2000 to 2009 for reading or from 2003 to 2012 for mathematics in the differences between girls and boys, between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, or between students in metropolitan and non-metropolitan locations.
For both reading and mathematics there was a reduction in the difference between students with an immigrant background and those with a non-immigrant background, and between students with a language background other than English (LBOTE) and other students, arising mainly from the fact there was no decline for students with an immigrant background or LBOTE students, whereas there had been a decline for other students.
There were differences in the change in mean reading scores among the states and territories, with significant declines in Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. There were no significant changes in Western Australia, Victoria or Queensland. The variations among Australian states and territories in the extent of the declines suggest that there may be some systemic factors associated with curricula or school organisation that may be linked to these declines in reading achievement.
Correlations between the declines in reading and mathematics among the states and territories suggest that it is unlikely that changes in curricula or teaching would provide the main explanation for those declines, although they could be associated with more general changes in approaches to teaching.
The declines in achievement of 15-year-olds in reading and mathematics in PISA over the past nine years do not appear to be associated with changes in the personal, social and demographic characteristics of students. The magnitude of the declines differed among the states, and those declines appeared to be similar for reading and mathematics. The declines in achievement were associated with increased differentiation among schools, suggesting care should be taken with initiatives that may exacerbate differences among schools in intake characteristics or effectiveness and support for measures that provide quality assurance.
Further information:
This article is based on the conference paper, ‘Perspectives on quality and equity from large-scale assessment studies', delivered by John Ainley at ACER’s Research Conference 2014 on the theme ‘Quality and Equity: What does research tell us?’ on 4 August.
The conference proceedings, including full conference papers, are available from the ACER research repository. | https://www.acer.org/gb/discover/article/understanding-equity-through-research-data |
This represents the third consecutive month of a decline in the headline CPI rate, indicating some easing in high food and non-food prices.
According to the report, the top items to have recorded the highest increases between April 2016 and 2017 across all the divisions were Solid Fuels, Bread and Cereals, Meat, Liquid Fuels, Clothing materials, other articles of clothing and clothing accessories, and Fish.
Between March and April 2017, however, the headline index increased by 1.60 per cent in April 2017, 0.12 per cent points lower than the rate recorded in March.
Similarly, between March and April 2017, the highest rise in prices were dominated by food items including coffee, tea and cocoa, potatoes, yam and tubers, bread and cereals, milk cheese and eggs and meat and fish.
The headline index, the report noted, is made up of the core index and farm produce items.
Similarly, the urban index rose by 1.61 per cent in April from 1.76 percent recorded in March, while the rural index rose by 1.59 percent in April from 1.69 percent in March.
The Composite Food Index rose by 19.30 per cent in April 2017.
Meanwhile, the food sub-index increased by 2.04 per cent in April, down by 0.17 per cent points from 2.21 per cent recorded in March.
The rise in the index was caused by increases in prices of bread, cereals, meat, fish, potatoes, yams and other tubers, coffee, tea and cocoa, milk cheese and eggs and oils and fats.
The average annual rate of change of the Food sub-index for the twelve-month period ending in April 2017 over the previous twelve-month average was 17.11 percent, 0.51 percent points from the average annual rate of change recorded in March (16.60) percent.
The ‘’All Items Less Farm Produce’’ or Core sub-index, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce eased by 14.80 percent during the month, 0.60 percent points from 15.40 percent recorded in March as all key divisions which contributes to the index increased. | |
Q.1:- Which part of a computer helps to store information ?
Q.2:- Which of the following is a part of the system unit ?
Q.3:- The ……….. is the box that houses the most important parts of a computer system ?
Q.4:- The pictorial representation of a program or algorithm is called a ?
Q.5:- The …….. indicates how much data a particular storage medium can hold ?
Q.6:- Computers use the ……………… system to progress data.
Q.7:- Which of the following is not an example of hardware ?
Q.8:- A device that is connected to the mother board is …………. ?
Q.9:- Each component of computer is either ……………. ?
Q.10:- A computer cannot “boot” if it does have the ?
Q.11:- Developing sets of instructions for the computer to follow and to do the task the same way as many times as needed is called ……………… ?
Q.12:- The function of an assembler is …………….. ?
Q.13:- A compiler translates a program written in a high level language into …………… ?
Q.14:- Computer equipment itself is called ?
Q.15:- Computer software can be defined as …………… ?
Q.16:- What is software ?
Q.17:- The ………… of a system includes the programs or instructions ?
Q.18:- Compiling creates a(n) ……….. ?
Q.19:- Which of the following peripheral devices displays information to a user ?
Q.20:- Server is a computer which provides resources other computers commuted in a ?
Q.21:- The most important or powerful computer in a typical network ?
Q.22:- A ……………. typically connects personal computer within a very limited geographical area, usually within a single building.
Q.23:- Computers connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) can ……………. ?
Q.24:- The main job of a CPU is to ……….. ?
Q.25:- One information is input into a computer it becomes ? | http://entranciology.com/computer-selected-questions-answers-set-7/ |
Online identification and authentication keeps transactions secure on the Internet, however this has also implications for your privacy.
Disclosing more personal information than needed online when, say, you log in to your bank website may simplify the bank’s security at the cost of your privacy. Now, thanks to research by the EU-funded project Attribute-based Credentials for Trust ABC4Trust , there is a new approach that keeps systems secure and protects your identity.
For example, at Norrtullskolan secondary school in Söderhamn, Sweden, pupils can access counselling services online. However, until recently the pupils couldn’t access these services using a pseudonym – they had to identify themselves by name so the school could check whether they were allowed to use them.
But in the ABC4Trust pilot scheme, each child is issued with a ‘deck’ of digital certificates that validate information like their enrolment status, their date of birth and so on. This allows the school pupils to enjoy both privacy and security. Instead of having to reveal their whole identity when using the counselling service they can simply use one of the certificates in their deck that pseudonymously verifies they are enrolled at the school.
Read more . . .
The Latest on: Online identification and authentication
via Google News
The Latest on: Online identification and authentication
- Linking Voter ID cards with Aadhaar begins in Stateon August 1, 2022 at 12:07 pm
Jharkhand, K Ravikumar said on Monday that voters can link voter cards with Aadhar card, this is also being started from August 1. He said that if any voter does not have an Aadhar card, then they can ...
- Election Commission to start drive to link Voter ID with Aadhaar card from today. 5 pointson August 1, 2022 at 6:39 am
Bill, authorising the linking of Aadhaar with Voter IDs, was passed by the Lok Sabha through a voice vote in December 2021.
- New Form 6B comes into effect, Delhi CEO appeals to electors to get Voter ID linked with Aadhaaron August 1, 2022 at 6:33 am
The new form has been introduced with effect from August 1 "for collecting Aadhaar number of existing electors to authenticate the entries in the electoral rolls and thus make it absolutely error-free ...
- Aadhaar Voter Link: How to link Voter ID with Aadhaar online? EC to start a campaign soonon August 1, 2022 at 1:17 am
Bill, which authorises voter ID link with Aadhaar was passed by the Lok Sabha through a voice vote in December 2021. Check How to link Voter ID with Aadhaar Card online? Voter Aadhaar Link: The ...
- ARTRACX Launches New Blockchain-Based Chipset, Verifiable Credential and Digital Certificates For Art Authentication - As Prepaid Packageon August 1, 2022 at 12:00 am
The ENTITLE App and ENTITLE Starter Kit makes it very easy for artists, galleries to create an extra layer of digital certificate of authenticity supported by physical chipset and blockchain. Easy and ...
- Best authenticator apps of 2022: add an extra layer of online securityon July 31, 2022 at 10:35 am
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is having its moment and has become the standard for online security protection. 2FA is a digital authentication method that adds another layer of security when a user ...
- iProov wins biometrics, ID document check contracts for UK’s proposed One Login programon July 29, 2022 at 2:46 pm
Biometric Update was told solutions were evaluated on factors including quality, inclusion, usability, security standards, reliability, social value and price.
- Biometric authentication no longer a business enabler – it’s now crucial for long-term sustainability, successon July 25, 2022 at 11:38 pm
Advanced biometric authentication is the first point of entry into a company’s digital world and should be a priority and non-negotiable within a security and risk strategy, says Gur Geva, co-founder ...
- CERN goes back online with Iris IDon July 22, 2022 at 2:01 pm
Iris ID iris recognition technology provides fast, contactless and highly accurate identity authentication for over 10,000 registered individuals who have been cleared for access to CERN over the ...
- India Launches Face-based Authentication App for National ID Programon July 21, 2022 at 11:25 am
Unique Identification Authority of India is rolling out an app that will allow citizens to verify their identities with facial recognition ... | https://innovationtoronto.com/2014/05/security-and-privacy-now-they-can-go-hand-in-hand/ |
Fiction, storytelling, is the same regardless of genre, and over the past century, we’ve made some gradual concessions in favor of organization and clarity over artistic expression. In other words, there are rules to good writing. Not about the word choice or material itself, but in the presentation of material. To take it from a handful of jarring, undeveloped flights of fancy or snippets of unfinished (and uninspired) scenes and characters, to an actual, real, living story.
So in this (short) article I’m going to look at some of the most egregious writing mistakes and errors most authors make, with the understanding that none of these are really mistakes at all: these are all pretty normal for quickly jotting down a FIRST draft. But if you want to polish your first draft into anything even approaching an actual novel, these are things you should look at, identify and fix. Because they aren’t typos.
1: get rid of melodrama
Melodrama is basically, unbelievable emotional outbursts. Emotions needs to build throughout the book and erupt towards the peak… so everything that happens in the beginning needs to be toned down. If your characters are bursting out into tears and laughter every other page it will feel unbelievable.
It’s also cheap: instead of showing the emotion in the scene and letting readers feel it (which only happens after you’ve built sympathy and understanding so we know what it means and feels like for them) you’re basically trying to force the emotions with a physical outburst (wailing, pulling hair, gnashing of teeth) which feels unjustified at best. Especially in the beginning, emotions should be muted, because the stakes aren’t high enough yet.
Emotion is rarely something you see, outburst, failure to contain, the struggle to contain. The stakes need to grow. All emotion is wasted if we don’t care about the character.
Character = someone likeable + something keeping them from their goals, wrestling with a crisis that means everything.
2. repetition & redundancy
You want to say things once. Many newer authors take a heavy hand and try to impress upon readers, often by over-establishing things by repeating them in a variety of ways.
Instead of 5 adjectives to describe a character’s emotional state, choose one good one.
3. unrealistic facial expressions
This one almost fits in with the previous 2: most normal people don’t broadcast their emotions or have physical outbursts. Our emotions are more subtle and controlled. Specifically, don’t have a character go through a bunch of different expressions in the same few moments.
Also try to avoid cliches: “jaw dropped” “gasped in disbelief.” They aren’t realistic, because they are melodramatic (caricatures of emotional reaction).
4. cut metaphors
New writers *love* creative metaphors, but they’re almost always distracting. A metaphor plants a picture in readers’ minds; but it’s a *different* picture than whatever is actually happening in the scene – so it pulls them out of the vivid scene and towards something else which is rarely as interesting. Limit them as much as possible; leave the ones that convey an emotional depth or foreboding. They’re often lazy writing, and you should be focused on real scene description instead.
5. flashbacks and backstory
This one is tricky, but in general, the full backstory character reveal belongs at the end of the book, in the middle of the final battle or climax (not the beginning!). Many writers begin with a characters full backstory or at least an important childhood scene – full of emotion or drama – but we don’t care yet about the character.
We need to see them in the real, current world, being likeable and having a goal and facing an immediate challenge. People don’t sit around suddenly reflecting about childhood trauma for no reason; nor do they casually bring it up with new acquaintances.
It’s very important, however, to show how THIS one challenge is impossible for them, because of that early event, and so in the final moment rather than always making the same decision, this time in THIS story they choose differently, by finally facing their fears and overcoming them. You can show how important this new choice is with a great backstory or flashback but they really should be fleshed out near the end.
Otherwise, for more general world-building background stuff, find a way to slowly creep it in through action scenes (conversation, discovery) – the information should be presented when it’s relevant and when it matters: also, answers should only be given with a cost, and after questions have been raised, not gratuitously without effort.
6. body language
It’s common in a first draft to try to add a little bit of “scene” with body language, but you’ll notice you’re relying on the same things. He bit his lip, frowned, leaned, tapped his fingers, etc. Try to avoid anything static: instead of “he turned to face her” or “began to leave the room” just use the action verb – or skip it (we don’t really need to see him turning and her turning, they could just be talking to each other; and you don’t need to announce every entry or exit. If it can be implied, replace it with something more specific and unique.
7. scene description
Description is usually something I add in late, after about four rounds of revision. First you need to get the actual story (what happens) then the character motivations (why are they doing this?).
Once everything is in the right place and you’re sure, you can start building out everything by asking “what does this look like?” That’s a very powerful prompt, which I’ll expand on later.
With description, you want to avoid any symbolic reference to shared knowledge. Don’t say “it looked just like a normal, everyday high school classroom.” That doesn’t tell us anything, it’s vague and universal.
The trick with description is to focus on the differences. How is this space *different* from a normal high school classroom. What’s unique about it?
Focus on the constrast. If he lives in a converted bus, first fine: that’s a quick mental image. But now, how do the details of THIS converted bus color the character.
– a converted bus painted black with purple furniture and candles, and a cello.
– a converted bus turned into a wide loft with colorful pillows and sandalwood.
Same thing with character description: avoid faceless groups that all act the same, like goons or henchmen that are cartoonishly simple, or mobs of people all expressing the same words, movements or emotions together – it falls flat.
8. Capitalization
This is tricky, especially in fantasy – but lots of capitalization gets distracting. So decide if you need to capitalize Prince and Chosen and Kingdom and everything else.
Typically, “King Richard” is a proper noun and capitalized. And “Your Highness” might be, or even “Dear” and terms of endearment. But “the king” or “the council” doesn’t have to be. There’s some wiggle room on these, but try to avoid them when you can and keep them consistent when they’re called for. It’s easy to get carried away and have wildly different use cases throughout the book.
9. Narration
Now let’s dig a little deeper. Narration is basically, the narrator just telling readers what’s happening. Ideally, you want your narrator to be invisible – without a strong, active voice or personality. Of course there are genres and books with a strong narrative voice (which is fine for example, in a first-person POV young adult novel or in some comedic fantasy). But it’s hard to pull of well and usually distracting to break the fourth wall and speak to readers.
The main problem here is that it’s easy. You’re injecting information over the characters’ heads while they’re just standing there. You want all your content to be within the scene; you want the information to be discovered and engaged with by your active characters.
10. Summary
The problem that sometimes happens with narration, is that you start with a general summary of all the stuff, and THEN you show it playing out in active scene. But it’s not exciting because we already know what’s going to happen. Summary is best kept to a paragraph or so between scenes, but everytime you do it, you’re pressing “pause” and you need to give your characters something to do in the meantime.
Think about, who is saying this, who is hearing this? Where is it taking place? There’s no active scene, and it brings us out of our entrancement, to focus on the narrator sharing these facts with us, instead of the characters (information shared this way has no drama or emotion because it doesn’t affect the characters…. so it’s fine for general, quick background info, but not good for deeply personal stuff that characters will have emotions about.
11. Thinking out loud
Real people rarely talk to themselves, either out loud or in their heads. If you do have thoughts, keep them brief and in italics. You don’t need to preface it with “she thought.”
Good thoughts are questions or fears that focus on the conflict or drama. Bad thoughts are unnecessary, casual affirmation of what’s already in the scene.
ie. She glared at the phone, dreading the inevitable ring as her controlling ex-boyfriend called to check on her. Maybe he won’t call tonight. The phone rang.
Her ex-boyfriend called every night to check on her. He’s so controlling, she thought. I should have dumped him ages ago. The phone rang. Oh my! she thought he’s calling again. I should just ignore it. But maybe it’s something important this time?”
The point is, keep an eye on it. Long, running italicized thoughts mean you’re in your characters head, but you’re hitting pause between every single action. This gets very distracting in conversation, where the character has to think and reflect and comment on each thing before replying.
12. Don’t hit pause
Since I’ve mentioned it a few times now… try to avoid hitting pause or freezing your scene. Always ask, what does this look like right now? Something should be happening. If all the characters are sitting around doing nothing, you’re on pause. It’s OK to have slow, thoughtful scenes where stakes are low and they can relax (usually in the middle, after you’ve got things going). If you can’t picture it because this is all in some character’s mind, figure out a way to turn it into active scene. See if you can take that summary or backstory infodump and reveal it in a powerful way.
13. Show don’t tell
Of course you’ve heard this one before, but few people can explain what it actually means. If you start with “what does this look like” then you’ll be doing it right. If you can’t picture it, you’re telling.
She cried, or she was upset so she cried, is telling.
Her lip trembled and she felt a tear on her cheek. She wiped it away in frustration, dampening her sleeve.
You can use both, but in general, showing is better.
14. Avoid hyperbole & adverbs
You may have heard this advice before about adverbs. Basically, it’s a squinting modifier. So instead of she was angry, you say she was extremely angry. And if you wanted it stronger, you’d do she was extremely furious. Most of the time, adverbs are telling, not showing – and you can usually just use a stronger word instead of the modifier (and if you use both, like extremely furious, it’s a tautology or redundancy). We may not believe it because it sounds melodramatic, and may not be warranted in the actual scene (WHY was she extremely furious – this would have to be explained in context). Fixing your -ly adverbs and modifiers will strengthen your writing.
15. Intrigue and suspense
These are the motor of your fiction: unresolved questions and unresolved conflict. First you have to establish sympathy with your main characters and give them something they want, that they’re struggling towards; then you add danger and opposition. The way to keep suspense and intrigue high is by removing information, which usually means rebalancing things so you don’t give away too much too early.
16. The MAIN story
The Main story will have the most conflict, and be centered around the main character with the most to lose; the one whose challenge or struggle will be greatest. Don’t begin with a sweeping big conflict and then get distracted on fun, light stuff. Every scene needs to present something new, something that changes.
Check out this big list: 14 crucial things you need in every scene.
The main story begins in the normal, status quo, just before things change for the protagonist in a big way. Start there, with unresolved action (the backstory is all resolved action, so there’s no conflict or tension: there’s only some intrigue, until you’ve given it all away – and much too early for us to care). The main story is the one that is not resolved, that is still unfolding. But we need to be invested first, which means sympathy+stakes.
Everything else that isn’t the main story, should have a lot of detail so we can picture it, and emotion so we can feel it. Otherwise, if it doesn’t impact the plot or color the character’s emotional reactions, it doesn’t need to be included.
17. Navel-gazing
This means, characters who obsess about their problems or themselves; or casually reflect through their own biography. Try to find one specific instance that expresses the personality traits. Show your character’s personality in action/reaction, not soliloquy. *Until* they are forced to face cutting moral issues, that’s when their past, baggage, or feelings will come up in a dramatic way. When the events force them to do things they absolutely do not want to do, when they’re forced into something that brings up their fears or insecurities – that’s when they may have an emotional outburst and then maybe reflect. But the real change will happen as it’s forced, not through a thoughtful introspection.
18 Dual POV
It can be hard to tell a whole story from one POV (point of view), but there are dangers with using multiple POV.
The main thing is, try not to repeat the same scenes or information from another vantage point. Give it, the first time, in a direct way to the character who is most emotionally upset or personally invoved.
Introduction to a brand new character/POV jump… this can work with high stakes and lots of drama, tension and action. But you need to build the first story up to maximum conflict first to hook interest, and then hope your readers won’t mind putting all that on pause to build up a whole new character. It’s hard to sympathize all your main characters, and if you’re doing this for side characters or villains, it can weaken your novel by presenting all viewpoints: we’ll sympathize with everyone and then root for nobody.
19 Avoid dreams… in the beginning.
This is so common and overdone: starting with a dramatic scene and then “poof, they woke up!” it’s fake conflict. It can be great to use scenes to add vivid images later, but it needs to have context in the story, and is rarely the place to start. Dreams usually have zero stakes, so they don’t really matter. | https://www.bookbutchers.com/editing-a-novel-checklist-how-to-edit-a-novel-in-12-simple-steps/ |
Today I’d like to talk a bit about support groups, how they work and how they can help.
Whether you’re dealing with a chronic illness or disability, emotional problem, life transition, or just want to learn more about a particular issue, your community may have a group where you can come together with people in similar situations and develop strategies and other interventions that can help you deal with these personal and sometimes complex issues.
Support groups give encouragement, a level of intimacy and camaraderie, particularly during difficult times. As face-to-face interactions within the community are becoming more and more scarce, support or self help group comprised of people in the same situation may help fill that void. Over the past 25 years, there has been a huge increase in the number of support groups in the United States. Today there are several hundred’s of distinctly different types of support and self help groups in our Country.
Although support can vary greatly, some common themes shared by all is that they are places where people can share personal stories, express emotions, and be heard in an atmosphere of acceptance, understanding and encouragement. Consumers share information, resources, and engage in peer counseling. By helping others, group members commonly feel strengthened and empowered themselves though the process. Besides furnishing support, some groups also focus on community education and advocacy.
Here at PACE we try to address many important and sometimes personal issues in our low vision support groups. Our groups discuss general issues surrounding vision loss and blindness, along with specific issues such as magnification, home safety, transportation, activities of daily living, advocacy and much much more.
All are welcome to attend our groups and we encourage you to tell family and friends about us.
7. Douglas Co. (Tuscola) “White Caners” low vision support group, is currently being reestablished and we hope to have news of new meeting day/time for this group in the near future. Announcements will be made.
Remember everyone is welcome and if you have any questions about these groups feel free to contact Bruce Meissner Ph.D., CRC, Coordinator of Visual Impairment Services at PACE Inc. Center for Independent Living. Thank you and I hope to see you soon. | http://pacecil.org/support-groups/ |
A new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, has added new evidence to the list of beneficial effects of green space . A paper published in Environment International concludes that having more green spaces near home or living closer to natural environments contribute to better physical capacity at older ages.
The goal of this research was to assess for the first time the relationship between the natural environment and the decline in physical functioning in older adults. To do so, the team recruited more than 5,700 participants from the Whitehall II cohort in the UK , who were invited to take part in three follow-ups during a 10 year period (2002-2013). Participants were aged 50 to 74 years at the beginning of the study. Among the data collected from them were the surrounding greenness around each participant's address and the distance from home to the nearest natural environment (both green and blue spaces). Greenness was estimated using satellite images and distance to the nearest natural environment using a land use map. To assess physical capacity, the participants took a walking speed and a grip strength test.
The data analysis showed that people who live in neighborhoods with more green spaces or closer to natural environments have a slower decline in walking speed. More specifically, participants living in the areas with the highest green space had a 6% to 7,5% slower decline in walking speed over 5 years compared to the participants living in areas with the lowest green space.
“Green space was only associated with a small difference in the decline in physical functioning at individual level. However, as physical capacity is one of the main aspects of healthy ageing, this difference can represent important benefits on population level”, says Carmen de Keijzer, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study.
The results also show that people who lived in areas with more greenness at the beginning of the study had more grip strength. However, they did not show a slower decline in this upper body function over the whole study period.
Exposure to natural environments has been associated to better mental health, self-perceived general health and lower risk of morbidity and mortality in previous studies. One of the factors that may explain these relationships are the social interactions. “ Greener neighborhoods are known to foster social cohesion and social support . In our study we see that social life is one of the mediators that may contribute to the association between residential green space and slower decline in walking speed”, Carmen de Keijzer explains.
“This study contributes to the growing evidence about the health benefits of green space and natural environments and provides one more argument on how greener cities are also healthier cities, especially by considering the ageing population in our rapidly urbanizing world”, states Payam Dadvand, ISGlobal researcher and last author of the study. | https://www.isglobal.org/en/-/las-personas-que-viven-en-areas-con-mas-espacios-verdes-tienen-un-declive-fisico-mas-lento?inheritRedirect=true |
WitcherCon Coming July 9
In partnership with Netflix, CD Projekt RED announced that the virtual fan event WitcherCon is slated for July 9, 2021.
An event dedicated to The Witcher universe, this event will bring together the worlds of The Witcher TV series and video games. Interactive panels will put the spotlight on those who brought its characters to life, which will be done alongside news features, behind-the-scenes looks, and new reveals.
In addition to a look at the creativity and production of the video game series, WitcherCon will also reveal more information about The Witcher: Monster Slayer mobile game, upcoming comic books and fan gear, the live action Netflix series, and the anime film Nightmare of the Wolf.
Fans will be able to tune in on both Twitch and YouTube. The event will first air on July 9 at 7:00 PM CEST across separate streams, each containing exclusive content. The second stream will begin at 03:00 AM CEST on July 10.
All those interested can learn more on the official site here. | https://www.gamersheroes.com/gaming-news/witchercon-coming-july-9/ |
Jen Olson of Hyde Park Flowers brings over 15 years of design experience and a lifelong passion and eye for recognizing beauty in nature to each wedding event. She strives to make each wedding unique by blending together flowers to match the personality and style of each couple. The results create an ambiance and surroundings which contribute to making a wedding day unforgettable. Located in central Vermont and serving weddings in Stowe, Cambridge, Greensboro, Craftsbury and surrounding regions.
Other couples have also viewed: | https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/hyde-park-flowers-lake-elmore/6ce7eb04c52091eb.html |
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